[Sonar] Party and Meeting tomorrow

[Bert Foster]

Hi All,
Below are things we need to discuss.  Please read, think about it, 
print it and bring it to the meeting
Regards,
Bert


Sonar Meeting Discussion

    * 2010 SCHEDULE
        * Idea # 1
        * Schedule the SOTN Regatta the weekend of the last Champ 
race.  The following weekend would be the WYC Fall Regatta and the 
Sonar Team Race regatta.  The following 4 Saturdays will be the 
Commodore Cup.  In this schedule plan, the Sonar fleet could vote to 
have the last WYC Champ race not count for Sonars, possibly be a Cup 
race, or treat the SOTN as a single Champ race, or as 2 Champ races, 
in order to put emphasis on the SOTN and help increase 
participation.  However, there could be a problem with a Canadian 
boat's finish position in the SOTN interfering with Fleet 5 
Championship scoring points.    Last year there were only 8 local 
Sonar boats + 2 Canadian borrowed boats. The Canadians have said they 
would next year bring 3 boats for both regattas.  The idea is that 
the Sonars would treat the SOTN as their major fall regatta, and most 
of them would sail in the Team Race regatta the next weekend.  The 
non-team race sailors who want to sail in the Fall Regatta would have 
fewer boats, but would have a better chance to win trophies (this 
spreads the trophies among the fleet).
        * Idea #2
        * Schedule the WYC Fall Regatta immediately following the 
last Champ Race, followed by the Star of the North Regatta, which 
would also be the weekend of the 1st Commodore Cup, followed by the 
Team Race Regatta.  It looks like the WYC will have 4 Commodore Cup 
races in 2010. The Fleet could vote that the 1st & 2nd Commodore Cup 
would not count for Sonars, and the Sonars that sailed in it, it 
could be a 2 race Cup race, and the Commodore Cup, for the Sonars, 
would be a 2-race series with all Sonars competing.

    * Star of the North Regatta
        * Two or Three Days?
        * The Sonar Fleet needs to talk about and decide whether they 
want the SOTN to be a 3-day or a 2-day regatta.  Some people have 
said that they have difficulty getting off work, and would prefer a 
2-day regatta.  Other people have said they like the fact that it is 
a 9-race regatta with lots of racing and partying.  With a 2-day 
regatta, we could reschedule the SOTN to have Friday be the long race 
for the other SOTN fleets, schedule 4 buoy races on Saturday and 3 
buoy races on Sunday.  A couple of people have said they don't want 
to race more than 2 races a day and the WYC Fall Regatta meets 
that.  In the Capri-25 fleet about 50% love the 3 days and about 50% 
will go either way.
        * Cost
        * A few people have commented that the SOTN is $120 while the 
WYC Fall Regatta is free.  It should be pointed out that the $120 is 
almost entirely used for 2 live bands, Adult beverages, and special 
trophies 3 breakfasts, 2 dinners, and 1 trophy lunch.  For a team of 
4, that's a lot for $30/person.

    * WYC Team Race Regatta
        * Race Your Own Boat
        * The Canadians are bringing 3 Sonars.  It's planned that 
each skipper will race his own boat (no boat rotation), although 
someone may privately charter his or her boat to someone.
        * 2 or 3-Day Regatta?
        * The Canadian boats will be left here during the week so 
they could sail a 3-day regatta.
        * Umpires or not?
        * Richardson cup umpires Don Becker and Dave Pelling the 
chief umpire would like to come back to the WYC.  Don and his wife 
stayed at our house while Dave stayed at Harry Allen and had the use 
of my red car and the GPS for 4 days.  He loved it.  They are both 
certified international umpires and judges and both have done America 
Cup boat regattas.  Dave has been the chief umpire of the Louis 
Vuitton Cup the last 3 regattas.  Hans is and umpire and would like 
to come to WYC.  Also, we have 2 WYC Capri sailors Brent and Scott 
Seager who are umpires in training.  I believe the first WYC Sonar 
Team Race Regatta needs umpires.  Bring in umpires of this statue 
cost travel expenses and in some cases a fee.  It would be great to 
have them here, as they also would do a clinic every day, and they 
would train the Seager brothers to help develop a WYC umpire 
corp.  The fee for the Richardson cup was $750 per boat.  Due to a 
lack of sponsorship money the regatta lost a little money.  I think 
our Sonar Team Race Regatta might be done for $300 per boat.  That's 
the same as Sheboygan
        * Are Non-Fleet #5 Sailors Welcome?
        * There are people outside Fleet #5 interested in learning 
team racing.  If they can charter a Sonar are they welcome?  I'm not 
team racing and could offer my 2 Sonars to interested east coast team 
racers and they could fly out and team race in the regatta.  Maybe 
Shepstone & Galloway.

    * 2010 Sheboygan Invitational Team Race Clinic and Regatta
    * I'm working with Hans on the Sheboygan event for 2010.  The issues are:
        * He can't schedule it until he finds out when US Sailing 
wants their events.
        * Hans doesn't know yet if they are getting 4 additional 
Sonars.  If they don't, would someone from Fleet # 5 be willing to 
trailer their boat over so there could be 9 boats and boat rotation 
wouldn't be an issue?  As I have shared with most of you, I'm not 
team racing, so I won't be
        * Hans was disappointed at the poor interest from the 
hometown Sheboygan sailors.  He doesn't know what to do.  He is 
talking about including Chicago YC and/or Bayview YC.  I think the 
Winnipeg sailors had so much fun they may field a full team of 9 
sailors.  If Sheboygan doesn't get the 4 new boats, are there 4 Fleet 
#5 boat owners willing to tow their boats to Sheboygan so the WYC 
could have 2 full teams with 6 boats and 18 sailors?  I think we have 
18 sailors who would love to do the regatta.
        * Clinic + 2 Days of Racing or Just 2 Days of Racing or 3 
Days of Racing.
        * Hans said, "having Ken Legler was expensive and the regatta 
lost money.  May we don't need the clinic for 2010.  The 2009 regatta 
fee was $1200 per team of 3 boats. 3 teams generated $3,600 less the 
some he didn't collect.  Ken cost $1,500 fee + air fare + 
hotel.  Maybe $2,400.  Add-in the umpires travel expenses; hotels, YC 
meals and the $3,500 didn't cover it.  So what do we do for 2010?
        *
    * Sunday Races to Start at 2:00 in 2010
    * As Race Committee Chairman for the WYC, I have a request from 
Blake to slide back the WYC Sunday start from 1:30 to 2:00 because of 
the difficulty of members of our Race Committee who do both MYC and 
WYC races being able to get to the WYC in time for a 1:30 
start.  Besides the Race Officer timing problem, it appears that 2:00 
may be a better time for wind, which has been confirmed by MYC who 
has been racing their Saturday afternoon races at 2:00 for 100 
years.  I have reviewed this with the WYC Board, and have approval.
    * Sonar Fleet 5 Dues
    * Currently, Sonar Fleet 5 dues are $20, which seems 
adequate.  Does the fleet want to make it mandatory for each boat, in 
order to be scored, to be a paid member of Fleet 5?  The YC has a 
mechanism for honoring such a fleet rule.  Presently, only the PHRFs 
and Capri 25s use the mechanism.

    * Sonar North American Championship Regatta in 2011
    * When Sonar Fleet 5 holds the 2011 Sonar North American 
Championship, all participating boats will be required by the 
International Sonar Class Association to be members of the 
association for 2011.  It also will be required that all skippers be 
members of US Sailing.  This has a lot to do with being able to call 
it a North American Championship under the rights of US Sailing and 
the International Sonar Class Association.

    * Sonar Fleet #5 Volunteers
    * With all the activity and regattas we are going to need many 
volunteers.  Think about what you like to do and what you could volunteer for.
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