2008 dues are due!
Mail $10. (what a bargain!) to NEIYA treasurer Henry Capotosto, 78 Winchell Rd, Warwick RI 02889.

Indoor tuneup clinic Dec 15
Steve Lamb will host an indoor tuneup clinic at his shop in Canton Mass, Event: Indoor Tune Up Clinic and Swap Meet Date: Dec. 15th 11:00am to 4:00 pm. 85 Jackson St. Canton, MA 02012
Directions:
Take Rt. 95 to Exit 11A Neponset St, Canton. (one exit south of Rt.128)
Less than 1 mile take left at 1st light on Chapman St.
1/4 mile take 2nd right 180 deg.turn onto Jackson St. (do not go over bridge)
Look for tan colored block building on left.
Go to NEIYA site for more info.

New Yahoo Ice Report site go here

Local Ice Opti racer James Lamb is ready to go see page 2.

The NEIYA annual meeting
The annual meeting of November 10, 2007 was a lot of fun as usual. There was a lot of equipment to gawk at, and it’s always fun to catch up with old friends.
After lunch, Eben called the meeting to order with some optimistic predictions for the coming season, Luke Buxton gave a very brief secretary’s report, Jack Erikson gave the financial report and mentioned that we have 126 members in the club including 5 new members!
First order of business was thanking of volunteers: ice checkers! area managers! hotline manager! race committee chairman! webmaster! commodore! vice commodore! treasurer! Too many to list. Thanks to everyone!
The insurance issue was discussed. It was decided that efforts to keep events safe will continue to be promoted through rules and regs, raising awareness of safety and right-of-way issues and practical measures such as red-green boom marking. The insurance climate will continue to be investigated, and racing will resume. Later in the meeting it was suggested that we get the word “iceboats” on our umbrella policies just to make sure things are clear.
Third, second and first place racing trophies were awarded to Eben Whitcolm, Jack Erikson, and Jeff Kent, with much thanks to Eric Anderson for his work as race committee chairman for the last two seasons. Outgoing Commodore Eben Whitcolm was recognized for his contributions to the club as Race Committee Chairman, Vice Commodore and Commodore. Thanks Eben!
New business started with the slate of officers that the nominating committee came up with. Treasurer Henry Capotosto, Secretary Ed Atkeson, Vice Commodore Jeff Kent, and Commodore Steve Lamb. Later in the meeting Race Committee Chairman Bill Converse was added.

Steve Lamb talked about the balance between racing and cruising in the club, and how these groups should overlap more with events like informal racing instruction on a marked race course for anyone interested. Also Steve will host an indoor tuneup clinic at his shop in Canton Mass, Saturday December 15th.
Jeff Kent talked about growing NEIYA racing by being more flexible, not setting dates but watching for the chance to race and successfully hosting the Doc Fellows Regatta, Northeast championship, The Beanpot, and a big boat regatta which would be included with one of these later in the season. A Big Boat and Stern Steerer Rally could be held and dedicated to the late Jon Hix, preferably at Jon’s home ice, Lake Wentworth. Jeff also talked about safety, common sense, knowing the rules, being aware of personal and financial liability... watching where you’re going.

The floor was opened to comments by the members with Eric Anderson talking about youth sailing and the Opti iceboat program in Minnesota where they have 15 boats and are going to be racing at the North Americans. As it turns out there is an entry from New England. James Lamb will be going to the Ice Opti North Americans, good luck James! Eric encouraged everyone to go to the North American Championships or the Worlds and sail it for what you’ll learn, the people you’ll meet, and all the fun you’ll have.
Stu Nelson suggested that the Doc Fellows trophy be modified to take more tags by craftsman Doug Sharp.
Rich Crucet commended the New England sailors who drove out to Wisconsin to race but didn't sail the whole regatta because the conditions were too freekin' fast. Crucet's message was that there is a limit, keeping safe is the most important thing.
Leo Healey suggested that a more responsive website be developed and I talked about how the website could be updated from the hotline. But we really have a great hotline. And that’s really the best way to find out about the latest activities, and you don’t need a computer to access it. Many thanks to Jeff Soderholm for doing such an amazing job with the hotline.
Jeff S. reported that the hotline is updated by 8pm on Friday and sometimes the message is updated on Saturday. If you want to sail on a weekday, call Jeff because he likely will know if anybody is sailing, and where.
There was some discussion about the list of members and whether it should appear annually in a newsletter and it was generally agreed that we could do that. The membership list will not appear in the web version of the newsletter. If anyone wants to opt out of the printed list in the future let me know.