November 1, 2025

Hello Fellow members,

I hope this finds you doing well and getting out to enjoy the fall weather. This is my favorite time of year…..cooler, dryer, and generally good boating weather. As you may or may not have heard, I underwent heart bypass surgery and pacemaker implant earlier this month and am happy to report that everything is progressing as expected. Thanks to those of you who reached out to offer support to Judy and I while I recover.

We had an opportunity to participate in the ACBS Port Captain program this month and I feel it served its intended purpose of providing local knowledge and fellowship to members of other chapters who are visiting your area. Full story is in the newsletter.

On November 8^th, there will be a regional meeting in the Lake Norman area hosted by Rob Weller. All chapter members, prospective members and significant others are invited to attend. Please email Rob at  rweller@triad.rr.com for details.

In all organizations such as our chapter, strong leadership is a key element to success and longevity. We have been very fortunate to have officers and board members who steered us to where we are today, and are grateful for their valuable contributions over the years. So, with the health of the chapter in mind, there comes a time when some of the leadership duties fall upon newer members who have exhibited the skill and desire to see us into the future. I think it is important to continue to involve our long-term leaders who so ably provide sage advice, institutional knowledge and the history of our chapter. We have been considering various ways that we might accomplish both objectives and will be discussing them at our annual meeting. This meeting will have several important issues on the agenda and your attendance and input would be appreciated. By the way, I will bring chapter burgees and ball caps to the meeting if you need a Christmas present for someone.

We need participation in the newsletter contests. They are just for fun but it is no fun if the only contributor is the editor. If you are not contributing to the newsletter, this is a fun low-key way to do so. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes so give it a shot!

Lastly, here is the schedule of upcoming chapter events:

• 11/8 Regional meeting Lake Norman area
• 11/15 Annual chapter meeting at Duplin Winery, Rose Hill, NC
• 12/13 Chapter Holiday party. Note time changed from 1pm to 6pm at Leiner’s home in Wake Forest, NC

I hope to see lots of you in attendance!

Have a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving!

Yours in classic boating,   

Alan Hills, President