2004 ACBS Annual Meeting & Boat Show, Lake Lanier, Georgia
Weathering the Storm at Lake Lanier, Ivan the Bearable
by Denis Hartnett, ACBS Rudder Staff
photos by Denis Hartnett, Wil Vidal and Joe Fleming
Not
since General Sherman decided to extend his trip down South has Georgia been
so anxious about an unwelcome visitor. Hurricane Ivan wasn’t on the 2004
International ACBS Meeting and Boat Show guest list but he certainly set the
agenda. Host chapter Blue Ridge and show co-chairmen Bob Bush and Tom
O’Rourke had worked for two years, chosen a gorgeous location at Pineisle
Resort on Lake Lanier, planned five days of activities and registered almost
sixty boats and 270 guests.
As
the old adage goes, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” And He seemed disposed
to toy with the one thing nobody can control – the weather. Predictions of a
wet Armageddon couldn’t keep most registrants away though it did thin the
ranks of boats brought to the Show. Those who came along on this roller
coaster ride were rewarded with a great event and can tell friends they made
it through the night when the lights went out in Georgia.
\Lanier is a huge manmade lake with over 500 miles of shoreline. When
finally filled in 1956, the remaining Appalachian mountaintops became the
twelve hundred acre Lake Lanier Islands where, today, the Pineisle Resort is
located. Pineisle – which locals manage to say in just one syllable – is
famous for its beautiful scenery, world class golf course and vast choice of
recreational activities. ACBS seemed to have the place almost to itself
after Labor Day, as the crowds thinned out and workers, getting a leap on
Christmas, began erecting lighting displays along the roadway.
“Our
idea was to have maximum participation by everyone,” said O’Rourke. “We
wanted to accommodate as many members as possible for all the pre-show
events.” Starting on Tuesday, early arrivals had a chance on to cruise Lake
Lanier when a flotilla of boats took more than a hundred people to the
Chattahoochee Country Club for an event hosted by Joe and Gladys Wyant. It
was an absolutely beautiful day, and the Club embodied the graciousness of
the South.
Early
Wednesday morning a bus left the hotel heading north to Lake Burton. That’s
where former ACBS president, manic collector and universally acknowledged
great guy Les Rue has THE perfect boating retreat. After traveling two hours
through the red clay hills and kudzu draped landscape, Les’ guests arrived
at the foot of his long, winding driveway only to find it impassable to your
average 60-foot tour bus. It would have looked like Chilkoot Pass if Victor
Fabricius – the go-to man of the whole week – hadn’t used his van to ferry
groups up and over the hill to the lake.
The
cabin and nearby boathouse seemed like shrines devoted to boating; every
horizontal surface was covered with antique boat toys, ancient bait boxes
and dog-eared copies of the Real Runabouts. Of course every shrine needs an
altar; down nearer the water, the large, stone barbeque pits played that
role. Smoke drifted over the guests as they pressed forward with ecstatic
faces to view their imminent lunch: a whole pig nearing the end of its
28-hour journey to perfection. Under the ministering hands of pitmasters
Steve Franklin – who’d fed the hickory wood fire every two hours day and
night – and Steve Johnson, this humble pig was transformed into a memorable
world-class Southern barbeque feast.
Knowing
that conditions would soon worsen, everyone was just as hungry for what
could be the last good weather for some time. Nine boats were kept busy all
day providing rides. John Kennedy’s newly restored 1954 Century Sea Maid,
Sam Bass’ 1934 Port Carling Sea Bird and a lovely 1906 Fay and Bowenesque
launch of unknown origin, among others, had people on the water all day.
Gliding along the smooth green, mountain waters in a 1939 Dippy, enveloped
in a light fog of exhaust, Les declared his 24 ft. 1927 Hacker triple to be
the perfect ride. The Hacker shares quarters in his envy-inducing boathouse
with two fine old boats and a collection of antique rowboats and canoes.
The
afternoon on Lake Burton ended all too soon. People departed stroking their
bellies and talking about the beautiful lake with its many miles of
fieldstone seawalls and handsome two-story boathouses. A small group, led by
Fabricius, got a chance to tour boat barns and restorers’ workshops tucked
away in the hills nearby.
Dinner
on Wednesday night at the marina restaurant was served buffet style. Jimmy
Buffet style, from the looks and sounds of it. Like an instant vision of
laid-back island living, people crowded among the plastic palm trees
drinking cerveza and listened to songs yearning for a return to
Margaritaville.
In
the night, Ivan made his approach. News of distant destruction had members
on edge and stormy skies and gusting winds gave faint cause for hope, but
Blue Ridge members remained steadfastly optimistic. Sitting in a rocking
chair on the hotel’s front porch, surveying the torrential rains and stream
of early departures, chapter president Gail Turner predicted everything
would blow over in a day or so. “We don’t have hurricanes here,” she
insisted.
So
this was the atmosphere as the official business began on Thursday morning.
At the Chapter Roundtable John Harvey and Jack Lynette did their best to
make the intricate variations of boat insurance comprehensible. Like herding
cats it was a difficult task. Hands kept shooting up like a roomful of
brilliant students, but in the end everyone had their questions answered and
now thoroughly understands their coverage. We hope.
Lunch
in the dining room offered the perfect place to watch the weather
deteriorate. As the rain swept in over the nearby golf course lashing the
trees about, it began to look like the only greens people were going to see
around here were on their plates, served Southern style.
At
the Annual Meeting that followed lunch, co-chairman Bob Bush announced that
the number of boats had dropped from 56 down to 6. “We’ll have a boat show
come hell or high water,” he defiantly declared with a particularly apt
phrase. Reports from the various chairmen showed income up, expenses down,
membership at an all time high of 7625, and petitions for two new chapters
were presented and discussed. Representatives from Haggerty Insurance talked
of their commitment to our organization and were warmly applauded for
becoming the first $10,000 sponsor for the 2005 Annual Meeting and Boat Show
at Lake of the Ozarks. New officers and directors were announced. Toronto
Chapter extended an invitation for everyone to join them next summer at
Gravenhurst for the 25th anniversary of their big show. Patrick Wren told
members that the Canadian government has committed $72 million dollars
toward a new museum showcasing boating in the Muskokas.
I
t
was after the annual meeting that disaster struck. One minute all eyes were
on the Weather Channel, the next – darkness, as power went out everywhere.
People trudged up the stairways and bonded together in the gray twilight of
the banquet hall. Dinner by candlelight, though not quite romantic,
certainly was intimate and everyone had a great time in the serving line
guessing the contents of the chafing dishes. Several times the lights
flickered on – then off – rousing hopes and causing people to oooh and aaah
like a crowd at a fireworks show. As dinner ended, the savvier members
filched candles from the tables to light their way back through the eerie
darkness. The rest were given chemical glow sticks that the unfailingly
upbeat hotel staff must have bought by the gross. People drifted through the
halls like tentative fireflies. Some simply turned in early. Others used the
time to rediscover the real purpose of these events by getting together with
old friends; to reminisce and, in that green phosphorescent glow of our
Ivan-o-lights, drink scotch and recite poems, accompanied by the howling
wind. Or revive memories of members no longer with us and tell stories of
their crazy exploits. When the power returned before midnight to break the
spell it was almost a shame.
By morning Ivan the
Terrible had become Ivan the Bearable and over the next two days, sunny
skies and calm conditions prevailed. The decision to move the Show to
Saturday was an inspired idea, allowing enough time for cautious
participants to feel reassured there’d be no more immediate hurricane
weather and leaving Sunday open for their return trip home. It did mean
competing with the Georgia Bulldogs in this sports-mad part of the country.
Admission fees were dropped for the public and a slender but impressed crowd
came out to watch.
Holiday Marina, where the Show was held, is the second largest marina in the
U.S., with room for over 1300 boats. Its immense wet docks march out and
along the shoreline in endless variations like a nautical suburb. ACBS had
covered slips nearest the restaurant and parking lot so there was easy
access and great visibility. A colorful and impressive land display of
Aristocraft boats was the first thing visitors saw. Made in nearby Marrietta
by Bill and Gail Turner, they carry on a family tradition begun by Bill’s
father Claude in 1946. Still working in the same plant that produced over
20,000 boats, Bill crafts a few of these sleek speedsters every month as a
labor of love. Their presence demonstrates one benefit of moving this annual
event around the country: being able to showcase regional boats that
otherwise might never get wider notice.
One
of the nicest boats in the show wasn’t even at the marina. It was back in
the hotel lobby. Jerry and Sharyn Winter’s 1910 Walter Dean 16ft Sunnyside
Cruiser with its sail extended was displayed along with other fine canoes
from the Blue Ridge Chapter. They kept peoples’ hopes alive through times
when it looked like they were going to be the sum total of the boats seen.
Jerry also had a hand in restoring Winter’s Work, Will Hart’s award winning
1945 Century 17 ft Deluxe Runabout. Chris Smith was there with Cora B, his
1957 19 ft Chris-Craft Sea Maid. Baby Grand, John Walton’s exceptionally
handsome 1948, 25 ft Chris-Craft Sportsman, won Best Utility Over 22 ft and
Mike and Ann Matheson added a touch of elegance with their 35 ft Hutchinson
1939 Commuter. Though there wasn’t a Peoples Choice, it may well have gone
to Ron Hooker for Sugar Loaf I, his 1956 North American Marine 16 ft
American with its original 6 cylinder 70 hp Mercury “Dock Buster” outboard
motor. As the original and only owner, Ron’s well-documented tale of Sugar
Loaf I is the story of an American love triangle of a man, a woman and a
boat and touched everyone who stopped to browse his meticulous scrapbooks.
But
the boat that grabbed everyone’s attention seemed destined from the start to
capture Boat of the Year, arriving from Florida bearing the prophetic
license plate WONBOAT. Lance and Nancy Wilson found Elizabeth II up in
Canada where it was made. Before closing their doors in the early 1920s
Elizabeth was one of only two large boats ever produced by Gordon Boat
Works. This spectacular 1916 28 ft high speed runabout looks like a knife at
rest in the water. In 1989, a barn fire damaged much of the exterior, though
its original Van Blerck 4 cylinder Model E-4 engine remained untouched.
Seeing the jewel under the soot, Lance courted the grandson of the original
owner over several years, finally convincing him that this piece of his
family’s history was going to a good home – not just heading for a quick
profit. His fabulous work speaks for itself but Lance’s own story of
recently overcoming sudden life-threatening health problems is as much a
triumph of restoration as is his boat.
A buzz of excitement rose from the crowd when Elizabeth II finally started
her engine. Swan-like, she glided into the sunlight while the boat show
paparazzi rushed to line the docks, snapping away furiously on their
cameras.
All of the boat show
awards were handed out Saturday afternoon on the docks. This made the impact
of them more immediate and streamlined the ceremonies later at the banquet
when the Society’s awards were presented. At this culmination of the week’s
events, Gail Turner expressed the thoughts of many when she spoke movingly
that, “This isn’t about the boats; it’s about the friendships.” She thanked
her Blue Ridge Chapter members – who’d finished their own major boating
event only days before – for all their incredible efforts, which won them an
appreciative, standing ovation.
Prior
to the ceremonies there was a live auction of the original painting used in
this year’s boat show poster. Ken MacStephens talked about his good friend,
the late Lindsey Hopkins III, whose boat is featured in the painting, about
Lindsey’s attachment to the club and his desire to donate the auction
proceeds back to ACBS. Then Dick Sherwood, assisted by Patrick Wren, did his
best Elmer Gantry imitation as he worked the crowd like a revival tent
preacher. The winning bidder, Don Babcock, was only dusting off his wallet;
when the results of the silent auction were announced, Don had ensured
himself a Happy Birthday by winning over half the items.
At a ceremonial
signing during the Annual Meeting, Ray and Mary Keating had initialed an
historic agreement turning over publication rights of The Real Runabouts
series of books to the ACBS. This extraordinarily generous act was honored
during the banquet by presenting the Keatings with the Society’s Major
Benefactor Award. Mary told the audience about her brother Bob Speltz’s
wishes; “This isn’t for me…this is for my brother. He wanted you to continue
the boats... so please do that.”
One
man whose presence was sorely missed was Lindsey Hopkins. Lindsey was a man
in full with a wide and varied group of friends and whose influence was felt
far beyond his Blue Ridge chapter. Had he been there he would have received
the Founders Award himself. That honor went to his wife, Wanda, and there
wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she finished her heartfelt remarks.
President Jeff Stebbins closed the evening on an upbeat note, advising
members to talk about the things we can control – the Show and the judging
–not about those we can’t control – like the weather – and reminding
everyone of the camaraderie we all found in the dark.
And
then it was over. The Third Annual International Meeting and Boat Show had
weathered the storm and made a great event out of adversity. We’re boaters,
dammit, and made of sterner stuff to stand the test. It will take a lot more
than a hurricane to stop this event. The Blue Ridge chapter was noteworthy
for maintaining their composure, for their well-tested resourcefulness and
for their unfailing hospitality. Next year’s meeting at Lake of the Ozarks
will have a hard act to follow after all the good times we had a-way down
south in Dixie.