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Back in about 2006, when our club was still known as FiberGlassics Northwest, we conducted a poll of the membership to determine what folks valued about the club; what kinds of boats they owned; what projects they were working on; which events they enjoyed...and a long list of other questions.
The key finding of the poll, I think, was that the most important aspect of the club for many members was the friendships they formed with other members. More than the boats themselves, or even boating events, members seemed to deeply appreciate the comraderie they had with others...and the general experiences they had together, with classic boats being an attractive backdrop.
That's certainly the way it's been for me. While the club has a lot of different values and benefits--on-the-water events, workshops, information shared on this forum, etc--when I get down to it I have to conclude that friends have been the most important.
Joe Johanesen (Helmar) has been a terrific friend for years now, always there when you need anything. Joe's got that biker-brotherhood thing down cold: If you ever want somebody who's "got your back," Joe's a good buddy to have in a pinch, or not in a pinch.
There are many others, but I wanted to offer a special mention this evening to John Nelson, a quiet and unassuming friend who has helped many of us by generously pitching in with hands-on mechanical help (John is a super mechanic and troubleshooter), and in other ways.
Back in January, I was trying to help move Will Kersten's non-running old cruiser from its mooring in Mystery Bay, where the boat was anchored, over to the Mystery Bay State Park float, so he could do some cleanup work before selling the boat. Everything was fine until a stray tail of his anchor line became hopelessly snagged in my prop and propshaft, leaving both of us dead in the water. We were rescued by local residents, who came out in a skiff to tow our two disabled boats back to their respective docks, but without diving gear I was stuck with a tangled mess in the prop and no easy way to cut free what was left of the anchor line.
I happened to mention the predicament to Joe, who happened to mention it to John Nelson, and within hours I had a call from John, saying he'd be happy to drive clear up to Nordland, don his diving gear and unsnarl the mess under my boat.
Naturally, John being John, he said he'd be happy to do it for free--no compsensation was to be discussed.
Feeling guilty about that, I spent several weeks looking for an alternate solution. It's not that I wanted to spend a bunch of money, since there isn't much to go around, but I hated the idea of asking John to come across the Sound and up here just to cut a snarled bunch of line.
Long story short: Lacking options, I finally called John back, accepted his generous offer, and he arrived this afternoon with a small aluminum skiff in the back of his pickup, mentioning that he was out of air for his scuba outfit...but "no problem, I'll just snorkel" to cut the lines.
Once again, I tried to pay him something, ANYTHING, for his invaluable help...but once again he utterly refused even a contribution toward gas money.
I don't know John that well. I don't know most members that well, in fact, but every single time any of us need something--a tow back to the ramp, advice on engine problems, encouragement when things don't go right, or even tips on how to catch or smoke salmon--we all know there are fellow members of NWCBC who, like Joe and John, "have got our back."
You can talk all day about the value of being a member of this club, or other clubs such as ours: the website, the insurance for events, the events themselves, and many other things. But when you get down to it, the real value is in the generosity of friends like Joe, John and so many others in this little organization.
Anyhow, I just wanted to express my personal appreciation for everyone who's become a friend in Northwest Classic Boat Club. For me, at least, you've made it all more than worthwhile!
- Marty
The key finding of the poll, I think, was that the most important aspect of the club for many members was the friendships they formed with other members. More than the boats themselves, or even boating events, members seemed to deeply appreciate the comraderie they had with others...and the general experiences they had together, with classic boats being an attractive backdrop.
That's certainly the way it's been for me. While the club has a lot of different values and benefits--on-the-water events, workshops, information shared on this forum, etc--when I get down to it I have to conclude that friends have been the most important.
Joe Johanesen (Helmar) has been a terrific friend for years now, always there when you need anything. Joe's got that biker-brotherhood thing down cold: If you ever want somebody who's "got your back," Joe's a good buddy to have in a pinch, or not in a pinch.
There are many others, but I wanted to offer a special mention this evening to John Nelson, a quiet and unassuming friend who has helped many of us by generously pitching in with hands-on mechanical help (John is a super mechanic and troubleshooter), and in other ways.
Back in January, I was trying to help move Will Kersten's non-running old cruiser from its mooring in Mystery Bay, where the boat was anchored, over to the Mystery Bay State Park float, so he could do some cleanup work before selling the boat. Everything was fine until a stray tail of his anchor line became hopelessly snagged in my prop and propshaft, leaving both of us dead in the water. We were rescued by local residents, who came out in a skiff to tow our two disabled boats back to their respective docks, but without diving gear I was stuck with a tangled mess in the prop and no easy way to cut free what was left of the anchor line.
I happened to mention the predicament to Joe, who happened to mention it to John Nelson, and within hours I had a call from John, saying he'd be happy to drive clear up to Nordland, don his diving gear and unsnarl the mess under my boat.
Naturally, John being John, he said he'd be happy to do it for free--no compsensation was to be discussed.
Feeling guilty about that, I spent several weeks looking for an alternate solution. It's not that I wanted to spend a bunch of money, since there isn't much to go around, but I hated the idea of asking John to come across the Sound and up here just to cut a snarled bunch of line.
Long story short: Lacking options, I finally called John back, accepted his generous offer, and he arrived this afternoon with a small aluminum skiff in the back of his pickup, mentioning that he was out of air for his scuba outfit...but "no problem, I'll just snorkel" to cut the lines.
Once again, I tried to pay him something, ANYTHING, for his invaluable help...but once again he utterly refused even a contribution toward gas money.
I don't know John that well. I don't know most members that well, in fact, but every single time any of us need something--a tow back to the ramp, advice on engine problems, encouragement when things don't go right, or even tips on how to catch or smoke salmon--we all know there are fellow members of NWCBC who, like Joe and John, "have got our back."
You can talk all day about the value of being a member of this club, or other clubs such as ours: the website, the insurance for events, the events themselves, and many other things. But when you get down to it, the real value is in the generosity of friends like Joe, John and so many others in this little organization.
Anyhow, I just wanted to express my personal appreciation for everyone who's become a friend in Northwest Classic Boat Club. For me, at least, you've made it all more than worthwhile!
- Marty
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