Newburyport Boat House dedication ceremony

April 11, 2024

On April 11th, Flotilla 3-8 renamed the Plum Island Boat House to the COMO Ronald W. Booth boat house, in honor of COMO Ron Booth's commitment and  dedication to the USCG Auxiliary and his personal attention to maintaining the boat house. Among those in attendance were members of Flotilla 3-8, officers of First District Northern, our local Auxiliary Liaison from Station Merrimack River, a local State Senator, COMO Booth's family, and many of his friends. All in all, nearly 50 guests were in the boat house, watching as speeches were made, commendations presented, and finally, the new boat house sign was revealed by COMO Booth's wife and son. After the ceremony, cake was served in our historic venue. The boat house has a rich history as a former Coast Guard station's boat house. Rails leading to the sea still remain from the building to the shore. The walls are full of pictures and nautical fare, that brings one back to the early days, when this part of the island was a truly important point of contact for boaters. From this day forward, the boat house will hold the name of a man whose dedication to the safety of the boating public is as strong as the Coast Guard he passionately supports. Bravo Zulu Commodore Booth! Well deserved recognition, indeed. 

(Top left: The crowd gathers for the ceremony) (Top right:  FC Steve Tudal introduces the evening's festivities) (Second row left: COMO Ron Booth and State Representative Bruce Tarr, who is also a member of the Auxiliary, as Senator Tarr presents the Commodore with an official Citation from the State Senate of Massachusetts) (Second row right: COMO Charlie Grossimon, District Chief of Staff Glen Gayton, Senator Tarr, COMO Gene Bernstein) (Third row left: DCOS Gayton, COMO Booth, COMO Grossimon, as the citation from Admiral Mauger of the First Coast Guard District) (Third row right: the brand new sign officially designating the new name of the boat house) (Fourth row left: COMO Booth's son, David Booth, and the Commodore's wife, Lil Booth, unveil the new sign) (Fourth row right: COMO Booth and Mrs Lil Booth cut the cake for the guests)