A year ago I issued a mid-year report in the midst of the covid pandemic where we were all looking for an end to the lock downs and a return to normal. Today we are experiencing a return to near normal and hopefully this trend will continue. For the club 2021 is proving to be one of the most positive we have seen in years. A year ago our membership was at a recent high of 68 members and today that number has grown to 84 as of this writing. This year we reached a period where all in the on the water slips were filled. We have since added 4 more slips and we are again approaching full capacity. Below are some of the highlights for this year.
Finances:
Last year we made some adjustments in our financial planning as we looked at major projects on the club house. Since last fall we have completed a new roof, replaced the gutters and added leaf guards, added aluminum soffit and facia and replaced the windows. In order to accomplish these improvements initiation fees were put into a capital account restricting those funds only for capital improvements plus committing additional funds early specifically for these projects. In addition to these projects we have added 4 floating dock slips in the spring and 4 more in the month of July to increase our slip capacity. As of now we have $11,000 in our emergency fund, $7650 in our general capital fund and $8,819 in our dock replacement fund. The general fund is replenished by new member initiation fee and the dock fund is replenished by the $900 fee collected for the floating dock fee. In addition to these three funds we have an escrow account established for the city slip fees and an escrow account for the ice fund. The account for the slip fees currently stands at $26,815. The escrow balance for the ice fund stands at $1800 but it appears that this will shrink a bit since we are consuming more ice than the fees are covering. We will review the the ice program at the close of the season to determine if an adjustment needs to be made next season. At this point we expect to end the fiscal year in good financial shape and we do not expect that there will be any changes in our membership dues for next year.
House & Grounds:
Aside from the major projects discussed in the financial section work was done to repair picnic tables that were damaged or rotted and to stain all the picnic tables and the deck above the garage. The result of this work certainly made our outdoor spaces more inviting and useable. It took several volunteers over 10 gallons of stain and several days to complete. In the coming year we will be addressing the exterior of the house as both the north and south side of the house are peeling and have some damaged siding.
Boats & Motors:
No major projects were required in this area but we did create a lifting harness for the O’Day 17 to make it easier to launch.
Dock & Shores:
This year we had three major projects. In the early spring we launched 4 new floating slips to meet the demand from members. In addition to laughing the floating docks we added a permanent bridge for A dock. As the season progressed we found the need to add additional dock space since every slip was spoken for and we had prospective new members that would need a slip. With the waiting list for floating docks not totally fulfilled the decision was made to add 4 additional slips to B dock. During the first week of July the 4 additional slips were completed allowing us to provide on the water slips for new members. At this time we are down to two open slips.
The other major project for Docks and Shores was the removal of seaweed. As the lake water has become more clear the sun is hitting the bottom of the lake causing the seaweed to grow. The growth had become so severe that navigation in specific areas was impossible. Using a special rake over a 4 day period we were able to remove almost all of the seaweed. Once again through the help a several volunteers the seaweed has been reduced to a manageable nuisance. Going forward we will monitor the seaweed growth and will preform the removal as a normal maintenance program.
Education & Training:
We have continued our programs for basic skills training. While the dry land classes were completed early in the season the on the water portion of the training continues and will continue through the end of the season. This has been a popular program and we will continue to offer it as long as there is a need. This year the training program is supplemented with our racing program. The concepts presented in the dry land classes are being reinforced through the racing program which allows you hone your controlsailing skills through a friendly competition. We are pursuing other potential programs for those who do not have boats to crew for those who single hand or have space available on an ongoing basis. Watch for more details on these programs.
While 2020 is year we have all been trying to forget 2021 appears be a year to remember!
See you on the water. Happy sailing.