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Installation is over and I extend a big "thank you" to all those members who reached out to me with their congratulations and offers of support. I remembered every handshake and every good wish. This meant a lot to me! My responsibilities this coming year will include the oversight of various club activities and social events. It is my intention to promote as much fun, camaraderie, and boating pleasure as I possibly can. I will work to facilitate open and positive communications between BYC members and our Bridge, and between the Bridge and our Executive Committee. Our efforts must be coordinated as we work towards greater synergies. I will promote a clearer understanding of who does what in the club and where people fit in the hierarchy of our organization. I intend to use the By-Laws and Float Regulations as a foundation for any interpretation of responsibility, and at the end of the day, as the Commodore and Commander of the Squadron, with a duty to oversee all elective offices, I will assume full responsibility for all club functionality. I will attempt to balance the requirement for accountability on the part of our leadership and chairmen with appreciation for the fact that we have an all volunteer organization; and that any help we receive from a member is something for which we need to be thankful! I will attempt to manage by example and by deed, and to encourage participation at all levels of club activity. But having said this, I am fully aware that our club has a life of its own and that any individual member, regardless of their status, can do little more than to simply influence its course. We are a club of members and we move and grow as a club of members. No one individual can either cause this club to succeed or to fail; and to that end, we must all put value in our collective membership and in the future of such membership. Please, engage our new members and help them feel welcome. Reach out to them and try to remember when you were a new member, seeking the camaraderie of fellow boaters, and not knowing exactly how or where to find your place. Help them to find their place. I believe that BYC has historically held a leadership position amongst other yacht clubs in the Pacific Northwest. We own all our own facilities including a railway, fuel dock, and outstation. We sponsor the largest predicted log race in the world! We are an example of how a great club operates and functions. It is important for us to maintain this position; not so much as a simple point of pride, but as a matter of being the best we can be! It's not enough to simply follow the lead set by others, or to be just "good enough"; we need to be "exemplary" in our planning and performance. I intend to do my part and to promote this kind of thinking. Please see the insert in this month’s Towline as to the various members who will be responsible for our club facilities and events this coming year. I can’t tell you how fortunate we are to be supported by so many. I would like to personally thank those chairs and flag officers who accepted their positions when asked. Most of these people didn’t “sign-up” because they wanted to, but because they felt a call to duty. I find this inspiring. I find it motivating. We should all drink a little more from that Cool-Aid! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! The whole club thanks you! There are still a few open positions. If you feel compelled, please call the Executive Committee chairman or Bridge officer responsible to offer up your services. It will be deeply appreciated! There is apparently some concern over the assignment of new parking spaces to our three Executive Committee chairs. Unfortunately, much of the criticism has been directed at people who are serving in support roles and not at me, the one who made the decision to take this action after informing the Executive Committee and the Past Commodores Club. It is a small consideration for the three elected officials who volunteer three years of their time to do as much to manage the business side of our club as the bridge does to manage a social side. There is nothing in the By- Laws or Float Regulations that would have prevented me from taking this action, nor would have required a vote of the membership. I believe I've represented the club's best interest in not only conveying a message of appreciation to our hard working Executive Committee chairs, but to future chairs that need to know these are positions of respect and honor. BTW, I do happen to have an extra spot over by the dumpster if anyone is interested... This year we are going to experience some transitions and changes to our Web site. We have been blessed for many years with Günter Krumme as an active Web Master. Günter has since retired from the position and we are fortunate to have Jerry Wein and his present staff of one, Jim Pooler, to take the helm. They are very capable! Jerry and Jim are hard at work building a new website “look and feel” and the processes we will use for keeping our website updated. Please be patient with their progress as we work through this transition. It shouldn’t take long and will be well worth the wait! In closing, I encourage all of us to live by these three simple rules: • Do Your Share plus a little • Be Friendly • Have Fun! Denise and I wish you an awesome summer on the water!!! John Rosendale Commodore |
