President's Message
Dear Members,

During a recent Boat Show Planning Meeting we were treated to a presentation given by Admiral John C. Paddock, U.S. Navy (Retired) who is playing a leading role in the formation of a new chapter of the Sea Scouts which will be known as Sea Scout Ship 23, and will encompass all of central NY and beyond. So far, this new Ship has ten members who we plan to make a part of the Finger Lakes Chapter's Boat Show this year. Appropriate responsibilities for them are now being identified and if all goes well, we can look forward to having new, young faces at our show this year.

Boat Show attendees will be glad to know that work is now underway to make necessary improvements to the Public Rest Rooms beneath the gazebo. This effort was spearheaded by our own Janice Miller who operates her own architectural office and donated her professional time to come up with a fresh, new appearance that will add to everyone's enjoyment of the show.

If you're planning to attend our show but are not bringing a boat this year, please be sure to stop by the Registration Tent to see about getting a boat ride. We're trying something new by rounding up a few in-the-water boat show exhibitors to donate their boats and their time to give people rides during the show. The dock along the break-wall will be reserved for this purpose and there will be no charge for the rides. FLC members will be given priority over the general public, so be sure to stop by the tent to let us know that you've arrived.

Everyone should know by now that any FLC member is always welcome to attend any of the monthly FLC Board meetings. Most of our meetings take place at The Sherwood Inn, but this year we're going to have at least three meetings away. By the time you read this we will already have had our May meeting at the Marsden's summer home on Cayuga Lake. In July, the meeting will move to Bill & Karlene Miller's summer home on Skaneateles Lake. Next, we will return to Cayuga Lake for the August meeting which Tom Carman is organizing for us. The food is pretty good at these meetings and if any one of you would like to join us, please call any one of your Board members for directions.

So far, I know of several people from our chapter who plan to attend the Annual ACBS Meeting and Boat Show in Lake George this September. It's going to be a lot of fun to see some very interesting boats and to meet a lot of nice people from all over the country. Remember that if you'd like to offer any kind of assistance to the organizers of this event, contact Adirondack Chapter President Cheryll Schampier. I know that any offer of assistance you can make will be more than welcome.
Hope to see you there.
Rob
Letter from the Editor

In the past, Brightwork has been printed using an Epson printer which the Chapter bought about three years ago for the express purpose of publishing this newsletter. That printer has performed fairly well, producing 250 high quality copies quarterly. However, history has shown that in order to maintain quality, it is necessary to closely monitor the printer's performance during the 43 hours of printing time it takes to produce those 250 copies every three months. Those hours increase as the cumulative number of printed copies increases and printing artifacts occur more and more frequently, such that after about two years of printing (eight issues), the print-head wears out and requires replacement - an expensive exercise that can only be done in a repair shop.

After reviewing cost analyses and considering several alternatives, the decision has been made to have the print shop at Welch-Allyn Corp. (which regularly handles print jobs for outside customers) print, staple and fold the newsletter at a very competitive cost. Two hundred and fifty finished copies can be easily produced within an eight-hour day and with noticeably higher quality.

This year's Boat Show Invitation was produced by Welch-Allyn and proved to be a very successful exercise. This issue of Brightwork is the first one to be produced by Welch-Allyn in what we hope will be a long production run. FLC is indebted to FLC Director Jamie Strong who raised the Welch-Allyn option and who has agreed to handle liaison with his company's print shop.

A second change involves the distribution of this newsletter which until now, has been sent out via first class mail. With the recent increase in postage rates and the new emphasis by the US Postal Service on size being a determining factor in setting postage costs, the FLC Board of Directors has been looking at ways to keep mailing costs under control. Accordingly, beginning with this issue, Brightwork will be mailed under a bulk-rate permit. This change has two implications:

1. Although we will continue to aim at putting the newsletter into the mail during the first week of it's month of publication, it may take a few days longer to be delivered. Having it printed more quickly at Welch-Allyn will help offset that delay.

2. Unlike undeliverable first class mail, undeliverable bulk mail will not be returned to sender. So, it is essential that your editor be notified of any address changes in a timely manner. If you do not receive an issue, please get in touch.

The Chapter is indebted to Sue Dove, Executive Director of the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce without whose help and support we would be unable to make the above changes. -Ed.

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