Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch was a new and fitting venue for the WBA Annual Officer Installation Banquet on January 13. (Above) new WBA Vice-President, Scott Myers (at left) enjoys the evening with his fellow members and guests. (Below) President David Sheets presents outgoing VP Bill Mott with a recognition gift in appreciation of his term in office.

(Below) Members and guests enjoy Ned Ward's presentation in the spacious facilities of the Brookhaven Country Club. Loretta Sheets gets most of the credit for the organization and logistics of the evening. The decorations were lovely and the food was great!

(Above) Pat Baldwin poses with Ned and Ro Ward. Ned was the speaker for our banquet, presenting the history of the Chris-Craft plant in Falconer, NY which operated for a few years after WWII. Falconer is along Chautauqua Lake, Pat's summer home. Thanks for arranging for the Wards to be with us, Pat! (Below) First Lady Loretta Sheets did a great job arranging model boats and flowers for the decor!

(Below) WBA President David Sheets welcomes attendees and recognizes the service of members and officers. David continues in his capacity as President for the coming year. Secretary Gay Perry and Treasurer Scott Reichardt are also extending their terms through 2018.

Important Annual Planning Meeting, February 15 -- Don't Miss It!

The upcoming meeting of the WBA is an extremely important planning session, when we lay out our events and ideas for the coming boating season. The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy at 11637 Webb Chapel Road, just south of Forest Lane. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out a classic boating book from collections donated by Pat Baldwin and Troy Marshall to a lucky winner.

Our meetings are a great opportunity to socialize with fellow WBA members and to talk shop on questions on everything from paint and varnish to carburetor kits. As always, we'll have generous helpings of fellowship and Italian food.

Join us for a light meal and moderate libation at 5:30 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy prior to the meeting. We encourage you to join us for dinner, so we'll always have the required minimum number of diners to avoid a room charge.

Shop Talk and Musings: Two Clubs Meet on Stober Mountain!

As most WBA members know, there's another active and vibrant wooden boat club in the Metroplex, the Eagle Mountain Classic Boat Club in Fort Worth. Dan Stober, one of their most active members, invited members of the Eagle Mountain club and the WBA to participate in a seminar on surveying and buying wooden boats on Saturday, January 20 at his home shop near Weatherford. Dan and his fellow EMCBC members welcomed WBA members Jim Donovan, Glenn Nerwin, Steve Seale and David Kanally for a morning of coffee, donuts, presentations and story swapping. EMCBS members presented techniques for evaluating the restorability of wooden boats, lapstrake boats in particular, and experienced attendees chimed in with their own experiences and ideas. It was a great opportunity for the two clubs to come together, and made us think that there's more we can do jointly.

The EMCBC hosts the Wood, Waves and Wheels show each May at the Fort Worth Boat Club on Eagle Mountain Lake. The WBA is usually well represented there! Thanks, Dan and daughter Melissa, for a fine event. (Melissa Stober photo).

And finally, please take a look in the shed or garage for leftover parts or other salable items you can donate to the Club. Bring them to any WBA meeting, or contact David Kanally at david@historywithheart.com for pickup.