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Today, 11 of our members plus 2 guests attended the meeting led by President Rob at Cafe Spiga. One of the guests, our speaker, Len Carolan, represented and spoke about L.I.S.E.C. Our other guest, Ryan Dorney, a NY Life Insurance agent, visited as a prospective member. Rob began the meeting with an announcement: He thanked Sharon and her posse (including Debbie, Joan Elliott, and Sal) for their much appreciated efforts in making last Tuesday's Past Presidents Dinner such a success. He noted that the evening seemed to be well-enjoyed by all participants. Bravo, event planners! Dennis reported that Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck has been quite a busy place lately-especially on Sundays- as a venue for special events such as weddings and other social events. Weekends are so busy that we may not be able to arrange for our usual Fall Clean-Up this year. He will let us know soon if a date can be found before winter is upon us. Dennis reminds us that Next Tuesday is OPEN CUPBOARD DAY. See the latest "needs list" on this site. Know that your generosity continues to be much appreciated. Kudos to Kim! She updated our "Harbor Light" and distributed copies to members and guests present! It's beautiful, colorful, and informative. Thank you, Kim, for reviving "Harbor Light" and making it so stylish! She invites members to send her info regarding upcoming events/news (or corrections) to be published in subsequent issues. Contact her at kzettwoch@portjefflibrary.org . Jen announced with regret that the Terryville/Port Jeff Station Chamber of Commerce has had to cancel FAMILY FUN DAY at the Train Car Park (originally scheduled for October 16th) as well as the Trunk or Treat event scheduled for later in the month. Unfortunately, recent illegal/unhealthy activities taking place at the park, which is not regularly patrolled by the police, have made these cancellations necessary. Jen reminds us that if you see something questionable taking place on public property, call 911. The Southold Rotary Annual Golf Tourney will take place on October 13th. Let Dennis know if you need info. Rob introduced again Len Carolan, our speaker. Using photos on a laptop, Len was able to illustrate the LISEC activities that take place regularly at the Bayles Boat Yard, behind the Village Center, across from the harbor. Len began with photos of an old mahogany sailboat- Rob's- which underwent total restauration during a period of 3 1/2 to 4 years at the LISEC headquarters. LISEC volunteers mostly perform 2 activities: the refurbishment of old vessels, or the building of new "kit boats" or "puzzle boats"- bought as a kit and put together by fitting the assembled parts properly, working alongside the boats' owners, who may otherwise lack their expertise, tools, building space, etc. Rob filled in many details about the ready-to-be-junked mahogany boat he found and purchased to work on as a sort of hobby/learning experience. After many hours spent on his project in his own garage, he brought "the pirate" (a type of boat- apparently built in East Germany and popular in the 50's- which came with instructions in German) to LISEC, where he could work with and learn from experienced volunteers like John Janosec, a master craftsman, and Len, who are used to meeting the challenges of boat restorations. The team working on Rob's boat had to pretty much dismantle it and rebuild it using materials bought or scavenged from a variety of sources. Len showed us a number of photos of the steps taken to totally restore the vessel. Different types of wood- mahogany, walnut, and oak- had to be bent and shaped just so; a new wishbone tiller had to be fashioned; and a new mast out of spruce had to be meticulously sanded and planed. The end product: Rob and his team took great pride in their eventual success, all learning a lot while working on the project. The LISEC volunteers also worked on a 1962 "lightening class" wooden sailboat. It was donated by a man from Cutchogue. The centerboard had rotted out- as did many other parts. A replacement came from Staten Island. The boat's bottom and some ribs also had to be rebuilt from scratch. The original oak was replaced by cedar. The finished product was eventually sold. A LISEC team also totally refurbished and restored a 1949 Old Town wooden canoe. Usually, LISEC builds boats to repair or sell. LISEC also works at Avalon Park in Stony Brook, where it introduced a student boat-building program for youngsters. As the result of questions answered, we learned, among other things, that the property LISEC uses in Port Jeff is leased from the village; most volunteer boat builders are over 65; all learn their skills from each other; the shop is open 3 days a week but will, hopefully, soon be open more days. The public is invited to make the fullest use of this wonderful resource. Len thanked our club for consistently contributing to LISEC's success. Saranto was today's Super Sergeant. Most of his questions had to do with Rotary's early history. Many dollars were collected from our members who, evidently, needed to be reminded about founding Rotarians and events. Do you remember when women were first granted Rotary membership? (1987) Many Happy Dollars were also collected today. During their most recent BMX competitions in Apollo, PA, Jen's kids and Will did very well. Jen now looks forward to heading for Florida for more competitions. Happy to see Bob H. out of the hospital, healing well, and back on his feet. Cindy announced that Judi's coming home today and is already scheduled for a salon visit for a haircut. Yay!!! Here's to a healthy, happy week- and make it a productive one! See ya next Tuesday ! :) |
