1 – President’s Report


Another great year for our class. The 2011 NA’s has 30 boats making it one of the biggest in the past 10 years. The number of boats that entered a regatta this year is high. Enthusiasm for the class seems high.

However, a lot of teams travelled less and sailed less events this year. (economy?) This meant lower turnout at many of our regional events. No west coast boats were able to make the trip east for NAs.

Is this an anomaly? Or is this something to be concerned about? We need to pay attention to this in 2012.


2 – Secretary/Treasurer’s Report


We have about $19,000 in the class bank account.


3 – Election of Vice-President


The current vice-president Aaron Ross said he would serve another term if elected. Ted Ferrarrone nominated JB Turney for the office. A vote was held and JB Turney won by majority.

Many thanks are due to Aaron Ross for his service the past two years as vice-president.


4 – Election of National Measurer


The current national measure Mike Holt said he would serve another term if elected. Craig Thompson was nominated/suggested by JB Turney, however Craig was not present to confirm his desire to serve. Mike was elected by majority.

It should be noted that JB claimed that Craig was interested in the position, and if this is true, the membership asked Mike Holt to work with Craig as his east coast regional measurer.


5 – 2012 NA’s Progress Report – San Francisco Yacht Club


There was some discussion about the time of year for NAs in 2012. With the worlds in France in July, a spring for fall NAs would allow teams to compete and still ship their boat to worlds. A summer event would force teams that want to do both events to find a second boat. It was agreed that a spring or fall event made the most sense. The general agreement was that fall was a better time for the event. Everything is now in place for a great NAs in the Fall of 2012 at San Francisco YC in San Francisco, CA. Exact dates are TBD.


6 – 2013 NA’s Bids


Three venues were discussed for the 2013 NAs. Note that the 2013 worlds are in Barbados at the end of April. St. Pete in March was discussed. Also Kingston Canada in August and NJ in the summer were discussed. NJ would be tough during the summer season and were not ready to make a formal bid.


7 – Vote on 2012 NA’s Location


A vote was held for St. Pete vs Kingston and Kingston won by majority. Congratulations to Kingston YC!!


8 – New Business


A: North American Shipping Grant Guidelines

Andrew Buttner asked the class for their thoughts on the drafted NA Shipping Grant Guidelines. A comment was made that we should not set hard and fast rules but rather leave it up to the class officers to do what they think is right for the given year. A show of hands was held around the question: “Should the class have specific rules for a grant or should the officers make the decision.” The majority favored the officers making the decision. A new draft guidelines document will be created that only spells out some high level considerations but does not stipulate hard and fast rules.

B: In-House Sail Certification

Andrew Buttner asked the membership for their opinions on the ISAF In-House Sail Certification program. The idea is to help save time during measurement at events like NAs by not having to measure sails. Sails would be measured by the sail makers. Ethan Bixby commented how it can be a good thing if enough volume is done by the loft. It is expensive to be certified by ISAF.

A show of hands was had and the majority felt that the current system should stay in place and In-House Sail Certification should not be pushed. The current system is to only measure sails that have not previously been measured. Also, the class should continue to promote the sail makers bringing in a 3rd party to measure sails before they leave the loft.

C: Asymmetrical Spinnaker

Discussion was had on changing to asymmetrical spinnakers. There is interest in the idea, but to take the next step people need to see a boat with a retractable pole and a path toward upgrading current boats. Ethan Bixby agreed to put together a proposal for class ballot about whether the American Section should spend money exploring this idea. This proposal would only be about spending money to explore the idea, not for changing the rules.

D: Banning Jibing Centerboards

International Class president Pip Pearson asked about banning jibing centerboards to help make the boats cheaper. Some discussion on this matter was held. A show of hands was held and a mojority favored keeping jibing centerboards.

E: NA / Worlds Timing

There was some discussion about matching the NAs location with the Worlds location. For example, when the worlds are in Europe then hold the NAs on the East Coast such that west coast teams could “stop in” during the ship to Worlds. If the worlds are in Australia, then a NAs on the west coast would allow the east coast teams to “stop in”. The general feeling was that it is an interesting idea, and something to do when possible, but that it should be the main factor in choosing NA locations as most don’t go to worlds. A show of hands was had asking who might miss next year’s NAs because their boat was in France. Only one boat thought that this would be the case. Everyone else either isn’t planning on going to France, or has two boats, or can’t take 3 weeks of to sail anyway and must choose between Worlds and NAs.