2005 NE District Winter Meeting Minutes

Call to Order

The 2005 New England Lightning District winter meeting was called to order by Commodore Bill Fastiggi at 12:30 PM on Sunday December 4, 2005. The meeting was held in Moe L’Heureux’s building. The district executive committee authorized paying Moe’s ILCA dues to thank him for hosting the meeting. Thank you Moe!

Roll Call

A roll call of fleets showed that 5 fleets were represented – 121 Newburyport, 145 Spofford, 273 Massabesic, 301 Malletts Bay and 493 Bow Lake. There being 9 paid fleets and 5 fleets present, a quorum (25% of paid fleets) was declared.

Secretary's Report

Copies of the minutes from the Summer 2005 meeting were handed out. Mike Aversa motioned, and Walter Colantuono seconded the motion, to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the last meeting.

Treasurer’s Report

At the winter 2004 meeting the cash on hand was $1295.86. The current balance is $899.91 with anticipated expenses that would reduce our cash on hand at year-end to $604.91.

Description / Income / Expense / Balance
Winter 2004 Meeting Balance / $1,295.86
Season Dues / $1,295.86
Malletts Bay (301) / $125.00 / $1,420.86
Newburyport (121) / $80.00 / $1,500.86
Squam Lake (332) / $70.00 / $1,570.86
Marblehead (189) / $20.00 / $1,590.86
Lake Spofford (145) / $40.00 / $1,630.86
Lake Bomoseen (227) / $5.00 / $1,635.86
Lake Massabesic (273) / $35.00 / $1,670.86
Bow Lake (493) / $25.00 / $1,695.86
Annisquam (151) / $5.00 / $1,700.86
Unaffiliated / $5.00 / $1,705.86
Interest / $0.36 / $1,706.22
Expenses / $1,706.22
Winter 2004 Meeting (Food + Moe's Dues) / ($115.37) / $1,590.85
Lightning Tuning Videos / ($184.65) / $1,406.20
Spring 2005 Newsletter Postage / ($6.29) / $1,399.91
Donation to Leukemia Society for Brian Hughes Regatta / ($500.00) / $899.91
Anticipated Expenses / $899.91
2004/2005 Yearbook Ad / ($225.00) / $674.91
2005 Winter Meeting (Food + Moe's Dues) / ($70.00) / $604.91

Walter Colantuono motioned, and Sean Fagan seconded the motion, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as printed in the agenda and reproduced here.

Additions to the Treasurer’s Report after the meeting:

Income: $65 from meeting attendees (for lunch)

Outgo: $15.90 for Pratt Trophy plaques and engraving

Outgo: $60.30 for lunch at the winter meeting

Therefore, the net expense for the winter meeting (including $45 to pay Moe’s dues) is $40.30.

New anticipated cash on hand at year-end 2005 is $618.71.


Fleet Reports (and designation of fleet officers for 2006)

Fleet 121 Newburyport: Fleet Captain Patrick Gallagher (for now), Fleet Secretary Ann Snow

Newburyport had it lowest participation in fleet racing in years last year. But there are some good prospects for growth, and also a number of good Lightnings at the club not being actively raced.

The Leukemia Cup Brian Hughes Regatta had a fund raising target of $20,000 and actually achieved $24,000! Next year the goal is $50,000 and to help make that happen the regatta will be fixed on the first full weekend of August in future years (starting with 2006). This coincides with special events in town (Yankee Homecoming) and with a big PHRF regatta. That should increase visibility and participation. However, it means that in some years (including 2006) due to tides, we will not be able to sail in the river, but will sail in the ocean. It will be an enforced tow out of the river and into the ocean when that occurs. Also some years the schedule will conflict with the Lightning Women’s, Junior’s and Master’s NA’s. The greater good of increased fundraising wins out over these potential issues.

Fleet 145 Lake Spofford: Fleet Captain Bob Bush

The Lightnings only sailed two days in 2005 at Lake Spofford. One day of the Dave Fitch regatta (the other day was lost to no wind), and a one-day mostly-internal regatta in September.

The yacht club has limited membership – 50 people and there are 32 SunFish (including ones owned by some of the Lightning sailors). This year they will try to sail Lightnings on some Sundays, and will try to get in one Wednesday night. Active racers include Bush, Wallace, Henkel, Rosen, Gemmel, Fitch and MacQueen. In 2006 they will host a one day regatta in June and the WJM and Districts in July.

Fleet 273 Lake Massabesic: Fleet Captain Walter Colantuono

The District thanks Walt and Norm on Race Committee and Massabesic Yacht Club for hosting the 2005 Districts.

Participation was pretty good this year, but never more than 7 boats on the line. They had racing every Sunday from May through October. Walt, Joe Ray, Ken Deyett, Garett Hamilton and Toby Frank were most active. Moe L’Heureux has mostly been lost to his new trawler, which kept the Lightning out of the water. Bill berry has a nice Lightning but has focused on racing his Shields instead. John Mollicone joined the fleet to race in the Districts and the fleet hopes he will join for some additional racing. Mike Adams sails some also. This fall some of the Lightning sailors did some Windmill racing also.

Fleet 301 Malletts Bay: 2005 Officers Fleet Captain Mark Gardner, Fleet Secretary Patrick Zachary

2006 Officers TBD

The yacht club has about a one-year wait list but is very supportive of the Lightning fleet. They have about 25 Lightnings and get 10-15 of them on the water for most weekend races and 5-8 for weeknight racing. It is a very strong fleet with good junior participation, including 3 junior boats at the Junior NA’s. Chad Miller, Tanya Miller and Dan Kagan were 3rd in the Junior North Americans and will travel to the Youth Worlds in Finland in July. Bill Fastiggi was 2nd in the North Americans. Victor Rossi is a new fleet member so the growth continues.

The fleet uses the District emailer for all of its communication and that works well. They hosted 2 regattas in 2005 and will host 2 in 2006. The fleet (along with Buffalo and Sheboygan) has expressed interest to the ILCA in hosting the 2009 World Championships.


Fleet 493 Bow Lake: Fleet Captain Ned Hinds, Fleet Secretary Bob Shapiro

Bow Lake had 100% participation of all floatable boats on each of their 8 race days this summer. When they are all floating, that is 5 boats. We have several people (Jeff Baker, Mike Baker and a friend of Mike Aversa’s) threatening to buy their own boats. A big problem for us is that we don’t have a yacht club or boat storage area. If you want to sail with us, contact Bob Shapiro and we’ll find a place for you to hang your boat.

Fleet 332 Squam Lake: Fleet Captain PJ Blankenhorn, Fleet Secretary Janet Rosequist

Report provided after the meeting

The Squam Lake fleet had 14 boats this summer with 12 boats being the most on any given day. We raced July and August series with only one or two cancellations due to weather. The trophies were spread around with the Whatleys, Dan Egan, Art Cunningham, and Dwight Gertz all winning one or more of the perpetual trophies. We also held our annual handicap “Race Around the Lake” with ten Lightnings taking on 20 assorted other boats. We had 16 boats at our regatta, which had one day of good racing and one windless rain-out. Dan Egan, Gar Corcoran, and Art Cunningham all traveled off the lake to New England Regattas and Dan Egan set a new standard for traveling “off the lake” when he crewed for Bob and Sterling Bush at the Worlds in Chile. We all read his e-mail reports during the regatta and envied his life in big time sailing.

The fleet should stay healthy next year. We have lost one long time member with Allen Whatley’s retirement from racing but the rest of us will be back and we have one or two potential recruits. As has been the case for a long time, our biggest “issue” is that we operate at the total mercy of the Squam Lakes Association, whose facilities make our racing possible. They have been very good to us and we need to work to make sure that the leaders and members of the SLA continue to see Lightning sailing as a good thing. So far, everyone does.

Fleet 151 Annisquam: Fleet Captain Georges Peter – No Report

Fleet 189 Marblehead Fleet Captain Rick Humphrey – No Report

Fleet 227 Bomoseen Fleet Captain Ray Harrington – No Report

Trophy Winners and Presentations

Winners of the 2005 district trophies were announced as follows:

District Women – Shelley Hughes, Ali Deyett, Elise Deyett

District Masters – John Hughes, Larry Christian, Bob Shapiro

Districts – John Mollicone, Rob McMillan, Dan Rabin

District Circuit Championship – Bill Fastiggi

Pratt Trophy for Outstanding Service to the District – Walter Colantuono

New England District Sportsmanship Award – Bob and Sterling Bush

The Pratt trophy was presented to Walter; all other trophies have either already been presented or are lost.

2006 New England District Schedule

Month / Dates / Event / Location
March / 11-12 / Deep South Regatta – 50th Anniversary will be special! / Savannah, GA (Entry fee only $50!)
14-15 / Midwinter Regatta / Miami, FL
17-19 / Winter Championship / St Petersburg, FL
April / 1-2
8-9
15-16
22-23
29-30
May / 6-7
13-14
20-21
27-28
June / 3-4 / Malletts Bay Boat Club Spring Regatta / Mallets Bay, Burlington, VT
10-11
17-18
24-25 / Saturday June 24 One Day Regatta / Lake Spofford, NH
July / 1-2
7 / District Junior's, Women's, Master’s Championships / Lake Spofford, NH
8-9 / District Championships / Lake Spofford, NH
15-16
22-23
29-30 / Atlantic Coast Championships / Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, Long Beach Island, NJ
August / 5-6 / Brian Hughes Leukemia Cup Regatta / Newburyport, MA
8-11 / North American Women's, Junior's, Master's Championships / Southwestern Yacht Club,
San Diego, CA
13-18 / North American Championships / Mission Bay Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
19-20
26-27 / Squam Lake Regatta / Squam Lake, Holderness, NH
September / 2-3
9-10 / Lake Massabesic Annual Regatta / Lake Massabesic, Auburn, NH
16-17
23 / Ed Hinds Memorial One Day Lightning Flash Regatta / Bow Lake, Strafford, NH
30-1
October / 7-8
14-15 / Malletts Bay Boat Club Leaf Peeper / Mallets Bay, Burlington, VT

The Maple Leaf Regatta at Lake Bomoseen will again not be held this year. We’re all looking forward to a future year when this great regatta will resume.

Old Business

Find Trophies

We continue to have a goal to find the old trophies (or replace them). The officers will continue to search old records and attempt to find the trophies.

District Web Site

History Project

The district web site includes detailed results from 2005 and also summary results for each regatta throughout our history, to the extent we can find the data. We need people to help fill in the missing information. Please look through your pile of trophies, and any old information you have to attempt to plug the gaps. Contact Bob or Bill with any info you find and we’ll get it posted on the site. Sean Fagan promised to look through a CD he has of history from the Newburyport fleet. When the history was compiled, the following yearbooks were NOT consulted (because I don’t have them): 1939-1972, 1976, 1979-1981, 1996 and 1999. If you have these yearbooks either get them to Bob Shapiro so he can go through them, or go through the fleet and district reports yourself and send what info you find to Bob. Or fax copies of the relevant pages to Bob.

Here is the link to the site – look under New England District History, and then under the specific regatta.

http://www.lightningclass.org/ne/Results/2001/index.htm

Sailing Instructions

The District web site includes a template for sailing instructions at http://www.lightningclass.org/ne/sailing_instructions.htm

Please use this template when constructing your instructions. If you send notice of race and/or instructions to Bob or Bill we will post them on the web site for you. Also remember to email the District and the Lightning List with an announcement of your regatta, and to send results and photos to ILCA after the regatta.

EMailer

Please encourage all of your fleet members, crew, associates to sign up on the District emailer. Then use the emailer for your fleet communications. If you need your email changed, contact Bob or Bill. You can add your name by yourself, using the following link:

http://www.lightningclass.org/ne/email_interface/contacts1/submission_form.asp

Bill reported that Lou Pocharski (former World Champion from Marblehead) has signed up on the list.

Communication with and Assistance for New and Prospective Members

Sterling Bush encouraged the officers and members to be proactive in attempting to help new and prospective members.

New Business

Communication

Please write your fleet reports for the yearbook now and send them in to the ILCA. Include photos and make sure to mention everyone – this is a chance to sell, market and recognize. Include your fleet location. Please add your regattas to the ILCA Racing Calendar. http://www.lightningclass.org/Calendar/calendar.asp

Growth

Please reach out to unaffiliated members and to people who might be able to help reactivate any stagnant fleets. There are several boats on Harriman Reservoir in Southern Vermont and Bob Bush will contact them. There are two people on Newfound Lake (Tripp Blair and Doug Watts) and Bob Shapiro will maintain contact with them. Tripp has attended regattas the last 2 years. Bob and Bill will reach out to Carter White and Bob Kaszynski in Maine to see what support they might need.

One growth strategy is to find people who own boats but aren’t racing, and try to help them overcome whatever the reasons are that they aren’t racing. Another is to get people to crew on your boat and then encourage them to get their own boats.