Minutes of the Preparatory Convocation

Order of the Great Fifth Sea
Held at the Concord Chamber, Rawley Chapter House
Dated: The Twenty-Second of August, Year of Our Freshwater Two Thousand Twenty-Five

Call to Order

Presiding Keeper Emeritus Alistar Corvus struck the gavel. The assembly was declared convened.

Purpose of Gathering

• To deliberate upon the forthcoming Congress on the Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, to be held in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on the Second Saturday of September, at the venerable Stone Harbor Resort.
  
  

• To establish conduct, rhetorical posture, and ceremonial comportment for the Order’s delegation.
  
  

• To plan for the formal Banquet and Commencement Ball.
  
  

On Conference Conduct

• Resolution Passed: The Order shall maintain measured dignity in all sessions, avoiding both undue antagonism and sycophantic compromise.
  
  

• Members reminded that quality of remembrance, not mere enumeration of finds, is our guiding star.
  
  

• Directive: When addressing panels, members are to speak of memory, sacrifice, and dignity of the wrecked—not “data points” or “inventory stock.”
  
  

On Engagement with the GLRC

• Noted Concern: The GLRC is expected to present sweeping numbers (“6,000 dives logged,” “480 hulls categorized,” etc.).
  
  

• Countermeasure: Order orators will deploy measured contrast—“It is not the number of hulls, but the meaning of each timber.”
  
  

• Debate Etiquette:
  
  

• Avoid open heckling, though sotto voce remarks of “bureaucratic blather” or “spreadsheet fetishism” are permissible.
  
  

• Should GLRC delegates attempt to commandeer discussion, members may invoke the Right of Littoral Memory, reminding attendees that remembrance is not reducible to line items.
  
  

 Banquet and Commencement Ball

• Time & Place: To be held at Stone Harbor Resort, Sturgeon Bay, immediately following the congress proceedings on the Second Saturday of September.
  
  

• Attire:
  
  

• Formal black remains the baseline standard.
  
  

• Members are encouraged, though not compelled, to don Edwardian formal wear in the tradition of gentleman archaeologists and lady naturalists: high-collared waistcoats, winged collars, stiff cravats, opera pumps, gowns with restrained but dignified lace, and gloves. Pocket watches, lorgnettes, and freshwater-appropriate walking sticks are deemed tastefully commendable.
  
  

• The wearing of Order pins is required regardless of costume.
  
  

• Toast: A draft toast will be prepared by Custodian Emeritus P. Ashworth. Working phrase: “To those beneath the waves, who yet hold us above them.”
  
  

• Dance: The Order shall, as is customary, abstain from modern gyrations, favoring instead the Stately Schottische and the Great Lakes Waltz (slow tempo).
  
  

• Conduct toward GLRC during banquet: Cordial but cool. Members may dance with, but not for, GLRC delegates.
  
  

Practical Notices

• Transport: The Chapter’s venerable vintage Land Rover (Series II) is, alas, once more out of service, having succumbed to a mysterious ignition fault (possibly spiritual in nature). Members are urged to carpool appropriately, as no central transport will be available to Sturgeon Bay.
  
  

• Paper Abstracts to be submitted no later than August 28.
  
  

• Banquet Seating Plan draft to be circulated; preference for Order members not to be relegated near GLRC delegation.
  
  

• Exhibit Table to include:
  
  

• Archival photographs of the Little Concord trials.
  
  

• The recently reclassified nail (Artifact #2154).
  
  

• Ledger excerpts emphasizing the Aligned Ledger over “statistical summaries.”
  
  

Closing Benediction

Keeper Corvus intoned: “May the seiche be our metronome, the wreck our reliquary, and memory our compass.” The Convocation adjourned at the eleventh chime.