T
he Fall Annapolis Power Boat
Show arrived in town the
beginning of October. The
weather was spectacular (unfortunately
the Sailboat Show the following weekend
had clouds and rain) and ABYC staff was
able to visit with many ABYC members
at their booths. The mood was upbeat as
exhibitors were hoping that the upsurge in
boat and equipment sales would continue
to grow. Upon our return to our office
“across the creek” in Eastport, we were
greeted by William Cross of Pennsylvania
who had found his way from the show to
our office. After meeting with several staff
members to learn more about ABYC, Bill
and his wife decided to join.
Kevin:
How did you find out about the
American Boat & Yacht Council?
Bill:
After many years of restoring
automobiles and motorcycles, I had
always wanted to purchase a classic boat
to restore. I was recently up in Rhode
Island and was able to make a bid (a low
bid!) on a classic 1968 Pearson 35 sloop.
Not thinking much more about it, much
to my surprise, my bid was accepted and I
was the new proud owner.
Kevin:
Have you always been a sailor?
Bill:
I started out sailing Flying Scots
earlier in life and gradually moved up.
I have also spent time bareboating in
the Caribbean.
Kevin:
Where are you going to do
the renovation?
Bill:
After purchasing the boat, I had it
shipped to my home in PA. Shipping the
boat went exceedingly well with no major
complications. We have an old tennis
court on the property and I had it set
down there and will start work on it.
Kevin:
How was the condition of
the boat?
Bill:
It was in fairly good condition
and apparently had been raced quite
extensively. Additional lead ballast had
been added to the keel that changed the
handling of the boat. I am going to look
at that and possibly redoing the scuppers
in the cockpit for it to drain more easily.
I’m sure there are other conditions that
I will come across that will require
more research.
Kevin:
How do you see utilizing ABYC
Standards will help you in this project?
Bill:
Just having access to ABYC
standards and specifications will help me
decide on how to proceed on necessary
updating and other modifications. I also
know that I can call on your technical
department to help steer me to the right
sections in order to review the materials.
I’m not in a hurry to restore the boat so I
can take my time to do it right.
Thanks to Bill and his wife for
understanding that boats built to ABYC
are done right, the first time.
N E W S F R O M A B Y C ’ S M E M B E R S H I P M A N A G E R , K E V I N S C U L L E N
Membership
Moment
ABYC’s new Membership Manager Kevin
Scullen sits down with one of ABYC’s newest
members, Mr. and Mrs. William Cross
I wanted to make sure that all
repairs were to ABYC’s safety
standards and be sure that the
renovations were done correctly.
22
American Boat & Yacht Council •
the
Reference Point
• Winter 2014
