Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
November 8 2004
The meeting was called to order by Commander Baer at his home at 1904. A quorum was present.
Present:
Commander David Baer
Lt/C Katharine Law,
ExO
Lt/C Michael Fontaine, SEO
Lt/C Thomas Griffin, AO
Lt/C Barbara A. Goddard, Secretary
P/C Bob Hubbard, Member at Large
Absent:
Lt/C John Isaksen, Treasurer
Lt Richard Barck, Member at Large
P/Lt/C Sterling Campbell, Member at Large
Lt Karen Glaze, Member at Large
Minutes: The minutes of the 4 October 2004 meeting were approved as published.
Announcements:
Commander Baer announced that the next general members meeting, featuring
the education department's program, will be at Southwestern Yacht Club on
Friday, 12 November. D/Lt/C Joe Komlance, the District Education Officer,
will be a guest at the meeting.
The Sail Fleet race will take place on Saturday, the 14th, as well as the final Cruiser Navigation contest. There will be a staggered late start for the Sail Fleet race to avoid congestion on the water.
The D/28 Winter Council will be held on Saturday, 4 December, at SWYC. Dave will urge all members to attend if possible.
OFFICERS' REPORTS:
Commander Dave Baer noted that the
merit mark submissions had been approved, with only a few exceptions. He
will confer with D/C Chester White regarding the possibility of resubmitting
for those in doubt.
Dave brought up the topic of the Member of the Year
award and stated that he is open to suggestions regarding people who may
be deserving of this honor, which will be announced at the Change of Watch
dinner.
The commander wanted to discuss the Star Award requirements. With
respect to the executive department, the squadron will not have achieved
national honor role status for Coop Charting, but the whole bridge will
have participated if Tom Griffin attends the December 4th outing.
Katie
Law and Randy Smith will work to finalize the squadron's
tri-fold flier in time for the Boat Show.
The Education Department has substantially
achieved its goals. We will work to get some of the JN class into Navigation,
since this year's N graduates both belong to the San Luis Rey squadron.
Two
squadron members - J. Brockway Clark and Chet White - had articles published
in The Ensign.
Our bridge members have attended all four district meetings.
The rest of the Star criteria were reviewed, and Bob Hubbard calculated
that SDSPS is only several points short of the highest 3-Star award level.
Our submission must be made by the end of January 2005.
ExO Katharine Law reported that the joint D13/28 fall Conference in Cerritos was a success,
including the bestowing of the Tom Cod award, a humorous "honor" for past
district commanders. The seminars were well attended, including one by Ted and
Claudia Bowler, who gave a presentation on their trip to Hawaii similar to the
one they gave at our September GMM. The D/13 awards were given out at the Saturday
luncheon (whereas D/28 awards are presented at the spring Conference). The prospect
of another joint conference is being investigated by the district bridge but
will not occur next year. Katie then reminded people that next fall's Conference
is to be hosted by San Diego. The previous conference here was at the Shelter
Pointe Hotel and all agreed it was an ideal spot. Bill Bridge and Ron Weiner
will be asked to spearhead the plans, and Bob Hubbard volunteered to help plan
for the meeting.
The next event for the executive department will be the 2005
Boat Show, to be held at the San Diego Convention Center from Thursday, January
6th, through Sunday, the 9th. Arrangements for the show are complete but the
squadron still needs a Boat Show chairman. Webmaster Tom Fota will be asked
to post a sign-up sheet on our website.
J. Brockway Clark will design a Coop Charting search to
occur before the district meeting on 4 December, and there will be an informal
dinner after Winter Council at Fiddler's Green on Shelter Island. All squadron
members are invited to come and socialize with other district members.
Vessel Safety Chair Lt Richard Barck was unable to attend but sent a written report. At 67 exams, we are much improved from last year but still several short of the 2004 top numbers performed by the Phoenix squadron. Dick will attempt to get the 2005 decals as early in January as possible.
SEO Michael Fontaine noted that Dave Baer's new Piloting class
has begun, with about 14 students including some taking it as a refresher
course to learn the new electronic material.
Two of Ken Glaze's Seamanship
students are now in the Piloting class.
There will be two AP courses in
2005.
The six Engine Maintenance students all passed the course.
The next
course to be given will be Cruise Planning, again taught by the Bowlers.
The Boating class at Mission Bay Yacht Club will finish on 16 November,
and anybody wanting to help interview the passing students for squadron
membership would be welcome.
Mike attended the district fall conference
and went to a seminar on the new P and AP courses, as well as a seminar
on Power Point modifications. He found the perspectives of the D/13 members
to be interesting.
The presentation for the November GMM, to be done by
Mike and R/C Ed Mraz, has been prepared.
Mike obtained a MapTech product
catalog and reported that the squadron can order directly for its members,
rather than their having to buy through retail stores. Substantial savings
(up to as much as 50 percent) can be achieved by such purchases. He also
said that members can use their USPS membership numbers to buy individually
from the Sea Map company at significantly reduced prices. Use of these
electronic tools will enable boaters to plot courses on their home computers
and transfer them to their boats, making coastal piloting much easier than
if using government charts.
Finally, Mike recommended that people check
the USPS website as there is a lot of interesting and useful information
to be found there. Dave Baer and Tom Griffin both agreed that electronic
chart kits are ideal for recreational boaters. Bob Hubbard suggested featuring
these discounts on any local squadron advertising and on our website, since
the savings would more than pay for a new member's first year dues.
AO Thomas Griffin stated that the plan to hold the November GMM without a meal or refreshments had provoked very little negative feedback. In planning for the 5 December "Parade of Lights" event, he asked about last year's barbecue and surmised that it might be easier just to provide cookies and drinks. Katie noted that, at last year's event, it was difficult to plan without knowing how many people would be present; there was a lot of food left over. Dave Baer suggested that it would not be necessary to arrive before 3:30 or 4 p.m. to stake out the space. Parking is a problem and last year, Barbara Goddard ran a "taxi" service from the parking lot to Rosecrans. This year's venue will again be near the Tuna Fishermen's Monument, which is convenient to public parking and facilities. The decision was made to restrict refreshments to desserts, and members will be asked to bring whatever food and drinks they want, along with a chair and warm clothing. Tom will send an e-mail announcement about the event to the members.
Secretary Barbara Goddard had nothing to report other than to ask that people fill in their particular sections of the USPS form H701, the squadron Historian's report, which needs to be filed shortly after the Change of Watch.
In the absence of Treasurer John Isaksen, Dave Baer conveyed John's regrets and delivered his written report. Funds on hand were down slightly from the same period last year, due primarily to the purchase of equipment for the education department. The status of the individual funds was detailed. John anticipates that the 2004 books will be reviewed by the Audit Committee in early December and he plans to begin preparing the 2005 budget soon.
OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS:
Commander Baer reminded people that the sign-up sheet for the Boat
Show will be posted on the squadron website and urged people to volunteer.
He would also like suggestions for someone to serve as Boat Show Chairman.
Arrangements were discussed regarding the two January meetings: the Annual
Meeting on 14 January and the Change of Watch on the 22nd. Various details
were considered, including ideas for ensuring a quorum for the Annual meeting.
Barbara Goddard asked when she could expect to receive the letter of the
nominating committee which needs to be mailed to the membership. Dave Baer
noted that the committee has almost finished its work and the mailing is
required at least 30 days prior to the meeting, which means the letter
must be mailed by mid-December.
The meeting was adjourned at 2053. The next meeting will be held at the commander's house at 1900 on Monday, 6 December 2004.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara A. Goddard
Secretary