THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025
Dwight Stowell
“Mahogany Marvels”
Dwight Stowell’s lifelong love for New Hampshire lakes and wooden boats began as an infant when he was brought to his family’s Great Island camp on Lake Sunapee. Stowell has generously donated several nearly 90-year-old boats to the museum, which will be displayed in the Mahogany Marvels exhibit for the 2025 season.
Among the boats, Stowell has a special connection to the Rippowan, a 1929, 26-foot Luder launch that his uncle purchased in 1937. He took over the boat in high school, running it commercially for four years. Despite its craftsmanship, the Rippowan never gained popularity due to its “grandmotherly” displacement hull design.
Other notable boats in the collection include the Miss Abigail, a 1939 custom Chris-Craft ordered by Hupmobile Corporation president Charles Haddock; the Revenge, a 1933 twin-engine Chris-Craft built for Chrysler Corporation executives; and the Gray Rock II, a 1930 Chris-Craft Landau, which Stowell acquired by trading three paintings. Also featured are the Ildrim, a 1929 Chris-Craft closed-cabin sedan, and a 1927, 22-foot Yacht Tender with a custom-fitted top.
Stowell, who has owned over 100 boats in his lifetime, sees preserving these classics as a way to honor a disappearing era of boating and lake life.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025
Geoff Jones
“In Search of Wildness”: The 1968 Churchill River Kayak Expedition, as told by the sole surviving steward of the story~Geoff Jones
Geoff Jones grew up in rural southwestern NH in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. He is a professional forester with 45+ years’ experience. He is a former director of land management with Society
for the Protection of NH Forests (1979 to 2009). In 2010, he founded Loveland Forestry—a forestry consulting and tree care business, located in Stoddard, NH where was a 4th generation
of a 215-year old cape. In May of 2025, he and his wife sold the old homestead for higher ground and greener pastures of Acworth, NH, providing ample room on a 15-acre property for
their beloved mustangs, two pet pigs, 2 black cats, and an 18-year old border collie. Geoff is a four-year Veteran of US Coast Guard (including tour of duty in Vietnam). He travelled
across both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; his ship conducted 5-Month long Ocean Stations in the North Atlantic, weathering 50+ ft. seas on Ocean Station Bravo.
In 1968, at the age of 19, he and three fellow UNH students, using homemade fiberglass kayaks, paddled 70+ miles up the Clearwater River from Waterways, Alberta; traversed the 12.5
mile Meythe Portage to the headwaters of the Churchill River, where they paddled a series of lakes and stretches of river to Port Churchill, Manitoba. On the last 300 mile-leg of their 1,200 mile journey, on August 14, 1968, they had an accident at a spot in the river known as “Mountain Rapids”. When they got to the bottom of the two mile-long class V+ rapids, there were three boats, two people, and one paddle and 150 tough miles of uncertainty to the safety of Port Churchill, their destination. At high noon, on August 20, 1968, they completed their 70-day journey, when they limped their way to the shores of Port Churchill. This was a defining experience that in the words of paddler and former CBS correspondent Eric Sevareid “was an example of what very young men can do—-once in their lives—-but never again.”
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
Jeff “Nemo” Buckley
Chairman of the APBA Vintage and Historic Division
Buckley emphasizes safety and the growth of vintage boat racing. With a background in aviation and a passion for boat racing, Buckley built his first boat at 14 and later competed in offshore powerboat races while balancing a military career. His interest in vintage racing began with Jersey Speed Skiffs before transitioning to hydroplanes, where he quickly realized the thrill and challenges of high-speed racing. After his military service, he fully immersed himself in vintage boats, restoring and racing them while building a community around the sport.
Now residing in Taylors, South Carolina, Buckley has cultivated a collection of vintage race boats and fosters a team environment where those who work on the boats get the chance to drive them. Under his leadership, the Vintage and Historic Division is rebounding after a decline, providing opportunities for boat owners to showcase their vessels without the pressure of competitive racing. He recognizes the need to adapt rules to accommodate growth and sees increasing participation in stand-alone events as a key strategy for expansion. Through partnerships with competitive racing events and strategic marketing, he aims to sustain and enhance public interest in vintage boat racing.
Buckley is particularly focused on engaging young people, recognizing them as the future of the sport. He advocates for outreach in schools and vocational programs, showing students how boat racing connects to skills in math, science, and engineering. His vision includes creating pathways for young enthusiasts to get involved, ensuring that knowledge and passion for vintage boat racing are passed down. As Chairman, he continues to push for historical preservation and community involvement, championing the mantra: “Share the history.”
