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February 2017The American Yacht Club NewsletterPhoto by Dave Hewey, with enhancement by Jim Grenier1Issue 2

February 2017The American Yacht Club NewsletterIssue 2MASTHEAD (FROM THE HELM)Submitted by Commodore Joe PuleoIHallmark —Sending cards or flowers to members whoneed our emotional supporthope you all are riding out the winter well, we mayhave a lot of bad weather ahead, but clearly the length ofdays are increasing, it’s boat show season, and fishingshows are in full swing. Before you know it, we will beasking for help to get the club ready for opening day!Fishing—A committee to set up a tournament for youthand/or adults, and other fishing-related activitiesYouth Activities—A focus on events and playgroundequipment to engage our youngsters and teens.Your E-Board, along with the committee heads are alreadybusy working on plans and budgeting for the upcomingseason. We need your help to execute these plans for asuccessful season.Your Ideas—Suggest something you’d like to see at theclub that currently doesn’t exist. How about a group towork on a club cruise on one of the Captains Ladies at theend of the season?The AYC keeps costs as low as possible with volunteerswho work whenever possible. The opportunities for you tostep up are many and varied. We hope you will step up andlend your hands, ideas, and, as a last resort, perhaps moneyto help us to keep the club running smoothly.The opportunities are endless; use your imagination! Manyof these activities are inexpensive, and some would takevery little time. Are you interested?Please make your ideas and needs known. Get to as manygeneral meetings as possible, contact your representativeson the E- Board or committee heads, or just drop any of usan e-mail.Those of you who are looking to contribute should contactCommittee heads, or E-Board members to express yourdesire to help in some way. We are always looking forhelp on existing committees and with new ones as needschange.By the way, for those of you who, like me, live somedistance from the club and have set out to enjoy an outingon the ocean or on the deck only to find the wind blowinghard or worse, E board member, Ron Barrett has cordiallymade an online weather station available so you can getreal-time weather conditions from Plum Island 24/7 forfree on your computer or mobile device. Thanks Ron!For example, is anyone interested in any of the following?Policy—A group to review Club Constitution and ByLaws to bring them up to date with current practices andneeds.Safety—Making certain that first aid kits are kept current,AED is ready for use, and looking for hazardous practicesor equipment that need club attention, etc.ERRATAA THANK YOUSubmitted by Jim GrenierThe “Who Runs the Club” article in last month’sSailorgram contained an error. The Secretary, Treasurer,and Collector do not get their dues waived, only theCommodore does. Stipends are only given to theSecretary, Treasurer, and Collector, not the Commodore.In the November Sailorgram I put out a request for braidrope splicing for a new gin-pole halyard to replace one thatwas showing too much wear. I received an immediateresponse from our friends at Merri-Mar Yacht Basin, aswell as from several other members. But I had only oneline, so Merri-Mar was selected. AYC member JayLesynski did the actual splicing at no charge. Thank youagain Jay, Deb, and Tug.2

February 2017The American Yacht Club NewsletterIssue 2ANNUAL REPORTS FROM THE AYC STANDING COMMITTEESAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORTSubmitted by the Audit Committee: John Pramberg, Paul Melanson, Jeff StoehrAfter having reviewed the books of the AYC for 2016 we, the Audit Committee, found that the finances and theaccounting of the AYC are generally in good order and without improprieties. As was the case a year ago, we found verylittle to criticize.Except for a few very minor posting errors, like an expense in a wrong category or a refund being categorized as anexpense rather than a credit to revenue, the books appeared accurate and to be a clear representation of the club finances.We did find that QuickBooks automatically includes Cost of Goods Sold, which reduced revenue by almost 7,500.However, the club does not operate with a cost-accounting system where inventory, materials, labor, and overhead costsare applied against item sales as they occur, rather than as expenses. Therefore, the revenues for the AYC amounted to 187,189, rather 179,725 as stated in the P&L. Expenses were 151,987, leaving a net income of 35,202, rather than 27,738 as stated in the P&L.Collector Homer Shannon and Treasurer Len Johnson participated in the audit as was recommended by the AuditCommittee two years ago. This proved to be very valuable in that audit-committee questions could be readily answeredand postings clarified. Additionally, ideas about how to improve visibility and understanding of accounts and ways toimprove practices were discussed by all. Commodore Joe Puleo also attended as an observer. What better way to get acritical view of the finances? Good start, Joe.We conclude the audit with no particular recommendations other than carry on.HOUSE COMMITTEE REPORTSubmitted by David HeweyApril of 2016 began with the installation of a new set of sewer pumps in the primary chamber. Also installed was acomplete new control panel. This should bring 10 to 15 years of trouble-free operation. Also in April of 2016, volunteersconstructed two new full size floats at Bruce Brown’s facility. Both floats were completed in one day, except for someminor items. Then, closer to opening day, Bruce transported them to the AYC, completed and ready to launch.Opening day came on May 14, 2016. We got off to a slow start, but managed to catch up after lunch, and the club wasoperational by the end of the day.Later in the season, August 12, new LED bulbs were retrofitted to our existing four parking lot lights, making a hugedifference in the level of light in the lot, and as time will show, a difference in the electric bill amount. Also a new servicepanel was installed next to the mooring shed, giving that area the needed power for the winch and the outlets in the shed.September brought the installation of a fence and gate for our new leased storage area outside the AYC property. Thefence is 80' x 80' for an area of 6,400 square feet of secure storage.Closing day occurred on October 15, and as always, the membership showed up and made our buildings, floats, andgrounds secure and ready for another New England winter.The Water was shut off by the City of Newburyport Water Dept. on November 8, and D. Hewey winterized the plumbingsystems.3

February 2017The American Yacht Club NewsletterIssue 2ANNUAL REPORTS FROM THE AYC STANDING COMMITTEES (CONTINUED)YARD COMMITTEE REPORTSubmitted by Paul Morin, Yard Committee ChairmanThe Yard Committee does not have any readily available data on the revenue from yard storage this year, however wewere very successful in accounting for all boats stored in the yard. Starting in 2017 the Yard Committee will have adetailed spread sheet with all information readily available for reporting purposes.Total expenses did not exceed 400.00 and mostly involved storage stickers, wire ties, paint pens, and about 300towards materials for the prototype kayak rack.Winter storage is complete for this year, however we do have 18 boats stored in the yard that appear to be delinquent, fiveof which are unknown owners, and we will resolve that in the spring. I have provided the collector with the names of theowners of the other boats to review their payment status. I will correct any issues and will contact the delinquent owners.To my surprise, the AYC is storing a total of 83 boats in the yard this winter: 53 boats, 17 kayaks, 1 wind surfer, 1 skull,and 12 AYC boats.2016 was a slow year for the Yard Committee primarily because I was very busy and unable to get any new projectsstarted. The one exception was researching our kayak storage problem. We did build a prototype to see if vertical storagewould be a better solution. It was ,and now we are trying to figure the best location and modifications to the prototype tobest serve the Club. We plan to conclude this project in the spring and be ready for opening day.Summer storage is a big problem. We have exceeded our resources and will have to develop some new protocols for whoand what can be stored at the Club. I plan to have a special off-line meeting in winter of 2017 with all interested membersto determine how best to proceed for this summer.SECRETARY’S REPORT - MEMBERSHIP STATISTICSSubmitted by Joyce StoehrChanges in Membership for 2016:New Life Members in January: 5. Total Life Members:113Expulsions in January due to non-payment of dues: 2New Members in March: 22Total Regular Members: 271. Total Dues-paying members: 270Deaths: 2. Life Member Al Crouse, wife Marie takes over his membership; Life Member Charles (Pete) MorseFormer AYC member reinstated by Executive Committee in September:1Resignations in October: 3Resignations in December: 6Regular Member made an Honorary Member: 1New Life Members for 2017: 14Expulsions in December: 0Openings for 2017: 23On Wait list for membership for 2017 as of Dec. 31, 2016: 254