 Commodore's Corner
Mike Hollis
(SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT EDITION)
Mike Hollis
The rain caused the postphonement of the semi-annual meeting from 20 October to Saturday 26 October at 5pm. This alternate meeting will be truncated with minimal reports, no meal and purely for the purposes of electing the next board. It is important that members attend for the purpose of voting. Feel free to stay for the family movie and campout to follow - view the movie at 6pm and enjoy a hotdog by the bonfire later. Alternatively, if you cannot attend, you may give a proxy vote to the nominating committee led Andy Wood ( woodhaus226@gmail.com ) not later than 6pm on Friday 25 October.
Commodore’s report
- We are rapidly approaching the end of the 2019 season. Overall I would rate it as a success. The club continues to be in better shape each year. The grounds look good, membership is increasing with the addition of 6 new members, the sail training program is moving along and our coffers are fuller than last year. We are positioned to have a really good 2020.
I will let the individual officer reports below provide the details.
-Here’s a couple of items:
- First let me thank the board for their tireless efforts working the magic behind the curtain. The collective backgrounds, skills and experience each brings to the table really enhances our ability to solve issues in a creative way.
- Please look at the club fleet when you get a chance. Our paddle box has been a tremendous success with documented usage by over 30 members throughout the season. Members no longer must access the schoolhouse or storage room for paddles or sails. We are also looking to expand our fleet offerings with perhaps 2 additional play boat kayaks and two Stand Up Paddleboards over the next few years.
-We have developed a catalogue of the club fleet so you can best match your vessel with your skills. Canoes, kayaks, lasers, 420s and more are all available for the taking.
- One thing we have striven to accomplish is “compartmentalizing” the club. This effort attempts to confer “ownership” of certain portions of the club to various members- All of you have access to the gate and bathrooms. You have no need to have access to the schoolhouse, gas locker, or storage room. One of the most frustrating things for the board to deal with is missing, disorganized, and tampered with items in the schoolhouse and storage room. By limiting access we are assured of always being able to find what we need, in the right quantity, nicely stored and hopefully not mice eaten.
- I’d like to thank James Woods for cutting grass on the access road and Brian or Sandy Barnshaw mowing the lawn or cleaning up the heads. Please be sure to thank them for keeping the place looking nice.
- Security has become an issue – we are finding the gate unlocked more often than not. We will probably install cameras at the gate and pavilion in the near future to monitor access. If you see some on campus – introduce yourself. You might make a friend or deter a threat. If you are here on a non-event day close / lock the gate behind you…. Please
- We have been hosting our monthly open board meetings here at the club – It allows us to have real-time fact filled discussions- We will reconvene in the spring. You are invited to see sausage get made.
- The club is no longer accepting items for donation sight unseen (except cash). We are still looking for a nice rowboat via donation.
- We are attempting to become greener- We are recycling cans and bottles during major events and are considering a bottle filling station in order to save the planet.
- We are returning to postcard notifications for selected events and dues renewal, eliminating PayPal due to overhead. We are going old school by asking you to write a check.
- We have added three additional staff positions- A Port Captain to host visiting Yachters- Doug and Ellen Campbell, A shipwright to oversee club and school fleet maintenance- Art Silcox, and a County Liaison to follow County growth plan developments within Parks and Recreation Department and the county/state in general – John Foster. Thanks to each for taking on these additional duties. We’d like to further expand positions to include a public relations person, a staff photographer and an IT person.
- Speaking of Parks and Rec– Floating around are copies of the QAC Parks and Recreation Department master plan to develop this area. Notice that the land behind us is no longer being farmed. We are currently following and helping to shape the development of Spaniards Neck land. We have more questions than answers right now. More to follow.
- Also thanks to you the members for input, suggestions, thoughts, and advice in addition to the hours you donate each year oftentimes on something we didn't’t even know needed to be done. Most of all thanks for showing up and participating in your club.
- If you want to participate in helping the club – just ask- remember- We will never set you up to fail!
- We hope to see you at the family campout and movie night next Saturday for Popcorn, hotdogs, cider, a bonfire etc…
- Reminder for the club closing on the 3rd of November- We need 20 folks to close up well.
- Also don’t forget about Doc’s for New Year’s Breakfast and early membership renewal on 4 January.
Thanks to all for your continued support
Mike Hollis
Commodore, CRYC
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Treasurer/Finance
John Friel
CRYC Treasurer Report 2019
Starting Balance – January 3, 2019 -$7533.90
Major Expenses: Rent $2494.
Insurance $6939.
Septic $870.
Memberships $950.
Social events $7122.
3 Regatta’s $4266.
Grass cutting
and cleaning $6500 (Awaiting final billing)
$29,141.
Anticipated new 2020 Expenses - Septic work and inspection contract
Funds on hand October 18, 2019 : Cash $10,120.
CD’s maturing in March 2020 $10,000.
- Current club funds are $20,120
- This includes 10K in CD’s which are earning interest. We are on track to achieve 100k in the bank by 2040 which will allow the club to carry some costs utilizing interest – in theory with enough capital in the bank earning interest – this club could continue to pay overhead costs even with no members. As a general rule initiation fees should go into the capital fund to earn interest while annual dues are utilized for annual operations and maintenance (O&M). For budget purposes we plan on about 22K of dues plus 4k from YMCA, and minimal income from merchandise, pavilion rentals and regattas / social events. Overhead cost run about 17K per year (rent, insurance, maintenance etc.)
- We are going to discontinue the use of PayPal due to the high fees charged – last year we had over 800$ in fees – the equivalent of more than 3 memberships.
Dues may either be paid on the CRYC website or via postal mail:
CRYC
P.O. Box 24
Centreville, Maryland 21617
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Membership
John Friel and Gayle Jayne
- We currently have 102 members, 94 paid members and 8 more comped members. Members are comped based on longevity in the club, in-kind contribution (plumbing, engine maintenance, major construction, etc). We are always looking to expand membership – Bring a friend.
- The board is now requiring new members to complete a club orientation as part of full membership. This will allow new members to learn how things are done, what is available to them, and how to use / maintain club assets. It will also allow the member to ask questions and exchange ideas with a board member to facilitate a smooth onboarding. We intend to hold 4 - 6 orientations per year. Too often we cash a new member’s check, shake their hand and say “welcome aboard”, after that they’re on their own. We can do better both from a board perspective and sponsor perspective.
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Schools
John Friel and Tammy Boone
- Our partnership with the YMCA continues with another successful summer under our belts. Over 30 kids were introduced to sailing and another 200 introduced to the club and its grounds during August while they enjoyed our waterfront. Several of you have expressed concerns about the state of the grounds while the Y is here in August. We agree. We will address them with the YMCA in Nov as we re-negotiate the contract for 2021. Overall the YMCA contract brings in about 4k of income per year.
- The school fleet will be winterized on 3 Nov during closing and placed under the pavilion to determine needed repairs or other requirements.
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Buildings and Grounds
John Foster Mike Sipes John Harper
- A new schoolhouse is currently in the design phase. The intent is provide a split use facility that can store regatta equipment and serve as a schoolhouse – more to follow
- We sistered 2X4s onto dock pilings in order to protect them from wear
- Considering a water bottle fill station to decrease reliance on disposable water bottles
- Septic has become an ongoing issue – We’ve replaced 2 pumps this summer, had one pump out and had multiple clogs.
- Please continue to pack out your trash – this act saves the club over $400.00 each year.
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Communications
Joe Della Barba & Gayle Jayne
- This season saw the installation of the online, real-time weather station and the purchase of several new marine handheld radios. The building of a new cell tower in the area has allegedly improved cell and computer reception.
- For member communications we are going to reinstate the mailing of postcards – (at about $50.00 per mailing) on a to-be-determined basis (quarterly, major events?). We’ve found that many of you do not read your E-mails or Corsica Currents and hopefully this will fill that gap.
- We are seeking an IT person to assist in redesigning our website and Facebook pages to make them more timely, relevant and less maintenance intensive.
Please send photos or articles of interest to Gayle Jayne for inclusion in Corsica Currents. (gaylejayne@earthlink.net)
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Regatta / Race
Art Silcox, Gail Owings, and John Foster
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- We feel strongly about compensating regatta staff – at a minimum we should feed regatta workers on regatta days and reimburse some expenses (i.e.fuel). The board is looking at options for an equitable compensation plan.
- We are a sailing club and we either sponsored or participated in the following events this year
- CRYC Spring Series, Tred Avon (TAYC) Regatta in May
- Comet North Americans, Toms River, NJ in June
- CBYRA Junior Regatta, 105 participants
- CRYC & Corsica River Yacht & Country Club joint Log Canoe Regatta, 7 boats, 100 sailors, July
- Annual Regatta, 6 classes / 58 boats / 90 sailors in July
- CRYC Fall Series, Oct
- TAYC PUMPKIN Bowl, Gibson Island Yacht Squadron Frostbite in Nov
- CRYC will be hosting the 2020 Comet Class North Americans in Oct 2020.
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Around the Fleets
Art Silcox
- COMET – Art Silcox- The CRYC fall series finished on 6 Oct. Comet and Laser sailors enjoyed good spirited camaraderie as they scooted about the Corsica River.
If any members would like to donate their stored/not being used Comet to CRYC for Fleet building please contact Art Silcox at Art.silcox@gmail.com or call 571-213-9536
- LASER - Nicholas Place- Frostbiting kicks off in Nov with races on Sunday’s beginning at noonish. Come down to race or just enjoy the fall days. Bring some cider and build a responsible fire in the fire pit.
- KAYAK – Four kayakers enjoyed a kayaking expedition in June with a trip up the Corsica. The fall trip was canceled due to light participation and weather. Two trips will be planned for next year. Seeking an expedition planner / leader. Contact Mike Hollis at mikehollis@atlanticbb.net. if you are interested.
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Social Committee
Gail Owings, Tammy Boone
- CRYC held several purely social events this year beginning with the New Year’s Breakfast in January. The Annual Regatta Chicken dinner in July and the Crab feast in Sept were all successes more or less. We also held a few smaller socials in conjunction with other events- a campfire after kayaking, 3 potlucks- 1st Semi-annual meeting, Pre annual regatta and 2nd Semi-annual meeting. While some of these are “tradition”, the board is currently reviewing the need for the pre annual regatta potluck as an open “all-hands” event. The original purpose of the annual regatta Friday night dinner was to set-up the tent and review/rehearse roles and responsibilities of various members for the next two days of racing – both on water and land. The potluck has since morphed into an event in its own right requiring a slew of folks to spend Friday setting up the tent and chairs, coordinate deliveries, greet visiting sailors, host the potluck, AND then spend two more days running what has become a completely disassociated event. In short, the Friday night potluck has become a distraction from the annual regatta and Saturday night dinner. We will return to a working dinner for regatta staff.
- Costs- As I’ve said before we spend every club dollar like it’s our own. We are also sensitive to price point for every event- It’s a balance between losing money, breaking even, making a profit and being affordable enough for a family to want to participate. This is a family club. Sometimes we get it right sometimes not.
- Crabfest was a success with 30 attendees. Crabs, beer, corn and small talk were in abundance. The postponement until Sept 29 was a good call. The weather was perfect and crabs meatier. We are considering making this a permanent move to Sept.
The Family Movie Night and Campout on 26 Oct promises to be a fun time for all. Beginning at 5pm with folks setting up their own tent, we will serve popcorn when the movie starts around 6pm. The club will be providing hotdogs, marshmallows, cider and hot cocoa around the campfire upon the movie completion. For our planning purposes, a RSVP is a must to contact@cryc.org. Please indicate whether you will be spending the night or just staying for the movie and campfire, departing not later than 1030 when vehicle movement will cease for camper safety. A guardian or parent must be present. Please RSVP to contact@cryc.org by 23 Oct.
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Ships Storekeeper
Tammy Boone and Gail Owings
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- Club merchandise sold well this year as we introduced new club shirts in miracle fabrics. See our display at the semi-annual meeting.
- Online sales were lackluster for CRYC logo items at Lands’ End – However interest for high quality golf shirts and canvas bags et al remains.
- Holidays are just around the corner – Make club merchandise your first thought for holiday gifts
How to purchase CRYC logo items at Lands' End:
You will need to create your own account and create a library of logos that you can use. Although there are a few steps involved, it is worth the time setting it all up. When you order an item, you can preview it and adjust the placement of the logo on the garment.
Here's how to get set up:
- Log in or or create an account with Lands' End Business (This is separate from regular Lands' End.)
- Once you have created an account and/or signed in, use the drop down menu under your name in the upper right corner to click on "Logos".
- Click on "Associate a Logo to my Account"
- Use Logo #'s: 1150832 and/or 1150825 and Customer #: 7179521
That's all there is to it! You are ready to order.
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More Opportunities to Serve
Contact@cryc.org for info on the below: If you’re unsure of what you can do, remember- We will never set you up to fail!
- The Club will be seeking general support for Racing and Social events over the course of the year. If you haven’t served yet it’s a great way to give back.
- Seeking members to support the 2020 race committee – note takers, safety patrols, flag haulers, etc. It’s a great introduction to racing and an easy day on the water. Lunch sometimes provided
- Seeking a breakfast person to make coffee and purchase doughnuts for the four major regattas (Junior, log canoe, annual, and comet nationals) per year. Club will provide the 65-cup coffeemaker. All costs reimbursed.
- Seeking a Staff photographer or 2 or 3 to document events for posterity. Wide latitude and access authorized.
- Seeking up to 6 persons to support public relations and member recruiting – staff booths at events, develop signage etc. for up to 5 events per year.
- Seeking an IT person to assist us with Web design, and Facebook.
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Schedule of Upcoming Events
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Sat Oct 26
Sat Nov 2
Sat Nov 3
Mon Nov 11
Thurs, Nov 28
Weds Dec 25
Weds Jan 1
Saturday, Jan 4
Italized items- not club events. For Planning purposes only
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Family Campout / Movie
Private Event
Closing Work Party
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Breakfast at Doc’s
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Visit the CRYC Website for more info.
View schedule.
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Classified Ads
- If any members would like to donate their stored/not being used Comet to CRYC for Fleet building please contact Art Silcox at Art.silcox@gmail.com or call 571-213-9536
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How to Contact the CRYC Board
Send email to contact@cryc.org. Your email will be received by each BOD member.
To contact Commodore Mike Hollis, send email to commodore@cryc.org
View Phone Directory for BOD Members
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