Page 6. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2017 '70 M - T M' By Lee S. Wilbur “Hey, why don’t you two come over
to our house tonight for some fun. We’re having a gang in for some rum and fresh caught fi sh. Don’t bring anything but an ap- petite and thirst.” And the beginning of a friendship lasting some 32 years. When we’d fi nally fi gured out how to
do and handle the Miami Boat Show in Feb- ruary, an exhausting week and show if there ever was one, we decided the next week was ours for some R & R out in the Baha- mas. Place where the sun always shines... except for an occasional rain shower. Trick was to get our booth broken down and ready for shipment back to Maine on fi nal night. Back to our hotel for a few hours sleep then out to the airport and fi rst fl ight to Marsh Harbor, Abacos. Miami was a tough show. In the booth or on a boat 11AM every day then work until 11 in the evening. Answer the relatively same questions time after time. Well worth it, however, because we generally would sell a boat sometime during the year to some unsuspecting soul who’d stopped by. Great venue to announce a new model and then often have it ready to debut the next year at the show. Just so happened when we’d begun to think about this break in an “always work-
ing” ethic, Jim Willis, owner of the Boat- house in Manset, mentioned he and his wife had bought a condo in Sandy Cay if we were ever thinking about a Bahamas va- cation. Jim had been a mentor in our early days of boat rentals, selling us a number of used boats, some quite good shape, others in the “fi xer-up” mode but always a fair price and something we could make a dol- lar on. When he mentioned the condo, I im- mediately asked more questions and with a quick conference, we decided to take it for the week following the next show. When everything went smoothly, get-
ting there was part of the fun. First had to take an island hopper to Marsh Harbor and from there hire one of the local taxis for the 30 mile or so ride out to Sandy Cay. Road was a real piece of work. Needless to say wasn’t graded on a weekly basis and the taxi generally carried a couple of spares. Rough would be polite. Worth it, because Sandy Cay coming from a fl at out week and Maine winter was nothing south of paradise. Small beaches, great snorkeling, swim and lay in the sun for hours, not to mention catching some zzz’s at about any hour. Re-charge the batteries. Soon met our neighboring condo’s occupants and longtime Abacos afi ciona-
· Cummins, FTP & MAN Marine Engine Sales & Services · Complete line of marine hydraulics · Belts, hoses, fasteners & fi ttings of all sizes · Full Machine & Fabrication Shop
917 US Rt. 1, Steuben, ME 04680 207-546-7139
kennedymarine@myfairpoint.net We're here to ensure that the only thing keeping you off the ocean
...is the weather!
SEAL COVE BOATYARD, INC.
The Willis Beal built MY THREE GIRLS at the Co-op in Jonesport earlier this fall. If it has to do with the care of boats,
we do it here and we do it better than most.
Tel: (207) 326-4422Fax: (207) 326-4411 Email:
CHASE, LEAVITT & CO. The Chart Room
Flags · Books · Chart Kit · Paper Charts ·Navigation Tools Life Service Station
Abandon Ship · Floatation Gear ·Distress Signals · Overboard Rescue Inlatable Boats
Sales: Achilles, Caribe, & Highield Large Supply of Spare Parts Repair Professionals
144 Fore St., Portland (207) 772-6383 218 Bucksport Rd., Ellsworth (207) 667-9390
www.chaseleavitt.com
Looking to have metal work done at a reasonable cost? Welding a specialty!
Also marina slips with lots of parking and storage available. Call: (207) 991-1953
South Main Street, Brewer, Maine 04412
• Expert Repair • Fuel Polishing • Haulout/Storage
• Showers/Laundry
• Brokerage/Rental • DIY Space
KUSTOM STEEL
Superb Service Best Rates
dos who happened to hail from Minnesota, who in turn introduced us to Ron and Aly Munzenreider then on their second home- building there on Sandy Cay. The “Munz’s, taking us under their tutelage of Bahamas living couldn’t have been nicer to us if they tried. From taking us on their boat snorkel- ing (I was never enough of a swimmer or diver to do much spearfi shing) on off shore reefs with deep clear water or coral reefs loaded with small tropical fi sh and funny creatures to showing us around the many cays (small islands) dotting that area of the far fl ung Bahamas. Ron was a skilled spearfi sherman, able
to stay up to 75’ underwater for as long as 4-7 minutes. He would often spear ample fi sh for dinner parties or to supply friends with a special treat for dinner. Dining at the Munzenreiders was a never to be forgotten experience as Aly was and still is a superb cook, haven written a cookbook of favorite recipes which we still treasure today. Fa- vorite memory was snorkeling above Ron as he worked his way quietly and slowly up to a fi sh then pulling the trigger at just the right moment. Ron was also one of the sharpest busi-
ness people I’ve been fortunate to meet in my own business/boatbuilding career. Starting with a small furniture store, selling vacuum cleaners as well, Ron was able to, within a short period of time grow the busi- ness to some 179 locations.
I asked him this past weekend how
he was able to manage this as quickly as he did and what were some of the keys to his success. His reply. “I would scout out good locations fi rst. Luckily I had my pi- lot’s license and a small plane and could get around quickly. With each new location, I would interview perspective managers. I es- pecially looked for younger people. Those in their early 20’s. They were the ones with the most energy and ambition. We would stock the stores with our own selections and turn them loose. In some cases we did not have to visit the location again. As long as the numbers were where I expected them to be they were free to try whatever seemed to work. I’ve always had the opinion that if you hire the best people and give them plenty of room you’ll do well yourself. Then, there’s Aly. Aly is probably after
AJ, one of the best home cooks to whose table I have ever enjoyed. Seems to take the simplest of dishes and leave a guest with the question “How did she do this” Then, if you were a longtime friend, she might even pass along one of her carefully written reci- pe books which we have treasured over the years.
We visited with the Munz’s this past
weekend, watched a Christmas Boat Pa- rade, shared old memories, ate great food, and realized once again how thankful I was to have met the great people I did through- out 30+ years in the boating industry.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31