December 1, 2025

Hello Fellow members,

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather we’ve been having. As the calendar turns over to December, the mercury may dip below freezing, so get those engines winterized. It seems like every year one of us has the misfortune of dealing with a freeze-up. Don’t be that guy!

November was a very busy month for our chapter. This newsletter is filled with stories covering the various events that some of us participated in. Thanks to all who took part and we hope to see some more of you in the coming year. By the way, our membership was at an all-time high (76) in November and I wish to thank all of you who helped make happen!

I’m not going to get into much detail recapping November’s news but I’ll just mention what went on. Kicking the month off was the Southport Wooden boat show with several chapter members receiving awards, Rob Weller hosted a regional meeting on Lake Norman, we had our annual meeting at the Duplin Winery where we made some changes to the bylaws and elected officers and directors for 2026, and had a regional meeting of sorts here in New Bern where we had lunch and toured the Hatteras Yachts plant. Oh, and Rob Weller sent in a report on the Concours d’Elegance held at Hilton Head Island. Whew! I am extremely proud of the number of boat shows and events our members have attended this year. One other tidbit, our chapter was featured in the ACBS Weekly Web Watch for our participation in the ACBS Port Captain program and last but not least, we awarded a scholarship to a student at Cape Fear Community College boat building and manufacturing program.

We have our Holiday Party coming up on December 13th. See the flyer inside and please do plan to attend! It promises to be a fun event.

Bill Conley is selling Blue Tango, his 1943 17-foot CC Special Runabout. Click here for details.

Looking ahead to next year, I’d like to see some input from the membership on the 2026 calendar. These may include any of your favorite old events, new places or things you’d like to experience and events you feel we should drop. We start our calendar with the tentative dates of all the nearby shows and then fill in from there.  Please email Judy with your ideas & comments ASAP.

Judy and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and have a joyous holiday season and New Year.

Yours in classic boating,   

Alan Hills, President