Speaking of boating …

Boat/US Magazine, Sept, 2004 by Scott Croft

At many boat and yacht clubs across the country the boating season will soon be winding down. But the BoatU.S. Speakers Bureau is heating up, according to Claire Wyngaard, Speakers Bureau Administrator at BoatU.S. Headquarters.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"As boaters move inside, it's back to monthly club meetings," Wyngaard says. "And many clubs are looking for ways to reinvigorate, educate or entertain their membership. One way they do that is by engaging a speaker from the BoatU.S. Speakers Bureau."

Grown from modest beginnings as a member benefit for BoatU.S. Cooperating Groups, the Bureau has become the booking service for speakers, lectures and discussions on all things boating. Now open to any boat club, rendezvous, town or marina group, the free service arranges speaking engagements each year for the 375 speakers registered with the program.

"Some groups have educational needs while others would like a great keynote speaker for a holiday or annual dinner," says Wyngaard. "We can fill most every need."

So what do clubs want to know from a speaker? The answers vary greatly. "Sometimes a group will have a topic in mind, or other times they will contact the speaker to talk about their needs," says Wyngaard. Topics range from the practical to the pipe dream. "We have speakers who are experts in what to look for in a vessel survey or give sailboat racing and boat handling tips. Others can talk about how to take the liveaboard plunge, find the Titanic or discuss Medieval and Viking craft." Some presentations are multimedia with slides and sound.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The process begins by requesting a speaker at BoatU.S.com and filling out a request form. Wyngaard then sends a list of speakers in their area. "We try to arrange for nearby speakers as most of the requests are for nighttime appearances and we don't like to have a speaker drive far to get home." Wyngaard says that most of the volunteer speakers are free. "Occasionally, there are stipends or donations involved for the most sought-after speakers. A nice dinner is also always appreciated."

Having an impact

Gail Ostrow, a sailor, United States Power Squadron member and educator, who's fast to quip, "I love stand-up performance," has been a speaker since 1996. She speaks about the monumental shift of leaving terra firma behind to embrace the full-time cruising lifestyle. Ostrow claims her greatest achievement was with a couple who attended her speaking engagement at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese buffet restaurant years ago.

The couple in the audience that night had just embarked on a long, five-year plan to save money, end their careers and sell their home in order to cruise full time. Ostrow told them, "If you want to cruise full time--just do it now, because you will never have enough money and there will always be reasons that will keep you from your dreams."

The couple took her advice to heart and quickly changed plans, reducing their five-year plan to one, and have been cruising ever since.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Capt. Kathy Redmond, author of two cruising guides, gives about half-a-dozen presentations each year to Hudson River, NY, area clubs. She likes to talk about women and boating because, "It's a cause. Women often fall into the 'man trap' when aboard," she says. "They spend time watching kids or making meals, but not behind the helm. I know. I was one of them."

But she isn't finger pointing. Redmond says she's surprised by the number of men who want their partner to love boating as much as they do. So in her discussions she tries to encourage both men and women to share the experience.

As with many speakers, the engagements are a two-way street. They give Redmond a chance to speak about her Intracoastal Waterway and Florida Keys cruising guides and a children's book she's authored on the corals of the Keys.

Other prominent authors on the West Coast include Los Angeles Times writer and radio and TV personality Capt. Mike Whitehead; The Boat Owners Legal and Financial Advisor author Larry Rogers; and Nancy Erley, author of One Hundred and One Hints for Circumnavigators; in the Midwest are Wake of the Green Storm author Marlin Bree; Mariners Guide and to the Inland Rules author Mark Tilford; on the East Coast are Chris Brown, author of the Cruising Guide to New York Waterways and Lake Champlain; William Shellenberger, author of Cruising the Chesapeake; and in the South, The Legend of Chris-Craft author Jeffrey Rodengen; Experiment in Survival author George Sigler; and Claiborne Young, author of the Cruising Guide to Western Florida, and other books.

Rick Izard, vice commodore of the Philadelphia Sailing Club, has called upon the Speakers Bureau several times in the last year. The social sailing club gets together for group charters around the world, but when at home, "We like to liven up meetings and attract new members by using speakers," says Izard. He finds that the Bureau helps his "little old humble club" get over the barriers of finding good speakers--namely cost and selection. "Getting a speaker on my own takes a lot more time and effort. The BoatU.S. Speakers Bureau makes it much easier."