Volunteers Unite

Last Saturday there was a meeting of the 'Sailing Committee'. The Yacht Club's board is making a concerted effort to reach out to the membership for input on various aspects of the club's operations. It was well attended, with members from the race committee boat crew, the dry sailing fleet, big boat crews, and cruising members (i. e. Jonathon). There were door prizes and food! The meeting was chaired by John, Vice Commodore Fleet.

This was a great opportunity to catch up with scuttlebutt: the winter racing campaigns of one of our more competitive boats, winter sailing holidays, and memberships changes. There was no discussion about how the Club will deal with "the Financial Crisis" and "the New Economic Depression". (What financial crisis? Perhaps 'Yachties' are not a good indicator of financial distress!)

The 2009 regatta schedule was discussed. The Spring Round the Island race will be on Victoria Day. It was suggested that a "Family Regatta" be held to encourage greater participation of non racing members. Stephen indicated an interest in being Race Committee Chairman. One of Stephen's concerns is the use of cinder blocks as mark anchors. He indicated that he would look into a more environmentally compatible mark anchoring method. Richard and Ann provided an update on the 2009 TAH Regatta. We will need to encourage the training of additional Principal Race Officers, especially now that Peter has resigned (for the second time!).

The Club requires volunteers if it is to work properly. Volunteer activity allows members an opportunity to use and develop their skills. It also provides a way for people to socialize and network. A club is primarily a social institution. A volunteer Race Committee has to be given a bit more slack than a professional RC. How do you penalize a co-member for some perceived transgression; e.g. protests? No one wants to 'bell the cat'. How do you deal with equally valid but conflicting approaches to problems? It can be messy; it will take a long time to build a consensus; difficult issues are avoided, if at all possible. Never the less things get done. We had a very successful 2008 season and given the evidence from the first sailing committee meeting, 2009 will be even better.