March 2017
From the Helm………..
37° 12‘ 20” N, 76° 26’ 11” W
www.seafordyachtclub.com
Volume 37 # 3
I feel so privileged to serve as your 2017 Commodore and am delighted that so many of you agreed to serve as leaders
and members of our committees. We are an awesome yacht club!! In taking the helm, past Commodores offered helpful
counsel, such as “Buckle your seatbelt – it’s time to roll” (Bill Willshire, Commodore, 2015) or “Just have fun” (Nancy
Mehegan, Commodore 2006). Well, I’ve buckled myself in and plan to have fun! As we officially kick off our new year,
I’d like to use this month’s column to share highlights of the 2017-25 strategic plan. Here’s what the 2016 Long Range
Planning Committee and many of you who attended our Listening Sessions created together!
Our vision statement describes the ideal SYC and creates an inspirational mental image of the future we want to
achieve. The vision answers this question: If SYC achieved its goals, what would it look like in 10 years? We focused
on achieving excellence and welcoming experienced and novice boaters who share a love of “being on the water”.
Here’s what you helped us create:
An outstanding yacht club for boaters of all generations!
Our mission statement explains our reason for existing. It supports our vision and communicates priorities and direction to leaders, members and the
community. We updated our bylaws purpose statement to reflect our club and what we do currently. The mission was approved at our Annual Meeting.
To promote responsible boating and seamanship and maintain facilities for the educational, recreational and social use of our members
and guests.
Our core values help clarify our beliefs and principles. We are more effective when we embrace and use them like a compass to guide our attitudes,
actions and decision-making. We winnowed these values from many suggestions from our members and I’ll expand on each in future Semaphores.
Integrity, volunteerism, fellowship, community service and education,
environmental stewardship, and fiscal responsibility.
Our slogan will “brand” SYC, create a buzz and encourage others to join. This was our easiest task since it was created years ago by a Chesapeake
Bay publication.
Home of the friendliest people on the Chesapeake Bay!
Our goals help us align priorities to achieve our mission. Each goal includes strategies and outcomes that will help us achieve them. The first four
goals are well addressed; we just need to keep up the good work and add a strategy or two. Membership recruitment and retention and financial
planning are priorities and need more attention.
 Encourage & develop cruising, racing & other boating activities
 Offer recreational & social activities for member enjoyment
 Promote seamanship & boating education
 Maintain/improve the safety & attractiveness of the house, grounds & marina to meet member expectations
 Recruit & retain active members & leaders
 Maintain strong financial viability
Lastly, I’d like to borrow from the Daily Press and offer Roses and Thorns for each month:
February Roses:
 SYC Outstanding Member, Jerry Dooley, Dockmaster, 2016

Yachting Awards to Donna Gilroy and Carla Mutone

Annual Meeting Committee: Lillian Downs, Barbara & Cecil Adcox, Ginger & Jake Smith, Carl Early, Malcolm Burgess, Bill & Kelly
Willshire & Dana Arenius
Al Cummins & his committee for outstanding Seadog Seminars

February Thorn:
 Winter storm Jonas
According to Punxsutawney Phil, winter is more than half over! Stay warm, come to the last Seadog Seminar, and dream of boating season,
Commodore Fran
March 2017
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
1
Thursday
2
Friday
Saturday
3
4
10
11
17
18
* Bridge
5
6
7
8
9
* Bridge
12
13
14
15
* Daylight Savings
* Board of Directors
Time Begins
Meeting
19
20
16
* Bridge
Vernal Equinox
23
24
* Monthly Dinner
21
22
* Semaphore Input
* Happy Hour
Meeting
Deadline
* Bridge
26
27
* Burn Your Socks
28
29
30
* Bridge
SYC garden picture, Spring is close.
25
Submit a Limerick for our 3rd Annual Limerick Contest!
1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners will be awarded on March 21 at
the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner hosted by Bill & Joan Edmonds. Although our party occurs
after the holiday, we’ll part hardy!
Limericks are humorous poems with 5 lines:
1st, 2nd & final lines rhyme with each other
3rd & 4th lines rhyme with each other
5th line yields a surprise ending & rhymes with lines 1 & 2
1st
SYC’s 2016 winners were:
Lillian Downs
There was a young soldier from Munich
Who carried his gun in his tunic.
One night on a dare,
He jumped high in the air,
and ended up being a eunuch.
2nd
Donna Gilroy
Our political system has been quite the tale.
Hillary may spend time in jail.
Bernie is giving away free college,
while Trump wants those without knowledge.
The country’s just going to "hail.
3rd
Merle Burgess
A sailor who hailed from York,
in a storm tried to eat with a fork.
When along came some lightningit was really quite frightening
Now he looks like a roast loin of pork .
Up to 2 entries per person please, but NO LATER THAN March 13th!
[email protected]
Racing News
Upcoming: Spring Regatta, May 5th
The Spring Regatta is our first race for this season.
It will occur on Saturday,
May 5th, the day before Flag Raising. Art Dister is the SYC sponsor for the Spring Regatta race. At 5:00 PM, a
Potluck dinner on the dock under the canopy will follow the race. The Potluck dinner has returned this year due
to lack of a Friday happy hour.
Upcoming: Staggered Start Race, May 20th
The Staggered Start Race will occur on Saturday, May 20th. Mike Webb will sponsor the Staggered Start Race.
The race schedule and remaining races that need sponsors are posted on the SYC website.
REMINDER – RACE COMMITTEE SEMINAR COMING IN MARCH: MURPHY NUTS & BOLTS FOR RACE
COMMITTEE, Saturday morning, March 25, hosted by Broad Bay Sailing Association at Nauticus (downtown
Norfolk). If you are serving on a Race Committee this sailing season, be it for a week-end regatta, single race, juniors, mid-week casual,
or others, MURPHY NUTS & BOLTS is for you. The presentation is designed to cover the essentials of on-the-boat, on-the-water Race
Committee responsibilities, including the start and the finish. This seminar is for skippers, crew, and anyone that may serve on a race
committee as well as anyone that wants to improve their knowledge of racing. John McCarthy will present this seminar on the Nuts and
Bolts of Race Committee-ing. Cost ($10. per person) includes refreshments and materials. All proceeds go to Patriot Sailing, a 501c3
non-profit with a mission of getting combat Veterans involved in competitive sailing. For on-line registration, click
on https://form.jotform.com/63483623289162 or contact Randy Goodman at [email protected] This will be the only
presentation of Murphy Nuts & Bolts in the Hampton Roads area this spring.
Tom Feldhaus, Racing Chair
Entertainment at the Club;
The warmer temperatures have certainly been nice and an improvement from the snow we had in
January. I wasn't here to submit an article in the January Semaphore but I do want to take this
opportunity to thank the members that worked so hard to decorate the club for our Christmas Party.
They are as follows: Gladys Wagner, Jerry Lash, Kelly Dayton, Nancy Shrout, Lillian Downs, Fran
Butterfoss, Al Moore, Mike Brower, and last but not least, Cecil Adcox. I would also like to thank those
that wanted to help but due to conflicts were unable to: Jo Longnecker, Bob Strieter, Audrey Moore,
Dale and Deb Calendar and Kathy Moore.
Special thanks to Sheila and Jim Majka for another spectacular Christmas tree! Year after year they come through with
beautiful, intriguing themes for our Christmas tree! You go girl and drag Jim along!
Thank all of you for volunteering and a job well done!
Don't forget the upcoming Burn Your Socks Party on March 18th.! Jim and Linda Blotter are busy planning another S.Y.C.
party kicking off the boating season! Many thanks to them and their crew!
Barbara Adcox, Entertainment Chair
ANNUAL BURN YOUR SOCKS PARTY
Hosted by Jim and Linda Blotter
Saturday March 18, 6:00 PM until???
DON’T MISS IT!!!
Help celebrate the Vernal Equinox and the coming of Spring
You bring SOCKS to burn.
We provide: Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks, Snacks, Salad, Potato Casserole, Corn
on the Cob, Bratwursts and Fixings and Dessert (S’MORES and more).
$16.00 for adults; $8.00 for children (12 and under)
Happy Hour (drinks and snacks) at 6:00 PM
Dinner at 7:30 PM followed by a bonfire for S’MORES to cook and SOCKS to
burn.
This is an indoor/outdoor informal SPRING party - please dress for the
weather!!
Reservations with the phone committee are required (they will call you in
March). To change reservations later,
call Donna Gilroy by March 15th at 757-766-1584
Tom Tragle was named Volunteer of the Year for the Victory Y.
JOIN THE VOLUNTEER SPIRIT TO KEEP SEAFORD YACHT CLUB
MORE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE
Thanks to the 2017 Volunteers for being significant members of the Landscape Committee.
Members include Janet Beilhart, Carol Brower, Marti Coffield, Lillian Downs, Joan Edmonds,
Barbara Georgianna, Dave Georgianna, Nancy Hinman, Mark Hinman, Tina MacRitchie, Sandy
Shem, Penny Showalter, Ginger Smith, Doris Smoker, Jeanette Webb and Kelly Willshire.
Our work is ongoing throughout the year and we quietly keep everything looking pristine as much
as possible. Spring and Fall Clean Up are the main times that we come together to do our work. You
are on your own schedule mostly, but should make sure when there is a meeting, club event, or
rental that your area is Looking good. Check the calendar in the directory every month. Sometimes an area just needs a gentle touch.
Enjoy the growth and friendship that you have made!
If you do not have an assigned garden...see me at the Spring Clean Up. We have available gardens that need caretakers.
Barbara Georgianna, Landscape Chair
SYC BoT Meeting Summary - February 14, 2017
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.
Members Present: Fran Butterfoss, Carl Early, Cecil Adcox, Malcolm Burgess, Winnie Feldhaus, Jandy Strickland, Ben Huggin, Jan
Briede, Al Moore, Dana Arenius
Members Absent: Bob James, Dave Coffield
Secretary’s Report: The minutes of the January 24th meeting were distributed. A motion was made and approved to amend the minutes
to indicate that the BOT had received the Long-Range Planning committee report. The minutes were approved as amended.
Treasurer’s Report
Detailed monthly financial reports were presented to the BoT and are available on the members’ only portion of the SYC web site.
Jandy reported that the club is close to being on budget for the year.
Old Business:
Spoils Restoration
Malcolm reported that Kevin Hogge has finished the spoils restoration and that Mike Webb inspected the site and was pleased with it. It
has been seeded and will be reseeded in the Spring. Jan Briede emphasized the importance of mowing and seeding to keep the weeds
from taking over. It was questioned how we will be mowing the area in the future. The BOT would like to add this area to the SYC
mowing contract. A proposal of $20 extra to mow the spoils area with regular mowing was proposed by the mower (resulting in a fee of
$200/mow instead of the current $180/mow) which would be $200 - $300 extra per year. Jandy indicated that the current budget could
absorb this amount. The BOT voted to add this area to the mowing contract.
Dock Pedestal Report
Malcolm reported that 10 pedestals have been inspected. Carl volunteered to work with the dock committee in evaluating the remaining
pedestals. Malcolm has the names of three marine electrical experts that the club can hire when necessary for a final safety inspection.
Flag Officer Descriptions
The vote to add flag officer descriptions to bylaws was voted down at the annual meeting. The BOT discussed comments that had been
received from SYC members recommending that the bylaws remain unchanged and that the expanded role description be added to the
policy document. Fran recommended that an email be sent to membership noting the decision not to change the bylaws, as well as
including a description of the revised policy. The BOT approved of this proposal.
Long Range Plan
The report recommended that all committees should have a vice chair which would promote the transfer of knowledge. The BOT
discussed how the club could encourage racing and increase participation during events. Suggestions included working with York River
Yacht Club and hosting parties after races. The uniqueness of SYC as a club of volunteer effort versus a more expensive club that
contracts for services was also discussed. Malcolm indicated that he would like to see more of an emphasis on the volunteer nature of
the club in the plan. Fran asked that he submit to the BoT a short paragraph that could be added to the plan. There was a discussion as
to how do we pay for improvements, either borrowing, or savings for future. Although there were suggestions for additions, the BOT
voted to accept the work of the LRP committee, noting that it was a plan to build upon and it would be a continuously evolving document.
New Business:
New Members:
The BOT moved to not vote on the Choney’s for membership until the March BOT meeting. Their application was posted 6 day’s short
or the required time frame and it would have been a violation of the bylaws to vote at the February meeting.
Rentals:
The Dayton’s submitted a rental request for April 22 to host a 50 th anniversary party for their parents. The rental was approved.
Charitable Organization Rate:
The BOT discussed the rental rate that would apply for the Rotary Club for their Annual Christmas Auction. A proposal was made to
consider adding third rate level for club rentals of charitable organizations that would fall between the current two levels. A charitable
organization is defined as “a voluntary, nonprofit organization where members perform charitable works either by direct hands on efforts
or by raising money for other organizations.” The BOT agreed to study the rate proposal and vote at the next BOT meeting.
Personal Property Inventory
A personal property inventory was presented by Jandy.
She recommend that the club review and dispose of unused items to reduce tax liability.
Action Items from Meeting:
1. Request Nancy Mehegan post reminder in Semaphore or send email reminder that SYC is using a new email service and
messages may initially come into SPAM or PROMOTIONS folder (Winnie)
2. Give Nancy Mehegan the roles and description of Flag Officers to send to members (Fran)
3. Consult with Sandy Hopkins about charitable rate (Fran)
4. Provide a philosophy statement to include in the directory and long range plan (Malcolm)
Calendar (Key Activities Before Next BoT Meeting)
Feb 21
Feb 23
Feb 24
Feb 25
Bridge
6pm
6pm
9:30am
7pm
Leadership Forum
Semaphore Deadline
Happy Hour
Seadog Series
Every Thursday evening
Adjourned: 8:49
Respectfully submitted by Winnie Feldhaus, SYC Secretary
2017 Annual Meeting