SBYC
in the News
March 1998
For once, this "Spring" newsletter does
not seem to be a misnomer. The balmy weather must certainly be tempting you to remove that
boat cover and get to work. I look forward to a good, long season at Sandy Bay Yacht Club.
In anticipation of a strong and early start to the sailing year, the
Board
of Governors has met monthly throughout the winter preparing budgets and plans. I am
pleased to report on two major, upcoming improvements to our physical plant.
A new crane has been ordered to replace the 1930's
vintage big crane. This is the most significant capital project undertaken by the Club
since the building of the Clubhouse. The crane will provide a safe, reliable and fast
system for launching boats and should serve us well in the years ahead. Thank you to each
member who has given so generously to make the new crane a reality. While we are well on
our way to reaching our goal, we need to continue our efforts to raise funds in order to
pay for the crane as quickly as possible. If you've planned to give but haven't gotten
around to it yet, please know that it is not too late. The second major project that will
be underway soon is the refurbishing of the lockers. The Board has committed to reshingle
the lockers and replace the windows. The doors and surrounding siding will be replaced
when we are more certain of the Club's financial picture after the crane fundraising is
complete.
The final piece of good news is that the Board
passed a budget with the lowest increase in dues and fees in years - just 2%. We must
carefully watch our spending this year, so that resources are devoted to paying for the
capital projects, however, we anticipate no reduction in any of our programs or services.
The following pages of this newsletter contain
important information and reports from new and returning SBYC committee chairs about the
1998 sailing season. The Club is fortunate to have a terrific group of Board members this
year. I know you will be pleased with all of their contributions of time and talent this
sailing season.
Charlie Clark, Commodore
Treasurer.
The Club continues to be in an excellent financial position as it
faces the year ahead. Our budgeting and spending has become well disciplined and our
continuing program of setting aside reserve funds to meet anticipated capital needs is
serving the Club membership well. The greatest financial challenge the Club faces is
paying for the crane in a timely fashion so that this burden does not hinder future
anticipated capital needs.
John Harper
House.
The newly constituted House Committee is acting quickly to award
contracts for and to oversee two major construction projects, installation of the new
crane and residing of the club lockers.
Based on concerns voiced by a number of members, the
Committee reviewed the need and potential options for replacement of the large crane.
After consulting with a marine planner, waterfront businesses, crane manufacturers and
club members, we decided to follow up with a proposal offered by Connelly Construction to
install a Pine Hill Equipment crane similar to those at Pleon in Marblehead. Although more
costly than initially envisioned, the new crane will be smoother and easier to use, and
will provide safer and significantly faster service for boats owned by the club, its
members and the Town of Rockport, as required by our lease. The existing small hoist will
remain as a backup. Weather permitting, we hope to have this project completed in mid-May.
Initially, we had hoped to have the locker project
completed this year. Our desire to use natural siding, instead of cheaper alternatives
proposed by some contractors, raised the cost significantly. Nonetheless, we believe that
preserving the aesthetics of these structures is important given their prominent location
in town. Because of the other large capital project also underway this year, the crane, we
have divided the locker project into two phases to be performed over two years. Ron has
been budgeting this item for two years, and between reserves and budgeted amounts for this
project in this year's budget, Phase One will be fully funded. After consideration of
various proposals and bids, we awarded the contract to Chris Krenn. (John Krenn was not
present at meetings regarding the awarding of bids.)
Phase One includes reshingling the
"public" side of the lockers and gable ends in natural cedar to match the
Clubhouse, and window replacement with fixed units (although they can be modified to open
by individual users). Phase Two will involve resizing and replacement of the locker doors
and shingling and trimming between the doors, and will be done next Spring. (Alas, this
will require cleaning out lockers again next year.)
We are working to have these two major projects
completed before the beginning of the season. Any owners of vessels which can only use the
large crane who are concerned about launching before mid-May should contact Ron, as we do
anticipate an interruption of service between the removal of the old crane and
installation of the new one. We hope to have lockers available by mid-May as well, or
Memorial Day at the latest.
We are also looking for a suitable home for the old
stiff-legged derrick. Anyone with suggestions should contact me.
Stephen M. Ouellette
Membership.
"Open House" coffees in June will again be advertised to
give potential new members a chance to visit with us. On the membership committee this
year are Bob Bradford, Dottie Carroll, Nancy Fritch, Pamela Jacobson, Cheryl Keating,
Jo-Ann Lavigne, and Shelley Vasallo.
Jo-Ann Lavigne
Membership Info
Long Range Planning.
The Long Range Planning Committee would like to thank all of the
members who participated in the survey last year. At final count 197 surveys were returned
and many people had provided thoughtful comments that will help the Long Range Planning
Committee in the next phase of its work.
The numerical results are too voluminous for this
letter. The committee will post the actual results of the responses to each question on
the bulletin board. However, the results show several trends that we will summarize here.
In addition, we will summarize some of the major trends in comments. The summary is not
intended to be all inclusive.
First, there was a general agreement that dues
should be kept low and affordable to encourage membership. Boat owners also expressed a
desire for the dues to remain as moderate as possible. Many people did not understand the
current dues structure. For example, members did not realize that people paid for locker
and other services. To address this concern, we have asked the club manager to post the
dues and charges on the bulletin board.
Capital Reserve funding and the overall club
solvency were also commented on frequently. Many expressed support for a reserve fund for
the club and some suggested that members may want to donate to the club as part of their
final will. The Long Range Planning Committee will address this issue in its future work.
There were varied opinions about the provision of
scholarships and about supporting a high school sailing team. Although many saw a benefit
to helping young people become involved in sailing, concern was expressed about the
expense of the support.
The issue of space at the club also brought out a
wide variety of suggestions. People provided ideas regarding dry sailing space,
enlargement of the club building, and suggestions for looking at other space such as
Granite Pier as a possible location to support regattas. All of these suggestions have
been shared with the Board members and will be considered by the committee as they
progress with their plans.
As indicated earlier in this writing, all of the
comments have been given to the Board for consideration. The Long Range Planning Committee
will begin the task of developing a plan for the club and make recommendations to the
Board. The survey will serve as the springboard for the Long Range Plan. Again we thank
all of you for your participation and effort.
Polly Brown
Race Committee.
The Race Committee is looking forward to the 1998 racing season
with great anticipation. In preparation for the upcoming season there will be two
meetings. The first will be a meeting of the Race Committee to be held at the Club during
the weekend of May 16 & 17 just prior to the start of the Memorial Day Series. The
exact date and time will be announced later. Last year's race committee members as well as
any interested new participants are invited to attend this meeting. Since adopting a
"volunteer" race committee several years ago our personnel needs have steadily
increased. We are looking for a few volunteers from each of the fleets to help run the
races. Race committee participation is a great way for sailors to broaden their racing
experience. We will also be forming a new Protest Committee. Anyone who is interested in
joining either committee should let me know.
This year we are planning to run a second starting
line for the Lasers, 420s and Optimists at least one day each weekend. Several times last
season we ran a second line which was met with great enthusiasm. This second line will
further increase the personnel needs of the Race Committee. It has become obvious over the
last few seasons that these classes have different race requirements than the larger
boats. Shorter courses and multiple races are the preference of these smaller boats.
The second meeting will be for skippers and crews of
all classes to be held at the Club on Saturday, May 23 at noon. This is a great time to
raise any questions you may have or make any suggestions on how the Race Committee can
cater better to the needs of each fleet. Any club members interested in becoming crews are
invited to attend. There will be a sign-up sheet for potential crews posted on the sign-up
bulletin board inside the Club.
As you can see from the enclosed
race
schedule there will be the usual full calendar of regular races, regattas and special
events. Besides listing the many SBYC races there are a multitude of regional regattas and
special events of interest outside of Sandy Bay including several associated with
Gloucester's 375th anniversary this year.
The Race Committee is hoping for increased racing
participation this season and is looking forward to seeing you on the starting line!
Steve Engel
Fleet Captains.
The sailing season is a short three months away! The captains for
the respective fleets are:
Bullseyes |
Susie Kinder and Gerry Lavigne |
Cruising
Class |
John Paradis |
Flying Scots |
Margot Hintlian & Ralph Block |
Lasers |
Greg Wilkinson |
Power Boats |
Ron Brown |
Rhodes l9s |
Kirk Williamson |
Stars |
John Safford |
Turnabouts |
Dot Christopher |
In 1998 the sailing season begins with the
Skipper and Crew meeting on May 23 at noon. The racing begins with the Memorial Day series
and concludes with the Peter Vincent Race and Gusto Cup in the second weekend of
September. SBYC will host the Ned Hay, Ned Cameron and Wheeler Cup regattas this summer.
This season the Fleets will offer a seminar
series on Sundays. Some of the topics include: Boat Preparation and Tuning, Starting
Strategy, Upwind Strategy, Downwind Strategy, Sail Trim (Jib, Genoa, Mainsail), Spinnaker
Sets. And Weather, Current and Wind. In June we will post a schedule of seminars on the
bulletin board.
Ed Desmarais
Sandy Bay Junior Yacht Club.
With Courtney Wilkinson as the Commodore for the Junior Yacht Club,
Matt Greely as Vice Commodore and Andrew Greely as Treasurer, the Junior Yacht Club is
sure to be very active and successful this year.
Plans are already underway for a separate
"Junior Newsletter". Efforts will be made this year to enhance the relationship
between the Junior and Senior membership. This is one of Courtney's goals. The Spring
Newsletter is also her idea and a great one! We're looking forward to the sailing season.
Jean Brown-Bakrow
Social Committee.
We've already been having lots of fun at the winter dinners that
have kicked off 1998. Thanks to everyone for supporting these dinners and for being
gracious enough to take home a few dirty dishes! The Social Committee will be soliciting
new helpers this year. Please let me know if you would be able to spend an occasional hour
to help the committee. We make setting tables fun! The
Social
Calendar includes a new event - the family cookout - which we hope will include a
pintsized calypso band. Also, pencil in August 21 on your calendar. We are in the planning
stages of another SBYC "first" to be held at the Golf Club. Watch the bulletin
board for clues.
We look forward to seeing all of you at the Country
Club on April 17.
Molly Clark and Committee
Sailing Program Program Team.
As a new director taking over a successful program, my Program Team
has been a great support:
Structure, Schedule and Budget |
Dick Wilkinson and Ron Petoff |
Transportation and Regattas |
Sue and Richard Aprans |
PR and Publicity |
Daphne Congelosi |
Adult Program |
Maureen Wilkinson |
Board of Governors Liaison |
Dick Wilkinson |
Curriculum and Feedback |
Greg Wilkinson |
Registration and Forms |
Leslie Cooney and Bill McKinney |
Parent Involvement |
Claudia Greely |
Fundraising |
Rob Van Buskirk |
Program's value: Here's evidence from our students
of what they get out of the program- "Winter is going great, but all the time I think
about sailing in the summer at SBYC." "Good sportsmanship, for me, is the
biggest key to success in the sailing world, or any sport for that matter." "To
be a good role model means to have unique qualities that others strive to emulate. . . One
person really stands out for me right now, [he names his sailing instructor]." The
program served 156 such kids and 39 adults in 1997, it deserves your support.
Junior Program:
The past years'
successful structure will form the core of this year's program, young kids - Opti
Beginners, Opti Boat Handling, Opti Racing. Older kids - 420 Older Beginners, 420 Boat
Handling, 420 Race Team, Lasers.
However, we will make some changes. Since
only a minority of kids entering sailing ever go on to racing, we're making the Boat
Handling classes successful ends in themselves as well as conduits into racing. Also,
we're expanding Laser classes from two to five hours per week. Further, we've listened to
your comments about behavior. We plan to make behavior expectations and consequences
better understood. Finally the scope of our recognition program will expand to encourage
the idea that all students can be successful in a variety of ways.
Adult Program: As a 1997 adult
racing class student, I can attest to the challenge of learning the exacting skills needed
to win races but particularly to experiencing the fun of sailing. This year we're
expanding the program in two ways. First, we'll attempt to fill one boat with older teens.
Second, we'll reduce the shock of going from beginning sailing to racing - and provide a
fun alternative to racing - by starting an Advanced Boat Handling course. We'll mark
success in all three levels with more formal certification.
We still need adult instructors. I'd welcome
a call, or you could phone Maureen Wilkinson. Also, we'll soon send a few of you a
questionnaire on the 1997 program. Please return this promptly.
Donations: A key strategy this year
is outreach. Here's what a 14-year-old local kid hanging around Dock Square said:
"Oh, yes, I'd like to learn to sail, but you know, that yacht club just isn't for
me." We need to try harder to offer the program's benefits, especially to older
beginners, who would fill vacant positions in 420s. We plan elementary and middle school
days, as well as major newspaper articles.
This is likely to call for more than the 11
scholarships offered last year. Thanks mostly to your constant support, in the recent past
the program never had to turn a kid away for lack of tuition. Also, you won't forget our
tradition of awarding a $1000 scholarship to a Rockport High School graduating senior.
In addition, we're going to make it more
likely that our Optimist sailors will win races. The last two years' experience shows that
the sails we bought are fine for training but can't stand up to those of the competition
in racing. Therefore, we're buying sails and spars for the racing team to use.
To help finance both scholarships and this
investment, we're budgeting $2,500 for donations this year. Your tax-deductible donation
of $150 will pay for one scholarship- $500 will buy a set of sails and spars. Please make
out your check to SBYC: Sailing Program and Scholarship Fund and send it to the club. Or
call me at 546-9209.
Cameron Smith
Sailing Program Info
Power Boat Committee.
A new committee has been established this year to help further the
enjoyment and interests of the power boat owner/operator at SBYC. Suggested activities at
the present time include a family outing at Wingaersheek Beach, getting there by boat, of
course, and a fishing tournament. Suggestions for other activities will be most welcome.
Ron Brown has been appointed Chairman of this committee and has asked that any member
willing to serve on the committee or with suggestions for activities contact him at
283-8817 or e-mail sailrkpt@tiac.net.
Ron Brown
Harbor Department.
Another season is just about here and once again the Rockport Harbor
Department would like to urge all of you to start the season off safely.
First, with the care and maintenance it takes to get your boats ready for
another season and second, inspecting and maintaining your mooring gear. All
of these things can prevent a disaster as the season goes on. The Harbor
Office hours are 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings year round at Town Hall.
Check out our new online
website. Ron designed it and it is awesome!
We look forward to seeing you all back this season.
Rosemary Lesch and Scott Story
Harbormasters
Website.
SBYC has a revised website posted, and we hope you will have a
look! This site provides a lot of information which should be of use to all of our members
including an Overview and History of the Club, Racing Schedule and Race Results, Sailing
Instructions, Social Calendar, Club News, Club By-Laws, Photos, and more. There are also a
ton of Marine, Local and Reference Links as well as Internet Search Tools. We would also
like to provide a page of links to our members' websites, so if you have a page posted,
please let us know! Bookmark it and visit often since it will be changing constantly.
Website address http://www.sandybay.org/
Ron Petoff
