March 1, 2026

Hello Fellow members,

I hope everybody is doing well. If y’all are anything like me, you’re ready to put cold, snow and no boating in the rear-view mirror. Hopefully the day that I feel comfortable de-winterizing the boats will soon be here and we can get back out on the water. In the meantime, the Jersey Speed Skiff I’ve had in my shop has been providing me with ample boat-related activity to satisfy that need and I think I have an MGB at Jim Hartman’s place that’s longing for the road once more. Bring it on!

Although February is a typically slow month as far as club events go, we did manage to have regional get-togethers in Wilmington, New Bern and the Charlotte area on Super Bowl weekend. Thanks to Jim and Alice Dean for hosting at their Wrightsville Beach beach house, Rob Weller in Charlotte and Jim Hartman here in New Bern. There was plenty food and drinks on hand along with a good bit of fellowship and catching up. I’d say a good time was had by all.

March is typically when things start to get rolling. On March 14th, 11:00 – 3:00, the chapter will be hosting a workshop on steam bending and installing ribs in a 16’ Lyman and a presentation on boat surveying. This will be held at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington and will be led by Gary Lowell, John Olsen and Matthew Majewski. We also have invited the Sea Scouts and CFCC students to join us. Lunch will be provided by the chapter, so PLEASE RSVP to me by March 10th so we know how much food we need to order. See the flyer in the newsletter for full details.

Late member Bill Baker left a provision in his will that funds of the sale of his certain assets be given to the chapter to be used for education and training for those entering the boat restoration and boat building profession. The Bill Baker Memorial Scholarship fund was formed and a committee to oversee the distribution of these funds was convened. In keeping with Bill’s wishes, it was decided that students at community colleges that offer boat repair and boat building courses would be the recipients of these funds. As of now, we are very close to entering into agreements with the Beaufort County Community College, and Carteret County Community College. We will be providing $2000 per year to a student that meets criteria set by the chapter and the school, very similar to the agreement we have with Cape Fear Community College. Thanks to Bill’s generosity, we will be able to aid students who may one day work on our boats.

One last thing. The Sunnyland Chapter show in Tavares, FL. is being held March 27th through 29th. This show un-officially kicks off the new season and is a must-see. I will be unable to attend this year, but if you’ve never been, get down there! If you are going again, have an awesome time and say hey to my friends.

Yours in classic boating,   
Alan Hills, President