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Executive Committee Minutes 8:00 pm E.S.T
Note: Several Changes to the 2005 Rules were approved in this meeting. These actions are noted in BOLD FACE in these Minutes
President Janet Baxter called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Present were Janet C. Baxter, Dean Brenner, Jim Capron, Ruth Creighton, Susan Epstein, Louise Gleason, Fred Hagedorn, Dick Hanneman, Tom Hubbell, Patty Lawrence, Bill Lee, Leslie Keller, Rich Jepsen, Bill Munster, Joni Palmer and Bill Sandberg. Also present were James Appel, Budget Director, and Nick Craw, Executive Director.
Action Items: A motion to approve the Executive Committee Minutes of Nov.16, 2004, was made, seconded and carried.
A motion to approve the Executive Committee Minutes of a special Nov. 23, 2004 meeting was made, seconded and carried.
A motion to move the meeting day for the January, 2005 Excom meeting from Jan. 17, 2004 to Jan. 24, 2004, was made, seconded and carried.
President Baxter’s report on the status of the search for a new Executive Director will be given later in executive session.
Executive Director Craw announced that the November monthly report was not completed. He noted that renewal membership retention rates had increased 10 points in the past year to 74.8%, although a reduction had been anticipated do to the cancellation of the agreements with Sailing World/Cruising World magazines.
He also reported on the Olympic shortfall and revealed that the variance will be larger than first anticipated. He listed causes as: the budget committee was not utilized; the US SAILING Olympic Committee did not know how much it would receive from the USOC until late in the program: the Olympic director didn’t adjust after the income numbers were determined: and there was a lack of management oversight during the process.
To avoid these failures in the future, he said the Budget Committee will be fully involved in integrating the US Olympic committee fund management with US SAILING financial management; a single person in US SAILING will maintain internal controls; and all accounts will be reviewed monthly.
President Baxter commented that the shortfall would have a big impact on the next Olympic Quad. US SAILING Olympic Chair Dean Brenner said his committee was already at work on the problem and that the committee supports working with US SAILING on budget management. The Committee also accepts responsibility to repay the shortfall over the next four years, and intends to be cautious in budgeting fund raising projections.
Brenner said the entire US SAILING Olympic Committee had agreed to accept no expense reimbursement during the next Quad. The committee is concerned about the time-line for receiving funds from the USOC and also of potential adverse problems in dealing with Chinese currency. One issue affecting the shortfall at the Greek games was with the currency exchange rate.
In addition, he announced that there would be no increase in Committee staff and that the committee was well into establishing a 20-year plan for US Olympic Sailing.
Inshore Chair Patty Lawrence reported that the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association has requested permission to use US SAILING owned Lightning sails for the 2005 Inter-Collegiate National Fleet championships.
Action Items:
A motion was made, seconded to allow ICSA use of Lightning sails owned by US SAILING in its 2005 National sloop championships. Directors Patty Lawrence and Ruth Creighton will work with ICSA to develop a policy that enables partnering with ISCA, and will negotiate an agreement to cover the usage of US SAILING properties, with also include J-24 sails. The final agreement will be approved by the Executive Director. Carried.
A motion to appoint Bill Stump and Bill Munster as co-chairs of the Safety at Sea Committee was made, seconded and carried.
A motion to remove Bill Lee from the PHRF committee at his request and to approve all other committee nominations was made, seconded and carried.
Race Administration Chair Jim Capron reported an omission in Appendix F in the 2005-2009 Rule Book, which fails to include a previously established Rule 69 appeals process. Appendix F is a US SAILING prescription in its entirety.
Action Item:
A motion was made seconded and carried to amend section F1.3 of the 2005-2009 US SAILING Rule book to read:
F1.2 Appeals of decisions of a protest committee acting under rule 69.1, appeals of decisions of a protest committee of a US SAILING national championship, and requests by such committees for confirmation or correction of their decisions shall be made to the US SAILING Appeals Committee. He also discussed conflicts in Appendix F between US SAILING, the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association and the Inter Scholastic Sailing Association with respect to Appeals. These organizations cannot have Appeals committees under Appendix F. After discussions between US SAILING, the ICSA and the ISSA, the following changes to Appendix F1.1 were proposed:
Action Item:
A motion was made seconded and carried to replace 2005 Rule F1.1 with the following, subject to minor changes in wording deemed necessary by the Rules Committee:
F1.1 Except as provided in rule F1.3, an appeal of a decision of a protest committee or a request by a protest committee for confirmation or correction of its decision shall be sent to the Race Administration Director at US SAILING (Box 1260, Portsmouth, RI 02871), who will forward it to the association appeals committee for the place in which the event was held. However, if the appeal or request arises from an event organized by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association or the Interscholastic Sailing Association it will be forwarded to the [name of the new ICSA-ISSA Appeals Committee]. US SAILING charges no fee for forwarding an appeal. However, the association appeals committee may require that a fee be paid before an appeal or request will be considered.
Chairman Capron also noted that questions had been raised as to whether US SAILING prescription 75.3, (indemnity, hold harmless agreements) properly belongs in Rule 75, under the provisions of Rule 86.1.a.
Action Item:
A motion was made, seconded and carried that the Rules Committee, should it deem it necessary, move and/or renumber Prescription 75.3 to a different Rule Book section, before the 2005 Rules are in effect (Jan.1, 2005),.
Budget Director James Appel announced that the Committee would continue to hold regular monthly meetings.
Vice President Fred Hagedorn agreed to review policy regarding changes made to Americap, and will present updated Regulations for the next Excom meeting.
An Executive Session followed.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Dick Hanneman, Secretary
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