By Ray Schweibert
For The Press of Atlantic City

Special bonds sometimes evolve among people with common interests, and for that reason the Egg Harbor Owners' Association was established eight years ago.

The group was created as a means for devoted enthusiasts of Egg Harbor Yachts to share experiences and information. It serves as a conduit for camaraderie that includes an annual get-together called the Egg Harbor Rendezvous.

The organization also publishes a quarterly newsletter for EHOA members called the "Egg Files, " and has a Web site at www.eggharborowners.org.

Cindy Konney is the president and co-founder of the EHOA, along with vice president Claudia Brooks, a resident of Granby, Conn.

"The group began out of love for our boats and the camaraderie that goes with being an Egg Harbor Yacht owner, " Brooks said. "We wanted to get a group together to meet with other Egg people and see what transpired.

"Initially, it included about 50 or 60 members gathered around local advertising, the Internet and contacts made by obtaining the boats' hull numbers. Since then, it has grown to include over 700 members, including members from Puerto Rico, Italy and other places abroad."

The EHOA Rendezvous expanded from about 30 Egg Harbor Yachts the first year to well over 100 in-water boats this June. The Rendezvous is always held on Father's Day weekend and includes seminars, tours, vendors, catered meals and various adult and children's events.

This year's Rendezvous also included a Poker Run and took place at the Essex Island Marina, located on the Connecticut River off Long Island Sound in Essex, Conn. In 2002, the Rendezvous was held in Montauk, N.Y.

"We also raised money through a raffle and membership donations to buy toys for a local children's hospital (in Connecticut), and donated money to the Connecticut River Museum for water-quality testing, " Brooks said.

"And this year we also donated money to the Sea Scouts, which is a youth group that recently took a derelict Egg Harbor Yacht and restored it."