BOARD MEETING. MOORING COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, July 5. Tuesday, July 12. FRIDAY NIGHT SUMMER SERIES Friday s in July

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1 MOORING COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, July 5 BOARD MEETING (ALL members welcome) Tuesday, July 12 FRIDAY NIGHT SUMMER SERIES Friday s in July LUFFING LASSIES Thursdays in July SSS WORK PARTY Wednesday s in July DINGHY RACING Wednesday s in July FIRECRACKER REGATTA Saturday, July 3

2 1717 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, Florida Phone: Fax: Manager: Nancy Carolan Assistant Manager: Joanne Hawkes Maintenance Technician: Nelson Webmaster: Mike Halliday Burgee Editor: Lindsay Krienen 2010 Board Members Commodore: Alan Pressman ( ) Vice Commodore: John Huber ( ) Rear Commodore: Bill Niblock Treasurer: Michelle Lee ( ) Secretary: David Jennings ( ) Race Captain: Robert Miller ( ) Fleet Captain: Sara Allen ( ) Regatta Director: N27º20'14" W82º34'25" 25" Gregg Knighton Social Coordinator: Cassandra Roznos ( ) Education Coordinator: Lindsay Krienen ( ) From The Editor Well, the time has come. After 5 years of editing The Burgee, I have decided to resign myself from the role after the August 2010 issue. I lll assist in the transition as much as possible. I have loved it, and will miss it (sometimes.lol), but it s time to pass the proverbial torch. One of my favorite sayings is We can t change the direction of the winds, but we can adjust our sails. Jibe Ho... Cheers! Lindsay Krienen From the Commodore SSS Burgee Article July Edition 2010 The dog days of summer are upon us at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. I have it on good authority. I have Alan Pressman largely managed to avoid any firsthand knowledge of this myself by working indoors and avoiding the summer heat, but it has been confirmed to me by reliable sources. As the heat presses on my body, I find that what has been most pressing on my mind is the fact that the Sailing Squadron lease with the City of Sarasota is set to expire this coming November. I am notifying the membership now, that your presence at an upcoming City Commission meeting will be needed. We can make a BIG impression on the City and show that we are not a silent and largely unseen group, but are an important aspect of life in Sarasota and that the Sailing Squadron has impact on the lives of the adults and kids who sail here and impacts the City at large. And so we must be present when the City Commissoners vote on a lease renewal for the Squadron! By way of background, the Squadron has enjoyed not one, but two twenty year leases which gave the members of the Sailing Squadron some assurance over the past forty plus years that as they went about the business of growing sailing, growing the club, installing docks, buildings and other infrastructure, the members were doing this with some level of confidence that they would get to use the facilities for some reasonable length of time into the future. In the early days and sometime after World War II, the Squadron was originally chartered by a few returning war veterans who wanted a place to be able to affordably launch their small sailing boats and to have access to the beautiful waters of Sarasota. Many of you may not know that our first facility was near the original waterfront City Hall which at the time was at the end of Main Street, where the north archway for Marina Jack is located today. The Squadron was and remains to this day a not for profit entity. Over time, the City moved us out to what we now know as City Island, which at the time was nothing more than a sand pit the spoils of dredging in the bay. Over the years, our members have invested their sweat and their money and have worked to build what we have now, through volunteerism and through funding from membership dues. The Squadron has never lost money in its operations and it has never asked the City of Sarasota for a dime to build, grow or operate our Squadron. Continued page 18 Page 2

3 Rita is First Among Women at the Sunfish Worlds Ellen McKeefe A bunch of Italian sailors have now experienced what Florida sailors have known for years. Rita Steele will beat you. Yes, our Rita went off to the Tuscan coast of Italy and placed 24 th out of forty-eight Sunfish at the 40 th World Championship. And she was first among women competitors. We celebrated Rita s triumph, surprising her at the Squadron before she headed north for the summer. Some champagne was consumed. Cheers filled the air. In mid-june ten races were sailed in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Punta Ala, Italy. Rita described one of the races, I took the long tack first and was in 6 th place at the first windward mark, top ten the second windward mark, then had an abysmal mark rounding and had to duck most of the fleet. As I worked my way to the right side of the course, the entire fleet continued to sail left, away from the wind. The sea breeze came in and when I tacked I was all alone and finished in 10 th place. That was the best feeling. When I asked Rita which sailing day was the best, she replied, Maybe the sail in on the last day because I found that I really was enjoying the wind and the long, big waves. I was relaxed, the racing was over and I did not fear the big water anymore. Oh, and it was Italy so they did eat well and have some wine. In fact two of the Italian competitors were vintners. Every night we tried to drink up our reserves, said Rita, but they kept giving us free beer, wine and food. And, by the way, the Punta Ala Sailing Club now has a Sarasota Sailing Squadron burgee on display. Brava Rita! The 37 th season of the Luffing Lassies is underway. At the annual membership meeting in late May, new officers were voted in. Pram Captain Linda Schwartz has been promoted to Captain. She was everywhere during her first LL season; racing a pram at many of the FWSA member clubs, repairing boats when cold winter days (remember those?) prevented sailing and generally becoming quickly an integral part of our efforts on and off the water. In fact, immediate past Captain Lisa Dodds presented her with the Captain s Award in recognition. Linda Tiffan did such a swell job as Secretary we voted her First Officer. Lisa takes over as Secretary and Margaret Swift, winner of the Backbone Award, continues as Treasurer. With that line up, the season looks like a winner. And, by the way, thank you to our nominating committee, Jo Dzina and Dottie Schell. This passing of the flame took place at the annual end-of-the-year party at Bridget Smith s Siesta Key home. Among the 40-some LL s there were 13 former Captains, a tribute to the organization. In addition to the above, many other awards were presented. We voted Lisa recipient of the Suzanne Burt Memorial Trophy for her spirited enthusiasm during her year as Captain. And Christine Browning earned Most Improved Sailor. Ask Jib Browning about the Turkey Award. Jo, Paula Davenport, Linda Tiffan and Michelle know why they got the In the Drink Award. One Perfect Attendance Award was earned by Fran Mericle. Nanette Reuss presented the Spring race awards, Sunfish and Prams. None of which would be possible without our race committee regulars; Suzanne Koehnlein, Marilyn Watkins, Irene Miracle and Lu Burke. Dottie has agreed to yet another year as Sunfish Captain. Paula continues to come up with imaginative awards for everything from regattas to Rita Steele First among women Sunfish Worlds interclubs to annual recognitions. One of Linda s first acts as LL Captain was presentation of the Luffing Lassies Lifeline Award to Willy Dodds. This past season Willy was everywhere, he helped us with boar repair, he managed race committee, he sailed his Sunfish with us calling out advice. We are grateful and hope he ll be back to keep us in line. A few days later there was a good LL turnout at the Sailing Squadron s annual Memorial Day Race Around Lido. Sunfishers Dottie, Jo, Lisa, Willy, Rita and Loretta Garber made their way out to the Gulf, south to Big Pass, under the Ringling Bridge and back to the Squadron. Michelle, Julie Burnett and Cathy Cartier took their kids out on a Flying Scot. Lorri Kaighin and Gillian Whatmore did the same with a Hunter 21. Tom and Linda Schwartz, Carroll Dzina and Frank Girardin followed the fleet in a power boat. Bridget, Mariella Doyle, Dottie Gibson and Rachel Harvey were on Big Ben. Rachel did her usual great job taking action photos on the water. Wednesday night all-boat, summer races are underway. Dottie is trying to herd some Sunfishers into some fun sailing on Saturdays. Yes, it s hot in July but it s better out on the water. Page 3

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5 Sarasota Sailing Squadron Nominating Committee It's that time again. We need volunteers for the Nominating Committee in order to elect our new board. Please contact me if you are interest in participating in the process. Congratulations to Joanne Hawkes, celebrating 10 years as your Assistant Manager! Louis Magliano Chairman of the nominating Committee Cell Fax DON T SELL YOUR BOAT GIVE IT TO THE KIDS! The Sarasota Youth Sailing Program needs donations! MISSION STATEMENT Pay NO SALES TAX on boats purchased from the SYSP! Call for updated list new boats come in regularly. The Sarasota Sailing Squadron is a club organized to encourage the sport of sailing, to promote the science of seamanship and navigation, to sponsor cruises, races and instruction classes for adults and children, and to foster a spirit of good fellowship, courtesy and sportsmanship; and to provide entertainment and refreshments for members and their guests. Boats can be seen at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, City Island, 1515 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL Phone SYSP is a 501c(3) Non-Profit Corporation P.O. Box 2706 Sarasota, FL Page 5

6 FLYING SCOT FLEET 36 NEWS Submitted by: Bob Twinem Flying Scot Fleet 36 News. The dog days of summer have arrived on Sarasota bay. Thanks to Ron for taking the initiative to schedule up some races for this summer. We are using rabbit starts and are having a good time in the informal races. We have been rotating the races through Friday eve, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon with varying degrees of participation. Our first Friday night race turned out to be match racing Between Sidewalk Express and Patchwork Princess. Not a deep fleet for this try at Friday night racing but certainly a talented fleet. The last Saturday of May we had 5 boats out sailing. The Thinels came down from Tampa to join us and the Wruks with guests came up from Marco Island to join in for the afternoon of racing. The sailing was fantastic, with the gulf breeze blowing steady at about 10 kts. A few tight races then a few cool ones at the squadron under the pavilion made for a great afternoon. We raced on the mid June Sunday with 7 boats. Getting out to the circle was a challenge as the afternoon breeze had not filled in yet. But, at 2:00 we were racing again on the steady gulf breeze. We had good breeze and lots of shifts for some challenging racing and as usual, tight finishes. John and Susan showed the true family; nature of the Scot. While they raced they had their 2 beautiful girls crewing / sleeping below. What a fun outing for all. Hopefully the next issue will have some results of some of our sailors participating in the Flying Scot North American Championships in Mississippi. June 28- July2. Tip of the day: You cannot drink too much water or wear too much sunscreen in June on Sarasota Bay. Page 6

7 Team Brisson Jacques & Charlotte SUBMITTED BY: Tom Turner 7/2003 RESUBMITED BY: Vaile Scott 6/2010 BURGEE EDITOR NEEDED! The SSS is looking for a member to volunteer to edit The Burgee. This includes collecting articles, proofing, editing, layout, and submission of the publication to the printer on a monthly basis. Must have good computer skills (it s currently done in Publisher), be creative, and good with deadlines. Looking to transition duties ideally ASAP, but at the latest just after the August 2010 issue is published. Please contact Alan Pressman (commodore@sarasotasailingsquadron.org) or Lindsay Krienen (burgee_editor@sarasotasailingsquadron.org) Get your volunteer hours in doing this it s a great way to give back! Page 7

8 Social News July Double Lane Slip n' Slide for the kids and adults! BBQ will be open serving up some good grub. Moonlight Movie! August 21 Pig Roast If you would like to volunteer to help out with any event, please YSP BOARD MEMBER NEEDED! Volunteer Director needed for YSP Board: The SSS Board of Directors is seeking suitable volunteers to serve in a liaison position and to become a Board Member on the Youth Sailing Program's Board of Directors. The YSP Board holds once monthly meetings which must be attended and you will be required to report on those proceedings to the SSS Board of Directors, monthly, at our regularly scheduled Board meetings. If interested, please submit your name and phone number to the Manager, and you will be notified of the next steps in the process. As always, we thank our volunteers for participating in this process. Any questions, please call the office. Message from the Manager I'd like to address a concern raised by several members--dead Boats. We're almost finished identifying all the dead boats in the yard and our next step is to send letters to the owners reminding them that their boat must be used a minimum of once per month in order for their membership to remain current. Those boat owners not complying within 30 days from the date of the letter will be charged an additional rate of $5.50 per foot per month plus tax for all subsequent periods. Those members with dead boats, who have not paid their storage fees thus far, will be charged an additional storage rate of $10.00 per foot per month plus tax. With these dead boats, the Squadron intends to proceed to remove them from the property in accordance with the law. We have new members joining every week, and many are bringing their boats to the Squadron. I want to make sure we have adequate spaces for active sailors. So, if you're on one of these lists, now's the time to get out and sail! Our new dishwasher is installed and working. Joanne placed instructions in the kitchen for its use, and I hope that members using the kitchen will keep it clean, and use the dishwasher properly. I posted notices on the office door, and on the bulletin board on the porch advertising for members wishing to sign up for Board of Director positions to come into the office and sign the sheet. Any questions please stop by. Lastly, with summer heat upon us, I thought I'd take a moment to remind our members to stay hydrated and try when possible to limit your heavy outdoor work to the early morning or early evening hours when the temperature dips ever so slightly. As Always, Happy and Safe Sailing!!! Nancy Page 8

9 If you wish to make your voice heard, I strongly encourage you to write a letter or send an to the Mayor and City Commissioners! In the name of our club, and in support of moving forward, please instruct the City to begin to draw up a long term lease renewal for a minimum of twenty years and for a rate of $1 This is in line with other City leases for other not for profit groups in Sarasota. Your voice matters and your views count. Make yourself heard. Mayor Kelly M. Kirschner District Three st Street, Room 101 Sarasota, FL Phone: (941) Kelly.Kirschner@sarasotagov.com Vice-Mayor Fredd "Glossie" Atkins District One st Street, Room 101 Sarasota, FL Phone: (941) Fredd.Atkins@sarasotagov.com Commissioner Richard Clapp District Two st Street, Room 101 Sarasota, FL Phone: (941) Richard.Clapp@sarasotagov.com Commissioner Suzanne Atwell At-Large st Street, Room 101 Sarasota, FL Phone: (941) Suzanne.Atwell@sarasotagov.com Commissioner Terry Turner At-Large st Street, Room 101 Sarasota, FL Phone: (941) Terry.Turner@sarasotagov.com Page 9

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11 RACE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Contact Rich Muro for Friday nights Contact Bob Miller for Sundays Page 11

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15 SARASOTA YOUTH SAILING Submitted by: Maria Rocha Schools Out Regatta was hosted by Davis Island Yacht Club on May Some of the SYSP sailors that participated had the following finishes. In Opti Green fleet 36 boats participated, Ciara Dorsey finished in 8th place and Theo Woolsey in 23rd place. In Blue fleet there were 20 boats, Nico Schultz finished 2nd, Liam Donoghue 18th and Maya Kwasniewski in 19th place. In 420's there were 11 boats, Benjamin Mohney and Sami Tornese finished in 5th place. Race Around Lido was attended by many of SYSP sailors and parents. A total of 36 boats participated this year making this event one of the most well attended in the past years. The Gulf Coast Championship was hosted by the Seabrook Sailing Center, TX on June Seven sailors from SYSP attended this regatta. The 4.7 fleet had 19 boats, Ravi Parent finished in 2nd place, Wendy Reuss in 3rd, Sophia Schultz in 5th, Madison Gates in 8th and Jason D'Agostino in 9th place. In the Radial fleet with 62 boats Christi Frost finished in 34th place and in the Full fleet with 39 boats, Christopher Stocke finished 4th. On June these sailors will be competing in Laser North Americans at the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club. There are still openings for Summer Camp. The camp is for kids ages 5-18 and offers sailing classes for beginners to more advanced sailors. To register visit or call David Livingston at AN ADVERTISING SPACE LIKE THIS IS AN ECONOMICAL WAY TO REACH ALL 900+ MEMBERS OF THE SSS! FOR DE- TAILS, CONTACT THE SQUADRON OF- FICE AT BUSINESS CARD SIZE ADS ARE ONLY $25 PER MONTH OR $250 A YEAR. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SUBMISSION CRITERIA This column consists of letters received in response to recent articles or to address other issues at large within the SSS. The purpose is to provide a forum for positive and constructive views on articles and matters published in The Burgee. The Editor requires that letters are expressed in a positive way, with avoidance of negative terms, grammar or descriptions. This column is not to be used for negative comments or innuendos about any person, product, device, company, institution, association or profession, whether intentional or not. The Burgee, as a publication, is presented as professional as possible, therefore, an appropriate standard of grammar and expression is expected. The author of the letter is responsible for ensuring the facts are accurate and encouraged to cite references. All letters may be edited for clarity and grammar, and the Editor reserves the right to print or edit all submissions. Letters to the Editor should be sent to burgee_editor@sarasotasailingsquadron.org and contain the subject line Letter to the Editor. Deadline is the 20th of each month. Submissions must include the author name and telephone number in order to provide means of verification. ALL ARTICLES & PHOTOS FOR SUBMISSION IN THE BURGEE SHOULD BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY TO: BURGEE_EDITOR@SARASOTASAILING SQUAD- RON.ORG BY THE DEADLINE OF THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH. FILES THAT TRANSFER BEST ARE WORD, PDF OR PLAIN TEXT FILES. Page 15

16 SSS S t u f f SQUADRON BASEBALL CAPS ONLY $14 EACH POLO SHIRTS WITH SQUADRON LOGO $25 LARGE TOTE BAGS $25 VISORS $12 SYLVESTER T-SHIRTST SHIRTS $10 My feral, feline, friends and I will be celebrating the 4th of July, when the Founding Cats put their paw prints on the Declaration of Independence, giving us the right to life, lib- FROM: BILL NIBLOCK, REAR COMMODORE YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED & APPRECIATED! Please report any problems you encounter while using the Main Dock launching ramp to: Rear_Commodore@SarasotaSailingSquad ron.org THANK YOU! My feral, feline, friends and I will be celebrating the 4th of July, when the Founding Cats put their paw prints on the Declaration of Independence, giving us the right to life, liberty, and the purrsuit of cattiness. Special thanks to those who feed us: Joe Pratico, Julie Burnett, Joel Davies, Katie Smith, and Veterinarian, Olga Oliver. Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea. - John Updike TO VIEW A FULL COLOR EDITION OF THE BURGEE VISIT: Page 16

17 Ball Busters Submitted by Pat Murphy SQUADRON DATE Eddie didn t make it today, however, Ruth Nordman filled in for him and stocked the bar. She then began painting the screen frames on the porch so we can later redo the wood sills. This is going to be a longtime project and probably take at least a month in Ballbuster time. Her husband, Chuck, swept and blew off the back sidewalk and other concrete areas around the clubhouse. Ron and Don fixed the hasp on the box that the air compressor is locked in. It had been wrenched off during the weekend so the compressor could be fixed as the club key would not open the lock as it was corroded shut. A bit of WD-40 took care of that and it s now working properly. After this job they fixed a ladder with a broken bottom step. Chris Mera drove around in the Golf Cart, and especially in the Small Boat Area picked up junk that needed to be discarded. One of our long time, old time members Jaye Villain, stopped by and once he figured out how to operate our cantankerous weed eater, weed eated around the Stonehouse and boats stored in that area. Charlie Roediger, not to be outdone, used the lawn mower in this area also. Stu Barnette & Charlie took Big Ben to Marine Max for more gas after they filled all the boats that needed it. Jaye was the main carpenter who helped build the Squadron in the late 1970 s and very early 1980 s building a kitchen, north porch extension and main dock deck as well as the small launching dock. Jay s 6 5 and didn t need a ladder or boat to jet piling in. Charlie & Jaye also examined the BBQ roof and suggested some new shingles and a quick supportive patch underneath the roof where a tree limb partially penetrated. They will do the repair once the materials are on site. I went to Sarasota Hardware on the way home and got two quarts of varnish so we can continue varnishing the Chip Boxes. SQUADRON DATE Hot what more can you say! Very few Ballbuster s here today. It s too hot. The smart ones went north for the summer. I arrived earlier that usual as I wanted to put another coat of varnish on the two Chip Boxes behind the bar and ended up by putting on two coats. It dried that fast. And varnishing the trash & can lids that Ron & Don built for the bar. Ruth & Chuck Nordman continued applying bronze paint to the aluminum channel that supports the screen for the porch hoping to finish as they have something else to do next week. Ron Burnette & I moved a few of the large rocks out of the water that are in front of the club on the west side of the Dinghy Dock so dinghies can be stored there. Only a few as it was so hot. Ron later gassed/oiled all the boats. Allan Titcombe worked on getting some bolts loosen on a aluminum stand pipe and will bring a grinder next week so he can go further. Walter Wyatt played a Wanda in the kitchen and washed a whole bunch of pots and pans that were neglected by the Monday racers. Nancy & Joanne cleaned out the large freezer throwing away freeze damaged food and making it neat for a while. SQUADRON DATE O60610 D DAY! Not a Ballbuster Work Day but a Sunday hot & humid with sweat running off the body in buckets. I went to what remains of Sarasota Books & News (Charlies News before) and now called Media on Main. A shadow of its former self. I was down there about a month ago looking for Sailing & Kayaking magazines and not finding them. I returned to make sure I didn t just overlook them. No chance. They weren t there as was little else. The Sarasota/Florida historical section that was a whole wall was just about one shelf & no more. I can t see how they can stay in business. One table occupied outside and very few people inside including staff at about 11 AM on Sunday a time when the place used to be packed. Maybe they will make it somehow. Who knows? SQUADRON DATE Ballbuster Wednesday again! And very few Ballbuster s. One back from up north (Larry MacMillian) but that was all. Eddie was home as he didn t feel too good, but Ron was here as was Don. Alan Titcombe came as usual and together with Larry did an under roof repair to the BBQ Pit structure where a tree limb had penetrated the ¾ inch plywood. Ron & Don continued working on wood tops for the club Trash & Can, can lids, building three, and giving them to me so I could put a couple coats of varnish on them. I arrived a lot earlier and went to work varnishing the unvarnished cedar behind the bar and finished up scraping down the outside aluminum screen frame and the ledge that it mounts on getting it ready for possible painting next week. John Gordon, a member & Canadian, straightened up the Walk-In and then stocked the bar coolers. Stu Barnette gassed the boats and moved some rocks in the basin to the rip rap area on the bank so dinghies can be parked on the inside of the 5 floating docks. He has been doing a little bit of this during the week and weekends when he comes out. SQUADRON DATE The hottest day yet! Coffee with Walter just after 7 AM. Eddie s still out. But Ron is here and along with Don removed all the bottle beer and whatever else from the upright dispenser next to the Walk-In so they could clean the box with bleach, etc. It looks much better now. Wanda arrived after her Hawaiian vacation and cleaned and stocked the bar with the time to time help of one of the Ball Busters. They then cut a 1 X 2 piece of cedar in order to mount a plastic sign for the bulletin board on the porch, entitled Squadron Information. Ruth and Chuck Nordman continued painting the aluminum framing for the porch screens and did the outside from the office to the east porch entrance and will probably complete the rest next Wednesday. Larry MacMillian and Bob Mendoza cleaned out the double door storage area in the Work Area and then cleaned the stainless and grille at the BBQ pit. Bob Barnette gassed the boats that needed it while I changed out some bulbs at the bar that were burnt out finding one fixture that would not work and probably have to be replaced. xxx Page 17

18 In 1981, the Squadron received a document from the Corp of Engineers that gave us permission to construct some docks and which also included the right to install 38 moorings in the waters adjacent to and outside of the boundaries of our uplands lease with the City. And we are also in possession of an old Florida Fish and Wildlife publication that indicates that the area of our mooring field is a recommended anchorage in Sarasota Bay. For many years in the eighties, the number of moorings did not exceed 38, and not necessarily by design, but because there was not much demand for moorings in those days. But in the intervening years the mooring field has grown organically with many folks deciding that the field looked like a good place to drop a mooring. Somewhere around 1998 a group of Squadron members including past Board Member Stan Zimmerman, realized that it would be a good idea to approach the State for the right to manage the mooring field. By that time the number of moorings had grown to about 100 or so. And with the approval of the Squadron Board, the process of obtaining the rights to manage a Sovereign Submerged Lands Lease (SSLL) at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron began. During this process, the number of moorings has increased to its current 120. Twelve years later we still have not received an SSLL despite years of hard work and a not insignificant amount of money spent by the club. And the Squadron has lacked the authority to insure that safe and effective moorings are in use in this unregulated mooring field, posing a risk to other boats, and to private and public property on the adjacent shoreline. In the fall of 2008 and just before the expiration of our 20 year uplands lease with the City of Sarasota, there was much excitement in City Hall about the new mooring field that was about to be constructed in partnership with the local marina in downtown Sarasota. Although several Commissioners and the Mayor spoke publicly at a Commission hearing about the desire to renew the Squadron s uplands lease for another term of twenty years (and even a thirty year lease was suggested by the sitting Mayor) one of the Commissioners who was most allied with the movement to create an organized mooring field downtown made the argument that it was his belief that the Squadron was not compliant with state regulations (the mooring field had grown to 120 moorings and had more than was allowed under the earlier permit authorizing 38), and that it would be somehow inappropriate to grant the Squadron another long term lease. To this day, I believe that no one actually knows what it means for the Squadron to be compliant given that the State of Florida substantially reasserted statewide rules on Commodore (Continued) anchoring rights in its waters last year and that the 82 offending moorings are located in an anchoring zone which is recommended in a FL Department of Fish and Wildlife publication. And so, in November of 2008 we entered into a one year lease from the City with a one year option which was intended to be a sufficient amount of time to become compliant. We are now at the end of the second year lease extension and despite the Squadron s due diligence, use of legal counsel, and frankly, extraordinary efforts by Squadron volunteers, we are still mired in confusion with the State over the language in the Temporary Usage Agreement (TUA) document. The fact that the Squadron has had no control over the mooring field and hence no right to limit the number of moored boats in the field seems to be largely overlooked by the various parties in all of this. And it was the Squadron that initially went to the State back in the late 90 s to advise them of their interest to help manage the mooring field and to resolve all issues of compliance-- and not the other way around! Back to the future both David Jennings and I have almost finished our rounds at City Hall. We ve met with Commissioners Atwell, Turner, Clapp and Mayor Kirschner. We expect to reschedule our meeting with Commissioner Atkins. We met with Manager Marlon Brown and staff member Rob Shanley and we have continued to meet/conference call with the City Attorney s, Robert Fournier and Sarah Warren. It is the Squadron s position that the two issues of a.) compliance with the State on a mooring field and b.) the Squadron s uplands lease need to be unbundled. The Squadron has shown since 1998 and especially since 2008, that it has exercised due diligence in seeking compliance with the State and has taken all necessary and prudent steps to work through this problem. And the City should not and must not hold our long term lease renewal hostage to resolution of a problem with the State that was beyond the control of the Squadron, its board or its management, and which it had no authority to prevent or regulate despite twelve years endeavoring to obtain rights to manage the field. We ve had some favorable response from the parties with whom we ve met but we will not know where we stand until the City Commission schedules a discussion of the Squadron lease on an upcoming Agenda. And this is where you come in, dear member. We will need to show our numbers and our concerns to the City Mayor and Commissioners. Once we have a date for public comment, we will notify you by Breezy Blast, Burgee, web site posting, Squadron Bulleting Board and Coconut Telegraph. Continued page 19 Page 18

19 The best that I can tell is that this will appear on the City Commission Agenda and be open to public comment either on; Monday July 5, Monday July 19 or Monday August 16. It could occur on any of these dates (or not) and will be either a late afternoon session or an evening session. Our primary goal is that we are given the green light to enter into another long term lease of 20 to 30 years with the City of Sarasota. Our second concern is the rental rate for our lease. Many of you will recall that two years ago City Management wanted the Commissioners to approve a rate surcharge to our lease. The managers recommended an additional flat fee somewhere in the neighborhood of $90,000. Thankfully the Commissioners voted the staff s recommended rate increase down. I believe the City Staff are gearing up for at least this amount of increase in a new lease. It will again be up to a vote of the Commissioners as to whether this increase will be part of our lease or not. Let me put this in perspective for you. Our current lease rate is based on the number of members we have and the rate of our fees. The more members we have the more the City receives. The more activity we generate (dues, storage, functions, events, rents, etc.) the greater the remittance to the City. And we retain a portion of this revenue to run the club. Conversely, if membership drops (as it has this year, due we believe to the overall economic recession) then our remittance to the City reduces commensurately. This flexible arrangement has worked for years and served both parties well and insured the Squadron s financial viability. In the past few years this amount has run in the $40,000 plus range per year. Commodore (Continued) It is the regular dues and fees that we collect and share with the City that are our primary source of funds that we use to run the club. If membership dropped by even one third, we could be forced to try to run the club on one third less than our current budget requires and still need to come up with the amount of the flat fee for the City. As we barely break even each year and attempt to add a little to our various reserve funds (dock rebuilding funds, building maintenance and construction, hoist replacement, etc.) a loss of members would result in a deep reduction in Squadron operating funds and could quickly leave us with insufficient funds to operate. If a flat fee increase is imposed in a new lease renewal, we could be forced to give up our lease and turn the whole operation over to the City. I think there is some recognition that the Squadron is a reflection on the City of Sarasota. We have an impact on the community not only economically, but culturally and socially. People all over the US and around the world know Sarasota as a cultural center with a rich emphasis on the arts, sports, commerce, attractive lifestyle and its unique appeal largely derived from its location adjacent to our beautiful bay and gulf waters (at least until the oil gets here). And the Sarasota Sailing Squadron is prominent among these many attractions with literally thousands of people visiting the Squadron each year. I dare say that if our lease increase makes it impossible for the Squadron to continue its operations the City would have great difficulty running a public sailing center and doing what we do with all of our volunteers and member contributions, fundraisers, etc. for anywhere near the $400,000 plus that the Squadron operates on annually. In fact, I would argue that it would cost the City well in excess of a million or more dollars each year to run the kind of program that we offer at the Sailing Squadron. Imposition of any additional flat fee that would not fluctuate based on our revenue or our membership roles would put the Squadron in an untenable position. If a $90,000 increase over the base rate is again back on the table this amount would represent more than a 200% rental increase over our current terms. Let me put this in perspective. If this flat fee is passed through to our members as a direct bill from the City, and if for any reason the club has a reduction in the number of members, we could still be obligated to pay the flat amount and send on ALL of this amount to the City. This amount would then need to be spread out on the backs of a potentially much smaller membership base. And we d still need to bill and collect the regular dues and fees in order to be able to run the club. And so it is the Squadron s position that we would like our lease renewal with the City to be based on a $1.00 per year rate and for a minimum of twenty years. Certainly ours would not be the only lease with the City at this rate. It is my understanding that our neighbors at Mote Marine, Save Our Seabirds (the old Pelican Man), G Whiz, The Sarasota Humane Society and others also have a City lease for $1.00 per year. And like the Squadron, these are also not for profit operations needing public support and providing benefits to the community. And given the many benefits we provide to the city, community, adults and youth sailors and to the local economy, we wonder why the City has not offered Continued page 20 Page 19

20 to SUBSIDIZE the Sailing Squadron in its day to day operations! So as we gear up for this lease renewal, and start to think about convening at City Hall, we need to ask for your support in this effort. What I am asking for is this: If you love your Squadron and feel as I do about the need to secure its long term future and viability, you must come out and attend the City Commission meeting to SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. Some of you may want to plan to speak on the record, and others just may want to show the City Mayor and Commissioners who we are and how many of us use the Squadron and count on it as a resource for affordable sailing in what is rapidly becoming a rich man s sport. Let s pack the halls and show them we are not some silent unseen group willing to pay whatever the freight will bear. Commodore (Continued) names, addresses and conveniently located below.) Consider this a CALL TO ACTION by your Commodore. If we can achieve our goal of securing a long term future for the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in this great City of Sarasota, then the rest is just easy stuff. We ll then have the ability to continue in our quest to make the Sarasota Sailing Squadron the Greatest Sailing Club in the World. And the City of Sarasota will be proud! Now put this down, forget about leases, politics and Commissioners and get out on a sailboat and go sailing in Sarasota! -Alan We need some of you to speak on a variety of subjects: Some can speak to their early years learning to sail as many of you grew up at the Squadron. Some can speak to the enriching aspects of sailing and the sailing life and the difficulty in becoming exposed to such an activity if it were not for the affordability of the Sailing Squadron for us regular folks. And some can speak about the impact on youth sailing and even on the fact that for a number of years now, the Squadron has helped the Youth Sailing Program fund summer learn to sail programs for kids without the means to do so on their own and who would otherwise not have had an opportunity to learn to sail. And maybe we have an economist or two in our ranks who can take a stab at quantifying the economic activity generated among our local businesses, restaurants, bars, hotels, sail and sailing equipment suppliers by not only Squadron members, but by visitors to our various regional, national and occasionally international events that attract people for far and wide. Other better funded operations routinely do this kind of analysis and self promotion. We ll need representatives from SALT, the RED CROSS, the SYSP, the Luffing Lassies, members of the racing community, and the cruising community and others to be present and ready to speak in support of a low cost, long term lease renewal for the Sailing Squadron. Let your SSS board know now if you are ready willing and able to provide a speaker. And there are many more of you who no doubt have compelling comments that you can share with the City Commission. If you are unable to attend this meeting please WRITE A LETTER and send your comments to the City Mayor and Commissioners. (You ll find their Page 20

21 TO ALL MEMBERS A FRIENDLY REMINDER When there is no room in the parking lot, please park outside the gate. If you absolutely must park in front of someone s boat, please leave your keys in the car, so it can be moved if needed. Blocking someone's boat may lead to your car being towed at your own expense. Thank you. Don t forget The Squadron s policy is that all contractors must have 1 million dollars in liability insurance, with the Squadron listed as the additional insured. Examples of this are: working for others on Squadron property or the mooring field, charging people to sail, etc. ATTENTION ALL BOAT OWNERS In order to keep your boat at The Squadron, you must have VALID INSURANCE COVER- AGE. (Standing Rules - Section II. General; Item L) Please see the back of your directory for REGATTA DOCK RULES If you have any questions about docking, please stop by the office. Thank you. Please make sure the office always has a copy of your current boat insurance coverage. You can: bring in a copy, fax it in to or scan and joanne@sarasotasailing squadron.org. Each time you renew your insurance, usually on an annual basis, you MUST resubmit it to the office. Please make sure the expiration date is clearly legible. THANK YOU!! INSURED INSURED INSURED ATTENTION SQUADRON MEMBERS: Floating marks that are missing should be reported to : Kirk & the SSS Current BOAT US members wishing to renew at the reduced rate of $15 should write the group name and number on their renewal bills and return them to Boat US with their payments. Group Name: Sarasota Sailing Squadron Group #: GA82296S Page 21

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24 PRSRT STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA FL PERMIT #802 Sarasota Sailing Squadron 1717 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL Marc Dwiel 6010 Cattleridge Dr. Ste 200 Sarasota, Florida (941) Ext Fax (941) Page 24