November 28, 2007

Dear CLYC Members,

An overdue update!  Minutes for the 2006 and 2007 Annual Meetings with financial information, more pictures, and a Members Only page will soon be posted on our webpage (www.crookedlakeyc.org).  If you do not have access to the web please let us know and we can mail you copies.  For the Members Only pages put “XXXX” in as the User Name and “XXXX” in as the Password (no quotation marks around either).

Over 60 people attended our last Friday dinner on August 31^st and since all stayed for the Annual Meeting, it was likely the best attended Annual Meeting ever!  At that meeting I noted what a difference a year makes, how well the Club ran in my absence, and other matters including:

The Capital Campaign:  Several years of discussing changes during the Coble, McKinnon, and Winslow tenures led to a remarkable Capital Campaign that so far has raised almost $45,000, with 6 families making lead contributions, 14 families contributing $1,000 or more, and many others making substantial contributions.  Certainly each and every contribution of any amount has been needed and greatly  appreciated, and each demonstrates not only the great affection our members have for the Club, but also shows a keen interest in keeping the Club an active part of our community and lakes.  Some have asked if they could still make a contribution or give more to “move up to a higher contribution category” and the answer to both is of course YES:  Contributions can be made to the Capital Campaign until early July when the recognition plaque is ordered by sending a check to the Club’s Post Office Box.  More information on the Campaign will be posted on the Members Only webpage and/or feel free to call any of the Officers or Trustees.

Improvements:  While $45,000 is a significant amount, the Club’s needs have proved to be significant as well.  We have worked hard to spend the money as wisely and efficiently as possible, getting multiple bids on every project, and in many cases the bids  have been in the “favor” range.  But also there have been unanticipated surprises such as replacing the Club’s electrical system at a cost of $5,800, a continuing need for some drainage across the back and side of the Club (which will now wait for Spring), and 

kitchen and other needed improvements. 

Membership:  While we are getting the facility ready for the next 60 years, the Club also needs new and younger members and officers, and with that in mind we have some new and younger 2008 Trustees and Officers including Chris Weber (Vice Commodore), Missy Mayclin Murphy , and Doug Carlson, joining Denny Hughes (Treasurer), Roger Winslow (Past Commodore), Christine Loudermilk (Secretary) and myself.  Also while a number of new members have joined over the summer and even into the Fall, we need your ideas on how to attract more during this next year.  

Programs:  The most often mentioned ideas for attracting members include expanded dining options, storage racks for kayaks and sunfish, youth programs, more “educational” evening programs, and expanded sailing and boating opportunities.  Certainly the Friday Night Grills and “catered” Saturday night dinners proved to be very popular, as did the Bingo. 

Communications:  Weekly emails during the season and the web page proved to be a very effective and cost efficient way to communicate with the members and so we will try to expand and improve on it. 

Finances:  We decided to keep the dining costs low to reverse the declining attendance, and by all measures it worked!  However, the downside was we lost instead of making money on the meals.  The good news is if we charged one dollar more per meal the meals would have broken even – so we know what we can do next year. Several of our other costs increased somewhat including insurance, taxes, utilities, and taking out the dock which was stuck in the mucky bottom.  Our “business plan” included renting slips on the new dock, but despite support from everyone else, the Emmet County Board of Zoning Appeals decided we lacked enough parking to have even a few slips.  Although many others have had similar unfortunate experiences with that Board, we will try again, perhaps by seeking an amendment to the zoning code or finding other parking options.  In any event, while we were focused on capital needs last season, next year we will focus more on our operating budget and finances. 

Certainly the CLYC is not alone in coping with change. The Commodore of the Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs recently noted that:  they lose money on their social events (lunches and dinners); keeping their dues high enough to cover expenses (now $300) while low enough to attract new members is “a delicate balance” and one option is to reduce dues for those who volunteer; their By-Laws need updating; their sailing school continues to grow and increased over 100 student weeks last year (to 540+); since fewer spend all summer Up North a new racing format was introduced, e.g. while keeping a season series, they added a July and August Championship that included 3 races a day over a 2 day weekend; and since many members and officers do not live in the area, they increased the amount of administrative duties outsourced to a paid assistant.  The bottom line is while interest and participation in sailing and social activities is changing, it is not decreasing.

Yachting Club of America:  Enclosed is a Reciprocal YCOA card which allows members to use other yacht clubs across the nation.  Each year several members have found this to be a significant benefit and so rather than giving out cards only to those who request them, this year we’re sending one to each member since every club member is entitled to a card.  More information on the card is at the CLYC Members Only page.  Please try it and let us know how it works; certainly it could be a very valuable membership draw.

And finally Thanks are due to many:  first to retiring Trustees Tom Graham, Larry Kaine, and Jean Zerges for not only agreeing to be Trustees during these last several years of change, but for all their considerable service and  help over the years.  We expect they will remain very active with the Club in the future!  Thanks also to Roger Winslow and Denny Hughes for filling in so often and so well during my extended absences. Thanks also to my niece Virginia and sister Julia who ran the sailing races when no one else was available; and to my father for the Bingo machine and to our expert caller Doug Carlson.  Who knew that “valuable” prizes like a CLYC decal would create such excitement!

Thanks also go to Paul Cottee (“Pauly”) who ran the Friday night grills and catered 2 Saturday night dinners.  It is extremely difficult to prepare these dinners when you don’t know if 30 or over 60+ people will show up.  We are pleased he has agreed to return next year – and perhaps with more dining options -- and please support his restaurant in Alanson when you have the chance.  And finally and above all thanks go the members for their patience and understanding during this somewhat chaotic summer of change, but also for supporting the Club with your contributions and ideas, by volunteering for numerous jobs and recruiting new members, and above all by attending our dinners and events.      

We still have a lot on our plate for the coming year including more improvements, increasing operating income, looking at revisions to the outdated By-Laws and confusing structure; and trying new programs – and as always your thoughts, comments, ideas and

help are much needed.   

Don’t hesitate to call or email me or one of the other Officers and Trustees.  Chris and Missy and others are ready to jump in… so let us know your interests and what you’d like to do to help and how we might divide up jobs (membership, dinners, facility, programs, etc) so we can start planning for the 2008 season – which, although the first winter storm is already on its way, there are only five months till we put the dock out again, and only six months till the opening breakfast!  

 S/ Dan Rupp, Commodore

PS:  If you haven’t heard, Ray Montgomery passed away last month and Billie has health challenges as well.  This Ray of sunshine will surely be missed.  Please pass along any information about our members and we will post them on the Member’s Only page.