Winter 2012 Newsletter
đ Download PDFMessage from the Commodores It is almost March as we write this greeting. The Boston Boat Show has come and gone, the weather is unbelieva- bly warm, and we are tempted to uncover the boat. We will try to restrain ourselves for a few more days. As the quiet time after the holidays gives way to the anticipation of the new sailing season, we have some things to share with you. First of all, the Executive Committee is working on the Friendship Sloop Society 2012 annual yearbook. This year, we need everyoneâs help increasing the advertisers in the yearbook. One major change we have made, after feedback from visitors to Rockland and members, is to remove the Rockland emphasis from the cover and broaden the appeal by titling the yearbook the âFSS 2012 Annual Yearbookâ and featuring a phrase similar to âSailing New England.â We hope this will make it easier to sell advertising to companies in other ports. So, if you have a favorite marina, marine store, boat dealer, or any other local store that helps you along the way, please approach them for an ad. The advertising rate sheet is included in this newsletter and can be found on the FSS website. Remind folks that the yearbooks are distributed all along the coast, from Maine to Connecticut. Another way to help is distributing yearbooks. If you are willing to put yearbooks in stores, marinas, or tourist centers in your area, let us know. We will figure out the best method of getting yearbooks to you. Plans for the Rockland Homecoming Regatta are also underway. The dates are July 19, 20, & 21, 2012; with boats arriving on Wednesday, July 18th. The slips and the tent will be ready for you. As always, we would love to see more boats than we had last year and we look forward to seeing all the returning faces, with or without your boat. If you can drive up, or down, and spend a few days with the fleet, it would be wonderful. Remember, your Commodores come without their boat. Please join us by water, or by land. On another topic, the Society is now looking for a Publicity Chairperson to assume the duties relinquished by Jim and Brooke Drake. Jim has had ongoing medical problems with complications following hip replacement surgery and has asked to step aside for now. He is making progress in healing, but has to limit his involvement in extracurricular tasks. The primary duty of the position is getting information about the Society and our events out to newspapers, magazines and media outlets in the coastal area. The Executive Committee is working on compiling a list of contacts from many sources to (Continued to Page 3) Minutes of the Annual Meeting The following report was submitted by Nancy Toppan, record- ing secretary Prior to the meeting, the Commodores announced that Kirsten Cronin, Recording Secretary and Yearbook Advertising Chairperson, was stepping aside from her duties due to increases in family obligations. Kirsten, with Caroline Phillips, will continue to coordinate the dinner for the Rockland Homecoming. Kirsten and Wayne have made remarkable contributions to the Society over the years and the Society is sorry to lose Kirstenâs involvement in these positions. The Society recognizes that family must always come first and the membership thanked Kirsten for her many years of hard work. Commodore Peter Toppan called the meeting to order at 3:10 PM. He welcomed everyone and thanked them for participating. He announced that we had 46 adults and 6 children registered for dinner this year, a large increase over last year. He also announced that Kirsten was overseeing the 50/50 raffle and that the winner would received at least $100. Report of Minutes from 2010 Annual Meeting A motion was made and seconded to waive the reading of the minutes from the 2010 Annual Meeting and to accept them as presented in the packet given to each member. The motion carried unanimously. Recording Secretary It was announced that Co-Commodore, Nancy Toppan, had agreed to take on the job of Recording Secretary for the remain- der of the term of the current Recording Secretary until new officers are elected in November, 2012. Membership Secretary â Carole Wojcik Carole reported that the Society had the following numbers in different membership categories. 186 â dues paying members 96 are boat owners 53 are full members 33 are cooperative members 4 are honorary members There are 17 new members. Carole also reported that she is encouraging cooperative memberships for crews, friends and those who have sold their boats. She asked the members also to encourage people they know to choose cooperative membership. Carole reported that Nancy Bell, an active member of the Society for over 30 years, had recently passed away. Nancy was particularly active in supporting the Scholarship Fund. (Continued to Page 6) Volume 24 Winter 2012 FSS.ORG Issue 1 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society
Friendship sloops: The old ladies still got it The following story, written by Laurie Screiber, appeared in the July 23rd edition of the The Bar Harbor Times. Southwest Harbor â It was a battle of the grand old dames during the Friendship Sloop Societyâs Southwest Harbor Rendezvous on July 16. Two of the oldest boats in the Friendship Sloop Society registry sailed to first- and second-place finishes just a minute apart. Taking back the crown was the oldest boat in the regis- try, Alice E., which won the rendezvous in 2009. Built in 1899, Alice E. is owned by Karl Brunner of Bass Harbor and still works as a summer tour boat out of Southwest Harbor. Gladiator came in second. Built in 1902, Gladiator is âthe Friendship from Friendshipâ and is owned by Bill and Caroline Zuber. Helen Brooks, also owned by Brunner but skippered in the rendezvous by Lou Gallagher, crossed the finish line third, just over a minute after Gladiator. Helen Brooks, a 1971 Bruno and Stillman build, and serving as a tour boat in Northeast Harbor, won the top trophy in 2010. All together, 15 Friendship sloops were on the water and 14 raced in perhaps the biggest turnout yet for the annual Southwest Harbor Rendezvous. To the disappointment, perhaps, of the fleetâs fiercest competitors, the race course was missing the expected arrival of Tad Beck in Phoenix, hailing from Vinalhaven. Also a Bruno and Stillman boat, it had been expected that Phoenix and Helen Brooks would make for a great match race. As it was, the pack made a sight with gaff-rigged sails handsome in an adequate wind that had the fleet out and back again in times that ranged from 1 hour 11 minutes to 1 hour 27 minutes on elapsed time. Appearing for the first time on the course was Old Baldy, the Pemaquid Jarvis Newman used to make his fiberglass molds back in the late 1960s. After Newman bought Old Baldy last fall and took the winter to rehabilitate it, he had launched it just two days before the race. The FSS race schedule for the summer continued on July 19 with the Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous. That will be followed this weekend by the societyâs biggest event of the summer, the 51st Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland, July 21-23. Regatta Keeper Plaques Marcia Morang, chairperson of the Trophy Committee, has a number of keeper plaques from prior years. These plaques are given to skippers who sail their sloop to Homecoming. If you attended a Homecoming with your sloop for one of the following years (1988, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2020, 2011), and your plaque has been lost, damaged, tarnished, or you would like an extra, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Marcia at: 18 Commodore Drive Sanford, ME 04073 2012 Schedule of Events Spring Executive Committee Meeting April 21st TBD Southwest Harbor Rendezvous Saturday, July 14th Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Tuesday, July 17th 52nd Annual Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland Thursday, Friday, Saturday – July 19th to July 21st Marblehead Classic Boat Regatta August 11th & 12th Gloucester Schooner Festival Saturday, September 1st Fall Executive Committee Meeting To Be Scheduled Annual Meeting Saturday, November 10th Best Western Merry Manor Inn South Portland, ME 2011 FSS Financial Report Greg Merrill, treasurer, presented the following summary finan- cial report at the annual meeting: 6,985 3,969 5,642 9,203 Ending Balance 3,016 -1,671 -3,561 -2,623 Net Gain or (Loss) 0 0 0 -1,000 Documentary -108 -494 -155 -336 Miscellaneous 0 -807 -551 -112 Dinners -565 -565 -565 -565 Insurance Premium 0 -1,000 -1,000 -1,000 Secretary Comp. -1,356 -1,272 -1,511 -1,254 Communications -1,142 -1,622 -1,500 -1,500 Donations -3,675 -3,689 -4,816 -3,563 Annual Regatta 720 Book 66 66 114 206 Bank Interest 754 754 408 426 Auction & Raffle 1,095 1,095 765 583 Contributions 1,521 1,404 1,258 1,406 Chandlery 1,655 -402 -160 526 Yearbook 4,771 4,863 3,432 3,560 Membership Net Results Budget Actual Actual Actual â11-â12 â10-â11 â09-â10 â08-â09 – 2 –
Thank You Carole Wojcik, Membership Chairman, received the following letter: The Trustees of the Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund thank the membership of the Friendship Sloop Society for the generous donation of $400 voted at the annual meeting. In these difficult times, it is harder than ever to support charitable activities such as the Scholarship Fund. We appreciate such a generous donation more than we can express. The trustees awarded two $1,000 scholarships in June to graduating seniors from Friendship. We were also able to award three $300 scholarships to students who were continuing their studies. The total amount awarded was $2,900, which will be mailed to these students in December, 2011 by the Maine Community Foundation, which manages the distribution of these awards. Bill and I were present at the Sloop Society annual meeting in November of 1967, held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After much discussion, the members voted to found (and fund) a Scholarship Fund to benefit the young people of the village of Friendship. Little did we realize that 44 years later we would be on the Scholarship Committee, now trustees of an endowment fund totaling more than $90,000. My goal for 2012 is a complete listing of recipients and the total awarded since its inception. It should be an impressive total! Please express our thanks to the membership. Best Regards, Caroline Zuber Message from the Commodores Continued from Front Page) help the new chairperson with this task. A future goal is to have more written articles about the Society appear in maritime publi- cations â this is a work in progress. Let us know if you are inter- ested, or have questions about the position, or if you have a publishing contact to add to our list. There is a feeling of spring in the air already and March is just around the corner. Let us know if you can help with selling ads, or are interested in the Publicity chair position. Good luck getting your boats in the water and we will see you in Rockland. Your Commodores, Peter & Nancy Toppan Contact us at FSS website: commodore@fss.org Home email: toppan@verizon.net Home phone: 781-545-9099 Rockland Homecoming 2011 Results State of Maine Trophy Best Overall Performance Banshee Division I Herald Jones Trophy Banshee Bruno & Stillman Trophy Salatia Lash Brothers Trophy Celebration Division II Commodore’s Trophy Phoenix Gordon Winslow Trophy Mary Anne Rockland Trophy Rights of Man Class A Wilbur Morse Trophy Gladiator Charles Morse Trophy Not Awarded Alexander McLain Trophy Not Awarded Rum Line Trophy Gladiator Special Trophies Chrissy Trophy Mary Cronin Spirit of Friendship Karl Brunner Gladiator Trophy Hegira (Woods Hole, MA) Nickerson Trophy Content Owner/Builder Trophy Hegira – Laurie Raymond R.W. Stanley Cup Mary Anne Liberty Trophy Mary Anne Jarvis Newman Trophy Banshee Cy Hamlin Trophy Content – Noel March Tannis Award Gladiator Danforth Trophy Gladiator Trophy Engraving Reminder Please remember, before you return the trophy you won at the Rockland Homecoming to the Race Committee, it is your responsibility to have the trophy engraved with your name or the name of your sloop and the year. Class A Birthdays There are a number of member Class A sloops that are celebrat- ing significant “birthdays” in 2012. Congratulations to the owners & crews of the following “Senior” members of the fleet: 110 Years: #71 Gladiator Bill & Caroline Zuber, Friendship, ME #95 Westwind John & Diane Fassak, Mansfield, MA #242 Tecumseh David Frid, Oakville, Ontario 100 Years: #18 Chrissy Edward Zimmerman, Bar Harbor, ME #66 Venture Bill Finch & Carol Rose, Beverly, MA #82 Morning Star Terry McClinch, Southport, CT Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2012, please send them to our membership secretary: Carole Wojcik Membership Secretary 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 – 3 –
Tech Tip #16 Written by Vice Commodore Bill Whitney During the last several months Iâve had the opportunity to witness a few vessel surveys and overhear the surveyorâs comments as they went through the major systems of the boats. It got me thinking about some of the things Iâve seen over the years but never completely considered the ramifications of what I saw. One of these is the way we connect the thru-hulls and seacocks to the systems inside the boat. Maybe its self-preservation or just that Iâm a cheap Yankee but I donât like holes in my boat. They let the water outside become water inside unless you spend a lot of money putting the right stuff in the holes. Thru-hulls, seacocks, nipples, hoses, packing glands, dripless seals and in some cases rudder seals are the more common things you find plugging the holes in your boat. You could also have the occasional wooden plug or bung, but hopefully not many of them. The principle concerns voiced during many surveys center around basic safety (as it should), mixed metals, and poor design layout of many of these thru-hull and seacock installations. I was surprised to discover a few problems with my own boat over the years but these were minor and I suspect added during âupgradesâ to the boat. And I have to admit, some of them were installed by me. As I was preparing this article my Jan.2012 issue of WoodenBoat magazine arrived in the mail and I was glad to see the piece that Steve DâAntonio did on seacocks and thru-hulls. It is a very good read and on a subject that everyone with a boat should review. The essence of the article is that, just because the seacocks or thru-hulls are already installed in your boat it may not be done âcorrectlyâ or with the right materials. I put âcorrectlyâ in quotes because there are no steadfast rules governing recreational craft as there are with government mil-spec or commercial craft. The ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) has widely accepted standards for pleasure craft, but there are no âboat policeâ to enforce these standards. And many of our boats were built well before the ABYC, or their standards, even existed! So while the boat is laid up, and as you go thru her greasing the seacocks, it may be prudent to look over their installation and see if anything needs to be done to avoid letting the water outside from becoming the water inside. The ABYC standards recommend seacocks, such as the one pictured on the right, on any fitting penetrating the hull that may be submerged when the vessel is heeled under maximum design load. Since our Friendships sail with the rail at or under water on a stiff beam reach, it follows that nearly all the thru-hulls should have seacocks. Guess what! My cockpit drains, which are submerged even at the mooring, had no valves until I installed them about 15 years ago. From what Iâve seen on other Dictator and Pemaquid glass hulls Iâll bet there are more thru-hulls out there with no seacocks. A sampling of some of these âless than idealâ installations occurred last year when a recently purchased Pemaquid came to the yard and the new owner started going through the boat, correcting these problems. On his boat there were no seacocks fitted on the cockpit scupper thru- hulls; instead gate valves were used, the kind with the round blue handles you see on household garden hoses. Inasmuch as the thru-hull mushroom has straight threads as shown in the picture, and the gate valve has tapered pipe threads, there was only about 2 turns of thread holding back the ocean. Gate valves, of course are a no go for boats as you cannot see if it is open or closed and it could get stuck open with something blocking the gate closure. The bilge pump was attached to the port cockpit scupper thru-hull with some brass nipples and bronze street fittings. There was no vented loop (or any loop for that matter) in the bilge hose â it ran straight downhill to the bilge. The only thing keeping the submerged scupper thru-hull from siphoning the ocean in was the backflow preventer at the pump. A piece of dirt, hair, lint or the run-away lime pulp from your last gin and tonic stuck in the valve of the backflow preventer could result in a sinking. Another common problem is the seacock-to-hose connection. On the Pemaquid there was a complete lack of âpipe to hose connectorsâ, i.e. a fitting with a male threaded end and a hose barb end. Instead every hose seemed to be fastened to the threaded end of a pipe with a single hose clamp, which was all that the limited surface area allowed. In some cases the threaded pipe was not bronze pipe, but brass. In many cases the pipe is not threaded where the hose is attached which doesnât give the hose much of a surface to grip. Although not in the same safety category as a thru-hull, I ran into this same problem with my raw water pump. The input and output connections were smooth pipe. Thankfully they were long enough to position two hose clamps on the hose over the solid surface of the pipe to get a good seal. But it would not have taken much back- pressure to blow the hose off the smooth pipe. There was also a mix of metals; stainless on one end and bronze on the other. Not a show stopper, but I would rather see bronze hose barb fittings on both ends. Hose barbs are superior to threaded fittings because the threads cut the interior surface of the hose, especially when compressed by a clamp. On the Pemaquid, the cockpit scupper drains in the aft end of the cockpit on both sides had street connection fittings fiber (Continued to Page 5) – 4 –
Tech Tip #16 (Continued from Page 4) glassed into the sole, and the threaded end was used for the hose connection. The reinforcement wires in the hose were rusted from the bronze threads cutting into the hose. A simple twist of the hose resulted in the hose just tearing away. The other end, at the gate valves, also had the hoses connected to male pipe threads. As with most boats, these fittings are buried deep in the aft lockers or under floorboards and are not very accessible, either for inspection or for servicing. In this case, the bilge pump hose was connected to a male pipe thread at the port cockpit scupper thru-hull under the quarter berth. You have to ask yourself: âHow accessible are these valves if something happens and they need to be closed?â Does your storage plan allow you to get to all your valves? Do you have tapered wooden plugs to drive into a broken thru-hull or fitting that fails? The engine cooling water seacock had a street fitting on it and the Groco seawater strainer had a brass nipple inserted with the result of having two male threaded ends to which the hose was connected. The raw water hose at the exhaust elbow was the wrong type of hose. Someone had installed soft, unrein- forced, rubber automotive hose that was kinked because it could not sustain the bend required. A 90 degree pipe to hose connec- tor would provide a better hose path. The fuel filling hose was attached to a male threaded fitting at the tank with the result that the seal was not tight, allowing fuel to leak out of the hose/thread joint. Another common problem, as pointed out in the WoodenBoat article, is the stress that can be put on the seacocks and thru-hulls by any tight radius hose bends or heavy pipe that are attached to them. Ideally you should only use seacocks. They have wide bases that support the mass of the valve and distribute the load imposed by hoses. Thru-hulls with separate valves attached to them have to rely on the mushroom head and backing nut to support the side load imposed by hoses or other pipe fittings attached to them. Either can be used, but carefully assess the installation to see if any excessive side loads will be present. Care also has to be taken when storing gear and equip- ment to prevent damage to your seacocks and thru-hulls. A 30 pound anchor sliding across the stern locker can do a lot of damage! Plan your storage and secure any heavy loads so they canât move around in a heavy sea. Hamilton Marine and Jamestown Distributors have a good stock of these seacocks and barbed tail pieces. So if you find that your installation leaves something to be desired, now might be the best time to upgrade. Note: Special thanks to Bill Lundquist for providing input to this article. Yearbook Deadline April 15th Please send your articles, bulleting board messages and advertis- ing to Rich Langton at editor@fss.org Membership News Carole Wojcik, membership chairman, sent along the following news about our members: John Rand wrote: â… We are in the midst of college search- ing and applications for Allison and just finished a successful cross country season for Julia – both at Windham High School now. So we wonât make it to the annual meeting – best to you and the rest of the fleet. Hope we can get the Willam M Rand in the water in 2012 – it is a launch year according to our alter- nating year method of slooping!â From Tom Berry, owner of #118 Wenonah: âToday my wife, dog and I cross the Mexican border at San Diego and drive to our new home & future lives in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The FSS is coming with me! Sadly my Wenonah is not. She remains on the Magothy River off the Chesapeake Bay and is for sale. Iâm very happy that she and I got to Rockland for the Societyâs 50th Homecoming in 2010, a fond memory that will be cherished as long as I live. My best wishes and apprecia- tion to everyone in the FSS for the memories, tips and aid Iâve received over the past 19 years.â Peter Sellers, owner of Lucy Bell wrote: âIn response to the FSS 2011 personal update request, let me report my surprise and pleasure at the launching of the Boat-Like-Object as reported in the November / December issue of WoodenBoat. This sloop and mine are truly sisterships, each having been lofted and built by the owners on lines having been obtained from Howard Chapelleâs Pemaquid offsets multiplied by a factor of 1.5. I sincerely hope that the builder of the new 38 foot Friendship is – or will be invited to be a member of our society.â Morgan Hendry of Wilmington, DE updated us on #160 Defiance: âAfter 10 years of being on dry land (college educa- tions, divorce, etc.) Defiance is nearly renovated and is sched- uled to hit the water in May, 2012. Home port will probably be Round Pond – I am excited! At the moment, it is being worked on at Pemaquid Marine in New Harbor. Most of the work was done over the past two years by Bobby Jones, The Carpenterâs Workshop, Bristol, but as you probably know, Bobby retired and is seeking a new adventure.â John Crumpton, owner of #117 Leading Light: âSorry to be so slow with my response. The degree of my tardiness is an indication of how far behind I have fallen. Eve has dementia and is a resident at a nursing home. I visit at lunch and supper to assist in eating. She is 89. Iâll be 87 next month. Weâre slowing down but I wish to remain members. We did not launch last year or this year but Iâm hopeful about next year. Noel March, owner of #5 Content, wrote: âContent enjoyed her summer on her brand new mooring in Rockland Harbor. Well, it really feels more like âouterâ Rockland Harbor since I think the breakwater may actually be closer than the town dock! Someday, maybe, weâll be closer to land than even our friend Rights of Man … but Ed Glaser, our harbormaster, has this far been immune to my bribes of coffee and muffins during our winter visits. We suffered a near-sinking just before hurri- cane Irene hit. Seems a rusted bolt in the saddle that holds our propeller shaft in place allowed more of the harbor to leak in than our pump could manage. Thanks, Ed, for the rescue… can our little wooden sloop get moved closer in now??â (Continued to Page 8) – 5 –
Carole then read some letters from members and reported on new members for this past year. The membership news and letters are on page 5. Registrar â John Wojcik John reported that there were no new registered sloops in 2011. There was a new sloop launched in Vancouver. There are 281 registered sloops, 34 are listed as destroyed, 17 as lost and 68 as âunverified.â There are 162 known sloops. Treasurer â Greg Merrill Greg Merrill discussed the actual results for the current year and the budget for the next year. He suggested that the membership first review the actual results for the just-ended year and then discuss the proposed budget for 2012. In discussing the current-year results, Greg explained each item compared with the previous years. Greg then presented the proposed budget for 2011-2012. The members agreed that each item would be presented and members could place a âholdâ on items that required further discussion. Greg explained each item and the following items were held: Membership Fees Advertising Committee Regatta Entry Fees Regatta Meals Costs Rockland Storage Fees Yearbook Color Printing Donations Changing FSS IRS filing status. There was a motion made and seconded to accept the ânon-heldâ budget items. The vote was unanimous. Further discussion on each âheldâ item is as follows. Membership Fees â after discussion from the members, the motion was made and seconded to increase membership fees to $35.00 for 2012. The vote to accept was unanimous. The Executive Committee suggested an increase from $40 to $45 for the Regatta entry fee to help cover the deficit incurred each year in Rockland. There were several members who spoke about this issue. An amendment was offered from the membership to increase the fee to $50. The motion was made and seconded. The vote to approve was unanimous. Regatta dinner costs were discussed. Kirsten Cronin recom- mended that the cost remain the same and that we have better advanced planning to have a more accurate count on dinner numbers. It was agreed to set the dinner costs at the same $10.00 for everyone who registers in advance and to charge $12.50 at the door. The difference in costs will be included in the Homecoming registration forms. Rockland Storage Unit Costs â the item in the 2011-2012 budget was accepted. Membership expressed the desire to find a less expensive storage facility or ability to store the gear with members. The proposed Donations budget was accepted. A motion was made and seconded to accept and the vote was unanimous. Greg Merrill and Bill Whitney presented the research done concerning the FSS IRS status as a 501c4 organization. The points were made that the Society might be a âbetter fitâ for a 501c7; however, the Society does fit the original designation as a 501c4, Social Group, with its activities supporting the Friendship Scholarship Fund. The Society does not really fit the 501c3 charitable category. There is a $400 filing fee to attempt to change categories. The meeting members agreed to leave the designation as it is. No vote was required. An amendment was proposed from the floor to change the line item for Skippersâ Gift to remove the skippersâ gifts and only give the brass plaques that have been traditionally presented. The amend- ment was seconded and passed unanimously. A motion was made and seconded to supply lunches in Rockland only for the members on the Race Committee boat. Other skippers who provide support boats would provide their own lunches. Several members who provide support boats spoke in favor on this amendment. The vote on the motion was unanimous. The vote on the budget was held until after discussion on other Agenda items that could change the line items. Yearbook â Rich & Beth Langton Rich Langton reported that the yearbook was a successful publication. However, he made the point that he is always in need of articles, having used many of the ones held from other years, and requested ideas from the membership about the dedication for the 2012 yearbook. Rich explained the suggestion from the Executive Committee that we go back to titling the yearbook the âFSS Annual Yearbook 2012â to emphasize that the yearbook covers activities beyond the Rockland Homecoming Regatta. It is hoped that the emphasis on year- round activities will attract more advertisers and encourage business/town facilities to keep the yearbooks out for distribution for more months of the year. After much member discussion, the meeting agreed to set up a committee to organize the effort to sell advertising. For 2012, the Commodores & Vice Commodores will contact members to encourage them to reach out to vendors in their areas to increase sales. The outline for the future committee is to have several members working in their own contact areas and to find one person in the membership to coordinate the committee. The geographic areas suggested were: Rockland, Southwest Harbor, Boothbay, Connecticut, and the Massa- chusetts South Shore. For 2012, the Commodores and Vice Commo- dores will contact previous advertisers. Rich explained the differences in costs for two options for color in the yearbook. One option is to keep color throughout the book and the other option is to return to color only on the front and back cover, both outside and inside. The membership voted to reduce the cost of publication by limiting the color to the front and back covers, with the provision that the Executive Committee could choose to include color on the inside pages if the advertising revenues increased next spring. It was also voted to decrease by 500 the number of yearbooks printed to further reduce costs. These two changes will reduce the cost of publishing the yearbook from $4,602 in 2010-2011 to $2,908 in 2011-2012. Rich circulated a sign-up sheet for the Bulletin Board in the 2012 yearbook. Chandlery Caroline Phillips reported that FSS 2012 calendars were available for sale in the Chandlery and that more could be ordered if needed. She requested ideas for the T-shirt design for 2012. Newsletter John Wojcik reported that there will continue to be two editions published each year. He is looking for contributions. Tech tips and the Society calendar will continue to be included. Website John reported that the website has approximately 82 hits daily. The most popular page is the âFor Saleâ page. John acknowledged Ted Walsh for his efforts to provide a link on the homepage to âThere and Back Again,â the Friendship Sloop Cruising Guide, which has postings of mooring information, cruising tips, member information on favorite harbors or destinations, etc. Publicity Peter Toppan reported that Jim Drake, the Publicity chairman, has had complications after recent surgery and we have not heard from Jim & (Continued to Page 7) – 6 – Minutes of the Annual Meeting (Continued from Front Page) Minutes of the Annual Meeting (Continued from the Front Page)
Brooke recently. Peter will continue to try to contact them. Bill Whitney reported that he had been in touch with the WoodenBoat publicity group. A booth for the WoodenBoat annual boat show is $400. It may be something the Society will want to consider in the future. Scholarship Fund Caroline Zuber reported that the scholarship endowment is down; however, the committee is pleased with the investments which have always been conservative in nature. As of 9/30/2011, the Pendleton Scholarship Fund had an endowment balance of $82,426.24. This year, there were two $1,000 scholarships given to high school graduates and three $300 scholarships granted to students continuing their education. Caroline reported that, after Nancy Bell passed away, David Bell contributed two FSS lapel pins to the auction to benefit the Schol- arship Fund. She also reported the Friendship, Maine historical committee had acquired a building in Friendship that would provide much needed storage and other facilities. The Friendship Museum will have use of storage and display space in the newly acquired building. Nominating Committee Bill Whitney reported that the Nominating Committee needs a new chairman. Bill now serves in that position and needs to step aside because he & Kathy will be nominated for Commodore in 2012. With all financial subjects having been discussed, it was moved and seconded to accept the proposed budget for 2012 with the changes previously voted by the membership on the âheldâ items and changes for the yearbook. The vote was unanimous. Greg Merrill will provide an updated budget to the Executive Committee. The meeting agenda was suspended in order to allow our guest, Captain Barry King of the Schooner Mary Day sailing from Camden, Maine, to give his presentation. Capt. Barry spoke about history of wooden sailing ships along the Down East Coast and the windjammer fleet that continues the tradition of wooden sailing ships today. Capt. Barryâs entertaining presentation also included photos of many of the older ships featured in his discussion. After Capt. Barryâs presentation, the agenda was resumed. Race Committee Dick Salter and Jerry Ross discussed the concern of the Race Commit- tee about ways to simplify the race course in Rockland to encourage skippers who might race for the first time and those with limited racing experience. Jerry Ross and Bill Whitney presented the revised race course chart for Rockland. The race course chart will be distributed to all skippers at the first Skippersâ Meeting in Rockland and the modifica- tions will be explained to everyone who will be sailing. Regatta Reports New London â Greg Roth reported that the New London race is in the process of ârecalculating.â Southwest Harbor â Miff Lauriat reported that all went well during this yearâs event. Miff reminded everyone that the Southwest Harbor Regatta is âfree.â Gloucester â Jack Cronin reported that there was not a race this year. Rockland â Dick Salter presented the race results, which are attached to these minutes. Marblehead â Dick Salter reported that there were no Friend- ships at the Marblehead Regatta this year. New Business Discussion of renovations to Merry Manor Inn Peter Toppan discussed the renovations and improvements being done at Merry Manor Inn, which were outlined in a handout included with the agenda. He suggested that, with these changes, there was no reason to move the meeting place. He also reported that several other hotel/conference sites had been investigated and none had a better offer for the group. Several members expressed a desire to remain at the South Portland location. There was no motion made to change locations. Discussion of broadening Rockland Homecoming activities Bill Whitney discussed the desire for the Society to attract more people to the Rockland Homecoming. Bill explained suggestions made by several members to increase participation which included continuing the âcruiseâ day trip and providing activities for those crew members who remain ashore. Such activities might include mini-seminars and organized trips to some of the attractions in the area. This remains a work in progress. Presentation of Awards The Morang Award for the best article in the yearbook, presented by John Wojcik on behalf of Marcia Morang & Penny Richards (both of whom were âunder the weatherâ) in memory of Bruce Morang, was presented to two people this year. They are Murray Hamlet, for his rebuttal of Ted Walshâs story from the year before, and Judy Heininger for her story about her first Homecoming in 2010. The Bancroft Award was presented to Bob Rex by the Cronin family, previous winners. The Omaha Award was presented to Peter and Nancy Toppan by Roger Lee, whose wife Gail OâDonnell had received the award in 2008. The Messing About award was presented to Ted Walsh by the awardâs originator, Dick Salter. The winner of the 50/50 raffle was Wayne Cronin. The motion was made and seconded to adjourn the business meeting. The vote was unanimous. The silent auction results were announced and the live auction was conducted during dinner in the Governorâ Ballroom. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Toppan Interim Recording Secretary The Society Needs Your Help!! Everyone can make a difference. Please help increase the advertisers in the 2012 yearbook by selling an ad or two to your favorite marina, marine store, boat dealer, or any other local store owner who would like to see their ad in over 4,000 books distributed from Maine to Connecticut. One major change is that the yearbook cover will broaden its appeal by using the title, âFSS 2012 Annual Yearbookâ and featuring a phrase similar to âSailing New England.â We hope this will make it easier to sell advertising to companies in other towns along the coast. The advertising rate sheet is included in this newsletter and can be found on the FSS website. Everyone can also help in distributing yearbooks. Can you distribute yearbooks to stores, marinas and tourist sites in your area? Please contact Commodores Peter & Nancy Toppan (commodore@fss.org) and they will figure out the best method of getting yearbooks to you. This is your chance to help your Society and have a little fun along the way. – 7 – Minutes of the Annual Meeting (Continued from Page 6)
Membership News (Continued from Page 5) Victor Trodella, owner of #94 Euphoria sent this e-mail: âThe last three years have been progressively worse for the business of architecture and I had to cut back severely on many expenses. I never launched Euphoria this year due to finances. So that is why you havenât seen me around the FS Society lately. Now for the good news. I have been hired as an archi- tect and project manager for the State of Maine for the Design, Planning & Construction Department of the Bureau of General Services. My financial worries have suddenly ended and the steady income will allow me to sail Euphoria each year. So I am guessing that I will see you all more next year.â A number of people joined the FSS at Homecoming: Sarah McLean Anderson and her husband Joshua, owners of #93 Anna R have joined. Anna Râs homeport is Rockland. Irv & Willi Lash who crewed onboard Joe Griffinâs #10 Mary Anne, have also joined. They reside in Augusta, ME. Terry & Carole Klintworth of Tolono, IL, who were at Homecoming, joined as well. Also joining during the year were: Fred & Debi Schwarzmann of Summit, NJ sail aboard the family sloop #133 Independence. Dave & Julie Merrill of Brunswick, ME who crew aboard Greg Merrillâs #227 Celebration Steve & Lana Boyd of Falmouth, MA – friends of Laurie Raymond Ryan Snowe of Southwest Harbor, ME Rusty Strange of Falmouth, MA, who sails with Laurie Raymond on #230 Hegira Robert Tupper of Standish, ME who owns #222 Elspeth MacEwan, homeported in Sebago Lake Dan & Kathy Pease of Rockport, ME, owners of Dictator hull #7 (FSS sail #174) are now members. Dan is working to complete the yet unnamed sloop. Raul Gonzalez of Alicante, Spain, sent an e-mail to the society since he is interested in building a Friendship. Raul has joined the society. Steve Dunipace has sold #50 Heritage to Bill Heritage & Sandi Williams of Loxley, Alabama. The sloop is now homeported in Fairhope, AL. Jaxon Vibber of Gales Ferry, CT has purchased #24 Tern from Leo Greene. As a result, Jaxon has returned the sloop to the family. Jaxonâs father Jack, who for many years organized the societyâs New London rendezvous, owned the sloop in the 70âs & 80âs, and rebuilt her while he owned her. The sloop was named Ancient Mariner when Jack owned her, but Jaxon intends to keep the name Tern. The membership chairman, while on a camping trip to Michigan, visited the Inland Seas Education Association in Suttons Bay, owners of #157 Liberty, and had a tour of the facility by the administrator, Stephanie. Inland Seas has joined the society. Visit their website at schoolship.org. The February / March issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors features an article about Ralph Stanley titled âA Boatbuilderâs Second Careerâ. This is a story about Ralph building and repairing violins. Permit In Hand and Ready To Go!!! By Dave Graham, FSS Race Committee Chairman Each year, shortly after recovering from New Yearâs Eve, your Race Committee Chairman makes it a point to file the required âAPPLICATION FOR MARINE EVENTâ form with the Coast Guard relating to our July Rockland race program. Once completed, the form is sent to the South Portland office of the USCG, via Certified Mail â Return Receipt Requested. The signed receipt becomes the proof that the form had indeed been delivered – – – and the waiting begins. In almost every instance, the actual permit will be received a week before the departure for Rockland – – – close!!! Frequently, as race-time approaches, it takes a call or two to determine where we stand toward receiving said permit, for the day when we might start a Rockland race without the permit (we wouldnât), could be the very day when our USCG friends at Station Rockland will be stopping by our Race Committee Boat, âSeven Girlsâ, for a visit to see a copy of the long-sought but non-existing permit! I can assure you that such an occurrence would never happen, for while it might be just a piece of paper, our being legal with the Powers-that-Be, hinges on that very document. This year, the customary filing with the United States Coast Guard for our 2012 race program occurred, once again, during the first week in January. The shock came when the approved permit arrived in time for presentation at our February 4th FSS Executive Committee meeting! Perhaps you can figure it out – – – I certainly cannot!!! But as the old saying goes, âNever look a gift-horse in the mouthâ. Delighted with favors, large or small, we gladly accepted the USCG permitâs early arrival, which now sets the tone for our Rockland Homecoming Days! Happy spring, everyone!!! FSS Tidbits E-Mails Bill Whitney, our vice-commodore/ safety guy / mast wedge inspector, started sending out an informational e-mail entitled âFSS Tidbitsâ which covers various things that are boat (Friend- ship Sloop) related. He currently sends them to registered Friendship Sloop owners, but if you would like to receive it just send him an e-mail at wmcwhitney@verizon.net or vicecommodore@fss.org and he will add you to the list of recipi- ents. Likewise, if you get it and donât want it cluttering up your e-mail about once per month just let him know and heâll remove your address from the group. NOTE: We canât send you an e-mail if we donât have a correct e-mail address, so keep your registration information up-to-date. . – 8 –
