In this issue we welcome new executive committee members, including president Bob Schwartz who's sent along a personal message (see below). As always, classes exist and thrive because of volunteers who step up to serve the sailors. Please thank them! 

-Carol Cronin 

Bob Schwartz is the new class president.

Fellow J109 Sailors,

It is an honor and a privilege to be the newly elected president of our class association. Rick Lyall is leaving behind very big boat shoes. I certainly want to thank Rick, Ed Dailey, and Ric Campeau for their many years of providing leadership to the class. I also want to thank Adrian Begley for his previous years of service, as well as for agreeing to continue in his role as Class Measurer.

I also want to thank Bill Sweetser and his nominating committee for their very thoughtful nominating process that identified our slate of new officers. I also want to thank our fleet officers who do the bulk of the organizing in their regions for the various events through the year.

As last year's season came to an end, we made some important rule and by-law changes. They are explained in detail on the 109 website. Very briefly, we made it more practical to amend our bylaws and rules, we now allow for sail selection changes during race days, and we corrected our references to ISAF sailor categories so that they match up with the current categories.

Also I want to make sure that everyone is aware that we had a terrific North American Championship regatta hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club last October. Reports are that the Annapolis Yacht Club ran a very professional event. Congratulations to Ted Herlihy/Gut Feeling, Rick Lyall/Storm, and Caminos/Don and Tina Filippelli for their winning performances, and to the rest of the fleet for providing challenging competition. Congratulations to Bill Sweetser and his very able Fleet 4 committee.

Already on the schedule for this year and coming up quickly is the Mid-Atlantic Championship as a part of Annapolis NOOD commencing on May 4. It is worth pointing out that this race is part of the prestigious East Coast 2012 Regatta Series.

This year's North American Championship will return to Newport and be a part of the New York Yacht Club Race Week, beginning July 19. It is always a privilege to race in those special waters and benefit from the professional management of the regatta provided by the New York Yacht Club. Stay tuned to our website for more information on this event.

Finally I want to say that I personally find it very satisfying to be associated with all of you, in our common love for these terrific boats and the fun and freedom that they provide us in enjoying the outdoors with our friends and families. I am very new to providing leadership to this group and so all suggestions will be most welcome, as I and the other officers look to help the class grow.

Warmly,

Bob Schwartz  

The following proposals were unanimously approved by the Executive Board at its Annual Meeting on 6 February, 2012. They were subsequently presented to Voting Members, who overwhelmingly approved them. The rules changes - summarized below - went into effect on 15 March, 2012.  

Proposal 1 amends section 7 in the Constitution to permit consideration of urgent and exceptional Class Rules changes at any time, upon a two thirds vote of the Executive Board and adoption by Voting Members. This will allow the Executive Board to convene and consider urgent issues at any time, rather than being limited to discussing such issues only during the Annual Meeting.

Proposal 2 amends the Driver rule in Class Rule 2.2 to conform to revised ISAF classification. Under Proposal 2, a Driver other than a 100% owner of a J/109 must be a Voting Member or Associate Member and a Group 1 competitor in the ISAF classification system.

Proposal 3 amends the sails rule in Class Rule 5.3 to allow jib and spinnaker changes to another declared and tagged sail at any time during an event. This will permit easy sail change in the event of a significant change in weather or other conditions.

The full details of these changes can be found in the Documents section of the J/109 website.