b'Chapter TwelveThis story about Friends of Chatham Waterways has been written by people, by women and men with a common bond: theyve all been volunteers. To be completely accurate, they share something else. They have an abiding love for the waters that surround and decorate Chathams landscapeand quadruple its population in the welcome weeks of summer.If it hadnt been for a compact among summer vacationers two decades back, FCW would never have come to life. This place so enriched the lives of these families that Summer in Chatham became a compelling continuity for them throughout the year. This placethe Band Concert, tacking into a warm southwest breeze off Hardings Beach, picnicking on Crescent Beach; incomparable views of sparkling bay and sound and oceandrew them back year by year. And when they found that these waters were in danger, they rose to the challenge the way Americans have been doing for such a long time, going back before the 1830s when visiting Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville found voluntarism alive and vital in our young nation.FCW hardly has a monopoly on the volunteer spirit in Chatham. Think of the more than 100 residents who help the towns teachers as Volunteers in Public Schools. Think of the hundreds on the appointed Town boards and on such independent bodies as The Chatham Womans Club and the Conservation Foundation. And by no means do those women and men limit themselves to stuffing envelopes and stamping newsletters. They research. They decide. They act.And, to reiterate the unqualified view of Dougie Bohman, chairman of selectmen, This town couldnt run without them.But when summer sailors along the fringes of Stage Harbor saw threats to that special body of water, they wanted to act. And yet there was no specific model in town. They had to write the textbook themselves. Its pages are still unfolding.213'