North Coast Ohio enjoyed it’s most active year with an event of some kind in nearly every month. Along with workshops early in the year to make trophies, and sailboat kits for Les Demaline’s youth program, there was also an engine teardown-rebuild workshop. The two NCO sponsored shows at Vermilion Ohio and Chautauqua Lake New York drew record numbers of boats and visitors, and a highlight of the summer was hosting the ACBS Summer Board Meeting. This fall the Club focused on collecting a number of highly sought after auction items for the Chattanooga Annual Meeting as well as a transom back display center being handcrafted for the Inland Seas Museum at Vermilion.

At its annual meeting two President’s awards were given this year because of all the accomplishments: Bill Hunter for his photo work and arranging the fly-by, and Les and Marilyn Demaline combined for their efforts in promoting youth participation and countless numbers of hours in support of NCO. Jack Lynett was thanked for his directing the ACBS Time Capsule project, and Scott Shookman was awarded the John Smith memorial trophy for outstanding community service. The group also enjoyed John Fakan’s presentation about the wartime experiences of the USS Cod, a 1943, 312 foot long, WWII attack submarine, which is on display in Cleveland Harbor. The Cod is the only “original and unaltered” WWII submarine in the US, and NCO has been honored to have it and its devoted crew join ACBS. Besides, what other club has a boat with four, 16-cylinder diesels, generating 7000 horsepower?

Okanagan Chapter’s annual meeting had an attendance of 27 people, a miracle for this small chapter. After the opening dinner,we had a presentation from the Wheels in Motion director from Peachland, B.C. We have been using this event in May as our startup day for the past several years. Now they are encouraging us to take a bigger part in their show. A short video was presented re the show. After this several new directors were elected to the board, as well as some of the old ones. We had presentations on our proposed community boat building, shows 2001&2002, our expanded library and various other items such as involving youth. We have had 5 new members in the past few months and are hoping to expand even further.

Sunnyland reports that two months before the projected show date for the Cypress Gardens Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous the canals and island areas were almost dry. Just before the decision to cancel the show was to be made, it started to rain. And rain it did! The lakes came up beautifully and most docking areas had a minimum of two feet of water. The events started out with an exhibition of Jersey Speed skiffs and F-Service runabouts with Duke Waldrop doing the announcing. Our thanks to all of the drivers for putting on a great show and giving us a good idea of what these races were like. The fly-by in the ski show stadium was next with 54 boats participating. The ski show audience enjoyed the parade of woodies and showed their appreciation with enthusiastic applause as the boats cruised past the stands. Twenty-four people from the audience went on boat rides after the fly-by. At the awards presentation, a very unfortunate Bob McInerney won the Hard Luck Award, (something was said about swan feathers clogging the water intake). An equally fortunate Pete Williams was this year’s proud recipient of the much cherished and sought after “Door Prize”. Pete told us privately that winning this prize was a real “Nightmare” but that he would lovingly restore it to its original glamour, just like his other “Nightmare”. Cypress Gardens 2002 is scheduled for November 2 and 3, so see you there.

“WE GO, WEATHER IT’S WIND RAIN OR SNOW” is the motto of Pacific Northwest Chapter’s unofficial, non-sanctioned, non-profit and nonsense excursion by watercraft in mid winter. This pre-described function is known as “THE SLOUGH RUN”. The run seems to be enjoyed only by the hardiest of souls (men, women, children and guests) that the Northwest and other parts of our wonderful country have to offer. On the day of the event, most of the hardy souls meet at a local coffee shop for breakfast, then venture to the Lake Samamish launch ramp area where we engage in a traditional toasting of this experience with a shot or two, or more of Yukon Jack. After a pilots’ meeting where we review and encourage the observation of all legal restrictions, we try to get underway around 9:00am and head to our first refueling stop along the way. This thirty-eight plus mile run takes us up Lake Samamish, along the Samamish Slough, and down Lake Washington to the south end where we are hosted by a very enthusiastic ACBS family that has been a participant in this function since its revival in 1992. There are Badges of Honor fondly referred to as “SLOUGH PINS available for the participants. These badges are always a little different looking every year, and are engraved with the date of the run and something significant about it. For example (DO THE SLOUGH IN 92). This boating outing was inspired by the stories told to members of our group by Mr. Jim McGoldrick who’s involvement with, and knowledge of antique and classic pleasure and race boats could fill volumes. In 1937 when Jim was attending the University of Washington, he made his first slough run in his new 16 ft TvT Deluxe Thompson Runabout. This event is intended to get us out in mid winter to enjoy an interest that we all have in common at a time when most would like to be hibernating .... Remember the motto,” WE GO WEATHER THERE’S WIND, RAIN, OR SNOW