After almost a full year of study and review, the Chesapeake Bay YRA (CBYRA) executive committee (EC) will make recommendations for the necessary changes to their voting members, the yacht clubs, at the upcoming general meeting December 20 at 9:30 a.m. at the Eastport YC (EYC). What CBYRA needs to commit to are the following: scheduling, common standards (for races, fleets and Bay-wide awards), setting the Local Racing Rules (aka the general Sailing Instructions), appeals, education, representing sailing at the national level, support for clubs, fleets, and sailors through our grant programs, and communications.
What is missing from this list? CBYRA will not organize or run races. Our clubs do this admirably. We need to support Bay-wide racing. Clubs and fleets will continue to represent the local interests and flavors. The EC needs to be reorganized. Gone are place-holder positions and operationally functional positions are in. The number of EC members will be reduced, and non-essential interests added to the structure over the 100-year span of the organization will be stripped. The biggest recommended changes are focused on membership.
These changes, if approved will need to be phased in over several years. Currently over 60 percent of current income derives from individual members who have no vote, while CBYRA as a resource is primarily maintained and managed by the clubs and fleets.
Ultimately, we would love to offer free CBYRA membership to all sanctioned fleet and club members.
make this work, the fleets and clubs must represent the interests of their racing sailors to CBYRA. As such, the members of those clubs and fleets engaged in racing (sailors, RC and fleet members) should have a more active role in selecting their CBYRA delegate. No more bottom of the Flag Officer pile please! And the individual members must join member clubs or fleets.
The biggest change, and probably the most popular, will be offering the Green Book in a digital version, with the option to be printed on demand. CBYRA will strive to apply uniformly high standards for cruising one design, handicapped, and one design championship recognition on the Bay.
The dilution of PHRF racers across 26 classes had at least half of the classes unable to qualify for any high point awards. CBYRA will ask to change the wording of our By Laws to enable the organization to set fair, minimum participation standards. CBYRA is not done yet. We are just now able to communicate via email with our club delegates. Finding a person to sublet part of our awesome water view office is still paramount. But first, we must sell this vision to the voting members.
We will ask them to think beyond the pocketbook issue to see that supporting their sailors may mean adding CBYRA-sanctioned fleets as voting members, as well as assuming additional costs to enable the racers a more streamlined, effective relationship with CBYRA and a more supportive relationship within their own clubs.
--Penny Zahn
To read the full report, click here.
