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Rob Kidd Elected President of FLC at Chapter's Annual Membership Meeting

At its Annual Meeting on November 12th, FLC Vice President Rob Kidd was elected President of the Finger Lakes Chapter, ACBS. Rob has been a member of the Chapter since 1997, and a member of ACBS since 1994. In those years, he has been active in both the Finger Lakes and the Adirondack Chapters of ACBS. Most recently, Rob had served as Second Vice President of FLC Rob lives in Baldwinsville, and is the son of ACBS Past President and FLC member Dave Kidd.

Also elected to new positions were Janice Miller, First Vice President; Brad Wirth, Second Vice President; Jack Gifford, Fourth Vice President; Teddi Myllymaki, Secretary; Tom Carman, Director; and Bob Myllymaki, Director. Arnie Rubenstein and Diane Schwenke were appointed Directors At Large.
Other officers who have retained their positions on the Board include Bill Gregory, Fourth Vice President; ­Shirley Marsden, Treasurer; and the following' Directors: Bernie Clapp, Dave Freund, Dick Sherwood, Bill Stinson, and Steve White.

Awards presented at the meeting included the Steve Giovannetti Award for the best land display at the Chapter's Annual Boat Show which was given to Steve Shehadi for the race boats he had on display this past summer. Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce representatives, Sue Dove and Sarah Wiles, were also recognized by the Chapter for their several years of support in developing and sustaining the Chapter's Annual Boat Show. And Jack Miller presented the President's Cup to Dick Sherwood for his efforts with this newsletter. More photos from the Annual Meeting appear on page 2 of this issue.

Over the last two years, Jack Miller has been president of the Chapter, ably assisted by his wife, Anna, as secretary. During Jack's tenure the Chapter has remained fiscally strong, increased its membership, solidified its spring and fall activities, and continued to improve and broaden our Annual Boat Show. Through it all Jack has provided steady leadership and an unswerving commitment to the Chapter and its goals. Everyone who has worked with Jack and Anna on Chapter projects is indebted to them for their contributions. Although they plan to spend their winters in the south, they'll still be involved in Chapter activities during the rest of the year. Many thanks to both of you. We wish you well in whatever the future holds.

An excellent buffet put on by the Sherwood Inn and a successful Silent Auction rounded out the evening's activities. Many thanks to Janice Miller and Bob Myllymaki for organizing this event.

"Welcome aboard" to the following new FLC members:

     Marge Blanchard of San Diego, CA
     Sue Kral of Camillus, NY
     Ronald Muir of Camillus, NY
     Emery & Tara Prior of Hudson, NY
     Arnie & Sharon Schweer of Clovis, CA

Chapter memberships will wind up the year at 184, making FLC the seventh largest of the 51 ACBS chapters.

It's time to renew ACBS and FLC Annual Memberships.Again this year, annual dues for both organizations remain unchanged. You should have received your renewal notice in the mail last month. It to be updated and returned to ACBS Headquarters with your check ASAP! By returning renewal forms early, you help spread the central office's data processing workload, you facilitate the ability to plan the size of the publisher's production run of the 2006 ACBS Membership Directory, and you insure your place in the 2006 Directory. Many thanks if you have already returned your form to ACBS. If you have misplaced your renewal notice, you can obtain a replacement (showing your current data) by calling ACBS Headquarters at 315-686-2628, or you can use the blank form on our web site.
Please don't delay! Early returns are the order of the day.

Sue Kral has already volunteered to head up the children's activities at future Chapter Boat Shows! Thanks, Sue, for jumping in early.

For Sale: Rare 1927 20-ft. Gesswein Sportabout (hull #7) with original 6 cyl. Van Blerck engine. Twin cockpit with unusual facing rear seats. Brass hardware & leather
upholstery. Boat & engine fully restored; both in excellent condition. Custom trailer. Asking $35,000. Barbara Giovannetti, 315-947-5532 or sueag@hotmail.com

For Sale: 1920s-vintage 14-ft. Sutherland double-ended trout boat in good condition. Asking $2000. OBO. Also, 19lO? 16­ft. Edwin Long rowboat in very good condition with original oars. Asking $3000. OBO. Garrit Heerkens, 585-924-3923. For Sale: 1955 Century Resorter with 135hp Gray Marine engine. Boat & engine each ready for reassembly. Great project boat. New upholstery & restored original trailer. Asking $7000. OBO Loretta Prusha, 607-962-4055.

For Sale: 1954 14-ft. Whirlwind dual cockpit Runabout with 1956 Evinrude 40hp outboard engine. Completely restored from a solid rare find. New upholstery and new trailer. $10,000. Mike Cemago, 607-753-7605; mchemago@indacomtooling.com

For Sale: 1948 lO-ft. restored Dumphy rowboat. $600. II-ft. Murray Wright Sailboat, CD-Cat #57. Restored, wi new sails. $4500.
1954 12-ft. Murray Wright Aquilla. Unrestored. $4500. 1930s Barnegat Bay 14-ft. Duck Boat. Restored. $4500. 1928 16-ft. Morris canoe. Partial restoration. $3000.
15-ft. Penn Yan canoe. Restored. $4500.
16-ft. Old Town canoe. Unrestored. $1500.
14-ft. Penn Yan trail boat. Unrestored. $700.
19-ft. launch wi boat-tail stem. May be Lindley design and Fay & Bowen-built. Two cyl. Gray Motor. $9000 .
1927 20-ft. Duke Playmate. Unrestored. Rebuilt Kermath Duplex Engine, Sea Bird Transmission. $7000.
Palmer, Model 27, two cyl. engine wi transmission. Rebuilt wi spare parts. $900. All stored inside. All prices "asking." Glenn Young, 315-331-1080 (D); 315-597-2250 (E).

For Sale: K-Boat, No. 95, on trailer. Sound boat with good set of sails. Boat is complete but needs refinishing. Was in the water through 2001. In bam storage since in Honeoye Falls. Asking $1000. Bill Edwards; 585-624-1397.

Founders
Jim Brennan, Fred Curry, Jerry Feltus ,Ford Knight, Syd Marsden, Richard Morehouse, Dick Wyckoff, George Zeth

Dear Fellow Members,
Wow! It does not seem possible that my two-year term as president has drawn to a close! The age-old saying that "time flies when you're having fun," has never been truer for me than during the last two years while serving as Finger Lakes Chapter President.
I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and involvement. I especially extend my gratitude to my fellow officers and the board of directors who were such a tremendous help in making my job run smoothly during the last two years.
As the coming months evolve and in the midst of our busy schedules, some of us will be working on our wooden beauties in a heated facility  of course. Yet others will be spending time surfing  thawed to research their boats and manufacturers. Another winter activity for some will be to make contact with others of "same make" boats as theirs  using information available in the ACBS Directory. There's excitement in anticipation of every new boating season!
Our boat show this year was spectacular! If you did not have a chance to attend or participate, make it a "must do" for next year. As we add fun activities for all our members, you arid your family will have the opportunity to spend memorable times together with other chapter members and their families.

Our spring cruise on Owasco Lake and the fall cruise Erie Canal were thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.

I wish our new president, officers and board members well, and know they will do an outstanding job for all.
With sincere thanks,

Jack Miller
Immediate Past President,

Dear Members,
Let me say thank you in advance for allowing me to serve as your president for the coming term. While I am president I hope you feel free to let me know if there is anything different you would like to see our club doing. I can be reached at 315-635-6187. I'll warn you in advance that I probably won't be home when you call, but if you leave a message, I promise to return your call in a timely fashion.

Our annual dinner was held last month and I met many of you at that event. If we haven't yet had the chance to get acquainted, I hope we'll do so soon.
I'll be looking forward to seeing you at a future chapter event.

Rob Kidd
President, FLC

When winter comes and the water gets so hard that boats can't cut it, what's a boater to do? Get out the iceboats and make the best of a "cool" situation out on the lake!"
That's the plan for all FLC members who are ready to "brave the chill and experience the thrill" of a fast ride across the ice.

FLC members Dan Sutherland and Doug Nichols even have some older wooden iceboats which they have agreed to haul out for this special occasion. And if any other FLC members or their friends have an iceboat that they would like to bring to the party, they're more than welcome.

Exactly where we'll meet to "launch" this boating experience is yet to be finalized, but look for a flyer with all the details in early February next year. Plans will also include a retreat off the ice for something warm and relaxing, and maybe even a meal together. If anyone has any suggestions to add to the outing, please contact organizer Arnie Rubenstein at 315­637-8522 (eves.)

In the meantime, note the date and plan to be an ice-boater this winter. It should be a fun experience providing stories that will last till warmer weather returns!

On page 7 of an excellent piece about the Stinsons [in the September issue of brightwork], it talks about Pat II. This boat was built in Alexandria Bay by one of the Comstock family members. There were several who built boats in the winter months. Pat II is now owned by Charley Snelling of Estrelita Island, Alexandria Bay, [NY]. It has been out of the water several years and is in storage.
Don Babcock

Don may be correct, but there are disparities between the dm. used in the Stinson article and Charlie Snelling's listing in the. 2005 ACBS Directory. The directory listing is for a 39-ft. tour boat (vs. 40-1t. in the article) built in 1929 (vs. 1924) b)" Comstock (vs. Mercer). The directory also has the boat's name now as C'est Fou.

A check with Bill Stinson (who provided the material for the Stinson article), has not yet resolved the differences.- Ed

A very high quality production of this past Boat Show is available on DVD. The disc carries 156 photos of the three-day event with background music and special scanning effects that beautifully complement and enhances the colorful photography. It is a disc that you will want to play  and replay for yourself and friends whether you attended the show or not. Playing time is just under ten minutes.
The DVD was played during the Silent Auction at   Chapter's Annual Meeting last month and 21 copies  snapped up by attendees on the spot.

If you would like to acquire one or more of the DVDs (think Christmas gifts), each in the colorful protective holder shown above, send a check (made out to Finger Lakes Chapter, ACBS) for $12. per disc (includes packaging and shipping) to:
Elaine Sherwood,
55 Old Mill St.
Rochester, NY 14618
Include your return address and delivery will occur in about one week. Proceeds benefit the Finger Lakes Chapter, ACBS.

THAT IN 2003 NEW YORK STATE  RANKED SEVENTH IN STATES HAVING THE MOST REGISTERED BOATS (OF ALL KINDS)
The rankings:

California     963,379  Michigan      953,55  Florida.        939,968  Minnesota    845,379  Texas          619,088

Wisconsin        610,800  New York         528,O94  Ohio                413,048  South Carolina  380,314  Illinois              360,252

*  current 2005 data is not yet available.

Did You Know...? that Jean Hoffman's new boat house appeared on page 59 of Adoirondack Life's Special Collector Issue 2005.

Did You Know...? that the waterfront in Hammondsport, NY on Keuka Lake  where the Wine Country Chapter holds its annual boat show, is undergoing major changes? The big brown storage building just to the east of the boat show site has been demolished to make way for several waterfront condominiums.

Did You Know...? that the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, V A is building a $30M USS Monitor Center to exhibit relics of the Monitor recovered from the Atlantic where it sank in 1862? The Center is scheduled to open in 2007 and will include a full-size replica of the Civil War Ironclad being built  by volunteers primarily from
Northrup Grumman Corp.

Did You Know...? that a proposal has been "floated" to rebuild that part of the original Erie Canal route that is within the downtown area of  Rochester, NY, including the aqueduct that carried the canal over the Genesee River? The proposal is part of an effort to re"'-utilize the city's downtown area and has a very preliminary tag of $200.M attached. As proposed, a lock would provide access to the original canal from the Genesee River .:.and up the present Erie Canal.

Did You Know...? that  If you need an antique horn for your boat, you might try The Horn Shop in Rome, NY (315-336-8841)  owner Bill Randall also does complete rebuilding and restorations of the motor sections of antique boat and auto horns,claims he has more than enough business to keep himself busy without advertising!

Did You Know...? that Seneca Lake is the deepest of the eleven Finger Lakes and the second deepest of any lake in New York State? If you know which lake is the deepest in the state, send a note to your editor and let him know, too!

 "Its better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Alfred Lord Tennyson

She was 19 years my junior and lovely as a new April flower. I fell head over heels in love on that warm August morning in 1990. Her lines were warm and full. She had a charm that I had never envisioned before. I had to have her.

I worried that I wouldn't be able to meet the challenges involved in keeping her. Where would we live? How could I take care of her? She looked lovely in the morning sun and I was sure that we could go places together. Or was I simply dreaming?

I decided to stay close to her during the rest of the day and observe how others saw her. Several other admirers were obviously doing the same as I was. In the course of the day they all had their chances to bid for her affections and one of them finally won her hand. He was with her when I approached him to see if there was any chance I might still have her for myself. I was turned down cold. He seemed offended that I would make such an overture.
I left for home that day feeling as dejected as I had ever felt before, wondering if I should have done something more to win my new-found love. But little did I know that all was not well between her and the one whom I thought had won her. It turned out that he didn't have what it took to make her his own and only one week later I had a second chance to have her for my own. This time I did not fail!

We had a wonderful, mutually rewarding relationship for the next 15 years. We were made for each other and I was proud to be seen with her. Our hours together were true bliss. But alas, good times never last forever. Recently, it became clear that our relationship was nearing its end when a friend made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I know that I will never forget the good times we spent together, and I'm sure that my friend will take good care of her. But it still hurts to lose her. My friend lives not far away so I'm sure I'll be able to see her once in awhile. I wish them both the best.

She is a 1951 22- ft. Chris-Craft Sedan that I purchased as result of going to the boat auction at the Antique Boat Museum's Annual Boat show in 1990. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her waiting to be auctioned off, but I never thought I could bid high enough that day to own her. I stood and watched as several others bid for her and finally she was sold to a young couple for a price that was so low I couldn't believe it. I would have bid far more if I had thought I had a chance!

I went over to the new owners and offered them a quick $2000. profit if they would sell her to me on the spot. They turned me down but did take my name and phone number. As it turned out, they had not met the owner's reserve and  the owner took the boat back. Fortunately, the would-be owners also gave the owner my name and phone number, an it wasn't long before he called me and made arrangements for a demonstration ride. Shortly after, we made a deal and the boat was mine!
Now I had to give her a name. One definition of the word charisma is "The power of irresistible attraction." In my mind the term fit perfectly.

Charisma was originally sold in Ogilvy's Department Store Toronto, Canada and has a stainless steel plate on the dash attesting to that. Prior to my ownership, she spent her entire life in Ivy Lea, Canada on the St. Lawrence River. In 1988 she ran aground and spent the next two years in a shop getting a complete makeover, including a new bottom, new interior and an engine tune-up. She then went to the ABM auction. Over the next 15 years we spent some 900 to 1200 hours on the water. I maintained her and made repairs faithfully over those years and kept her in fine shape. Like most deserving ladies, she got whatever she needed! She has been a source, pleasure for my whole family and countless friends.

But I have always had a desire to travel the entire New York State Canal System and also the Canadian Trent Severn and Rideau Canals. Charisma is a wonderful boat for cruising. but it doesn't have sleeping and eating facilities and other personal comforts that make those kinds of trips more enjoyable. So, I had to sell her to obtain the boat I have now Unfortunately, the new boat is (How do I say this without offending you?)... fiberglass. Oh, how that hurts! I have named it Tupperware #1. After owning 20-some wooden boats, I had to do it. No one on the canal understands the name but I knew you readers would. Gone are the days when people would stop to marvel at Charisma's beauty or come out on their docks to holler "Nice boat" at me. I now go by ! Tupperware #1 like a ghost in the night. No one notices my boat anymore.
FLC members Brian & Sandra Skeval are the new owners Charisma and I know they and their young family will take great pride in their "new" boat. Brian is an accomplished wood-worker so I'm sure the boat is in good hands. The Skevals will now make their own memories aboard Charism Maybe they will even give me a ride once in a while.

What is it about classic boating that gets into our blood and causes us to spend countless hours caring for our boats or in some cases even spending large sums of money to maintain them? Is it the glimmer of the sunlight off a newly varnished deck, or the smell of newly oiled teak? Maybe it's the low-pitched rumble of an inboard sitting at the dock Or maybe, just maybe, it's the extra look that we all enjoy as people admire our treasures. You know what I mean. As when you pass the street comer and people take an extra look at what's on the trailer, or when you pull into the docks and the comments start rolling in. Or is it the ride? That must be it. Nothing rides like a wooden boat.
The truth is that it's more than just the boats. It's the memories of days spent with family and friends cruising on the waterways. The hours spent with a father and a son as they worked to bring back to life a piece of history from a bygone era. The stories told by the more senior worker about the days when he was a boy and boats like these could be seen every day.
As a boy growing up in the 60's and 70's, my family always had a wooden boat. Maybe at the beginning it was because that's all we could afford, but as time went on, my Dad shared with me the joy and pleasure of owning and caring for a wooden boat. We started out with a 16-ft. Thompson outboard, and I remember well the October day on Otisco Lake when our family took the old girl out for the first time. I was five years old and thought it was the greatest thing in the world. Every spring, Dad would spend several evenings getting her ready for the water.
When I was about eleven, Dad upgraded to a 1963 20-ft. Cruisers Inc., the boat that would earn the name Tradition. Once I got a bit older, Dad started letting me help with the boat. Year by year my part of the annual project got bigger and more involved, until one day I was doing most of the work and Dad was helping me. We spent hours and hours together over the years, not just riding in Tradition but caring for her. She wasn't a really well-built boat and the years soon took their toll on her. At the time we didn't have the skills needed for a rebuild of that magnitude, so we were forced to part with her. I felt like I had lost a close friend and my Dad seemed to feel the same way. But others in the family didn't. Their lack of remorse really troubled me, until my wife brought it all into perspective. She shared with me that it wasn't just the boat. It was part of the relationship I had with my dad, that was no longer there. The rest of the family hadn't spent the hours together with Dad working on the boat as I had. They hadn't shared the great times talking about the years that were, and better yet, what the new season of boating would bring.

Well, like most people with wooden boats in their blood, we didn't wait long to find another. This time we looked for the type of boat Dad always talked about, the kind he had seen as a young man on Lake Erie. On December 4th, 1999 we went I to Sandusky, Ohio, to pick up our new Lyman. Not just two generations of the family went, but three. My sons were now old enough to begin the cycle of caring for, and enjoying a classic wooden boat. We all worked together over the next
seven months to get Tradition II restored and ready for the water.
Classic wooden boating is about people, relationships and experiences. It's about the look on faces when you take a piece of white oak out of a steam box and it really bends. (Well most do. The others crack) It's about the satisfaction shared with family when the finish comes out just right. Or maybe it's the "It's OK, Dad. Nobody will ever see that." It's about the excitement you feel when together you travel to places you've never seen, with only a nautical chart to show the way. It's about the people that you meet when the local ACBS chapter gathers on a lake or river for an outing together. After the Finger Lakes Chapter's spring outing on Owasco Lake, my kids talked about the great people they met, people that were interested in them, many of whom were old enough to be their grandparents. Yes, that's what it's all about!
We do love the way new varnish glimmers in the sun. We do love the low-pitched rumble of an inboard sitting at the dock And yes, the comments and second looks we get are a big part of it. But when all is said and done, and the boats are put away for the season, what really matters is what's left -- the people and the memories. As we look to this Holiday Season, let's be thankful for those we have in our lives, and seize every opportunity to let them all know how important they really are to us.
 

Until next season, thanks for the great memories you've given the Freund family.