Pacific Northwest Chief Warrant Officer Association

CAP'N ABNEY'S BOTTLE

As told by the auctioneer….

This incredible fund-raising legend began rather innocently in June 1983 at a regular monthly meeting of the Pacific Northwest Chapter, U. S. Coast Guard – Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) Association, held in the Bear Room at Pier 36, Seattle.

The last door prize that day, after some finer bottles of Scotch and Bourbon were quickly claimed, was an inexpensive ($3.95) bottle of Baccardi Rum from the Coast Guard Exchange. It was presented in an unassuming brown paper bag.

The winner of that bottle of rum happened to be none other than Captain Ottis H. Abney (1919-1994). The Captain was a great gentlemen, sailor, shipmate, mentor, and strong supporter of the CWO Association - a rank he once held during his climb up through the hawse pipe, starting at the bottom as a white hat (Seaman Recruit).

After his retirement from the Coast Guard on 1 September 1972, Captain Abney went back to sea as a Merchant Mariner, and later served with honor and distinction as a Puget Sound Pilot from 1979-1986.However, back to the story of our soon-to-be infamous bottle of rum…. For reasons known only to Captain Abney, he returned the bottle to the podium and said, "Just give it away next month, or auction it off for some charitable cause."

A discussion from the floor ensued, and it was decided that an auction was in order, to benefit the SeaTac USO. The bottle went for about $15 - to (surprise) Captain Abney. As he was paying for the bottle he had previously won, but declined – someone else lamented that we missed an opportunity to donate the money to the CWO Association (CWOA) Scholarship Fund – a purpose and cause that Captain and Mrs. (Midge) Abney strongly supported.

Now the good Captain was more than happy to give the bottle back for re-auction, and the bidding started anew. When the dust settled, the bottle went for an astonishing $100 - to (again) Captain Abney. There was a big round of applause, and the meeting was adjourned. Since the Captain still did not want the bottle, it was stashed away in the back of the storage locker with the other meeting supplies.

When the bottle was brought out for auction in July, it kindled some fond memories of an earlier meeting – but it only garnered about $15-20. Nonetheless, in the early-mid 1980’s, that was a much appreciated contribution .The forgotten winner paid the treasurer, and left the bottle in the Bear Room for the following month. No comment. No fuss. We still have no idea why…. This began a modest pattern that continued for almost a year.

We even started to mark the month, donor’s name, charity, and amount contributed on the brown paper bag after each meeting. As time went on, the bag became more and more dog-eared. Finally, someone suggested that we should put that bottle out of its misery – and drink it. It was loosely agreed: if you buy it, you can do what you want with it. This really got the auction heated up, fueled by Captain Abney’s jokes and banter. And, our surprise winner was: Captain Abney – for at least $100 (our book keeping was not that refined back then).

After the Captain paid the treasurer (again) for this same bottle, he quietly departed the Bear Room – leaving his $200+ bottle of rum on the podium. It became clear that no one should dare touch nor take the “Captain’s” bottle of rum. And drinking it was out of the question. This bottle was becoming a celebrity. At this point, we commissioned the base carpenter shop to make a protective carrying case for the bottle, to be lined with foam rubber to prevent breakage. What they created was a beautifully finished wooden trophy case.

Because the case had plenty of blank space, it was agreed that we should put an engraved plastic name plaque on the side for each donor who gave at least $100 (a generous sum back then). We began by adding Captain Abney’s name, twice.

Since that time, the bottle case contains a chronological history of every significant charitable donation made through the Pacific NW Club of the USCG CWO Association. The rules are: $500 gets your name on the front side, in gold; $200 gets your name on the side, in brass; and, $100 gets your name on the back side, in plastic. Anything less than $100 gets your name on a post-it note, stuck under the bottom….

The auction has become so popular and fun, we ran out of room to add any more names. No problem. We re-engraved the names to condense space, and added a bigger base, like the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup. In 2006, we had to add a second larger base to recognize an increasing number of generous contributors.

The legacy continues. In the first two decades of the bottle’s existence, the Pacific NW Club – USCG CWOA has raised more than $20,000 for various charities, with this formerly rejected door prize.

If someone had originally suggested this as a fund raising scheme – we would have laughed them out of the building. Today, it stands as a testimony to a group of people who believe in giving generously of themselves, to help others.

Along the way, the bottle has provided a lot of fun and entertainment at our meetings. We’ve seen individuals, groups, businesses and consortiums bid against each other to “buy” the bottle – including Admirals, Captains, and other special guests. When Baccardi Rum learned about their infamous bottle, they added to the lore by making a generous contribution.

Donations have been made in memory of shipmates, loved ones, and victims of tragedies. Several times, while visiting Seattle, members from the Juneau Chapter of the CWO Association tried to buy the bottle, for return to Alaska, to be consumed. We were not about to let that happen, so we had to pool our money to thwart their efforts.

As you examine the many names on the wooden case, you will often see Captain and/or Mrs. Abney. They were especially supportive of higher education through the USCG CWOA Scholarship Fund.

At auction, the Captain would occasionally pull a check out of his pocket, and say: “This is from Mrs. Abney, and she wants it to go to the scholarship fund.”

The spirit of the bottle, and its unintended purpose, stems from this fun-loving, kind-hearted individual, and his very supportive wife. In 1994, by unanimous vote of the Pacific NW Club – USCG CWOA, it was an honor and privilege to formally name, and dedicate, this unusual auction piece as:

“CAP’N ABNEY’S BOTTLE” – in memory of a great friend and generous shipmate.

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$500.00 Club:

Cabtain Abney
James and Janet Sinegal (2007)
Claude Ashcraft (honoring sons Paul and Cleveland)
Bill Colton (In Memory of Dottie Colton)
PNW Club (In Memory of crew of 44363)
LT Bill Colton
Claud Ashcraft (2001, 2002, 2005)
Michael & Gina Fisette (2005)

First Donations:

6/83 - Capt Abney
7/84 - Capt Abney
4/85 - Capt Abney
5/85 - H. Varness
6/85 - D. Walker
2/86 - D. Johnson
3/86 - Capt Abney
4/86 - M. Kambarn
5/86 - H. Varness ($200)
6/86 - C. Hutton
11/86 - M. Robillard