Northeast Working Equipment Group
D-Day 1998 Working Equipment Rally
Page 2 -- The Action Begins
Willow Springs Quarry - Richland, Pennsylvania
JIM BOYD posed in Rich Riley's Russian Navy rig with Stephan Deters in Bob Rusnak's MkV. Gene Ritter (right) also dived Riley's Russian -- the dress was modified with a back zipper to make entry easier than through the rubber collar, as is the Russian standard practice.
TEENAGER ERICA DRYDEN volunteered to try Bob Rusnak's U.S. Navy "bunny suit" with the Desco Jack Browne mask -- they even got the back chute entry clamp to seal the dress perfectly! Fourteen-year-old Doug Burner from Wilmiington, Del., (right) made his surface-supply orientation dive in Dave Hill's SuperLite 17 before diving the MkV.
D.C.HWONG became the traveler who came the furthest for an NEWEG rally: all the way from Singapore! (Of course, he did have some business on the West Coast first.) Here D.C. was being subjected to the MkV weightbelt by Billy Locke (left) and Tom Butts before posing for photos (right) with Todd Storey in his scuba gear. The photographer with the digital camera is Rick Shanahan, who has posted his work on his own D-Day Rally Website.
THREE GENERATIONS OF U.S. NAVY hardhat gear were represented by NEWEG members as Rev. Jim Morrison of Beverley Hills, Cal., posed in Bob Rusnak's MkV alongside Mark Butler in his Mk12 (which succeeded the MkV in 1971) and Greg Platt from Chicago in Dave Hill's SuperLite17 (today's Navy Mk21). Tom Butts (right) was doing a reasonable imitation of the Michelin Man in Ray Butts' MkV rig.