Thoughts & Opinions...freely shared

[Submitted by Blue Stach on March 1st, 2009]

After attending the recent President’s Day Zaf in Fort Lauderdale - ably hosted by the Gold Coast Table of the US Brotherhood - I started thinking about our Table’s 11 year history and the Brotherhood experience in general. What follows are some thoughts and opinions in this regard.

We are very fortunate here on the Chesapeake to have built a very strong Table comprised of Brothers of various backgrounds, bound together by our love of the sea, as demonstrated over and over again. As a matter of fact, if we think back to how most of our acquaintances came to be, it was our personal migrations and participation in groups and events based around our abundant waterfront areas. We enjoy each other’s company and make it a point to gather monthly to celebrate our inclusion in this great Brotherhood experience. But, if we really examine our particular local situation against the background of the larger national and international Brotherhood, the monthly local shared experiences are not all that dissimilar to experiences we have in other clubs in which we participate – this is not to downplay these monthly shared experiences because they are important to the success of our Table. But I have come to realize it is only when we travel and share our Brotherhood experience with Brothers in other locations, both domestic and foreign, that the true nature of the Brotherhood begins to evolve. I urge all Brothers everywhere to take full advantage of these opportunities.

This unique nature of our Brotherhood played out to perfection in two ways at this most recent Zaf. First, in addition to US Brothers from the Keys, Gold Coast, Sun Coast, Solomon Island, New York and Chesapeake Bay Tables, there were Brothers representing the Bahamas, England, France, and the Netherlands – just there to share in the Brotherhood experience. Diana and I were able to attend a lunch at the home of our old friends Henri & Babett Rossollin - the first foreign Brother to visit our Table by boat back in 1998. We found ourselves sitting around a table of eight people, sharing a delicious European lunch, with six of those in attendance chattering away in French (you can guess who the two were not speaking). We were able to pick up the gist of the conversations by catching a familiar word every now and then, but you know what? It really didn’t matter – we were sharing a Brotherhood experience with friends of a like mind – sharing our love of the sea!!

The second thing that struck me at this Zaf was just how much more intimate the Zaf experience became by sharing the home of ‘Fozzy’ & Sandy Steffen who, by the way, were fantastic hosts. Those of you who have attended a Trailer Trash Zaf in San Antonio will know what I’m talking about. In these occasions where you stay in the home of a hosting Brother, you not only experience all of the Zaf events but you get to know, on a personal level, a Brother and Captive, not a lot different from yourself – with dreams, goals, wants and a love of the sea based around their area of the country. I have had the opportunity over the years to stay with Brothers in San Antonio, the Sun Coast, the Gold Coast and the Keys – each of these experiences has been terrific – a new dimension, so to speak.

So, it would be my suggestion that we all do our very best to attend one Zaf each year in a location outside our own area – and if not a Zaf, contacting a Brother when you find yourself nearby to see if you can link up. If the cost of a hotel for a Zaf is the major factor preventing you from attending, make some inquiries as to the possibility of sharing a local Brother’s home – most times, your request will be able to be filled. On the other hand, making your home available to Brothers visiting our area, will add to your enjoyment of this great organization. Each of our commitments to these two possibilities will certainly benefit us in more ways than can be put into words – our common Brotherhood experience.