Minutes of the ION Washington Section
June 22, 2004 – Evening Meeting
at the William Paca House, Annapolis MD

The June Institute of Navigation Washington Section meeting was held at the William Paca House in Annapolis MD. The meeting had 21 full attendees, 1 student attendee, and 1 guest (speaker). The section officers, Jim Doherty (Section Chair), Chuck Schue (Treasurer), Jim Simpson (Program Chair) and Dave Winfield (Student Stipend Committee Co-Chair), and Chris Varner (Secretary) all attended. The agenda of events was the following:

AGENDA:
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Tour of the William Paca House
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm Happy Hour
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Business meeting in William Paca House
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture by Capt. Dubay about classical navigation techniques
8:15 pm - 9:30 pm Dinner at Galway Bay Irish Pub in Annapolis (a la carte)

TOUR OF THE WILLIAM PACA HOUSE:

The William Paca House was constructed between 1763 and 1765. Today, it stands as one of the most impressive of Annapolis's restored eighteenth-century mansions. The town's first five-part Georgian house was built by William Paca, a young lawyer who later was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a three-term governor of Maryland. Paca embellished his property with a two-acre pleasure garden featuring four terraces, a fish-shaped pond, and a wilderness garden.

ION Washington Section Members at the William Paca House

In 1901, the Annapolis Hotel Corporation purchased the property to build Carvel Hall Hotel, a two-hundred-room building that covered the site for more than half a century. The Paca House served as the front entrance and reception area for the hotel. In 1965, when the property faced a demolition threat, Historic Annapolis Foundation (HAF) bought the William Paca House and persuaded the State of Maryland to purchase the remaining property. HAF used extensive archaeological and other research to guide the rebuilding of the garden, which opened to the public in 1973. Through meticulous research and careful restoration, the house was returned to its eighteenth-century appearance and opened as a museum property in 1976. Period furniture, silver, and decorative arts objects are used in exhibits that highlight aspects of everyday life in the 1760s and 1770s for William Paca, his wife Mary, and other members of their household.

18th Century Furnishing on Display at the William Paca House

The William Paca House is located at 18 Pinkney Street in Annapolis, MD and the tour cost $5. More information about Historic Annapolis can be found at www.annapolis.org.

BUSINESS MEETING:

The Bylaw changes were discussed and voted on during the meeting. Since the original Bylaws proposal include a quorum requirement that has never been feasible, a quorum was declared according to the new bylaws. After reviewing the changes to the Bylaws, a vote was taken and all changes were accepted as written in a unanimous vote. The approved Bylaws have been posted on the ION DC Section web site (http://www.ion.org/sections/washington.cfm).

Future activities of the Section and an update on the High School Stipend Program were also discussed in the meeting.

LECTURE ON CLASSICAL NAVIGATION TECHNIQUES:

Historic Foundation invited the general public to the lecture portion. The event was also advertised on local DC radio stations (community news service announcements) and in sailing clubs in the Annapolis area.

CAPT Curtis Dubay, P.E. discussed techniques of navigation which involve the use of non-electronic means of determining a vessel's position. Many of these techniques are quickly becoming a "lost art" as modern electronic navigation techniques become widely available. The use of clocks, sextants and other visual techniques were the specific topics of discussion. Captain Dubay, has practiced the navigation arts for over 25 years and served in three command assignments afloat and ashore before accepting his current assignment as the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center in Alexandria, VA.