Commodores’ Report
By: Commodore Faye Broseker
Commodore’s Report
Well another year has come and gone – Happy 2007. I hope you and your family had a wonderful New Year. I don’t know about you but with the weather we have had lately, I can’t wait until Spring gets here.
I would like to thank Kathy Hellner for organizing the 2nd Annual YCM Day at the Races. We had a great turn out and I hope everyone that attended had a fantastic time. I also would like to thank Santa for making an appearance and passing out gifts. The food was great and it was terrific to sit back and enjoy the friendship of those that attended. I know that Joe and I had a great time and we were able to donate enough to feed the horses for several weeks.
When I look back at the previous year, it is amazing how much YCM has accomplished; however, we are just in the beginning phase and there is so much more we can do to reach out and support our member clubs. Rear Commodore Joe is making changes and collecting information for the club directory. With each year we hope to make it better than the last by providing the necessary information for our members. With the Legislature beginning your Legislative Affairs Officer Anna is gearing up to cover all the events that affect the Maryland boater. There are several committees that could use volunteers so if you would like to volunteer to assist R/C Joe on the directory, LAO Anna on the Legislative issues and Steve Rockel on Social Events please contact them or me.
The Sue Haven Yacht Club will host the 2nd annual Fleet Captain’s Dinner on Sunday, January 28, 2007. A flyer regarding this event is included in this month’s newsletter. This event was well attended and quite successful last year. This is a perfect way to communicate and meet other FCs. All are welcome and we encourage the Commodore, Rear Commodore and their mates to come along.
This year’s Commodore’s Night-Out will be held on Sunday, March 25th at Baltimore Yacht Club from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. A flyer will be going out to all our member clubs. There will be a short ceremony, food, drink and entertainment. We are lucky this year and have been able to schedule the same Adult Puppeteer. If you attended last year you already know how much fun this was and if you didn’t attend, you are in for a real treat. This is a nice way to end the Ball season, so please plan on attending and sit back and be entertained.
The Bodkin Yacht Club will host the next General meeting on January 31, 2007. The application for membership submitted by the Maryland Cruising Club and the By-laws changes which were sent out in December will be voted on by the membership. Please plan on attending. I understand that Commodore Steve is actually preparing the dinner himself. (I hope that won’t deter anyone from attending – only kidding Steve.)
Hope to see you there!!!!
Vice Commodores’ Report
By: V/C Lou Konopacki
Our Christmas party was a success. The food was great. A good time was had by all. I would like to thank Kathy Hellner for putting the party together. With a new year beginning I would like to see YCM membership grow. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our Jan. membership meeting on Jan. 31st.
Rear Commodore Report
By: R/C Joe Hellner
Ahoy there! Information request forms for the 2007 logbook are being mailed to the clubs and club representatives. These forms and an example page will be available at the General Membership Meeting on January 31st at Bodkin YC. The YCM Ship’s Log is intended not only to provide contact information but to provide interesting and useful information about the clubs and about things of interest to boaters and club members. The logbook is by, for, and about you, the members of the Maryland yachting community.
As a reminder, Steve and Terri Rockel of Red Eye YC will be including a page in their fleet captain’s booklet to gather up interesting background information on the clubs such as club history. Also as a result of the 2007 Fleet Captain’s Meeting, I hope to gather highlights on club plans and cruises for 2007 for inclusion in the logbook.
Till next time, great sailing, cruising, and fishing to all!
Boating, Waterways, and the Environment
By Legislative Affairs Officer Anna Davis
Happy New Year.
The Maryland Legislature has returned to Annapolis for the 2007 term. With a newly elected Governor and many newly elected legislators, political analysts feel that it will be some time before any major bills get passed. What effect this will have on any of our interests is unknown at this time.
Thank you to R/C Joe who keeps an eye on various state websites, which he has sent me, to V/C Lou who keeps an eye on the activities and attends various meetings in the Dundalk area.
Ellis Kincer, Belvedere Yacht Club, forwarded an article from The Examiner to Lou about the AES Corp asking a federal judge to overturn the Baltimore “County law banning such facilities within five miles of homes”. For the full article, please see our website.
If you would like to be a part of the Legislative Affairs Committee, please contact me. The more people involved, the better we can serve our members.
Hope to see you at the Membership Meeting on the 31st.
Secretary’s Report
By: Dan Miller
danandbonnie@radicus
No Report
Treasurer’s Report
By: Deb Noon
No Report
Board Member Reports:
By: Immediate PC Jill Cashman
No Report
Board Member
By: Charlie Downs
Thank You Kathy Hellner for planning a great Christmas party. We could not have wanted a better day. It was a fun day. For those who missed it, you missed a great time.
Board Member
Glen Bowser
No Report
Dates to Remember
Fleet Captain Meeting will be held at Sue Haven YC Sun. Jan 28th. Contact Person Steve Rockel at
January membership meeting will be held at Bodkin Yacht Club Jan. 31, 2007
DINNER 6:00 PM
MEETING 7:00 PM
Menu
Grilled Pork Loin Chops…….. Spiced Rum reduction gravy…….. Steve’s homemade mashed Potatoes…… Sautéed Cinnamon Apples and Raisins Apple….. Caraway Sour Kraut
Desert and Coffee
COST $ 10.00
Sick and Welfare
Keep in your prayers Laura Bunting, mother of Queen of Chesapeake, and Bob Manders White Rocks YC
If you know of anyone in the clubs who is sick, having surgery, or have past over, the bar please contact me. You can either call me on 410-282-5598 or email me directly at.
Bulletin Board
Fleet Captain Dinner
Sunday January 28.2007
2:30 pm.
Sue Haven Yacht Club
Drinks; Cash Bar, meeting
YCM Golf Tournament
Oct 2007
Chesapeake Embroidery for YCM cloths
Call Mike @410-215-0063
Scuttlebutt and Spindrift –
By Salty Sam the Sea Dog
Bright Lights Ahoy! P/C Hank Stratmeyer of North Point YC did the yacht club community proud again this holiday season. Not only did Hank’s vessel delight and amaze onlookers with his “Christmas Train” but he again won several awards Hank reports winning two “Best Illuminated” and one “Best in Show”. As reported to Salty, Hank was in the Middle River Light Parade, the Annapolis Light Parade (sponsored by Eastport Yacht Club), and the Baltimore Inner Harbor Light Parade. A Salty Salute to Hank for his hard work and braving of the elements to help make the holidays special and memorable for so many.
Salty knows there are more stories of nautical and yacht club adventure out there just waiting to be told. Wharf Rats and Bilge Rats, please email ! Joe Hellner will be happy to relay the story to Salty.
Till next port o’ call, this is Salty Sam the Sea Dog wishin’ ya fair winds and following seas.
Social Affairs Committee
Terri Rockel
2007 FLEET CAPTAINS DINNER
Sunday January 28, 2007 cost $10.00
Sue Haven Yacht Club
410-574-8290
2:30pm. Drinks, cash bar, meeting
4:00pm. Spaghetti with PFC`s John Cashman`s Hearty Meatsauce, garlic bread, and dessert
RSVP no latter than January 22, 2007
410-256-1065
Cell 443-904-6317
Protocol Matters
Captain Protocol,RC Joe Heller
This month’s topic comes from YCM Webmaster Karen Anderson of Wellwood and Bush River YC’s. Karen asked about the protocol for receiving lines and also where the club princess fits in.
The senior representative of the host club greets guests first. So you normally start with the Commodore and work down. The princess should be in the receiving line and should be right after the Commodore and 1st Lady or 1st Gentleman. The princess escort should not be in the line as her escort in the receiving line is the Commodore and 1st Lady/Gentleman on behalf of the Club. The receiving line should include all the Line Officers (C, V/C, R/C, F/C, S, T) and 1st Mates. The line may also include the IP/C, the Chaplain, and Sail or Power F/C, and other senior officers as the club sees fit. Board Members, Auxiliary Officers, Chairpersons, and junior officers such as Pier Captains are not normally included. If you are the Queen’s home club, the Queen stands immediately after the club princess.
Like the Commodore, princesses represent the club as whole and are official ambassadors for their club. Since they represent all members of the club, they are above any pecking order except for the senior official of the club present (usually the Commodore). They also symbolize the next generation and represent the families of the members. For all matters pertaining to the Club, they become, in effect, an adopted daughter of the Club and all its families. Protocol wise, all the above means they always stand with the Commodore or the most senior official of the club when the Commodore is not present.
The protocol changes when a princess is being introduced at her home club or an event hosted by her home club. Because the Commodore and princess are introduced separately, the princess is escorted in by a person of her choice. The honor is usually given to past commodores, a parent, or a club member or spouse of special significance to the princess.
On the rare occasions where the princess is the only official representative of her club present at another club or event hosted by another club, she may be introduced as representing her club and is escorted by a person of her choice.
Till next time, see you around the Bay!
Princess Corner
I still need several clubs to send me articles about their Princess. If you have not, please do so we can ensure that each Princess is recognized. Send articles to
FROM BODKIN YACH CLUB
Although Christmas has come and gone, I like to share a story that happened at Bodkin Yacht Club’s Christmas Party.
For those of us fortunate to attend this year’s children’s Christmas party you were rewarded with an afternoon of children’s smiles and the joys of Christmas on their faces. This is one of those events I haven’t been that thrilled with in the past. Maybe it’s because my children are 17 and 21 or that last year I was driving Santa’s sleigh and working in the kitchen worrying about the food. Regardless, this year was much different. I did enjoy helping our Princess Elf get Santa ready while idling down the creek on “Roughing it Smoothly”. We adjusted his beard, hid his side burns made sure he had rosy red cheeks and white eye brows and even fluffed his back side. The trip up the creek on the bow of R/C Will’s boat was fun but you can’t really see the ear to ear grins on the children’s faces, as well as the parents, who were standing on the hill. I guess it could be my eye sight?
There were two events that I thought everyone would be interested in. As Santa was just finishing handing out gifts and with great effort and groans trying to get up from his chair, I noticed an 8 year old boy named Shawn. He is the son of one of our newer members. I happened to be standing just over Santa’s left shoulder and I saw the look of unmistakable disappointment on his face as Santa was getting up. I could tell he was torn between saying something or thinking he might be too old to admit that Santa might still exist. I was fortunate to be standing in the right place at the right time and I asked him if he wanted to have his picture taken with Santa. Before he could think about it, Santa with a great sigh of relief at being able to sit back down reached out with his left arm and with one deft movement the boy was on Santa’s knee. The boy’s father was there and was able to snap a few pictures. Maybe for Shawn the magic of Santa Clause will last another year.
Even though our Princess Elf was having fun putting make up on Santa I could tell she wasn’t quite sure of what her role was to be that day. After all she’s the Princess not an elf! Near the end of the event, Santa had departed and our Elf was looking for some goodies as she and I had both missed lunch that day. I asked her if she could make one last round of all the tables to make sure everyone got a chance to visit with one of Santa’s Elf’s. With a reluctant sigh she made her way around to each table and finally back to the kitchen. Just so happened that the First Lady and I caught up to our Princess Elf in the back by the shuffle board table. As we stood there talking a father and his daughter walked up to us. She was maybe 3 years hold. We instantly noticed her wide eyed stare at the Princess Elf and slightly open mouth. Her dad said, “She wants to know where Ho Ho went”. Thinking fast I said, “Santa had to go back to the North Pole to make more toys”. Now even at this age kids are smart so the next question was, “but his elf is still here”. First Lady Vonnie, also thinking quick for a change, said, “Santa left his elf to visit with us for just awhile longer”. We all stood there for a few more seconds just looking at the little girl’s face. I wondered why our elf hadn’t said anything until I looked at her face. She was just as taken with this little girl’s reaction, as the girl was, at being so close to one of Santa’s prettiest Elves. As the girl and her father walked away I nudged our Princess Elf on the shoulder and said, “Now do you see why your job is so important?”
Commodore Steve Keefe
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****** Yacht Clubs of Maryland – Bay Breeze (January) ******