A Board Meeting of the Raritan Yacht Club was called to order at 20:36 on February 12, 2008.

1. Roll Call

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

Commodore Dennis Meichel

X

X

X

X

VC Allan Jacobs

X

X

X

X

RC Ann Myer

X

X

X

X

Barbara Booz

X

X

X

X

Steve Buzbee

X

X

O

O

Dennis Driscoll

X

O

X

O

John Erdreich

X

X

X

X

PC Dave Frizell

X

X

O

X

Karen Guidi

X

X

X

X

Paul Jedziniak

X

X

X

X

Bob Kennedy

X

X

O

X

PC Vicky Jo Neiner

X

O

O

X

Bob Searfoss

X

X

X

X

Doug Stryker

X

X

O

X

Dave Steward

X

O

X

O

x = present, o = absent

2. The January meeting minutes were approved.

3. PC Jim Woller presented the Financial Report. Excess Revenues over Expenses YTD at January 31, 2008 were $20,843, and the cash balance was $199,678.

4. Ann Myer presented the Rear Commodore’s Report.

a. Issues regarding the Coast Guard requirements on the mooring field are being addressed. There will be a meeting with all RYC parties involved to discuss the matter.

b. The North float was removed by the crane operator at no cost to RYC. The floats were removed to reveal some rotten wood. Ray Schmidt is working on the project.

c. A meeting with Howard Paul is scheduled for February 23^rd to address proper billing by the mooring contractors.

d. A presentation by the makers of the Helix mooring system is desirable, but they have not yet been contacted.

e. The presentation by Peter Reggio on the Americas Cup drew a full house, and $135 was made.

5. Al Jacobs presented the Vice Commodore’s Report.

a. Approval for the wave screen project was received from the DEP. The permit was recorded with the County and is good for five years. McClarin will provide the design, which will then be discussed with the membership. The permitting process took 3 ½ years to complete.

b. Al has tried to contact the Decorating Committee Chairperson concerning completion of the decorations in the house. A comprehensive plan is needed, but it has not yet been developed. Al will phone PC Agnes Cashman. If she is not interested in finishing the project, Barbara Booz will take over the task.

c. Much work has been completed on the house, although it is not all visible. Proposals have been received for refinishing the outside of the house with paint or stucco. A report should be ready for the meeting in March. This will be the only major project to be contracted out.

6. Dennis Meichel presented the Commodore’s Report.

a. The Club insurance policy is up for renewal effective February 28^th. The policy was put out to bid at the beginning of the year (this is done every three years). There are three companies that insure yacht clubs, and Chubb is the “gold standard”. Chubb usually costs $3,000-4,000 more, but this year the difference in price from the current insurance company, North American Standard, is only $1,200. Chubb offers several advantages, including enhanced limits and a faster payback. The policy covers all regattas. The Finance Committee recommended Chubb. A question arose as to any ramifications for switching with claims from 2007. It may be necessary to purchase “tail insurance”, and Dennis will investigate. A motion was passed to accept Chubb.

b. A letter from the US Coast Guard was received January 8^th regarding encroachment by RYC moorings on the Federal channels and removal of the moorings by May 1, 2008. The moorings must be 75 yd from the channel, which would affect about 35% of the fleet. A meeting of Dennis, Howard Paul, and PC Jim Woller with the Coast Guard was held. On February 12th, the Coast Guard rescinded their original directive and advised RYC that all moorings and vessels must be inside Special Anchorage 45A. About 35-45 boats would have to be repositioned, and all moorings would have to be placed such that the boats do not exceed the limits of the Special Anchorage. Initially, there was a discrepancy between the NOAA charts and the Army Corps of Engineers charts, but that has been corrected. A letter to the Coast Guard and an invitation to them to visit RYC are planned. A committee, including Dennis, Al, Ann, Howard, Jim, PC Dave Frizell, Steve Gillooly, and Mike Carr, was formed to address the issues. A White Paper, prepared by Jim, was sent to the members of the Board.

Ann and Howard will meet with the mooring contractors on February 23^rd to discuss, in part, a reasonable fee for the mooring work that will be required. The usual fee is $225. The question of reimbursement by the Club needs to be addressed. Regarding funding, an increase in the launch fee from $500 to $530 would provide $6,000. In response to a question, it was noted that position on the mooring list is based on years on the list plus seniority.

Use of the Helix system was suggested. The cost of the Helix system would include $500 for the screw and $2500 for the ground tackle. PC Dave Frizell will look into the Helix system. A recommendation was made to consider boat draft in conjunction with the moves, as there are many small boats on deep water moorings.

A motion was passed that “the Club pay for up to two mooring moves for those required moving by the US Coast Guard requirements with the dollar value determined at a meeting of the committee.”

7. Committee Reports

a. Joann Breef-Marks presented the Bar Report. For December, gross revenues were $11,385, gross profit was $7,494, and net profit was $5,370. There will be a wine tasting on Friday evening, February 22^nd.

8. Old Business.

a. A Service Award Committee will be chaired by PC Vicky Jo Neiner, and will include another 3-4 people. The award will recognize service anywhere within RYC, including the yard, dock, or house.

9. New Business.

a. Dennis Meichel stated that the job description manuals need to be prepared by each committee. Karen Guidi agreed to coordinate the work among the different committees.

b. Ed Levinson reported on the NY/NJ Bay Keepers Fundraiser Event, which is scheduled for Sunday, April, 6, 2008. The event will include a brunch cruise aboard the Cornucopia Princess from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and a marine auction. During the cruise, the Baykeeper, Andy Willner, will provide a narrative of Raritan Bay. The cost per person will be $65, of which about $20 will go to the Baykeeper. Ed received permission from the Board to use the RYC burgee on the event flyer. The New Member Mixer will begin when the cruise returns.

c. John Erdreich and Dave Steward prepared the demographics survey, which will go out with the next billing. The survey will include requests for updated home and email addresses, as well as, phone numbers.

d. Dennis Meichel reported that a petition for a Special Meeting was received. The meeting will be scheduled before May.

e. Dennis Meichel stated an objective to distribute TellTales and bills electronically as emails instead of through the regular mail. The change could save the Club $10,000-$12,000 per year. Any member who would prefer to continue to receive a paper copy could do so. A question arose as to whether the current system would support a combination of emails and regular mailings for the billing, and this needs to be checked. Distributing TellTales electronically should be straight forward. The Board was alerted that a By Laws change would be required for the change.

f. There was a moment of silence in memory of Donny and Aunt Rose.

g. A suggestion was made to change the starting time for the Annual Meeting in November from 8:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This would require a By Laws change.

h. Barbara Booz suggested that notification of Open Meetings should be sent to members. This could be done through TellTales.

i. Don MacPherson, who is ill, has a birthday on February 14^th, and his wife asked that members send him cards.

j. On March 15^th, Dave Perry will give a North U. course on Racing Rules and Tactics.

10. The meeting was adjourned at 22:28.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fred Hartner,

Secretary

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