Making Tough Calls, Terry Fiest, You Are “The Man”
Terry Fiest
Yesterdays sad announcement that the Lake Dora Show will be canceled drew some mixed reviews. SHOCK! I am being sarcastic BTW. In todays climate of crazy, it’s comforting to know that there are leaders like Terry at the helm of even a small part of our world. Leadership lives in a lonely home. The call yesterday by the Board Of Directors at Sunnyland was I am sure a much debated choice. In fact it was going in full force up until then. Sponsorships were being cultivated and it was a go. In Florida, life is well, always on a vacation. Life is kinda normal, despite being an entire state full of the most in danger. Add to that, I know Terry is a hard charging leader and would have pushed since the timing of vaccines is so close. But sometimes leadership has to stand in front of choices and take the bullets of complainers.
Terry at the helm of Hornet on Lake Tahoe
It would have been far easier to go with the show. The docks are going up, and lots of financial pressure. The tough call was to be safe. And I might add, a clear signal flag to our community to follow suit. Don’t take the chance. I am dealing with this stuff daily, hourly.. and its not fake, over stated, or political. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. LOOK AROUND, each and everyone one of us is Kevin Bacon close to this. Just because it hasn’t touched you yet, doesn’t make it any less real. If there was a building explosion every day all year killing people, trust me, we would all be steering clear of buildings. And we are talking about a “Boat Show” Really? Boat Shows are up there with JonBenét Beauty Pageants on the scale of importance. Get some perspective. Terry you are a true leader. I would go through a burning building for you. Even a super spreader boat show if you said it was safe. And just know we here at Woody Boater thank you for tough call.
Terry? Wake up Terry? Oh the photo that just keeps giving!
Good call. When it returns in 2022 I should be retired and able to attend my first show there. I’m sure it will be a doozy!
The concern about safety is and was paramount, but there are always attendant complications – mostly financial ones. An organization is required to enter into numerous financial commitments during the organization of almost any event, and certainly one as large as this. With public health and social policy being as variable as it is in the midst of this mess, can an organization risk it’s members’ money when the entire rug the event rests on can be yanked out without notice? That is a very real risk, all one has to do is look around the WORLD (not just the US) to see this. As large as the Covid story and still accelerating case problem is, the attendant financial risk cannot be diminished, either. In addition, would the volunteers feel safe enough to volunteer to man the show? I haven’t seen that question addressed, but it is also a potential issue.
This was a Sunnyland Chapter Board decision, and I understand it was unanimous. As Show Chairman, Terry is the messenger. As disappointing as it is, I can’t think of a more reasoned or regrettably necessary outcome. If you as an individual want to go boating, come on down and do so, as Matt says life in general is still somewhat normal here. But clearly, the chapter could not assume the many and multi-faceted risks of putting on the show with such uncertainty prevailing over the near-term future.
Meanwhile, the new dock installation continues at a very good clip and the end of the pandemic is in sight, though it certainly won’t be over by March, 2021. Start planning for 2022, and come on down in the meantime if you feel like doing so. The show might be cancelled but all the boating opportunities are still here.
Well stated Paul. I also know gatherings of that size are not yet legal in lots of places.
WOW! Paul said it far better than I, with correctly spelled words, and small ones.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
I have been attending this show for 20 years and will miss it terribly…but there is more terrible stuff on the air. See you all in 22.
John in Va.
Well said Paul, Matt and Terry, With Covid killing more per day than were killed on 9/11, cancellation was a public service.
Onward to 2022 in Tavares for the Sunnyland Show and Burlington VT for the big annual ACBS show, meeting, and cruises.
Good call Terry and the Sunnyland gang. It is always hard to see somthing like this canceled. Like it or not we are all at the age that is most susceptible to this virus. I will do my damnedest to make it there in 2022.
Right call.
Wrong call.
Thanks for the call,,I know it is a hard one, I will still be there but out by ourselves in a fishing boat for 2 months. I was appreciate the early call I was making arraigement for bring fishing and a boat for the show,look for forward to the endof this and for the next bigger and better show in 2022 Thanks again
I don’t know who “Sleepless in Seattle” is – but “Clueless in Seattle” is a more appropriate handle… Until this disease is under control, the infections and deaths falling, there is no justification for holding large, public events and the longer some attempt to deny this reality, the longer it will continue to dominate our society. My hope (and prediction) is that things will begin to open up toward the end of July and the events scheduled for September will happen!
Dick,
I sorta hoped that this site was above name calling, guess not. This “disease” is under control, or at least as controlled as any other of the multitude of this that can kill us. Our country will likely not recover from the gross mismanagement of liberal democrats continuing to spoon feed you the fear narrative. We all need to wake up and face this reality, however you think you need to keep yourself safe is up to you, and you should do that, but don’t subject the rest of us to your voodoo. This little virus has a 99%+ survival rate. We should all be back to school, work, dining out, even going to boat shows. So yes, its the wrong call to cancel Dora, or anything else. We’ll see how long the censor leaves this up.
By the way, my name is Tim Whipple, I live in Olympia, Washington, Im the proud owner of wooden boats, and I thought ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ was a pretty good name, sorry you chose to attack it.
Hi Tim – Getting back to the point of this site – What boats do you have? I’m very involved in the ACBS and don’t see that you are a member of our local chapter. Yes, I am choosing to keep myself, family and friends safe – and agree (at this time) that others should do the same. Do I buy in to the misinformation that we get on social media from both sides? No. Do I have good friends in the medical profession that are very concerned about this particular virus? Yes. “Voodoo” plays no part in this beyond what we are being fed – from both sides. I prefer common sense.
Sleepless in Seattle is a great name – keep using it.
Dick,
I was an ACBS member a long time ago, but didn’t really click with it… guess thats a theme. 😉 My wood boats are a 1950 Chris Craft 17 Deluxe Runabout, a 1950 Century Resorter 18 and a 1960 Chris Craft Conqueror 40. I’m not much of a club guy.
Voodoo is exactly what wearing masks, keeping kids out of school/sports and societal isolationism seek to accomplish… they do nothing, except trash our societies and economies. This virus has a 99%+ survival rate. Common sense is not cratering our country over something that is no where near as dangerous as you’re being told.
Welcome tim nice to have you here
Just another Troll. YAWN!
Actually according to the IP address, Tim you are correct and not all the other names. Although the right wing insanity has a home elsewhere. Over the past couple days we have had some sad comments form Charlie and the other name. Tim, you just got mixed up in the mess of crap. And yes, Sleepless is a great name. Oh and wear your mask!
But… the left wing insanity has a place here? Just seeking clarification, since until today, I really enjoyed the fairly politically neutral wood boat emphasis content.
There is no left wing or right wing here. Just boats. I am continually shocked that a pandemic has even been tainted by politics. This is CDC guidlines. NOT GOP or DNC. CDC. Science does NOT have an opinion, it has facts. All the other crap on both sides BTW is crap. And sadly DEADLY!
i’m with you sleepless
I think we have WAY over reacted to the disease with grossly disproportionate fear mongering dominating the headlines, and I also think it will be over or nearly so by March. WAY more people have already been infected than realize it, according to the CDC’s latest estimate, eight times as many! That’s over 1/3rd of the US population. At the rate it is spreading now, there won’t be many people left to infect by late February and the show would be reasonably safe to hold.
That said, Paul is 100% correct. The club can’t make a commitment based on the information we have now. The rate of spread could slow, or the CDC could be way off in their estimates. By time we see the numbers turn dramatically down and can confirm where we are with COVID, it will be too close to show time. I expect by June or July we will be back in full swing, but March is just too close to call, and our clubs are not in the business of gambling.
Sorry Seattle, as much as I think you are correct in some of what you say, you are very wrong with your conclusion. Cancellation was the only reasonable choice from the club’s perspective.
I hate days like today
Feel any better today? If not, shake it off and get back in your groove. Many like coming to this site because we know you are real and a straight shooter. Keep up the great work making some of us smile (most days).
*
I write this stuff daily to avoid the Wear a mask stuff I need to write for all my clients. It is very real, and life and death choices are made every minute of every day. Also, my family has been touched hard with death and sadness by this as have some of my employees families. The guilt of being the person that brought it home is beyond belief. This isnt about you, its about how much I care about you. I wear my mask so if I have it and dont know it I dont spread it. And I wear my mask so the idiot that doesnt, doesnt give it to me without knowing it. Regret is a horrible curse that is never ending.
I am sad this great show has been cancelled but understand considering the circumstances in our country. I for one appreciate the early notice, Last year my wife and I were crossing the Florida line with a boat for the Field of Dreams from Kentucky when I read the bad news, So with reservations and on my weeks vacation from work we went on to Mt Dora and had a good time anyway.
Ronald…..Have we met? I’m in Kentucky, too. Spent a few weekends at Lake Cumberland this summer, but didn’t get to boat NEAR as much as we wanted. We live in Owensboro. Email me at leaz3553(at)bellsouth.net, or find me in the ACBS directory.
Just caught up on the discussion from first post today. Well it took a weird turn. Went from discussing beer cans and toilet seats a couple of day ago to this. Well I’m not going to add my two cents and just hope tomorrow is back on the lighter side again. Have a good night’s sleep everyone.
Who would want to attend a wood boat show with only Chris Craft Cobra examples, nothing else?
Start with respect for one another, celebrate the fact we are all unique, and with that, we each have unique or differing views. Rarely if ever can you share a view with someone (that has a chance of a positive influence) if it is in any way condescending.
Take it from someone who was misunderstood, trashed, and thrown away by “a few” in this community. The many, and my love for the boats keept me here.
Remember, “Perfection is the enemy of good.”
See ya’ll in 2022.
‘Under Control” , wow who can say that?
A few months ago we had 500 deaths a day- that’s like one jumbo jet crashing every day.
Now it 6 jumbo jets crashing every day. That’s not under control, that by definition is out of control.
But then again we’re in a hobby where one guys ‘mint” boat is another guy’s “can be restored boat”