<div>Capri 25-er's,</div>
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<div>I understand that I've been elected Fleet Captain for the 2009 season. That's what I get for leaving town in January. Are you kidding me? ...I can't believe anyone wants to stay in Minnesota in January!!! ;-)</div>
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<div>Well, now that I'm here... </div>
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<div>First, I want to thank Lew for doing this job for the past two years, and doing it so well! He has done a tremendous job with this fleet, and we were lucky to have him as our Fleet Captain. Thanks Lew!</div>
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<div>Onward...</div>
<div>This is a big fleet with a lot going on. I hope that I can keep up, and help us keep moving our fleet forward. We have a few things that need to be figured out, and since I'm only doing this for a year, I thought I'd start early. I realize we can only focus on a few things at one time, and I'm trying to figure out what those things should be this year. To start, I've dumped a list of topics (below) that are top of mind for me (and many of you.) I know this isn't comprehensive, but it should be enough to get you thinking. Please have a look, and send me your thoughts, feedback, complaints, recommendations, and bad jokes. I'd love to hear from all of you.</div>
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<div>I can't wait to splash-in and see all of you at the club!</div>
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<div>Thanks,</div>
<div>Odell</div>
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<div>-- </div>
<div>Odell Tuttle</div>
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<div>Chief Technology Officer</div>
<div>Healthland</div>
<div>1550 Utica Avenue South; Suite 945</div>
<div>Minneapolis, MN 55416</div>
<div>651.925.7728</div>
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<div><strong><u>Crew Development</u></strong></div>
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<div><strong><em>Recruiting</em></strong></div>
<div>How can we better encourage recruiting and networking to find new crew, and keep crew coming back? What can we do to help with coordinating crew (i.e., finding crew for boats, finding boats for crew)? There are a few websites out there that do this for other fleets. Would it help if we had something similar?</div>
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<div><strong><em>Training/Education</em></strong></div>
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<div>What are we doing to improve training within our fleet? </div></div>
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<div><strong><u>Racing</u></strong></div>
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<div><strong><em>"Rumble in the Bay"</em></strong></div>
<div>I remember when this race was conceived, and think it'll be a blast! How do we make sure we milk Pete Ice for the most expense when we put this on? ;-) I really liked the unfamiliar territory aspect of Shorewood races last year. Can we do something similar, or are we stuck with running this in Wayzata Bay? Who will be our rumble coordinator?</div>
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<div><strong><em>Match Racing</em></strong></div>
<div>I don't think we've had a lot of Capri turn-out? Can we improve it?</div>
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<div><strong><u>Fleet Development</u></strong></div>
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<div><strong><em>Recruiting new boats</em></strong></div>
<div>What are we doing to find more local members? Do we track the Capri's for sale around the country? Do we know local members that may be interested buyers?</div>
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<div><strong><em>Publicity</em></strong></div>
<div>What are we doing to get our fleet mentioned in Scuttlebutt, Northern Breezes, Sailing, Sail, Sailnet, Sailing Anarchy, etc.?</div>
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<div><strong><em>Competitiveness/Professionalism/Sportsmanship</em></strong></div>
<div>I think we have a very competitive fleet, but what are we doing to keep raising the bar? </div>
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<div><strong><em>Boat Resources</em></strong></div>
<div>What resources are available to help us all maintain our aging boats? Where can we find parts, repairs, guides, etc.?</div>
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<div><strong><em>Race Analysis/Replay</em></strong></div>
<div>I feel strongly that we need something like Kattack (or the like), and that it should eventually become a fleet rule to get more usage. What do you think?</div>
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<div clear="all"><strong><u>Rules</u></strong></div>
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<div clear="all"><strong><em>Open Issues</em></strong></div>
<div clear="all">There are several open issues (e.g., Professional sailors, the 140% jib, others...). We need to communicate these. I believe Nils is running the show here, but we need some clarifications.</div>
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<div clear="all"><strong><em>One Design</em></strong></div>
<div clear="all">We advertise that we are a "One Design" fleet, but there are a few too many variations to truly be such. Many are referring to it as Level racing. Is that what we want?</div>
<div clear="all">"Star of the North Regatta" - I can't remember... where did we get that name? Carmella, what can we do to make this very successful? Are there things that should be figured out early in the year? Dan, how are we doing on our efforts to recruit out-of-town boats? How can we help?</div>
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<div clear="all"><strong><em>Boat Inspections</em></strong></div>
<div clear="all">Should we have someone responsible for randomly inspecting our boats to make sure we meet the rules, and to make sure we're safe (e.g., life jackets, lights, etc.)?</div>
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<div><strong><u>Fun</u></strong></div>
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<div><strong><em>Social Coordinator</em></strong></div>
<div>C-Dock Party, Crawl-adore, etc. - It's early now, but we need someone to own all of this.</div>
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<div><strong><u>Logistics/Misc</u></strong></div>
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<div><strong><em>Our web site</em></strong></div>
<div>What's up with that? The site has become non-existent, and the latest news is from 2005. We need updated fleet list, news, and an online forum to communicate. Come on, <strong><em>listserv</em></strong> died in the 90's! </div>
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<div><strong><em>Slip Fees</em></strong></div>
<div>Is the Capri 25 being charged fairly?</div></div>
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