while sailing in and of itself is one of the greatest things man has ever come up with and the Montgomery line is one of the best ever...sailing is sailing, what makes sailing a M boat so great is the cast of characters you meet along the way.I remember Jerry delivering my boat to Solomons, Md, having a nice dinner with him talking boats while Spot waited patiently in the car. Upon seeing the M17 the marina manger gave her a lovingly look and simple stated...quite substantial. Having what I believe was the 1st M17 on the Chesapeake Bay, she gathered a lot of attention. A fellow Lyle Hess fan saw the boat at the marina, ordered one for himself and these were the last two boats built by Jerry. We had many great sailing trips together. In 1994 we started the first Chesapeake Bay Montgomery rendezvous and we had M boats from NY and SC. this went on to become an annual affair. When Jerry delivered the last M17 to Greg, also in Solomons, Md Jerry's dog Spot got lost while they were in the Richmond ,Va area. Jerry couldn't find him but went on to deliver the boat and did an immediate turn around to find Spot and sure enough someone had found Spot and they were reunited...the love between a man and his dog. We had an October get together in Solomons, just a quick trip up the Patuxent River to St. Leonards Creek with a dinner at Vera's White Sand Marina, I got in early and did a quick around the Island only to find Lynn and Larry Pardey anchored in the harbor, they were on their way to the Annapolis boat show. I was fortunate to sail with and develop many great friendships along the way, way too many memories to share here. I sold my boat about 3 years ago due to back and neck issues but the memories remain strong. My best to everyone for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. One final thought...of all the monikers one can attach to themselves I can't think of one better than...Sailor ! Sail on sailors and keep the post coming, love being part of this group Gary Valetti M17 for 20 years -----Original Message----- From: David Grah via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> To: For and About Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com>; Conbert Benneck <chbenneck@gmail.com> Sent: Wed, Dec 23, 2015 4:08 pm Subject: M_Boats: M15 / M17 /M23 Connie, you are an absolute treasure to the Montgomery sailing community and I always look forward to your posts for their great insights. I have only a hint of your many life stories but I wish you had them written down somewhere to share! Happy Holidays! David GrahBishop CaliforniaMontgomery 15 - Sky Message: 1 Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 13:56:37 -0600 From: Conbert Benneck <chbenneck@gmail.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: M_Boats: M15 / M17 /M23 Message-ID: <5679AAF5.3050700@gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Hi gang, With most of your boats all nestling under winter covers or in a quiet garage and dreaming of a springtime with sparkling blue water, and sunshine; with filled sails on a nice beam reach; a happy gurgling bow wave; and their owners and children on board enjoying themselves; we'd like to add to this and wish you all Happy Sailing and Pleasant Adventures in 2016. May you always have a hands-breadth of water under your keel / and may you always have fair winds on all your sailing courses and in your life. Connie & Katrina ex M15 #400 LEPPO