At the Alexandria Bay Vintage Boat Show, the Annual Renaissance Award will be given to the boat which best symbolizes the renaissance of the antique or classic boat to our River heritage! Over the years the personal story of each of these renaissance boats has assumed a micro-culture of its own and as such each has become an integral part of our river legacy.

We hope that you will consider this invitation as an opportunity for your boat to be recognized as the RENAISSANCE BOAT OF THE YEAR!  We also encourage the membership to nominate boats, even those other than your own, to be considered for Renaissance Award recognition.

The Renaissance Award criteria and registration form (see below) should be returned to the Show Chairman no later than the date indicated on that form to be considered by the Renaissance Society for Award recognition at the Boat Show Award Ceremony.

Previous Winners of the Renaissance Award

1991 – “Pep”, Bob Wagoner
1992 – “Lizzy”, Liz and Tony Mollica

1993 – “Just Because”, Ted Storey
1994 – “Comet III”, Riggs Smith
1995 – “Birch Hill”, Phoebe Tritton
1996 – “Fawn”, Shirley and John Wells
1997 – “Missy II”, Marian LeFevre
1998 –  Andy Rae
1999 – “Times a Wastin”, BJ & Alex Mosher
2000 – “Her Mink”, Pat & Bob Toole
2001 – “Christine”, Mark Armstrong
2002 – “Flox”, Paul & Twyla Webb
2003 – “Pouff”, David Taylor

2004 – *Please inform us if an award was presented this year, and if so, who won. Please use the “Contact Us” in the menu above.

2005 – “Monitor”, Dick Calabrese

2006 – this year, a TIE! “Heyday”, Stuart and Helve Clough and “Nelda”, Don Babcock

2007 –   Not presented this year

2008 – “River Runner”, John and Pat Peach

2009 – “Tonerta”, Daphne and Ian Angus

2010 – “HARM”, Anne Potter

2011 – “Zipalong”, Dr. Robert Tague

2012 – this year, a TIE ! “Friendship”, Howard Williams, and “Jackpot II”, Paul & Mike Thiebeau

2013 – “That’s Her”, a taxi from Fisher’s Landing to local islands, restored by Duane and Barry Chalk

2014 – “Coolbreeze II”, a 1961 Chris-Craft Sea Skiff, now owned by Bob & Mary Lloyd

THOUSAND ISLANDS RENAISSANCE AWARD

By Daniel H. Gregory, M.D.

The antique boat has significantly contributed to the cultural-economic growth and development of the Thousand Islands-St. Lawrence River region.  Today, many of these boats are being rediscovered and appropriately recognized by regional boat shows and local museums.  Such recognition, however, usually focuses only on beauty and structure while ignoring the full functioning historic value of these boats.  It seems that their real significance is to be found in the daily lives of river families that have owned and operated them over the years;( i.e. fishing, hunting, transport, healthcare, entertainment, touring , weddings, shopping, business, mail delivery, racing, etc.).  Clearly, this is a unique river cultural legacy that must be preserved for the generations yet to come.

To assure the preservation of these river boat values the Thousand Islands chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society presents The Renaissance Award at its annual boat show as a special award to recognize a specific boat for its river heritage.  It is hoped that this special cup award will stimulate a spirit of creativity and regenerate future sparks of enthusiasm that will elevate the value of these boats above and beyond the gathering of show points.

CRITERIA FOR RENAISSANCE AWARD COMPETITION:

Only individual boat owners will be eligible for award competition and will be generally recognized by the award committee as individuals who have significantly contributed to boating in the Thousand Islands region over an extended time period.  The competing boat must be registered in the show and classified as an Historic, Antique, or Classic Boat. The link between boat and river activity must be documented and may take many forms including: photo album, video tape, movies, scrapbook, press clippings, poster display, etc. at the time of judging. The creativity of this presentation, historic value of the boat, uniqueness of its function and condition will constitute the judging criteria as detailed below:

Awarding of Points

1 Condition of boat at presentation – 10 points

2 Historical value of boat to river growth and development – 10 points

3 Unique contribution and function of the boat which must continue to remain active on the river – 15 points

4 Quality and creativity of presentation when certifying boat’s historic value and unique contribution at show time – 15 points