The sailing season seems a long way off when you still have most of the ski season ahead of you and it is 10 degrees outside, but the fleet officers and the Marblehead Racing Association board are well into their 2014 race planning already!
At our season ending awards party hosted by Elise Mazareas and Mike Nash, the fleet voted in a new slate of officers and said thank you to Charlie and his team for their hard work. A sailing fleet is a fragile thing, especially given the ongoing economic pressures and competition from other fleets (hello J/70!). We rely heavily on volunteers to keep Fleet 5 strong and vibrant. Charlie Pendleton, Jeff Shoreman, Doug Trees, Steve Uhl, Pete Kaznoski, Jim Raisides and Rick Berliner have done an excellent job supporting the fleet and they left big shoes to fill. Thank you guys for all your hard work!
Thank you to Elise Mazareas and Mike Nash for hosting this year’s awards party. This was Jim Raisides last time hauling in the libation. Thank you Jim! It was a great night and we all enjoyed a few laughs, gags and rounds of applause for those that managed to earn and take home some hardware this season! We even enjoyed a multimedia presentation and video from Charlie (see the link below)! One of the evening’s highlights was the awarding of the President’s Trophy to Doug Trees. Doug is retiring from his long time role as the fleet treasurer. Doug has been a fixture in the fleet for many years, assisting with the re-write of the class rules and serving as fleet measurer in addition to his treasurer role. Without Doug’s efforts, the fleet and class would certainly not be what they are today. Thank you Doug!
A new set of officers was elected and they have already begun planning for the coming season:
- Fleet Captain Mike Lane
- Vice Frank McNamara
- Treasurer Joe Fava
- Secretary Jeff Shoreman
- Scorer Jim Raisides
- Social Elise Mazareas
- Web site Nat Taylor
2014 RACING EVENTS
In 2014, in addition to the awesome slate of races put on by the Marblehead Racing Association, we are lucky to have both the East Coast and National Championships nearby. The East Coast Championships will be held June 20-22, 2014, at the Eastern Point Yacht Club in Gloucester. This is Ben Richardson’s home turf, so watch him for local knowledge. This is the first time I can remember having a regatta there, so it will be exciting to sail in a new venue. Rumor has it that the Eastern Yacht Club will be proving the race committee, so with any luck longtime fleet friend Susie Schneider will be on hand to keep things humming.
The National Championships will be held in Hingham September 9-12, 2014, so save the date.
Having both the East Coasts and the Nationals so close to Marblehead is a rare treat and a terrific opportunity for Fleet 5 sailors who don’t typically travel to regattas to make an exception. There is no better way to improve your racing skills and you get to meet great people from other fleets.