New England Lightning District Winter Meeting 8 April 2021

[Bob Shapiro]

Hello from the New England Lightning District.  Bob Shapiro (Bow Lake) and Nathan Cunningham (Squam Lake) here.  Why us, you ask?  Bill and Brian have had to step away from their duties as District Commodore and as District Secretary/Treasurer, and the Executive Committee has drafted Bob to be District Commodore and Nathan to be District Secretary/Treasurer.  We've agreed to serve and will ask for a confirming vote at the Winter Meeting (OK we know it is early Spring already).

We're planning the Winter Virtual Meeting for Thursday 8 April at 8:00 PM.  We expect to complete the call in an hour.  See attached for the Agenda for the Winter Meeting.  Hopefully you have all gotten used to Zoom by now; use the following info to join the Zoom call.  Please pass this info on to others who may not be on the Google email list.

   Topic: NE Lightning District Winter Meeting April 2021
   Time: Apr 8, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Bob attended the ILCA Governing Board meeting last week; some of the items below come from that.

1) Please remember to do a thorough check of all of your safety gear.  Make sure you don't have any dry rot in your tow line, that you have that gallon bucket and sponge, that your throwable and whistle are in good shape and that none of your life jackets are tattered or torn.

2) Revenue for the Lightning Class was down significantly last year as a result of regattas being cancelled and sails not being ordered.  Expenses were also trimmed, but overall it was a net loss for the year.  We have one of the strongest class organizations in all of sailboating - let's keep it that way.  Even for those of you who do not race, the Class is an important conduit for information about your boat and results in high resale values.  Please make sure that you and your crew are paid up members of the Lightning Class.  You can sign up here:  https://www.lightningclass.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=93488&module_id=257759


You might also consider making a donation to one of the Lightning Class Funds.  Go here to donate https://www.lightningclass.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=93488&module_id=259516

3) The ILCA General Membership Meeting is on Saturday 10 April at 3:00 PM.  A link will be sent to all current members to join the meeting online.  Click here for more info: https://www.lightningclass.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=93488&item_id=61742&

4) Note that a new set of sailing rules has been published, see here to download: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/rules-officiating/the-racing-rules-of-sailing-2021-2024/ or to purchase a copy go here: https://shop.ussailing.org/racing/racing-rules/

5) During the pandemic North Sails and the Lightning Class sponsored some webinars on different parts of sailing.  Find links to the videos (and a bunch of others) here https://www.lightningclass.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=93488&module_id=285590

Watch for a webinar in the coming weeks on Lightning Downwind Sailing, and another on the new rules.

6) We're all itching to get back on the water and resume our fleet races.  But please use also some of that pent up energy to take your boat on the road!  In addition to the Districts, look for regattas at Mallets Bay, Newfound Lake, Squam Lake, Bow Lake and Lake Massabesic.  We'll award the District Circuit Championship this year - finishing well is important but it is really all about PARTICIPATION!

Please also consider representing our District elsewhere.  The Atlantic Coast Championships for 2021 are close by in Wickford, RI.  The NA Womens, Juniors and Masters are only hours away at Lake Pymatuning in Western Pennsylvania in August, while the NAs are the following week nearby that in Cleveland.  

7) The DRAFT Proposed 2021 District Schedule is attached.  Please note that due to the pandemic we may need to be flexible about the schedule.  We're proposing to hold the District Championships at Squam Lake in August (still needs confirmation from the Squam Lakes Association).  This is after the NA's for which the Districts are a qualifier.  But - since the qualifying ratio is 1:1 all you have to do is register and pay for the Districts by mid July and you'll be qualified for the North Americans.  Holding the Districts later in the season gives us a better shot at being past Covid concerns - here's hoping!  Note that the Newfound Lake regatta and the ACC's are proposed for the same weekend.  Please let us know if you had planned to attend both...

Our District web site https://lightningclass-ne.org/ and District Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/New-England-District-Lightning-Class-179175582130576/ are not very up to date - we'll work on that.  Let us know if you would like to volunteer to help get them and keep them up-to-date.

We're so ready to see all of you together again - virtually for the winter meeting 8 April and on the water at the various regattas!
Bob (fina...@gmail.com  978-761-3289)

Nathan (necunni...@gmail.com  603-724-0018)

Attached:
April 2021 NE District Winter Meeting Agenda
Last Available Minutes
Proposed 2021 Schedule