SDSPS 50th Anniversary Burgee

San Diego
Sail & Power Squadron

San Diego, CA

The meeting was called to order by Commander Ron Weiner at 1930 at Southwestern Yacht Club (SWYC). An attendance list was circulated. There were 37 members and 5 guests present representing a quorum.

INVOCATION: Chaplain Andrew Backus

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Executive Officer, Dave Baer

MINUTES: The minutes of 14 November, 2003 were approved as published. Since the minutes were circulated shortly before the meeting began, the Commander waited until after his remarks to ask for their approval.

RECOGNITION:
District Lt. Commanders Marie Baer and Chester White
Past District Commanders Bill Bridge and Tom Swift
Past Squadron Commanders Steve and Shelley Bakalis, Nadine Christensen , Bob Hubbard, Shaun McArdle and Mel Mones
Past Squadron Lt. Commanders Gordon Parham and Steve Gawura
Introductions: Suzanne Weiner, Alberta Gawura, Ellen Weimer, Tom Griffin, Lani Donohoe, and Diann Christensen

OFFICERS REPORTS:
The Commander referred people to the current Ship's Mail for information about the accomplishments of his watch. He commended members of the Executive Committee for their activities on behalf of the squadron and expressed appreciation for the valuable contributions of the committee chairs who came to Executive Committee Meetings. He noted that the positions of Assistant Administrative Officer and Assistant Secretary on the 2004 Slate of Officers were vacant and asked that people arrange nominations from the floor before the vote later in the meeting.

Executive Officer, Dave Baer, announced that additional volunteers were needed at the Boat Show this weekend and that he had flyers for the seven week Boating Class beginning 14 January for people to distribute. He also announced that the Regional Water Quality Control Board will have a hearing at Silvergate Yacht Club on 15 January at 1900 about outlawing copper based bottom paint in the Shelter Island Yacht Basin. Boat owners were urged to attend! He thanked the committee chairs in the Executive Department for their work. They are Dan Norris, PRO; J. Brockway Clark, Co-operative Charting; Dick Barck, VSC; Dick Gaffney, Safety; and Chris Pikus, Radio Technical. He noted that Lynda Juniper, Boat Show Chair, had done a particularly outstanding job. Finally, he urged members to volunteer!

SEO, Mike Fontaine, noted that the class schedule is available on the squadron web site. New instuctors are Ted and Claudia Bowler teaching Cruise Planning beginning 15 January and Michael Ludlow teaching Instructor Development and the spring Seamanship class. Instructor Development is a new class yet to be scheduled which is required of all instructors. He reported some administrative changes in the Education Department. Dan and Trish Carlin will chair the Boating Class replacing Mike Grinnell who has done this for several years. He thanked Mike for all his work in this position. Mike Sampsel will become Chairman for Local Boards for Advanced Grades to replace Dave Baer who will become the new Commander. Bill Bridge will continue as Chairman for Local Boards for Electives. In 2003, 102 students took the public boating classes; 37 members graduated from the advanced grades classes and 30 from elective classes. He thanked the instructors who have given so much of their time and urged members to take courses. Many of them have been updated. It was also noted that the squadron had won the three D/28 awards for educational excellence!

Administrative Officer, Katherine Law announced that there were flyers for the Change of Watch on 24 January on the tables. She urged members to use them to make dinner reservations. She said that she had thanked people for their contributions to the Administrative Department in the current Ship's Mail and said that she appreciated their support. She began the Happy/Sad Dollar contributions and others followed. There was much enthusiasm.

Treasurer, John Isaksen reviewed the written financial statement for December, 2003. The cash on hand at year end was 29% less than that for the same time last year. This was attributed to an inventory of shirts and caps and the recent purchase of educational materials, He also reported that the squadron had purchased a new canopy and a new banner for the squadron booth at boat shows. He thanked John Bertran for his work as Advertising Chair. (The Commander called a five minute break.)

The Secretary, Virginia Prutow did not give a report. The Commander thanked her for her work as secretary for the past two years.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Information Technology Chair, Tom Fota reported on the developments in the squadron information technology program. A squadron e-mail mailing list was initiated thus enabling electronic distribution of the roster and class and meeting announcements to those members with e-mail. The squadron web site was reviewed as recommended by the district resulting in a partial redesign. A web site program to provide an electronic means of signing-up volunteers to stand watch at the squadron booth at the Boat Show was developed and successfully utilized. A squadron domain name, sdsps.org, was purchased enabling the hosting of a new web site at www.sdsps.org. Future plans for the web site include a new layout and design, more use of graphics, more department specific content, and improved navigation.

Vessel Safety Check (VSC) Chair, Dick Barck reported that the squadron had done 50% more VSCs in 2003 than in 2002. However, all of the 2002 exams were done by one person, Gordon Parham. In 2003 two people did the exams. He thanked Bob Hubbard for doing the majority of those exams. Members were encouraged to become examiners. A training program is being developed.

Audit Committee Chair, Mike Collins submitted a written report to the Commander in a letter dated 18 December which the Commander read. It said that he and Bill Bridge had met with the Treasurer and reviewed the monthly financial reports and the records and found them to be in good order. He commended the Treasurer for "a job well done."

The Commander asked for a motion to accept the report.
Chester White made the motion. It was seconded and passed with no opposition.

OLD BUSINESS: None.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
Nominations from the Nominating Committee: Shelley Bakalis, Nominating Committee Chair read the names of the people on the 2004 Slate of Officers proposed by the Nominating Committee which follows. The Commander asked each person to stand when his name was called.

Commander: David Baer
Executive Officer: Katherine Law
Educational Officer (SEO): Mike Fontaine Assistant SEO: Dan Carlin Administrative Officer: Tom Griffin Assistant Administrative Officer: Vacant
Secretary: Barbara Goddard
Assistant Secretary: Vacant
Treasurer: John Isaksen
Assistant Treasurer: Catherine Isaksen
Members at Large: Bob Hubbard, Sterling Campbell, Dick Barck, Karen Glaze Nominating Committee (Three Years): Ron Weiner, Ken Glaze Rules Committee (Three Years): Julio Garcia Audit Committee (Three Years): Ed Bowler

Nominations by Petition: The Secretary said that there were no Nominations by Petition in response to the Commander's question.

Nominations from the Floor: Tom Griffin nominated his wife, Lani Donohoe, for the position of Assistant Administrative Officer.

The Commander entertained a motion to approve the Slate of Candidates by unanimous consent. Chester White made the motion. The motion was seconded and passed with no opposition.

NEW BUSINESS:
Proposed 2004 Budget:

Treasurer John Isaksen reviewed the budget proposal for the coming year. It was developed in a Budget Committee Meeting with the ExO, AO, SEO, and Treasurer in attendance. The budget is balanced and represents a 7% increase over the 2003 budget. It is projected that the increased income will come from a slight increase in both membership and retention and an increase in the cost of classes to cover postage. It was also noted that a change in the bookkeeping for the Change of Watch made the numbers somewhat higher.

Chester White moved that the proposed 2004 Budget be approved. The motion was seconded and passed with no opposition.

The Treasurer also urged members to see the progress on the installation of the trophy case in the Staff Commodore's room at SWYC. This was partially funded by the squadron in 2002.

Dick Barck moved that the squadron give Honorary Membership to Suzanne Weiner and Marsha Smelkinson for 2004 for their work as editors of the Ship's Mail.
The motion was seconded and passed with no opposition.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: None.

The meeting was adjourned at 2040. The next meeting will be the Change of Watch on 24 January at SWYC.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia Prutow
Secretary