March 2004 Annual Meeting: .pdf
March 2003 Annual Meeting: .pdf
March 2002
J/105 FLEET 14
Southern New England
March 9, 2002
MINUTES OF FLEET 14 ANNUAL MEETING
Date: Saturday, March 9, 2002
At: TPI, Warren, Rhode Island
Attending in person: Bob Cashman, Ed Dailey, John Eielson, Tom Enright, Jack Gierhart, Andrew Gillis, Jeff Johnstone, Jim Johnstone, Brian Keane, Sr., Ron Mortara, Pam Morris, Bill Purdy, JC Raby, Jim Tomlin, John and Alida Toole, Wiley Wakeman, Meredith and Nelson Weiderman
Voting by proxy: Jerry Ficks, Don McCluskey, Don Priestly, Rob Salk
Guests: Bill Aronson, Christie Campbell, Eric Liebman,
MINUTES:
I. Fleet Captain Ed Dailey called the meeting to order at 4:20 after a rules seminar by John Alofsin, J / Performance Racing.
II. Treasurer’s Report: There was no Treasurer’s Report distributed because the Treasurer was participating in SORC. A Treasurer’s Report will be distributed as soon as it is delivered by the outgoing Treasurer. Ed reminded everybody to get their dues to him by March 15 when he will turn over the checks to incoming Treasurer Rob Salk for deposit. Ed will get the list of those paid to the National Secretary so their national member status is listed on the web site.
III. Election of Officers: The following slate was elected by acclamation:
Fleet Captain Ed Dailey (candidate for re-election)
Secretary Nelson Weiderman (candidate for re-election)
Treasurer Rob Salk
Fleet Measurer John Eielson (candidate for re-election)
IV. 2002 Season Championship Series and Key regattas:
June 1-2 Newport Gold
[June 17-21 Block Island]
July 13-14 Sail Newport
July 19-21 NYYC Rolex
August 2-4 Buzzards Bay (Marion)
August 17 Leukemia Cup
[September 1 Around Jamestown]
[September 14 Hospice Regatta]
Nelson led the discussion on the schedule. Block is not normally part of the Season Championship Series. Andy Gillis objected to the Around Jamestown Race because the committee work has not been good. They have no provisions for shortening the race. Linc Mossup, Sr. said he would look into this with his club. Andy offered the Hospice as an alternative. After discussion, there was unanimous agreement that the five regattas above not in brackets be made part of the Season Championship and that Ed would initiate an e-mail discussion on which of the other two we should include, if any.
John Eielson suggested consideration of a second weekend of racing in Marion — after the Buzzards Bay Regattta (August 2-4) on Saturday, August 10th with a Sunday morning breakfast and breakaway "pursuit" race from Marion. Ed Dailey will e-mail the fleet for a show of interest.
V. Next we discussed the crew weight proposal. The proposal to change the crew requirements for regattas for which weigh-ins were not required (by having a body count) received no support. The proposal to drop even the web-based forms for those regattas for which weigh-ins were not required was passed by a vote of 9-3. During this discussion, John Toole, Tom Enright, and others made it clear that we should make class racing as simple and hassle-free as possible.
VI. Next we discussed the Scoring System for 2002. Nelson presented the scoring system from 2001 and some alternatives for 2002 that had been adopted by Fleet #6. Pam Morris and others stated that "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." There was unanimous agreement to keep the scoring basically the same as indicated below in the attached.
- Two waiver requests for Fleet #14 one-design racing were granted by unanimous consent:
- Don McCluskey, a senior member of our fleet, will be allowed to race with his sail maker aboard in Level A racing.
- Linc Mossup’s weight will not be counted toward the 1045 pound weight limit in all regattas.
VIII. Meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Attachment:
Cox-Sprague-Gesing Scoring System
Cox-Sprague-Gesing scoring system is a "high point" or "percentage of perfection" system as described in the next paragraph.
In each race the number of starters will determine the column to be used in the table below [not listed], and each boat will be credited with the number of points indicated for her finishing place. A boat's series score shall be her "Percentage of Perfection" calculated by dividing her total points scored by the total points she would have had, had she won every race in which she started. A boat which does not finish or is disqualified in a race shall receive a score for the place one greater than the number of starters in that race using the next column in the table to determine the number of points.
Details:
* Boats are eligible for scoring if the owner is an Active Member of Fleet 14 which has Fleet 14 as home fleet.
* All boats participating in Fleet 14 Races shall comply in all respects with the rules of Fleet 14 in effect at the time of the relevant race, including rules regarding helmsmen (or driver) and crew qualification, measurement, equipment, and sails.
* A boat must participate in 50% or more of races on the Fleet 14 Schedule for her score to be considered for the Season Championship.
* A boat will be allowed to discard one-sixth of her starts.
* The Cox-Sprague Scoring System will be used with all yachts being scored. In this system, higher points are awarded for better finishers. The boat with the highest "Percentage of Perfection" wins. Discards are based on lowest individual race "Percentage-of-Perfection" scores.
* First, second and third Place trophies will be awarded for the Season Championship. A "Newcomer" trophy award will be awarded to the highest finisher who did not qualify in 2001.
* Scores will be tabulated by the Fleet Measurer and posted to the web site by the Secretary shortly after each regatta. Results are taken from the official postings of the Regatta.
* Any issue not covered by rules above will be settled by the prescriptions of US Sailing. If there is no relevant prescription, the Fleet 14 officers will be the sole arbiter.
March 2001
MINUTES FOR MARCH 10, 2001 ANNUAL MEETING
-----------------------------------------
1. President Don Priestly called the meeting to order at 1:10 and the
attendees introduced themselves. There were 12 owners represented
from Fleet #14 and several guest owners from Fleets #6, #2, #3, & #12.
Attendees representing Fleet #14 included:
Don Priestly, #334
Nelson Weiderman, #300
Jim Sorensen, #307
Ed Dailey, #444
John Eielson, #317
Jack Gierhart, #439
JC Raby, #442
John Toole, #27
Steve Small, #457
Wilson Pollack, #8
Kevin Coughlin, #74
Jim Tomlin, #354
2. Jim Sorensen gave the Treasurer's Report
Previous balance: $ 185.00
Dues collected 2000: 1135.00
Expenses 2000: 375.50
Year-end-balance: 944.50
Dues collected 2001: 625.00
Trophies: 313.62
Postage: 27.50
Balance as of 3/10/01 $1228.38
3. Nelson reminded all members to pay their national dues, either by
credit card through the website or by check through the mail.
4. Nelson reviewed the 12 of 14 submissions for National Rules changes
that passed the Executive Committee. These rule changes will go into
effect on 3/15/01. Read about them on the website.
5. Don Priestly moved that the Articles of Association be changed as follows:
Delete 9.2 and 9.3 (exceptions to the National Rules) in their
entirety. See revised "Articles" at http://j105.org/fleet14/.
Discussion noted that these exceptions were no longer necessary since
the National Rules had addressed the issues previously addressed in
our local rules.
Fleet #14 voted unanimously to delete these paragraphs.
6. Ed Dailey described the facilities available at Padanaram and the New
Bedford Yacht Club for the Buzzards Bay Regatta. He indicated that
conditions are not as good as at Marion where the regatta was held
in 2000. Boats will have to be rafted and it is important to observe
all government marks coming in and leaving the harbor. The fishing
fleet waits for no sailboat. He will be providing more information
about local arrangements.
7. Bob Taylor was not available to discuss the Newport One-Design Regatta,
but it is going to be held in odd years opposite the Rolex. This year
it will be held July 27-29.
8. Nelson asked for discussion on our summer season championship schedule
giving possible regattas and dates. He indicated that the NBYA
regattas had not been well-attended in the last two years. After
some discussion, it was recommended that we hold a weekend regatta
after the Buzzards Bay Regatta. This would allow Buzzards Bay
sailors to qualify for the season (with a 50% qualification standard)
by coming to a single regatta in the Newport area. The following
summer schedule was moved, seconded and passed unanimously:
June 2-3: Newport Gold (Newport)
June 24-29: Block Island Race Week (not part of season champs)
July 7-8: Sail Newport (Newport)
July 27-29: Newport One-Design (Newport)
August 3-5: Buzzards Bay Regatta (Padanaram)
August 11-12: Marion Regatta (Marion)
August 18: Leukemia Cup (Newport)
10. Nelson Weiderman described how the scoring was done in 2000 and described
the scoring system that had been adopted by Fleet #6 on Long Island Snd.
The Cox-Sprague system with modifications by Withold Gesing seems to be
the best scoring system for long summer series with varying numbers of
yachts in each race. After discussion it was decided to adopt the
following scoring system for 2001:
Use Cox-Sprague-Gesing basic system
Require 50% of the races to qualify for the season
Allow one throwout for each 6 races sailed
Count all boats (not just Fleet #14 boats) in the scoring
Full details and a spreadsheet will be posted on the Fleet #14 website
11. At this point we were given the 5 minute warning because the room was
needed, so the rest was a blur.
12. Levels for Fleet #14 racing were discussed. There was a straw poll taken
indicating that most preferred Level A (at most one Category 2 and no
Category 3's on crews) for most of our racing. Vote was to be taken
by e-mail.
13. Don briefly described the float line program and the need to get floatlines
on the boats before they hit the water. There will be a template
available to do this. Diagrams are on the website.
14. The following slate of officers were voted unanimously:
For Fleet Captain: Ed Dailey #444 STAR EYES
For Secretary: Nelson Weiderman #300 KIMA
For Treasurer: Jim Sorensen #303 WET LEOPARD
For Measurer: John Eielson #317 NORDIC EXPRESS
The new slate was unanimously approved by the Fleet #14 members.
15. Don described a North Sails two-boat tuning and trim seminar tentatively
scheduled for Friday May 18 in Newport. Owners and crew are invited.
Owners and crew will be able to adjust trim aboard and also watch from
a powerboat as changes are made in a controlled environment.
16. Nelson mentioned that there is interest from owners in Newport & Jamestown
to have a one-design Tuesday or Wednesday night series. A separate
start will be available if there are enough boats. There are at least
a half-dozen candidate boats.
17. The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m.
March 2000
Ten owner representatives from Fleet #14 and three from Fleet #6 attended the Fleet #14 Meeting at TPI as part of the third annual J-Rendezvous on March 11, 2000.
Owners/owner reps present included: Don Priestly, Nelson Weiderman, Kenneth McLean, Bob and Peter Cashman, Ed Dailey, John Toole, Jeff Lane, John Eielson, Geoff Moore, and Paul Desrosiers from Fleet #14 and Damian Emery, Matt Berger, and Terry Laughren from Fleet #6.
The business meeting was called to order by Fleet Captain Don Priestly. It was noted that there are currently 30 owners in the Fleet #14 region, which includes Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, and eastern Long Island Sound. There were pitches presented by Don Sutton for the North American Championship Regatta to be held in Annapolis, and by one of the organizers for the Buzzards Bay Regatta.
Nelson Weiderman handed out copies of the "Articles" and explained the rationale for their adoption. They were adopted unanimously. (They are posted on this website.)
Next we moved to the proposed regatta schedule. It was generally recognized as an ambitious racing schedule, but there were no suggestions that it be made longer or shorter. Some attendees indicated they would sail most of the regattas, while others indicated they would only sail a couple of the regattas. Nelson explained that there were 7 regattas on the schedule for the Fleet #14 Season Championship. He suggested that they be scored as follows: all attendees get their official regatta score, while all non-attendees get one more point than is possible for the attendees (so that everybody is scored). Then the top two-thirds of the scores would be used to compute the final season championship. These would be posted on the website after each regatta. [No votes were taken on the schedule, but it was suggested that there be some means of expressing regatta interest on the website.]
The following officers were re-elected (by acclaimation) for the 2000 sailing season:
Don Priestly: Fleet Captain
Jim Sorenson: Treasurer
Nelson Weiderman: Secretary
Jeff Johnstone: Measurer
Respectfully submitted,
Nelson Weiderman
Secretary
November 1999
Nine owners and significant others attended the meeting at Jeff Johnstone's house in Newport on Friday, November 19, 1999.
Owners present included: Don Priestly, Nelson Weiderman, Jeff Johnstone, Bob Taylor, John Johnstone, Hugh McLean, John Toole, Geoff Moore, and Jack Colby.
The business meeting was called to order by Fleet Captain Don Priestly. It was noted that there are currently 25 owners in the Fleet #14 region. First there was a long discussion of the National Class Association Rules proposals. The results of the discussions and the voting were as follows:
Part I: All rules changes approved unanimously.
Part II: All rule changes approved unanimously, except:
- 3.4.5 & 3.4.6: Disapproved 9-0, Reason -- No justification for placing restrictions on helming for multiple owner boats.
- 7.2: Disapproved 9-0, Reason -- There was sentiment for having rules for when the bowsprit could be extended, but this rule does not take into account many situations on the racecourse. It needs more work.
Part III: All rule change disapproved
- 7.5: Disapproved 8-1, Reason -- Disagreement about the desired effect of weight placement. Tiller is standard equipment.We should not penalize owners with standard equipment because owners that choose options have heavier boats. There was some sentiment expressed for a limitiation on the length of the hiking extension.
- 7.6: Disapproved 8-1, Reason -- No data to support the handicap. Some thought that shoal drafts were faster downwind. Others thought that administration would be difficult. Others thought it would be difficult to apply to non-standard courses.
- 5.3.12: Disapproved 7-1-1, Reason -- Maintain the low cost of ownership and don't make owners of older boats upgrade. There was stong sentiment for keeping the boats as they were originally designed.
At this point the meeting broke for dinner and socializing.
After dinner the meeting resumed with a discussion of a proposal for rules on Helmsman and Crew (see attachment). There seemed to be consensus that there was a need for such a rule, but that there were still some bugs that needed to be worked out. For example, Jack Colby recommended that the same exceptions that applied to the helmsman be applied to the crew. The futility of the US Sailing regulations in Appendix R was noted by several owners. The proposal was to be worked on by Nelson Weiderman, Don Priestly, John Toole, and Jack Colby for presentation at a later time.
Jack Colby was presented with a beautiful, flag blue, half-hull model of a J/105 as the winner of the first Fleet #14 season championship.
Jeff Johnstone agreed to set the date for the Fleet #14 one-day clinic as the Saturday of the weekend before Memorial Day Weekend, May 20, 2000.
There was no discussion of the 2000 schedule or a time for the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned with thanks given to Nelson and Don for arranging and Jeff for hosting the meeting.
Submitted by Fleet #14 Secretary, Nelson Weiderman
ATTACHMENT:
Rationale: The objective of the J/105 is "to preserve J/105's recreational features, including ease of handling, low cost of ownership, safety, comfort, and equality of performance while maximizing participation at J/105 events." It was originally meant to have an "owner-driver" with minimal participation from those "not associated with the sailing industry or paid to sail." The majority of owners would prefer to sail without the need to recruit professionals to help sail their boats. They feel that their investments may be devalued if a few owners form teams that are not in keeping with the primary objectives of the Class. On the other hand, there are owners who prefer not to be helmsmen while keeping the same long-term crew of non-professionals. There are new owners who could use help from professionals to get up to speed. The following rules are meant to strike a balance. They serve to throttle the use of professional while allowing their use for new owners and preserving the right of owners to sail with long-term shipmates or immediate family as helsmen. They are meant to encourage recreational long-term crews and to discourage professional short-term crews. The following provisions are based on those adopted by the successful San Francisco Fleet #1 and we believe they will maximize participation.
Article XII. Helmsman and Crew
12.1 A legal owner with a minimum of a one-third ownership interest in the boat, shall be the primary helmsman of each one-design day race. The primary helmsman shall helm the boat from the point beginning five minutes prior to the start until the finish, except as permitted below. If there are multiple owners, any one of them may assume the role of primary helmsman any time.
12.2 In the event a primary helmsman is unable to sail a one-design day race, for whatever reason, he may permit a "designated helmsman" to do so; provided that he notifies the Fleet Captain of such designation prior to the race. (If the Fleet Captain designates a helmsperson, he shall notify a member of the Executive Committee). The "designated helmsman" must (i) have sailed in at least six races in the preceding 12 months on the boat in question, (unless the member is new to the Fleet, in which case any person who has previously sailed with the member on such boat may be designated) and (ii) be a "Group 1 Competitor", as defined in Appendix R of the US Sailing RRS 1997-2000.
12.3 In addition to a designated helmsman, a "relief helmsman" may temporarily helm the boat to allow the primary helmsman a brief absence to attend to personal or shipboard needs. 12.4 For races greater than 25 nautical miles in length, crew members other than the primary helmsman shall be permitted to helm the boat for a portion of the race.
12.5 Non-owner crew members on a boat shall not include any "Group 2 Competitor" or any "Group 3 Competitor" (as defined in Appendix R of the US Sailing RRS 1997-2000), except, with the permission of the Executive Committee, whose permission shall be sought with reasonable advance notice). Nevertheless, representatives of JBoats may sail on a temporary basis with new owners of J/105s in order to familiarize them with the boat.
12.6 The owner may designate a non-owner primary helmsman for the entire sailing season, provided that the designated person is (i) a member of the owner's immediate family or (ii) a "Group 1 Competitor" that is a long-term shipmate who has sailed with the owner for at least six races in different regattas during the previous 12 month period. Owners choosing this option must notify the Executive Committee in writing of the circumstances of this designation prior to the first race in which the non-owner driver races.
March 1999
Fleet #14 had a kick-off meeting during the Annual J Boats Midwinter Rendezvous March 6th. 16 boat owners were present, including members from Fleet 2 and Fleet 6. The purpose was to elect fleet officers and finalize an event schedule for 1999. The following officers were elected for the 1999 sailing season:
Don Priestly Fleet Captain Jim Sorenson Treasurer Nelson Weiderman Secretary Jeff Johnstone MeasurerAnnual dues were approved at $25. The following event schedule was discussed:
May 22nd J/105 clinic in Newport (details to be announced) June 5-6 * Nantucket Gold Regatta June 21-25 Block Island Race Week July 17-18 * Newport Regatta July 30 Solo-Twin Regatta Aug 6-8 * Buzzard's Bay Regatta Aug 28-29 * NBYA RegattaThe four events marked with * were designated as season championship events. J Boats is providing a perpetual Fleet #14 Trophy. For 1999, the average of each boat's best two finishes will count towards the trophy, with only Fleet #14 members counting in the result tallies.
Ernie Hardy of Fleet #2 encouraged participation in the Marblehead NOOD Regatta July 29-August 1. Marblehead has had an influx of four new boats over the winter and expects to field a fleet of 8-10 boats for the event.
Bob Taylor also updated the group on Block Island. As of March 7, 24 boats had either entered or confirmed their attendance, making 1999 a record year for J/105s at Block.
Submitted by Fleet Measurer, Jeff Johnstone
