Some of you have been here over 20 years?

[Jim Bow]

For some unexplained reason, I clicked on names to see joined dates. Keith Wilson 1999! Joe and several others : 2002.

Anyone pre- 1999, or is Keith the senior.

[Joe (SoCal)]

I love this place

[John B]

It's written on the top right of each person's post.

[Keith Wilson]

Actually, it was a couple of years earlier than that. The forum software changed, and dates didn't update. But there are quite a few people who've been her longer than I have, back before 'The Bilge' even existed (it was originally 'Misc.').

[WI-Tom]

Keith has me beat by 10 years.

Tom

[Keith Wilson]

Tom Montgomery and Bob Cleek were here when I arrived.

[John B]

That Tom...

[hawkeye54]

I joined in 2017 - had been 'lurking' earlier - since the time of the Faneuf builds - Ross and Barrett - I would 'look in' from time to time
( The only computer I had access to ' back in the day' belonged to my employer, quite the fanatic about data security - woe be the employee who jumped on the 'net for personal use - I compensated by buying the print version of our host's magazine - back to pre - y2k )

[Joe (SoCal)]

I think I lost some time during the great forum meltdown.

[Nicholas Carey]

It says I took the King's Shilling and signed the ship's manifest on February 12th, 2001. I think it was probably a year or so earlier than that, but I couldn't swear to it.

One of the best threads ever was when the Wild Dingo's daughter was raped. She, Dingo, and their entire family were traumatized. The outpouring of support here was intense and amazing.

One of the finest things down here in the bilge, ever.

[Henning 4148]

IIRC, the "humor, I need some humor" thread went poof in the server meltdown as well. As for originally joining - that was probably 1998 or early 1999.

[skuthorp]

January 2002 for me, I'm 21!

Replying to one of Norm Messenger's posts about Macgreggor sailing canoes, and banjos.

[AndyG]

I'm eleven-and-a-half - and still feel like a newbie.

For all that's wrong with the Bilge, the good is absolutely amazing.

Andy

[The Q]

I was on for a short time in the early 2000s but didn't do much.
Rejoined only 3 years ago, so certainly don't qualify as an old timer.

[Paul Pless]

i can remember a time when joe foster and nodd westervelt and mike fonville all used to get along

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Welcome to the Hotel California.

I think 1997 was my original join date. Pre-Misc non-boat-related. Bob Cleek was here.

[Paul Pless]

Bob Cleek was here.

[Ian McColgin]

I found the forum shortly after it was started. If memory serves rightly, Mr Cleek was already here. When they established join numbers, I was #11 and Mr Cleek was #9. There have been at least three revising of the join dates after various melt-downs, which serves as a reminder of the tremendous work it takes to keep this going.

[John Smith]

Wonder if anyone's pondering a way to go back and join earlier.

I like this place a lot. I consider all here, even though we've never me, friends.

[Fitz]

Says, "March 2001", but like the others were saying there was a massive crash around that time. Anyway, I have never been banned either. I think I came close once. I just remember what Mom told me. "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all". Seems to work.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

I go back further than 2002. At some point in the early 2000's I changed my username from Nick to Nicholas in order to solve some sort of problem with my log-in. The deep, deep knowledge of professionals, like that of MMD as well as a great many amatuers make this my favorite hangout. Then there are the skillfully written things concerning a wide variety of subjects in the Bilge by TomF and Keith (again, along with many others). I still miss posts by Palidin.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Not yet, but I'm working on it.

One day at a time.

[Ian McColgin]

If you've nothing nice to say, come sit by me.

(Variants attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Dorothy Parker, and others.)

[Garret]

I'm a latecomer (05 so I'm only 18) - but I too love this place. Amazing group of really smart people. Additionally, I've had the pleasure of meeting many in the real world & hope that Covid will go away enough so we can get back to some EBS's.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I would like to raise a virtual glass to Scot Bell, who, in addition to his day job, was the master of “light touch” moderation and who largely shaped this place into what it became, the nicest stop on the Internet.

[Figment]

20+ years ago, I was logging on every monday morning for the latest status check from Our Lady of Phoenix.

[Bob Adams]

2000 but I thought it was earlier than indicated.

[Sandlapper]

I remember having a 3 digit number before that was eliminated by the forum. In the 1990's but lost at least once.

Doesn't matter in the long run.

[birlinn]

20 years?
Any reductions for good behaviour?

[Yeadon]

I’m old enough to drive.

[George.]

I joined in the late 90s, when I started to build Dalia. Can't remember exactly when. Without the dot, which came later, when I somehow lost my original login.

[Jim Mahan]

QUOTE=Andrew Craig-Bennett;6786065]I would like to raise a virtual glass to Scot Bell, who, in addition to his day job, was the master of “light touch” moderation and who largely shaped this place into what it became, the nicest stop on the Internet.[/QUOTE]

Hear, hear!

I guess I lurked for about three years. I found this place on the i'net just after I downloaded the study plans for the Glen-L Amigo. I was this close to ordering their hardware kit for it, and wondering how I was going to acquire the lumber. I was working for a commercial printer at the time and had access to a wide format printer, and I made a poster-sized print of Amigo, which still hangs on the wall above my workbench but is now so faded you can't really tell what it is anymore, but that is my time marker for when I first found the WBF. Back when I still thought I could actually get it together enough to build a boat, and I read every thread in Build and Repair. I stopped in the WBF store online, and ended up with a little library of how-to's, and then I bought the full plans for an Alden Indian, which now will never get built by me, and I should pass them to someone who might use them. I logged on as Chisler back then, and I knew about misc non-boat, but only checked in occasionally, and then I got seduced by 'the nicest stop on the Internet,' and began my descent into the maelstrom, er, Bilge.

And, credit where it's due, I learned a lot about woodworking with handtools from reading upstairs, shout out to the colonel.







That doesn't include the spiral bound books, but it does include the tome authored by a distant relative, Admirable Mahan, on the far right. Actually read most of that one, too.

[John B]

There must have been a glitch in the matrix when I joined cos what it says is what it wuz. There I was, hands covered in epoxy and I thought to myself, where could I go to find out how to get this crap off me? The last thing I wanted was goo on the swivel gun or God forbid, a gronicle, but when I signed on it was a slow day on the forum, and all there was was humour.

[George Jung]

So..... have the gronicles survived? That epoxy can be.... interesting!

Yeah, I've been here awhile, too, though not nearly as prolific as many. Learned a lot, enjoy the discussions if not the partisanship. Overall, this is a really good mob.

[John B]

So..... have the gronicles survived? That epoxy can be.... interesting!

Yeah, I've been here awhile, too, though not nearly as prolific as many. Learned a lot, enjoy the discussions if not the partisanship. Overall, this is a really good mob.

Well, they say vinegar works, but I think it must be a metaphor.
Time heals, er I mean heels. (one for Donn)