One might reasonably assume that people who own beautiful boats and enjoy the many pleasurable experiences they afford year after year would have little cause for angst. But such doesn’t quite seem to be the case, as news of a troubling, behind-the-scenes dispute comes to light. Since the revisionist issue of renaming our local cruising waters made major headlines (in what is now the remaining throes of regional media– see story below!!), turmoil has been the order of the day among the elected leadership of the Association. And now, just as April gets itself underway, the raucous discussions and disagreements are spilling out of the dark halls of administration, and into the light of day.
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Or maybe, what’s with Bert? Bert Webber is a man who straddles the boarder, and has designs on our collective waters. The 67-year-old Canadian is a long-time resident of the U.S. and, apparently, a bit of a change agent. If he gets his way, that is. The particular change he has in mind…is the total renaming of our several favorite cruising territories into a singular identity– to be hereinafter known as “The Salish Sea”. This is no idle gesture. The campaign has been underway for almost thirty years, and is now gaining momentum. 
…Whether you need to or not! We’re not sure you really need to know this in particular– but what the heck, it might just help you score points at the next cocktail reception. Especially if someone asks you what you’re drinking, and you say just your daily ration of rum… CLICK HERE! (PS: That’s Nelson’s flagship, the H.M.S. Victory…now standing by at Portsmouth Dockyard. She was– and for the most part, still is!– outfitted with 90 “Great Guns”…and the necessary cannon balls.) 
It’s a frightening story. And listen, you never know when your cooler and/or some passing birds may be the most critical elements of your life! It seems that these two very desperate, very dehydrated young men were found bobbing in a bathtub-sized cooler off Australia after spending 25 days adrift. They had been aboard a 30-foot wooden fishing boat that sank Dec. 23 with a crew of 20 from Thailand and Myanmar. There was no sign of 18 other crew members. ” (Wait just a minute…20 men on a thirty foot boat out fishing 200 miles off-shore in the middle of the ocean? Any of you GB 32′ owners have any thoughts about that? We say “don’t go that way!”) 
Hey, remember these guys? If you missed their great presentation at our Rendezvous last spring, you can catch Myles and Lisa Magnuson of Onboard Fitness at the upcoming Seattle Boat Show. They are set to speak on Sunday January 25th at 3:15pm and Saturday January 31st at 12:15pm. Their seminar covers all bases from why it is important to keep in shape for boating to how to take your exercise regime with you on board your boat. They’ll have some of their workout equipment on hand to demonstrate (and sell), so plan to get out of your chair and try it out! You’ll get a lot of information about them and their programs (some great short videos!) by visiting their website at 
If you want to see what the bottom of the Hiram M. Chittenden locks looks like…get over there before December 6th! The Army Corps Of Engineers has the big one drained for cleaning and maintenance. And if you lost anything– pop can, cell phone, diamond ring– while going through any time this year, get in line. This is when they pick all that stuff up!