Call for Topics at Spring 2020 Membership Meeting

Since I won’t be attending the spring meeting, here are a few thoughts that someone going to the Spring Meeting could bring up for consideration, if any of them strike a chord.

1. A suggested amendment to the Fleet 27 Bylaws (the wording may not be 100% there yet) – see the link: Proposed Amendment to Standing Race Committee sections.
2. Consider a change to the Tuesday Evening Series scoring methodology such that:
   • We score an evening’s racing as usual, summing up each boat’s finishes in each race during the evening to obtain the total scores to determine the overall winner and competitor rankings for the evening
   • We score the 3 seasonal (spring/summer/fall) series and the overall season series using each boat’s rankings for the evenings (instead of using the individual races). See 2019 Season Scored by Daily Rankings for how this method would have played out in 2019.
   • This makes a DNC for the evening miss only 1 “race” in the series scoring, vs 1, 2, or 3 DNC’s – one for each race (depending on R/C efficiency) – as done in all previous years.
   • Note, the Etchells Biscayne Bay series determines its season overall winner this way.
3. Should we look for a way to minimize the chances that the “most improved” award goes to a boat that already wins races? Maybe we stipulate that if a boat has won an evening, it is excluded from consideration for the “most improved” going forward. Maybe someone can come up with a better approach.
4. Maybe this already works the way the fleet wants, but a boat that does R/C duty currently has no chance of winning “most improved” the week following. The way “Most Improved” has been decided recently, a boat that was R/C the previous week is always skipped over for some reason (probably because they aren’t listed on the finish results sheet for the prior week, so their scores aren’t looked at). I think it is the same for a boat that was DNC the previous week. I think it makes sense for a boat that was R/C (or DNC) the previous week to be compared to its last time out racing, if that can be done easily. Alternatively, if we compared the boat’s performance to its season ranking-to-date, the award would work out cleanly, but there might be many more ties.
   • Also, the “Most Improved” was not awarded on the last week of 2019. The webpage lists several possible winners. But, we don’t have a process to break the “ties.”
5. Ask the R/C do the scoring on the water. Give them a cheap laptop with the scoring software. Hook the Lindsay Lord up to the internet while still on the race course, which should not be too hard.
   • BTW, I have no luck getting a solid internet connection from my cell provider when out on Casco Bay. But maybe it is just my service. Does anyone have good data connectivity from their cell phone while on the race course areas?
6. If we hook LL up to the internet, maybe stream video (with the camera controlled from the clubhouse as is done with the Yankee Boatyard webcam!) and tracking positions back to PYC display to enhance interest of bystanders at club. I have some more ideas along these lines.
7. Consider fleet-wide coaching as part of the Lobster Bowl Regatta, or some other races. Does anyone know of a local sailboat racing coach (or someone who could step into that role) that could do this for us one or two Tuesday evenings?
8. Arbitration. It would be nice to see arbitration tried and more protests filed and heard, instead of ignored. Will take some work to make arbitration happen. Maybe J/24 (or PHRF) and Etchells help each other out on this. Would be good to compile a list of local people who have attained the “club judge” (or higher) certification from USSailing.
9. Racing Rules education. I have subscribed to the Racing Rules of Sailing website, and thus receive a few racing rules postings a week. These are often times very difficult situations. This points out that I do not know the RRS as well as I should. Maybe we can find a way to get some periodic training on the rules, either doing it ourselves using this website, or maybe getting someone (a certified judge) to come in.
10. I believe the 2020 season will be the 20th year for Fleet 27, leading up to the 20th anniversary in May(?) 2021. (Note: the traditional 20th anniversary gift is china; modern gift is anything platinum. 😉 ) Maybe we should make a promo video. How about the fellow with the drone? Is that what he does? Or maybe some of the kids – make it a junior sailing project. It might be nice to have a 7 to 10 minute video for promotion. (see this as an example of a high-end video.) We should keep trying to build up the fleet wherever we can and a promo video might help.
11. Growing the fleet. Are there ideas that we should consider expand the fleet? Should we stand-up a small group of 2 to 4 people charged with this effort (e.g., a development committee)?
12. I thought the dining room service for post-race hors d’oevres worked well last year. But I will say, as a non-member, it was not as easy to arrange as it could be. (I suggest providing some positive feedback that the order is received and being processed.) Other than that small issue, is there anything that needs to be tweaked for next year, assuming the kitchen is up for doing this again.

Just some fodder for consideration, or not.

Best,
Matt