President Leif Sigmond Reports from 2023 Annual General Meeting and May Board Meeting

On May 4, 2023, the ICOYC held its Annual General Meeting by Zoom. We had a great turnout and accomplished our annual council business.

Immediately after the AGM, the Board held a meeting so that the Directors could elect officers.  Paul Rosenlund of the San Francisco Yacht Club was elected as our new Secretary. All other officer positions remained the same. Paul has been serving as our Acting Secretary since the untimely passing of our friend Chuck Lowry. As I have shared previously, Chuck will be greatly missed. Chuck was a lifelong sailor, supporter of our sport and clubs, and instrumental in the activities and accomplishments of our Council. Before serving as Secretary, Chuck served as ICOYC Vice President of North America. Chuck was loved and respected for his calm demeanor, measured thoughts and understanding smile.

At the AGM, three new Directors were elected by the Members. I am delighted to welcome to the Board Manrico Iachia (Gstaad), Pam Lowry (Seattle) and Paul Rosenlund (San Francisco). We have a strong team. 

I also want to thank the Directors who stood down after completing their service to the Board: Mike Newbury (Royal Canadian Yacht Club) and David Stotler (Long Beach Yacht Club).  They will be missed on the Board, and we hope that they stay active in the Council.

Last year I reported that St. Petersburg Yacht Club joined the Council. Since then, we have also added Salinas Yacht Club (Ecuador) as well as our first affiliate member, the Cruising Club of America. These clubs are strong additions to the Council and I look forward to working with them.

The next World Forum will be held at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in September of 2023.  Planning is well under way for this Forum and, looking at the preliminary agenda, it will be informative and fun. Royal Vancouver is where the Council began years ago, so it is only fitting that we meet there after our pause due to COVID.  

I had the pleasure of attending the European Conference in Gstaad in March 2023. It was an amazing event. The Board is well under way in developing a schedule of regional conferences for the next few years so that we can all plan to attend in advance.

In Chicago, our (somewhat short) boating season is about to begin. Boats are filling the harbors and warmer weather is coming. I am greatly looking forward to this next year and I look forward to seeing many of you in Vancouver this Fall.  

Respectfully,
Leif Sigmond
President

Sir Russell Coutts at St. Francis Yacht Club 

Every week for over 65 years, St. Francis Yacht Club has welcomed a speaker to its famed Grill Room to talk to the sailing community. On May 3, the Club welcomed perhaps the most famous sailor in the world, Sir Russell Coutts, to speak about SailGP, in conjunction with the SailGP stopover in San Francisco, CA. Coutts is the cofounder, along with Larry Ellison, of SailGP. He has won the America’s Cup five times, including three times as skipper (1995, 2000, 2003) and twice as CEO (2010, 2013). With 15 wins and 0 losses, Coutts is the most successful helmsman in the 172 years of America’s Cup history.