Well the 2009 season has finished on a high note. The Punta Gorda club hosted its first ever EC-12 regatta and Jack Ward, Race Director Art Hawes, and their whole crew did a fantastic job despite having to deal with some pretty nasty weather. John Bottensek took home not only the win in the regatta but also the Florida Championship. This made it four championships for John B.

Punta Gorda was also the location for this year’s annual meeting. There were 30 member votes present, either in person or by proxy, and this was roughly 60 percent of the active skippers in the Association. A number of topics were discussed and voted on, the first being the election of officers. I am happy to report that Dick Hedderick was re-elected to be your Vice Chairman. I am not so happy to report that I was also re-elected to be your Chairman. When are you guys going to give me the boot?

Seriously, it is an honor and a privilege to serve you great folks. I have said this before. I do this job for selfish reasons. I love sailing these beautiful boats with all of you and I want to make sure you keep coming back to the lake to sail with me.

As you all know, the Two-Fleet system has been a work in progress since we started using it four years ago. Each year we have voted in changes in an effort to improve it. The biggest issue from the beginning was the difficulty in moving up into A-fleet. This year we looked at some more changes to help skippers who earned the trip to A-fleet, but could not attend the next regatta.

However; after some lengthy discussion, a vote was taken to decide whether to keep the Two-Fleet system or to go to the Promotion-Relegation system. The P&R system won out with a better than 2-to-1 margin. So for all Florida EC-12 Association regattas in 2010, we will be using the P&R system.

I know there are some in the association who do not care for the system because of the in and out pace, but it is simply the most fair way we can race the large number of boats we have attending our events. All I can ask is that you give it another try.

Because the Two-fleet system handed out more trophies, we wanted to address this and see if we can’t reward others in the fleet for their efforts. To that end there will be two additional prizes besides the top 3, 4, or 5 trophies. The first will be the “Ancient Mariner” trophy. This idea was blatantly stolen from John Rowley. Thanks John. This trophy will go to the skipper with the best finishing position in the regatta who is 70 years and older. However, if that 70+ skipper is one of the top trophy winners, then the Ancient Mariner will go the next highest skipper in the fleet who meets the minimum age requirement. In other words, you can’t go home with two trophies.

Also from now on, there will be a certificate awarded to the last place skipper who finishes the regatta. This certificate will give them FREE entry into that regatta in the following year. Guest lunches not included. Most often the skipper that comes in last is new to the class or model sailing in general and the hope is that this free entry will encourage them to keep learning and to come back next time. The Association will pay for the entry.

The last item to be voted on was an increase in the guest lunch fee from $5 to $8. It is getting harder these days to feed a group of people lunch, drinks, coffee and doughnuts on just $5 per person. Hopefully the extra $3 will make it easier on the host clubs to serve up a nice lunch.

Overall, we had a really great season and some fantastic racing. Two skippers, Alan Perkins and Bob Greer, each one their first EC-12 regatta and a bunch of skippers showed a lot of improvement as evidenced in the final standings. John Bottensek, Alan Perkins, Bob Greer, Bob Dudinsky, and Ed Gelina are our top five who will represent Florida in the Champions regatta in March. Jack Wubbe is first alternate, with Fred Pfeil and Martin Raishbrook next in line.

It was not just in Florida that our members sailed well. Baron Bremer won the Dixie Cup this year and Bob Greer finished in 2nd place in the New England Cup. Congratulations to both of you for your excellent sailing and Herculean effort to travel to all those events.

There are a bunch of people I want to thank for making this year the best it could be. To all the Race Directors who stepped away from their radios to run our regattas, their race staff and spouses and other family members who helped out, we cannot thank you enough for the work you did. It is import for all us to remember that these events do not just happen. It takes a lot of hard work by the members of the host clubs.

To all the skippers who put forth the effort to travel to the events and challenge all the other skippers to sail their best; to the many skippers who gave of their time to help teach, tune, mentor, or just plain root for other skippers; to those who put sportsmanship and fair play above winning; and finally to all of you who simply love sailing these beautiful toys, thank you.

I wish the very best to you and yours this Holiday Season. Merry Christmas and God bless.

Joe Walter
Chairman

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This is a subject I have spoken and written about many times, yet it seems every year we have a few folks that just seem to get riled up on the race course. This, in turn, riles up more people or worse, drives them away from the Association. It is so very important that we sail within the rules and that we act like gentlemen on the water.

Yelling and screaming should not be the norm and it will not be tolerated anymore. Just because you were involved in a foul at one end of the course does not mean you have the right to be angry with every other skipper on the lake. When we sail within the rules, everyone wins. But when we forget, or worse, ignore the rules, we all lose. When tempers flare, everyone on the lake is effected by it.

The yelling also serves no purpose. It rarely changes the outcome of the situation and, in most cases, spurs more yelling and anger. When you are involved in a foul, all that is required is polite conversation on the matter followed by one party protesting and the other acknowledging the penalty or requesting it go to committee.

Even the best sailors will once in a while put their boat in a situation that results in being protested. Acknowledging the mistake and doing their penalty turn is usually the outcome and often that skipper will call out that they completed their turn.

This Association is about having fun with our friends. Winning races in friendly competition is just the added appeal. Charging through a fleet and aggressively yelling at all in your way is not part of what we do and it will not be accepted from anyone. If you have an issue with another skipper, you should bring that to my attention or to the attention of one of the advisory board members or the commodore of your club.

Skippers who create an atmosphere of uneasiness or anger will be taken aside and talked to by me or a member of the advisory board. They will be asked to control their actions and understand what it is they are doing. If their actions continue to be a drain on the morale of the rest of the skippers, then there can, unfortunately, be only one option left and that is to ask them to leave the Association.

Please remember that we are not competing for money or great rewards. This is a hobby to be shared with friends. Competition is good and a winning attitude is encouraged, but not when it is thrust in your face. Sail like gentlemen and we all win.

The Advisory Board Members

John Bottensek, Doug Bowe, Bill Gale, and Earl Mills are your current Advisory Board members. They communicate with the Chairman often and help with the decisions.

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This page will be updated on a fairly regular basis, be sure to check back to it often so that you can stay up to date and well informed on everything that is happening in your Florida EC-12 Association.