Chapter News
Chapter News
collecting "stuff" late in the year. The second
week of March brings a full-court press as
The
volunteers make multiple runs up and down the
The
Casco Bay
coast. Boatyards find we help them clean up their
Chesapeake
Chapter
yards a bit and they get a tax write-off for donated
items. Frequent volunteer, Art Hal '76, says,
Chapter
"We just like to act as a filter between the yard
and the dumpster."
On the sale side, we can't keep people away!
National Maritime Day was commemorated
Our March 2013 set-up wrapped up at about 4:00
"Thank God for the Maine Maritime Academy
aboard the N.S. Savannah in Baltimore on May
pm on Thursday and, immediately, people filtered
Alumni Marine Tag Sale," a contributor wrote in
18, 2013, with a wreath laying ceremony and an
in (even though, technical y, the sale hadn't even
Points East, the regional waterfront magazine. At
open house. Other ships open for tours included
started). "I sort of got stuck there," said Bil Ful
the event, originated by Tony Theriault '80, with
a Baltimore City fireboat, tugboats, a WWII LST,
'76, "but before pushing people out the door at
the Casco Bay Chapter of the Alumni Associ-
and police patrol vessels. Chesapeake Alumni
5:45 pm, I'd made sales totaling over $800!"
ation, the writer had found a long sought-after
Chapter members Bucky Owens `66, his son
Friday morning brings the real push as treasure
sink for his boat.
Ryan Owens `97, and Bob Moody `68 conducted
hunters flock to the space donated to the Casco
Since the 1987 inception of the Maine Boat
tours of the Savannah and worked in the Ship's
Bay Chapter by Portland Yacht Service, host of
Builder's Show (the third weekend of March an-
Store.
the show. By 9:00 am, it is not unusual to have
nual y at Phin Sprague's Portland Yacht Service),
between 25 and 40 people pawing over the gear
the Casco Bay Chapter has had an associated
while trying to make deals. This past year, John
marine tag sale to generate scholarship dol ars.
Hills '72, Cal Lechman '65, Bob Damrel '68,
To stock the tag sale, alumni cal boat yards look-
Frank Hale '62, Dave Fenderson '56, and Bil
ing for anything of residual value that attendees
Ful 's father "Giffy," were barely able to keep up
might buy. "We wil take pretty much anything,"
with the line of buyers. "It is a real hoot!" say Cal
say Dave Fenderson '56 and Bil Ful '76, both of
Lechman '65 and John Hills '72. "Everyone is
whom have organized the event multiple times.
wheeling and dealing a bit and we're doing things
"Electronics or engines have to be `working take-
like throwing in a baler or old boating magazine
outs.' Opened cans of paint cannot be accepted.
instead of making change."
Beyond those caveats, almost anything else is
The real satisfaction, however, is being able
acceptable ­ used marine hardware, rigging parts,
to present needy students with scholarships. In
bags of scrap fiberglass, etc."
recent years, we have generated between $6,000
One donated item was a large, old radar scan-
and $10,000 allowing the Casco Bay Chapter to
Visitors at the Lego-style Fleet of Vessels booth
ner from a unit no longer made. Ful `76 figured
build up nearly a $40,000 fund invested by the
it was something that would have to go to the
Academy on the Chapter's behalf. After the book-
dumpster, but it was the first thing to sel in 2013!
A Maritime Expo was also held on the pier.
keeping is done, the Chapter officers, led by Troy
In 1999, frequent contributor and boat builder,
Part of the event was the TEACH FLEET STEM
Malbon '89 this year, meet to review scholarship
Sabre Yachts, donated 15-20 new fuel and water
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathe-
recommendations sent by the Academy, and typi-
tanks from various models no longer in produc-
matics) Expo. TEACH FLEET is an anagram for
cal y award student scholarships at Homecoming,
tion. Who would have thought these items would
Technology's Effects And Contributions High-
the Senior Banquet, and other MMA functions.
sel so quickly? But, folks who were worried about
lighted For Learning Ecological Environmental
While nobody is keeping track, a conservative
Y2K and municipal water system shutdowns
Topics. One of the TEACH FLEET goals is to
estimate over the past 25 years suggests that the
bought them up on the first day!
encourage students in grades K-12 to study math
Casco Bay Chapter has presented over $100,000
and explore science by introducing them to a
Other frequent donations (sorry, I can't include
in scholarships in addition to increasing its
diverse group of maritime professionals who can
everyone here) have come from Wilbur Yachts,
endowment. Sometime next March, a pick-up
explain and demonstrate to them the importance
Hinckley, Yachting Solutions (Bil Morong '94),
truck overflowing with "boat junk" may be seen
of math and science in maritime professions.
Brewer's South Freeport Boatyard, and almost
heading south. No, it's not headed to the junkyard
Bringing back some childhood memories,
every boatyard from Mt. Desert, ME to Kittery,
­ but it's a truckload of scholarship dol ars for
the Expo also included a fleet of ships built with
ME and yards located much farther south.
MMA students being driven by Casco Bay Chap-
Lego-style building blocks. The fleet covered
Each fal , volunteers canvass boatyards. Multi-
ter volunteers to the annual Marine Flea Market
the entire range of modern self-propelled vessels
ple pick-up truck trips gather up donations found
at the Maine Boat Show.
from tugboats to aircraft carriers to super tankers.
in shed corners or among overstocks. Depending
The ships were between 6 feet to 1-1/2 feet long
on storage availability (Cianbro periodical y has
(the average length is 3 feet). The TEACH FLEET
helped with this), the Chapter volunteers begin
of model vessels was entirely built from scratch
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