IN THIS ISSUE: Grady Fest 2014 | Owners’ Club News | Letters & Photos | Grady Buddies

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Grady Fest IV: All American Celebration of The Grady Life The sun was smiling and so were the faces of the over 300 Grady-White boat owners and enthusiasts attending Grady Fest IV, the weekend of March 21, 2014, in Fort Myers Beach, FL. The docks of Fish-Tale Marina were lined with Grady-Whites ranging from 19' to 37', and from the opening docktails reception with live music and dancing on Friday to the Sunday morning raft-up in Estero Bay, participants put fun on the foredecks and camaraderie in the cockpits for this vivacious celebration of The Grady Life.

Billed as the “All American Grady Fest,” this was the fourth gathering in five years of Grady fans from around the continent. Sixteen Grady-White Owners’ Clubs including the host Fish-Tale Grady Club, and twelve Florida dealerships including lead sponsor Fish-Tale Sales and Service were represented, plus seven Grady factory executives were on deck including President Kris Carroll. Along with all-day fun and fellowship, there were lively presentations on boating lifestyle topics ranging from technical operations, product developments and

maintenance, to sun safety, destination planning, fishing tips and boat handling. The main event tent welcomed Grady-White engineers, a Coast Guard commander, a detailing pro and charter captain for engaging question-and-answer sessions. The Grady Lady tent was the scene for information exchanges organized by Tarpon Coast Grady-White Club members on travel planning (Eileen Wahlburg), docking procedures (Michelle Riordan), and customizing-boatkeeping (Cher Clark), along with sun protection tips by

continued on page 2…GRADY FEST IV IMAGES: ERIK KELLAR PHOTOGRAPHY

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Grady Fest… continued from page 1

Dr. Jane Moore, and fishing notes by Florida Sportswoman’s Brittany Novalski. The popular “Suddenly in Com-mand” seminar by festival organizer Captain George Pacharis and Captain Dan Clark covered “need to know” and “what to do” for first mates and crew in emergency situations. Basic vessel operation functions and communica-tion procedures were highlighted, including how to obtain a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number and activate the Digital Selective Calling feature on VHF radios. A checklist of emergency preparedness was included in every registrant’s ditty bag, along with a Grady Fest IV commemorative t-shirt, sun gaiter face protection and a Save Your Captain cancer-screening can coolie. The event was topped off Sunday morning with the World’s Largest Raft-Up of Grady-Whites, accom-plished in two hours. Nearly fifty boats participated including a patrol of the

local Coast Guard Auxiliary, a logistics crew, photo boat and spontaneous passers-by. Grinning and waving for the cameras, participants showed their Grady pride with horns blaring and flags waving before heading home to waypoints east, north and south. As Captain Pacharis said, “Hot dogs, apple pie, and Grady-White Boats. It doesn’t get more American than this!” Throughout the festival, midway vendors represented boating services, suppliers and power manufacturers. A dermatologist offered free skin screenings, and the latest UPF clothing, nautical artwork, coolers and other accessories were on sale. Registration proceeds, raffles and

festival organizers George Pacharis, Ray Jahn, Travis Fricke and Justin Fricke. Photo albums highlighting great moments from Grady Fest IV can be viewed on the Grady-White Facebook page and at www.gradywhite.com/gradyfest.

silent auction contributions raised $31,000 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Collier County. A big round of applause to all the Fish-Tale Grady Club members and to

HATS OFF TO THE FISH-TALE GRADY CLUB, HOST CLUB FOR GRADY FEST IV. Members provided friendly greetings and ditty bags at the registration table, golf cart rides to the marina, and a whopping big time!

CAPT. DAN CLARK, CHER CLARK AND CAPT. GEORGE PACHARIS were highlight speakers in the Grady Lady tent.

CHEERS! Friday afternoon docktail time with (l-r) Mike Festa, Judy Eckerle, Andy Young and David Yates aboard DreamMaker.

JULIE LANGNER, RIGHT, WON BEST PRESENTATION FOR HER ENTRY in the Appetizer Delight competition held Friday night, and was presented with a deluxe tote bag by Grady-White’s Shelley Tubaugh, vice president of market-ing. All the entries were delicious! A tough job for the judges…

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Grady-White pioneers a whole new category of boat with the introduction of the sporty 251 CE, “Coastal Explorer.” The 251 CE is the first of its kind from Grady-White, and is designed to provide peace of mind and a piece of heaven for performance, practicality, utility, ease of use and comfort around back waters, beaches, waterways, sounds and inlets. First and foremost an inshore fishing boat, the Grady's 251 CE is the best answer for

Beam Amidships: 8'6" (2.59 m)

Bridge Clearance: 6'9" (2.06 m)

w/T-top: 7'9" (2.36 m)

Center Line Length: 24'7" (7.49 m)

Cockpit Depth: 20" (0.51 m)

Hull Draft: 14" (.36 m)

Maximum HP: 300 (224 kW)

Outboard Shaft Length: 25" (0.64 m)

Standard Fuel Capacity: 78 gal. (295 l)

Transom Width: 8'3" (2.51 m)

Weight w/o Engine: 3550 lb. (1610 kg)

off-the-beaten-track coastal family fun and great versatility in skinnier water. Although created for use inshore, the 251 CE with the unbeat-able SeaV2® hull offers more offshore capability and performance than typical inshore boats. And the 251 CE

design achieves all of this with superior craftsmanship, quality, and style. The superb fishing features of the 251 CE Coastal Explorer include built-in rod storage and bow and stern fishing platforms. As with every Grady-White, bring your rods and tackle and you have a fishing boat truly without peer. Family friendly features include a head area, plenty of storage for water toys, low gunwales providing very easy access to the water,

and a bow ladder for beaching. This low profile is all new for Grady-White, and the boat offers performance to match its style. Transformable seats forward and aft go from bench style to lounge, and make the boat perfect for playing and relaxing plus fun for socializing. There is something for everyone in the family on this boat. The 251 CE is every inch a solid, proven center console backed by over 50 years of heritage and design success that only Grady-White can offer. Her loaded features will further add to satisfaction levels earned from Grady’s reputation for quality, reliability, safety and performance. Ask your Grady dealer to tell you all about this exciting, good looking new Grady-White!

Inshore Style, Offshore Capability:

Grady-White Enters New Category, Introduces All New Grady-White 251 CE (Coastal Explorer)

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AFT AREA with transformable seating (backs up)

BOW ACCESS LADDER with enclosed ladder storage areaHELM with flush mount electronics area

BOW AREA with transformable lounge seating

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The Grady Life: Owners’ Clubs Here are highlights from recent Grady Owners’ Clubs events and outings. If you have Grady club information to share or are interested in information about Grady clubs in your

area, email anchorline@gradywhite.com. Go to www.gradywhite.com for links to club websites.

THE TARPON COAST GRADY-WHITE CLUB celebrated its seventh anniversary at its 2013 Christmas party held at the lovely home of Burt and Eileen Wahlburg. Ingman Marine, Port Charlotte, FL, sponsors this club.

The Chesapeake Bay Grady-White Club held its 2013 holiday party at the Ulmstead, attended by 48 members in a festive mood. Folks from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, as well as Maryland, came to take part in this annual celebration. Exit polls confirmed that it was worth the journey! The dinner tables were decorated with sea-blue cloths cen-tered with a drift of sand and sea grass-bearing wine bottles. At check

in, members received a set of four acrylic glasses with the Grady-White logo. The buffet table was laden with Italian delectables. After dinner and a short business meeting, it was on to what everyone was waiting for: the great door prize raffle and 50-50 draw-ing. President Brian Torrance thanked Al Tober and his helper elf, Gwyn, for organizing a successful evening. Tri-State Marine, Deale, MD, sponsors this club.

Although the weather kept the 2013 Somers Point Grady-White Club tourna-ment fishing season from being a banner year, “one should not complain when fish-ing is better than working,” according to Al Cortese, club president. Category win-ners were Robert Michener, Flounder; John Sweeder, Bluefish; and Mike Collins, Striped Bass. Island Marine Center, Ocean View, NJ, sponsors this club.

The Tampa Bay Grady-White Club had 24 members and guests join Dave and Aileen Bair from sponsor Quality Boat Sales for a customer appreciation day at Caladesi Island, March 15. There were lots of kids joining in on the fun and there was plenty of time for socializing and walking the beach. The local Coast Guard Auxiliary had three inspectors available to perform boat safety inspections.

GUEST SPEAKER at the November Lake Erie Grady-White Owners’ Club breakfast event was Tom Corogin, ocean adventurer, who has made seven attempts to sail around South America. His tales of storms at sea and rescue by a Japanese mer-chant ship kept folks rapt! South Shore Marine, Huron, OH, sponsors this club.

THE TIDEWATER GRADY-WHITE CLUB HELD ITS 2013 HOLIDAY PARTY at Harbor Walk Clubhouse, Norfolk, VA. Forty-five members representing 20 boats handled the business of electing new officers and highlighting events for 2014, followed by season’s cheer and door prize goodies including West Marine gift certificates courtesy of club sponsor Norfolk Marine, Grady Gear bags, and poinsettias.

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SIXTEEN GRADY-WHITE OWNERS' CLUBS WERE REPRESENTED AT GRADY FEST IV including, in addition to host Fish-Tale Grady Club and the above: Vero Beach Grady Bunch, Naples Grady Club, South Florida Grady-White Boaters Club, Gulfstream Grady Group, Grady's in Paradise, Tarpon Coast Grady-White Club, Cannons Grady-White Crew, Tidewater Grady-White Club, Somers Point Grady-White Club, Chesapeake Bay Grady-White Club, Cape and Islands Grady-White Group, and the Cape Fear Grady Club.

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THE TIDEWATER GRADY-WHITE CLUB HELD ITS 2013 HOLIDAY PARTY at Harbor Walk Clubhouse, Norfolk, VA. Forty-five members representing 20 boats handled the business of electing new officers and highlighting events for 2014, followed by season’s cheer and door prize goodies including West Marine gift certificates courtesy of club sponsor Norfolk Marine, Grady Gear bags, and poinsettias.

Grady Fest IV The Grady Life at Its BestLook at these smiles! Family, friends and fellow club members enjoyed a sun-filled weekend of events in Fort Myers Beach. Sixteen Grady Owners’ Clubs were represented, and even the newest members of the Grady-White family joined in the festivities. Would you like to broaden your boating horizons? Check out the activities of a club near you. Ask your Grady-White dealer, or visit gradywhite.com/clubs for a listing by state.

THE DELMARVA GRADY-WHITE CLUB is sponsored by Taylor Marine Center in Maryland.

THE LOW COUNTRY GRADY CLUB is sponsored by Hilton Head Boathouse in South Carolina.

THE TAMPA BAY GRADY-WHITE CLUB is sponsored by Quality Boat Sales in Florida.

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What’s happening? Have an interesting story or photo? Email us at anchorline@gradywhite.com or write to Anchorline, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835.

For the last several years my son Jason and family have vacationed in Marathon, FL, the first weeks of January. Last year I retired and with my girlfriend Terri moved to Punta Gorda. I have wanted to run our Gulfstream 232, Starship, down to the Keys to see the family by water. The weather cooperated and opened a window of light winds on January 5. Armed with a ditch bag, vari-ous pieces of safety equipment and maybe most important of all, a SPOT tracking device loaned to me by good friend and fellow Tarpon Coast Grady Club member Rick Riordan, I hit the down button on our lift and motored slowly out of Burnt Store Marina. I ran in light rain heading south on the ICW, paying homage to my weather canvas realizing that on days like this, it’s worth putting up. After conferring with Rick via cell phone, we made the determination that an overnight on Marco Island was wiser than heading into the ever-increasing shield of rain ahead. With me flying solo into a lonely stretch of largely uninhabited coastline, I happily handed the dockmaster at Rose Marina my VISA card and settled

in for the night. Terri drove all the way to Marco from Punta Gorda to stay with me in the cabin while it rained all night. How lucky can a guy be? The next morning, the sun came out with light S to SE winds. With spirits high, I threw off the lines and motored into the Marco River full of fuel and optimism. Because of the SPOT device, Rick (and several other friends) could follow my track by computer. I had to explain my confused meanderings around the Marco River Bridge as I attempted to run the river to Coon Key, trying to find deeper water. Because Rick had given me his previous track, I felt a bit like the junior high kid who failed the test even with the CliffsNotes in front of him. I changed my mind and went offshore around Cape Romano and on south. The distance it takes to safely clear those shoals could have got-ten me halfway to the Bahamas. Rick called me just before my cell phone coverage went away, saying he detected some potent cells from Duck Key East to Islamorada. He suggested, quite correctly, that I alter course and set a nav line straight to Vaca Cut in

Marathon as opposed to following the shoreline. There was a two-foot SW groundswell with wide spacing, so run-ning at speed offshore was doable. I complied and safely got to Marathon mid-afternoon. We enjoyed warm temps and fun times while there. Talk about unbelievable conditions for the ride home! With light SE breezes all the way to Cape Romano, variable to calm winds to Sanibel, and a mild SW wind creating a light following sea to Captiva, it was more than ideal, literally glassing out from Cayo Costa thru Boca Grande Pass into Charlotte Harbor and home. When we joined our local Grady-White club, we got so much more than membership in a boating club. We gained great friends, people who really care. We are happy to be among them!

KATE ROBERTSON shows off an August day’s catch from Jake Szczygiel’s Express 265, Chimera, out of Beaufort, NC.

BILL HAYES AND TERRI MERKLI

JEFF MELVIN, RIGHT, AND FRIEND SHANNON FLEMING caught the two fish that would have been first and second place winners in the 2013 Sekiu, WA, salmon derby. But you have to enter to win! Jeff fishes his Gulfstream 232.

Catch and Release: JULI AND DAN EISENBERG were fish-ing the Gulf an hour out of Stump Pass, Florida, when an exhausted tropical parula warbler flew into the cockpit of their Journey 258. Dan swooped up the bird and let it rest in the cabin for an hour before releasing. “It’s the third time we’ve rescued a tired bird on the boat.”

My Run to the KeysBill Hayes, Gulfstream 232, Starship

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GUNNY, a German Shepherd, awaits the return of Canyon 376 owner Greg Boyd after a day of fishing.

PETEY cruises with his proud grandpa, Charlie Gaziano, on Steven Gaziano's Freedom 275.

PETEY AND TABBIE cruise off the coast of Naples, FL, on their family’s Canyon 306.

The Ferrell family got GINGER when she was eight weeks old. Now four, she claimed her spot on their Escape 209 her first day on the water.

Who’s Your Grady Buddy?To share a photo of your furry Grady friends, email us at anchorline@gradywhite.com or write to Anchorline, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835.

JASON O'GRADY’S SON, GRAHAM, AND COUSIN, TYSON, crabbed along the Egg Harbor River in southern New Jersey the summer of 2013 aboard a 2001 Tournament 192.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE TIM LEBLANC FAMILY, who “up-Gradyed” to a Sailfish 282, Haley Rose II, after ten years of enjoying their Seafarer 228. Tim, wife Diane, and daughter Haley Rose boat out of Cocodrie, LA.

ED STONICH FISHED aboard Islander 270, C-Time, in September at the U.S. Navy "A" tower, about 24 nautical miles east of Currituck Light.

RANDY TORRES caught these two tripletails on his Fisherman 257.

SUE AND JIM SNAVELY were congratulated by neighbors and friends at their slip in Marathon, FL, after taking delivery of new Express 330, Cruisin' Susan, from Caribee Boat Sales and Marina, Islamorada.

Kris Carroll, president Eddie Smith, Jr., chairman, ceo

Dear Grady-White Owners and Enthusiasts:Is it spring your way yet? Here in the Carolinas we can say for certain that the long, snowy-icy winter is behind us, and we encourage those of you in the coldest climes with this prediction that we hear from the Farmers’ Almanac (and we know it was spot-on about the brutal season just past): Summer will be hotter and slightly drier than normal. That means perfect weather for boating! The skies could not have been more perfect

in Fort Myers Beach, FL, for Grady Fest IV. What a gathering! Just take a look at all the photos you’ll find on our Facebook page, at gradywhite.com/gradyfest, or www.gradyfest.com and even the Flickr albums of Grady Owners’ Clubs that participated. You’ll find some mighty big smiles on folks enjoying The Grady Life. Read all about it in this issue of Anchorline. Have you taken us up on our standing invitation to visit us here at the Grady-White factory in Greenville, NC? You’ll meet the passionate craftspeople that build the ultimate outboard-powered family-and-sportfishing boats. Maybe you’ll see a new 251 CE Coastal Explorer in production! Regardless, once you see how we build our boats, you’ll be buying a Grady of your own. Now’s the time!

EDDIE SMITH AND KRIS CARROLL

252-752-2111 www.gradywhite.comGrady-White Boats, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835

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BOBBY AND DOTTIE HINKLE toured the Grady-White factory to see their Freedom 307 in pro-duction. They took delivery last October, and participated in Grady Fest IV in Fort Myers Beach, FL, sponsored by their Grady dealership, Fish-Tale Sales and Service. Very happy customers!

World’s Largest Raft-Up Of Grady-White Boats!