the 2013 AGM Minutes & Report
by CWA Secretary, Scott Ramsay
...by
Canadian Wayfarer Association Annual General Meeting
Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club
Saturday 19 January 2013, 6:00 pm

Minutes

In attendance: Mike Codd, Leo and Joanne VanKampen, John Weakley, Mark Taylor, Scott Ramsay, Al Nichols, Barry Hitchcock, Kit and Patsy Wallace, Al and Julia Schonborn, Kirk Iredale, Hans Gottschling, Eric Johansson, David and Anne Pugh, Annelies Groen, Fred Black, Sue Pilling and Steph Romaniuk, Daniel Watson, Paul Taylor, Rob Currie
Guests: Norm Rippen and Donna Gallant, current and incoming Commodores of the Mississauga Sailing Club

1. Chair's Welcome:
a. Upcoming worlds getting closer:  Mississauga SC, Aug. 3-10
b. The boat show display was set up by a roster of volunteers co-ordinated by Hans Gottschling. Our volunteers manned the booth over the course of the week as the lovely Hartley Mark IV provided by Rob Wierdsma once more drew much admiration; members were reminded to be discreet about touring the show when they are there to work the booth
c. Mike welcomed Norm Rippen and Donna Gallant (the outgoing and incoming commodores of MSC)
d. The members in attendance introduced themselves.

2. Minutes of the 2012 AGM: Kirk Iredale moved acceptance of the minutes of the 2012 AGM (seconded by Scott Ramsay), passed

3. CWA Yearbook:


The DVDs are done and ready for distribution - some were picked up at the meeting, other to be delivered to Midwinters participants who are CWA members, and the rest to be stuffed at our next EXCOM meeting and mailed; thanks to Al for his efforts, Al requested regatta reports for 2013 from anyone who has a writer's muse

4. Membership: 87 members in 2012 including 7 honorary members, hoping to boost the membership in the association with the Worlds coming up (racers must be members of the association and of an OSA member club)

5. 2013 Wayfarer Worlds: On behalf of Rob Wierdsma who had the flu, Mark Taylor reported on the status of plans for the Worlds:

Things are progressing as planned:
  • 3 - 10 August, racing Tuesday through Saturday
  • the NoR is posted and racers are encouraged to sign up early
  • entry fee is set and includes lots of food
  • facilities plan is going well
  • working on advertising/sponsorship that will be used as value-added bonuses for the competitors
  • Mark circulated an organization chart
  • PCYC will handle container storage, no way to store or launch boats at PCYC, all boat storage at MSC
  • PCYC supplying the race committee and will host the banquet
  • rec facilities at PCYC available to competitors and their families
  • safety boats will be organized by MSC with additional support from TS&CC)
  • CWA responsible for billeting and buddy system (looking for anyone in town who is able to host visitors, organized by Al)
  • measurement (Hans backed up by Mike and help from anyone who wants to help, at MSC facility
  • borrowed boats, liaison with WIC and sailing trophies (Al)
  • asking everyone to help with advertising pitch, still looking for a title sponsor, all CWA members asked to help (package for sponsors can be distributed)
  • all volunteer committee
  • Hartley bringing over two containers of new boats plus one (?) more for owned boats
6. Class Rules Change Proposals: circulated and described by Uncle Al.
  • Proposal to revisit a change to the buoyancy certificate rule, no longer requiring an up-to-date buoyancy certificate, issues of liability that may emerge as an unintended consequence of the rule; responsibility for ensuring the boat complies with buoyancy requirements to be placed squarely on the owner/sailor using the boat
  • Proposal to allow carrying two spinnaker poles as an alternative to one spi pole and one whisker pole
  • Proposal to tighten up rules on the use of electronic devices while racing; stress that only the functions listed in the Class Rules are permitted to be used
Motion to accept all three rule changes as presented (Uncle Al, seconded by Hans), passed

7. Financial Report:  Mike presented the financial report; although memberships are up, the amount in fees is down due to the US exchange rate; term deposit; boat show expenses for 2012 included reimbursement to Marc Bennett to bring his boat to the show; equipment, $500 to Uncle Al to help with purchase of scanner that can scan slides from the CWA archive; memberships to WIC and CYA, postage is mostly for yearbooks plus occasional mail; publication cost includes cost of running website, ad revenues help support publications, thanks to John deBoer for his efforts at collecting ad revenues for the association; trophy expenses have gone down, fewer flags being distributed, and efforts by Hans and Al to update old trophies; Wayfarer book costs include postage expenses, exchange rate losses etc. , thanks to Bob Brown about keeping up to date on promoting and selling the books; net loss halved compared to last year; current balance is approximately $3400 (Mike moved acceptance of the financial report as presented, Mark seconded; passed)

8. Executive for 2013: Members of the executive have agreed to continue serving for another year; no nominations from the floor; motion to affirm the executive for another year (moved by Mike, seconded by Kit), passed

9. Other Business:  
  • Al is looking for someone to serve as the treasurer of the WIC, anyone who is interested can talk to him;
  • Mike reminded the members that Kit is collecting fees for the AGM and annual membership dues; 
  • Mike is looking to pass on the chair's position at some point in the coming year; note of appreciation to Mike for his efforts; anyone who is interested can speak to him after the Worlds;

Adjournment (Al, Hans) 7:05 pm.
The Awards Party
After dinner and before Al's annual slide show, Chairman Mike presented the CWA's annual awards:

Nick Seraphinoff
  • Mike announced Detroit's Nick Seraphinoff, the tireless promoter and importer of the Hartley Wayfarer, as the 2012 winner of the Don Davis Memorial Wayfarer half-model for his long services to the class.  The following message from Nick was read to the meeting:
From: Nick Seraphinoff W10864
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 10:16 AM
Subject: AGM

Since I cannot be there . Would you convey a few words for me?

If this award is in appreciation of things I contributed to the Wayfarer class I must say I received a lot more from this class then I gave. In the 70s I raised my family on the boat. I partied hearty with a group of friends that included Al, The Rocket, Mike Codd, John de Boer, Skip Langton, John Pocock and competed in many many regattas. This went on well into the 80s when Mary was crewing for me. But alas! They changed the shape of the Canadian beer bottles and it just wasn't as much fun anymore. The "Blue" bottles were shaped the same as the ones in US, so why bother coming to Canada. That's when I went into keel boats. After 15 years or so, I decided begrudgingly to accept the new bottle shape and back into Wayfarers I went. I have since learned that there is more to life than the shape of the bottle and will sail Wayfarers the rest of my life.

On a serious side all I can say is thank you for all that the Wayfarer class and especially the Canadians have given to me.


  • The Red Herring “Wayfarer Spirit” award was won in 2012 by Cleveland's Tony and Mary Krauss (above) who for years have been the very model of our treasured Wayfarer spirit.

  • The long-lost Raudaschl Rookie Trophy has been replaced by the re-dedicated Beaver Bowl which used to go to the winning team at our Canadian Nationals but will now be awarded to the year's Most Promising New Wayfarer. Unfortunately 2012 winner, Henry Rose (above), a cruising sailor out of TSCC was unable to attend.



The Queen City Tray (above) for most improved Wayfarer of 2012 went to TSCC's Kit Wallace.

Don Longmire

The Ted Davis Memorial was won by Don Longmire for his fine report on the 2012 North American Rally held in the St. Lawrence River's Thousand Islands at Wellesley Island State Park.

Co-winner, Chip Cunningham, is on the scene as he and Uncle Al
clinched the 2012 Spittoom at this year's Pumpkin Regatta.



The 2012 Landsown-O'Brien Spittoon was awarded to the SHADES team for the mishap shown above. Uncle Al was on hand to receive the honour from Mike Codd (l). Chip Cunningham will be awarded his share of the Spittoon with suitable pomp and ceremony at the Midwinters - as will Nick, Tony and Mary.


The Storer Trophy for top place overall in our four major regattas went to the Missiissauga SC team of Mark Taylor (l) and his brother, Paul.

Participation Certificates: No new claimants this year.

The evening concluded with a slide show in which Uncle Al described our first annual North Carolina Week - a pair of lovely late season regattas, the HOT (Hallowe'en on The Townsend) Regatta and the Old Brown Dog Regatta at Charlotte's Catawba YC with a few days of seashore living at Jim and Linda Heffernan's beach house in between.

Uncle Al and Chip arrive at Queen Ann's Revenge for a well-earned beer
after sailing out to Cape Lookout and its famous lighthouse.