On Friday October 17, 2025, the club celebrated the upcoming 220th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.  We were honored to welcome Captain Russ Clark Royal Navy as our guest speaker and guest of honor.

This year's celebration saw the debut of our chocolate 'ships of the line', each of which were forged in a mold taken from a detailed model of HMS Victory.  We had a terrific turn out, making for a very special evening.

Photos and videos below!

Pictured above, Captain Clark RN is joined by four former Royal Navy Officers as they check their lighters before igniting the sparklers atop the ships' masts.

The ships are paraded! (click the video above to play it)

Each table has an HMS Victory centerpiece as our guest of honor commences his after-dinner speech.

We also took the opportunity to celebrate the United States Navy's 250th Anniversary with the singing of Anchors Aweigh.  At the end of the evening, current and former members of the Royal Navy, United States Navy and Royal Canadian Navy gathered behind BOCNE member Jim Dargan's white ensign!

The full set of photos from the event are included below.  Click on a photo to view a larger version and click on the left and right edges of the photos (or use your keyboard's arrow keys) to navigate through the photos.

A number of BOCNE members gathered the following morning for a private tour of the USS Salem.  A big thank you to BOCNE member Mike Manning for organizing the tour and to Joe and Col. JD Williams USMC for conducting the tour.