Cruising Club Notes

As you’ll read in these pages, Chesapeake Bay powerboat club members enjoy many fun cruises, social events, and educational opportunities. Winter is a good time to share profiles of standout members of your club. Send a short write-up or simply send contact information, and we’ll take it from there. Send appproximately 350 words (sometimes longer) and clear photos of pretty boats or happy people to beth@proptalk.com.

Does the new year bring new leadership for your club? If your organization has elected or appointed new officers, especially a communications point-person, send updated contact information to beth@proptalk.com. Our editors will help your team craft submissions that highlight club activities and attract new members.

Powerboat Association Has Boating and Land Events Planned for the Season

The Chesapeake Bay Power Boat Association (CBPBA) board plans a variety of land and boating events throughout the year including a Frostbite Cruise (April), Shakedown Cruise (May), Blue Angels Air Show Raftup (May), Memorial Day Fun Run, Crab Feast, Poker Runs, Destination Cruises, Raftups with live music, and a Christmas Party. The club is also involved in offshore boat races.

In addition to having fun, club members give back to the community through charitable activities and events throughout the year. Our 2021 Christmas in July BBQ included a Toys for Tots drive. The second Sunday of June, club members volunteer their time and boats as sweep boats for the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, one of America’s premier open water swim challenges which benefits the March of Dimes.

CBPBA’s Changing of the Props meeting, when we usher in our new board members, was held on Tuesday, January 4 at our general membership meeting at Hellas Restaurant. General membership meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. Loca-

# CBPBA officers for 2022 and 2023 (LtoR):president Lenny

Nemec, past president Dave Burke, vice president Ed

Cameron, secretary Jim Myers. Not pictured: treasurer

Dale Dixon and race director Ted Ginnity.

tion may vary so members should go to the CBPBA website (below) for latest information and updates.

Officers for 2022 and 2023 are: Lenny Nemec (president); Dave Burke (past president); Ed Cameron (vice-president); Jim Myers (secretary); Dale Dixon (treasurer), and Ted Ginnity (race director). The board of directors include Andy Livermore, Gary Oswalt, Al Perry, Bill Bevard, Karla Kavanagh, Norm Wright, and Les Simmons.

CPBPA is a not-for-profit organization for power boaters on the Chesapeake Bay. The club was founded in 1986 and cares about the Bay and water safety. Interested potential new members are encouraged to visit cpbpa.com.

# Margaret Butler is the Division

Commander for six USCG Auxiliary

Flotillas in the central Chesapeake area.

It all started with a safe boating course

After purchasing our first boat, my interest in boating gained momentum when we took and successfully passed the Maryland Safe Boating Course offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Even though by law we weren’t required to take the course (Maryland law requires a boater safety education for boat and PWC operators who were born after July 1, 1972), we wanted to be responsible on the water and learn the right way from the professionals. Plus, my husband, who had recently joined the Auxiliary, was not about to let me operate the boat without it! I inquired about the organization for myself and joined shortly thereafter in 2009.

I became a Qualified Boat Crew member and Maryland Department of Natural Resources instructor, and I routinely participate in U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) initiatives, as well as U.S. Coast Guard training evolutions, which have involved search and rescue and, unfortunately in extreme cases, recovery efforts. I’ve also had the pleasure to actively participate in annual sector regattas and other on-water patrols for events such as the Blue Angels, Bay Swim, Bay Paddle, and Chesapeake Schooner Races.

Always ready

It is extremely rewarding to partner with the U.S. Coast Guard in saving lives and preventing boating mishaps. I love sharing my boating knowledge and skills as well as helping others who are in need. It gives me a sense of pride and personal satisfaction. While most times we are educating and promoting safety, it is very sobering when you come upon a small boat that has caught fire and you must spring to action with your training to save a life or rescue someone. It changes you forever.

My absolute favorite type of boating involves Maritime Observation Mission (MOM) patrols for the Auxiliary. In the

Meet Margaret Butler, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Division Commander

As told to Beth Crabtree

Margaret Butler was raised in the inner city, where she wasn’t exposed to recreational boating, but after she and her husband purchased their first recreational powerboat, Margaret fell in love with the boating community and meeting people from all walks of life. Membership in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary only fueled her growing interest in boating. Now a leader in the Auxiliary, Butler shares here her story in her own words.

U.S. Coast Guard, there is a saying: remain Semper Paratus, Always Ready. The goal of the MOM patrol is to provide increased maritime domain awareness through the observation of critical areas including ports and waterways, vessels, land-based infrastructure, and possible targets and vulnerabilities. As a qualified boat crew, we execute MOM patrols in the South, West, Magothy, and Severn Rivers, and as far as Sandy Point and surrounding areas of responsibility. During the patrols we engage with the public and are authorized to facilitate safe haven boat tows and educate boaters on proper wearing of lifejackets.

Unexpected leadership opportunities

I wasn’t driven by ambition to be a leader, but I started immersing myself in the Auxiliary mission, and the rest is history. I began facilitating Maryland Boating Safety courses throughout the Annapolis area, and over time my passion for teaching started gradually to lead me into unexpected leadership opportunities. My colleagues have entrusted me as commander of the Annapolis Flotilla, and in January I was installed as Division Commander for six phenomenal Auxiliary Flotillas in the Central Chesapeake area covering Annapolis, Solomons, West Annapolis, South River, Drum Point, and Herring Bay.

As a Division Commander my onthe-water goals are boating safety and education. Since Covid-19 hit boating, kayaking, and personal watercraft activities have become increasingly favorite recreational choices, and boat purchases have increased tremendously. Unfortunately, there has been a spike in boating mishaps and deaths. The auxiliary intends to increase its focus on supporting the prevention mission of the U.S. Coast Guard and work to foster a culture of safety. As a Division Commander, I also want to continue to attract, develop, and retain a diverse and inclusive force, providing relevant and rewarding opportunities to our membership.

Life off the water

I am a 20-plus year federal career civilian working full-time for the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA). When not busy with the Auxiliary or boating on our 28-foot Monterey powerboat, I enjoy cooking and spending time with my husband of more than 30 years, Leonard, my two adult children, and three grandkids. In 2011, our son Devon joined the U.S. Coast Guard active duty, making it a family affair!

# Flotilla commander Margaret Butler, coxswain Richard Thompson, and boat crew Nancy Hames patrolling during the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.

Seafarer’s Yacht Club: Best and Worst of Times

Charles Dickens’s observations in the opening lines of “A Tale of Two Cities” described last year: It was the best and worst of times for members of the Seafarers Yacht Club (SYC). The pandemic limited our activities, but several on-water boating trips were completed before social distancing became the rule and we shifted to virtual events. Through it all, recruitment of new members kept apace.

A series of virtual captains’ meetings was led by commodore Bennie McCottry, vice commodore Dr. Derrick Cogburn, and fleet captain David Turner and other members, who shared their knowledge and coordinated a cruising schedule.

We held a Seas of Fashion virtual fashion show involving members and friends from across the country as both models and as the audience. The effort raised funds for the Seafarers Foundation to help support a food pantry in Annapolis.

For Valentine’s Day, a virtual “Then and Now” celebration of Seafarers’ couples was a smashing success. A virtual Paint and Sip event established that several participants have budding talents. Our holiday party was held on a day that reached 70 degrees. The fully vaccinated members in attendance enjoyed themselves immensely.

Plans for the upcoming boating season include the following: recreational boating safety classes for members; expanding membership and increasing members’ qualifications and rank advancements; scheduling more paddle, power, and sail boating experiences; strengthening partnerships with existing and new partners; and enhancing members’ boating, swimming, and scuba skills.

SYC is based in Annapolis and has been in operation since 1959. We have a rich history of cruising the Bay and its tributaries, camaraderie, and community-based activities. Learn more at seafarers.com.

# (LtoR) Vice Admiral Sean Buck, superintendent of the US Naval Academy, Sean Manuel

Cogburn and his father Dr. Derrick Cogburn, and Major General (ret.) Errol Schwartz, chairman of the Seafarers Foundation.

Chesapeake Bay Grand Banks Owners Association 2022 Cruise Schedule

The Chesapeake Bay Grand

Banks Owners Association

(CBGBOA) will sponsor four cruises, a Rendezvous, and a Spring Brunch for the 2022 season. The first cruise will be an Asphalt Cruise, March 10-14 in Savannah, GA, based out of the Bohemian Hotel on the Savannah Riverfront. Next a Spring Brunch will be held April 24 at the Severn Inn in Annapolis. The Shakedown Spring Cruise which will be held in early June also will unfold in Annapolis. The third cruise, a Northern Cruise, is in the planning stages and will kick off from the C&D Canal the week of June 20; we will cruise up the New Jersey coast into Long Island Sound and Block Island with an expected duration of five weeks. The final cruise, a Southern Cruise, September 22-28 will travel up the Potomac River and will have port calls along the Potomac and Washington, DC. The CBGBOA Fall Rendezvous will follow, September 29 through October 2 at the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club in Kilmarnock, VA.

The cruises are open to CBGBOA members. CBGBOA is an association for current and former owners of Grand Banks or boats of similar workmanship/quality. Benefits of being a CBGBOA member include discounted membership to Boat US, membership directory to connect with other Grand Banks owners, active mentorship programs for new members, social events and cruises throughout the year, and finally a warm welcome from fellow, like-minded, Grand Banks owners and enthusiasts. If you would like to join or learn more about CBGBOA, visit cbgboa.org.