"It's a Thankless Job"

 

Hmmm...That is a statement that I have heard time and time again over the past four years through which I have been involved in the Board both as Senior Vice-Commodore and as Commodore.  The fact is, that regardless of the number of issues that arise that take you on left turns, regardless of the few members who may have strong opinions more than strongly voiced, regardless of new Government regulations that challenge the way we operate, and regardless of the work involved, many, many members consistently voice their thanks for the work that has been accomplished and the time taken.  That has made it worthwhile in my estimation and that has been my experience.  It is with gratitude for that support over these past two years particularly that I retire from the position of Commodore feeling that we, as a Club, have done well during that time.

 

As Commodore, I have appreciated that I met so many members that I wouldn't have otherwise.  I have gained many new friends and acquaintances and have strengthened bonds with others who I have known for a long time.  Their selfless dedication to our Club is substantial and noted.  That has made it worthwhile in my estimation.

 

Personally, I have grown substantially in my knowledge of operations, legal considerations, other Clubs and their issues, and through the observance of others with differing learning and presentation styles.  That has made it worthwhile in my estimation.

 

It has been my honour to be Commodore and I do not, and will not regret any of the time spent.  I thank all the members of the Boards over the past two years particularly for the time freely given, the work that they accomplished, and the much appreciated advice given.  To the Board Members specifically, Members appreciate that you value our Club and our Club future so, that you "stuck your neck out" and went the extra mile.  I have heard that time and time again.  They have made it worthwhile in my estimation.  

 

I look forward to continuing my connection with the Board as Past Commodore for the next two years.  It is rewarding, challenging, and filled with growth opportunities.  With that in mind, I challenge you to "stick out your neck" as it is not too late to stand for election next week.  The Positions of Commodore, Senior Vice-Commodore, Vice-Commodore of Member Services, and Vice-Commodore of Planning are available and the democratic processes of our Club deserve multiple candidates for each position. I encourage you to put your name forward.  Bruce Hannah, the Chairman of the Nominating Committee is ready to accept your name.

 

It is a "Thank Full" Job. I offer my congratulations and the best of luck to all Candidates.

 

Don't forget that our September General Meeting is next Monday, September 23 at 7 pm.  We need all Senior and Life Members there and if it is impossible for you to attend, please send you proxies.  If you don't know a specific member who could represent you through your proxy, send it to a Board Member. Your vote is valued and your democratic right should be exercised.   

 

Respectfully submitted,  

 

Rick Humphrey, Commodore  

commodore@abyc.on.ca

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Mast-Up Storage

 

amirvish@hotmail.com

 

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It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.   Muhammad Ali

 

There's about 100 days in between the September elections meeting and the January budget meeting, so here's what I'd do:

 

1. add a VC marketing to the board.  Work with current board members and Communications chair Geoff Huck to bring some order and priority to this function currently handled in bits and pieces by too many.

 

2. add a VC Facilities to the board.  Work with current board members and House Chair Mike Robertson to find a better way to prioritize and monitor projects like the front entrance, the womens' washroom, the second floor of the Junior Sailing School, a lack of storage space, inadequate dinghy access/ launching, along with new initiatives like member lockers, a renewed playground and, dare I say it, a pool.

 

3. establish with Past Commodore Rick Humphrey a formal, visible succession planning process for standing committee chairs and board positions, a logical follow on to the work Rick has been doing to formalize the duties.

 

4. work with Rear Commodore Paul Brennan to plan and budget for an additional Co-op boat and, with Humber Sailing School who have expressed an interest, a second ALTS boat.  Both these programmes generate positive revenue to offset other sailing programme costs and have been successful attracting new members to ABYC.

 

5. again with the Rear Commodore, develop (and add budget for) an incoming Cruise Director or Officer of the Day programme to increase ABYC visitor access and F&B patronage.

 

6. with the new SRVC, I would recommend transferring the Safety Committee responsibility to VC Marine and combining it with the Environment Committee since the work and issues overlap.

 

7. with the new SRVC and Membership Committee, trial a $100.00 crew membership which could be extended to paddle boarders, kayakers, canoeists, dragon boaters.  With the new VC Facilities and VC Marine look at ways to house these potential sailors and their watercraft in ways that do not require a lot of space given the revenue potential.

 

8. with the new VC Member Services, look at a complete 'makeover' for F&B.  Time to focus on ways to realize the potential we have to attract member and visitor patronage and raise our profile as an event venue. NO MORE LOSSES.

 

9. with VC Marine Bruce Morrison put Seawall repair on the same financial, equipment and manpower footing as the successful dock expansion project.  Time to use the rainy day fund to give Stephen and his team the help they need and GET THIS DONE.

 

10. (since we're spending money and 1-9 will have a bottom line effect I'm sure VC Finance Axel Noriega can massage)  work with Axel and the Finance Committee to secure a Trillium Foundation grant for our Junior or Adult learn to sail programmes.  2014/2015 is the logical time given the Pan Am Games and the potential community outreach.

 

11. Finance Committee again to establish an Endowment Fund (Memorial, Charitable Donation) for ABYC. We have the expertise within the club to look after our long term financing options.

 

12. get 1 through 11 in front of the membership in time for the January budget meeting.

 

I blew my campaign budget on the ad for 'my' Senior Vice Commodore and can't pay for a proxy bagman so thank goodness for S2S.

   

Get out the live vote!

 

Cheers,    Pat

 

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Since seeking the nomination for the office of Club Commodore I have met many members at the club and on the recent club cruise to Oakville.  People are asking for input and answers to their questions about why I want to be the next Commodore and what do I see as priorities for the club's future.  

 

I'd like to take this opportunity to share more about who I am for those who I haven't had the opportunity to meet yet and a platform of priorities for the next board to address.

 

I've been a member of ABYC for nearly 25 years and currently sail with my spouse Pat on our sail boat Perseverance (G67).  We love cruising with friends and especially our family when our daughters and grandsons can make it out.  We used to race our CS30 White Squall, however, once we became cruising coordinators (3 years in the early 1990's) racing the boat became difficult.  I get my racing fix on others' boats now.  I've served on the ABYC board twice; previously 1996-98 as VC Member Services and most recently as VC Marine from 2010-2013.  As VC Marine I accepted the nomination for a second term with the understanding that I would serve until the new floating docks were completed.  I was most fortunate to have great team and project leaders who worked closely with our staff to complete the project ahead of schedule and within budget.  I've also served on the Membership Committee,  the Club Values Vision Project and currently represent the club on the Ashbridge's Bay Environmental Assessment Public Advisory Committee.

 

I recently retired from the full time work life where I had experiences as Business Director of the UK Bakery Business and Leadership Development for the corporation.  I am familiar with sport organizations and advocacy work having also served on the Board of Sport Ontario from 1985-1995 and the Coaching Association of Canada as a Master Coach from 1979-2008.

 

I have a life long relationship and passion for Ashbridge's Bay.  Starting as a young cadet learning to sail before ABYC moved out to its current location.  I grew up along the Scarborough Bluffs and have lived in the beaches since 1984 so; I care deeply about this club, the community and my fellow members.  I decided with the support of my spouse Pat that serving now as Commodore was the best time for me to make another commitment to our club.

 

My platform:

1. Manage member costs efficiently while continuing to maintain and enhance our sailing, social programs and infrastructure rebuild.  This will require leadership, team work and vigilance to ensure that we resolve our outstanding tax assessment.
2. Develop and implement a long range plan for our sea walls, fixed docks and aging club structures beginning with our most urgent sea walls (north wall in dry sail area).
3. Develop a plan for member renewal that ensures our racing, cruising dinghy fleets are healthy while respecting our tradition of being a club for all boaters.
4. Stay true to our mission and values - be transparent with our members and staff at all times.
5. Ensure the future succession of Committee and Board leadership by getting more people engaged in the process of leading our club.
6. Align the duties, responsibilities of the board Committee Chairs and staff to improve accountability to the board and membership.
7. Help members engage in club activities particularly through work contribution on our committees and projects - have more fun!

The Election

 

Many members have asked me why I am running for Commodore and supporting Elizabeth Sloss's nomination for the office of Senior Vice Commodore.  In point of fact the elections are by position starting with the Commodore.  If elected, I will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office of Commodore for the entire two year term regardless of the outcome of the SVC election.  I want members to know that I have met with Elizabeth to learn about her board experiences and sharing our approaches to board leadership.  She has indicated that she supports my nomination.  I also believe that Elizabeth has the experience and skills to fulfill the very demanding duties and responsibilities of this office.  I also support the other nominees Mike McDonald and Bob Brew as presented by the nominations committee.

 

 

 

ABYC FALL BELL BUOY RACE

is now combined with the

 

DONALD SUMMERVILLE MEMORIAL RACE

Saturday Sept. 21, 2013

 

This is your second last chance to race your boat for the 2013 season or think of it as a warm-up for the 2014 sailing season.

 

The ABYC Offshore race, formerly scheduled as the Fall Bell Buoy Race is now combined with the our club's LORC Donald Summerville Memorial Race.  Combining the two events has been forced on the club due to two issues - the scarcity of available dates in the sailing season calendar and the continuing problem of finding Race Committee Volunteers to run these races.

 

The boats normally racing in the LORC series in the IRC divisions will be in the first group of starts and then we will have the start for PHRF white-sail (JaM) division.

 

We will not be using the Gibraltar Point Buoy or the Eastern Gap Entrance Buoys this year due to an International I14 championship regatta being run south of Toronto Island.  Instead, we will be running a windward/leeward course, with the windward mark being set by the Race Committee - the compass course and the distance to be displayed on the SARAH ASHBRIDGE before the start.  There is a chance of a downwind start depending on wind direction.

 

Rennie and Albert will be hosting a Bar-B-Que at the club immediately after the race so everyone can top up on lost calories and re-hydrate after a great afternoon of sailing.

 

Adopting a tradition from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda, look for a special prize to be given to the white-sail PHRF boat finishing in mid-fleet position!  Have fun trying to engineer that spot on the finish line!

   

Even though this is a club race, we do require all entrants to register for the race at www.lorc.org.  The entry fee for ABYC members is a nominal $2.00.  We need to do the ABYC entries through LORC for scoring purposes.

 

Look for the promotional poster for this event posted around the club and in this issue of Ship2Shore.

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We have two events left:

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It was a quiet weekend for ABYC boats last weekend.  Only two boats I could find sailed in the LOSHRS Series.  Congratulations to Dennis Dice and Roger Van Vlack aboard Umi Taka for finishing first in their division on Saturday (PHRF 3) and third on Sunday for the trek back from Port Dalhousie.  In the white sails division, Murray Gainer and Lively were 7th in division on Saturday and second on Sunday.
Full results can be found at http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=767.

This week Ryan Wynott is competing in the I14 World Championships being hosted at RCYC.  Good luck Ryan.  Results can be found at http://i14.ca/worlds/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2013-I14-World-Championships_Results_RaceThree.pdf.

Don't forget to register NOW for the Summerville this coming Saturday.  It counts towards the Offshore series and promises to be once again a fabulous race.  Registration is $2.00 for ABYC boats and you can sign up at www.lorc.org.

That's all for this week.

Wendy Loat

Black Swan - Winner of Spinnaker Division                                 Double Time - Winner of JaM Division                                                                                              Results of 2013 Challenge Race                                                                                                                                                         Photos - BCaron