by Kathy Snyder and Deb Sheley

For all the rain we had this summer in the 1000 Islands, we are being rewarded with a great fall boating season. The water levels are up and the winds are down, the days are sunny, bright and warm.

We had a great Annual Meeting in Lake Lanier, Georgia, in spite of all the concerns regarding Hurricane Ivan. The whole week we only experienced one day of rain and a few hours of power outage in the evening. It provided an opportunity to gather outside on the covered porch, discuss boats, upcoming projects, concerns and interests. It was a good time to voice concerns and interests, and an occasion to meet and talk with the new International officers.

Our Winter Quarterly meeting is scheduled for January 14-16, 2005, in Key West, Florida. We have some great events planned and, most importantly, a Strategic Planning Session built into the schedule. This is a fantastic tool initiated by the long-range Planning Committee this year to help assess the direction of ACBS and then, keep us on task. If you are interested in attending please contact Headquarters or visit our web site www.acbs.org.

Back at Headquarters we are preparing for the renewal season. Of importance to all members is the fact that we will mail the renewals a few weeks earlier. The deadline for the directory inclusion will also be moved back two weeks to January 15, 2005. The purpose is to achieve the goal of getting the directory in the hands of the Membership in a more timely manner. Please look for your renewal before the end of October. If you have not received it – please call or email us at Headquarters and we will get another out to you.

One of the most important things you can do to help us, is to make sure your address is current. That may mean dropping us a line a few weeks ahead of your move if you are headed to warmer weather for the winter.
Don’t forget the Ship’s Store for Christmas shopping! We have some great inventory for all your needs and can usually ship within 24 hours of your order.