J/30 Class Board of Governors,

First, let's welcome our newest member to the J/30 Class BOG - Shawn Ivie, the CA District Governor. John McArthur and Carl Sherter wanted to get a brief meeting so we could vote on the proposed class rules changes and review other business. I proposed that we hold a phone conference and John agreed. Based on responses from everyone, it appears that Thursday 22 May is the date with the best schedule for everyone. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday 22 May 2008
Time: 5pm to 6pm East Coast (adjust accordingly for your time zone)
Call-in Number: (Contact Bill Kneller if you didn't received the email with phone number)

Agenda:
1. Vote on proposed rules changes
(See forum link: http://j30.us/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000027.html )

- Allow V-Berth Cushion removal for Racing
- Allow Stove removal for Racing
- Add IdaSailor as approved source for J/30 One-design rudder
2. Class registration & dues process (David Erwin & Bill Kneller)

3. 2008 NA Loaner Boat Requirements & Assignment Process (Bill Kneller)

4. New Business


For those unable to dial-in, if you want to designate somebody in your district to cover for you, please pass on this invitation and let me know.

2008 Board of Governors
Co-Class President - John McArthur (Smiles - Hull #115)
Co-Class President - Carl Sherter (Fat City - Hull #76)
Immediate Past President - Dennis Bartley (Planxty - Hull #205)
Measurer - Larry Christy (Big Kahuna - Hull #182)
Governor at Large - Bob Rutsch (Bebop - Hull #481)
Governor at Large - David Erwin (Rampage - Hull #87)
J/Boats Representative - Jeff Johnstone

2008 District Governors
Southern New England - Bill Kneller (Rhapsody - Hull #348)
Northern New England - David Bows (Mallorca - Hull #397)
Long Island Sound – John McArthur (Smiles - Hull #115)
Chesapeake – Tom Watson (Avita - Hull #515)
Carolinas – Jason Jarvis (Double Jay - Hull #244)
Southeast - David Berg (Hot Air III - Hull #423)
Gulf Coast – Michael Hotaling (Black Magic - Hull #428)
Pacific Northwest – Jeff Browning (Still Crazy - Hull #426)
Western Great Lakes - Bernie Kucharski (Defiant - Hull #23)
Eastern Great Lakes - Brendan Benson (Blaze - Hull #339)
California - Shawn Ivie (Friction Loss Hull #6)

Best Regards,
Bill Kneller
Rhapsody J/30 #348
J/30 Class Association
Southern New England District Governor

Minutes of Meeting

The J/30 Class Board of Governors met via conference call on 22 May 2008. The list of personnel is annotated below prefixed with the following codes: A – Absent, E – Email Response Sent in for voting, P – Present on conference call, V – voice response provided to voting before conference call.

2008 Board of Governors
P: Co-Class President - John McArthur (Smiles - Hull #115)
E: Co-Class President - Carl Sherter (Fat City - Hull #76)
A: Immediate Past President - Dennis Bartley (Planxty - Hull #205)
P: Measurer - Larry Christy (Big Kahuna - Hull #182)
A: Governor at Large - Bob Rutsch (Bebop - Hull #481)
P: Governor at Large - David Erwin (Rampage - Hull #87)
P: J/Boats Representative - Rod Johnstone

2008 District Governors
P: Southern New England - Bill Kneller (Rhapsody - Hull #348)
P: Northern New England - David Bows (Mallorca - Hull #397)
P: Long Island Sound – John McArthur (Smiles - Hull #115)
P: Chesapeake – Tom Watson (Avita - Hull #515)
E: Carolinas – Jason Jarvis (Double Jay - Hull #244)
A: Southeast - David Berg (Hot Air III - Hull #423)
A: Gulf Coast – Michael Hotaling (Black Magic - Hull #428)
E: Pacific Northwest – Jeff Browning (Still Crazy - Hull #426)
A: Western Great Lakes - Bernie Kucharski (Defiant - Hull #23)
V: Eastern Great Lakes - Brendan Benson (Blaze - Hull #339)
A: California - Shawn Ivie (Friction Loss Hull #6)

*****Rule Changes*****
The proposed rules changes were the 1st item on the agenda. The vote was unanimous to accept the following rule changes:
1. Allow V-Berth Cushion removal for Racing
2. Add IdaSailor as approved source for J/30 One-design rudder

The proposed change to allow stove removal for racing generated discussion and was not agreeable to everyone as proposed. Alternate wording was proposed based on previous posts on the J/30 Forum that resulted in the following rule interpretation inserted in paragraph 5.3 submitted for vote:

3. “In lieu of the original stove a replacement single or double burner stove is allowed that fits where the original stove is located. Adjustments to mounting may be made to accommodate dimension variations, as long as the original intended location is maintained. The replacement stove may use alcohol or gas (butane, propane, etc.). The replacement stove and associated cover / cutting board with fuel shall weigh 18 pounds minimum with weights permitted to augment as required.”

The vote was unanimous to accept this rule change. It was agreed that the rule changes would become effective 1 July 2008, and apply for the 2008 J/30 North American Championship. An Adobe PDF file would be provided to David Erwin for posting on the class web site. The file will include an embedded spreadsheet that contained the rudder and keel offset tables. The master MS Word file would be provided to the Class Measurer, Larry Christy. (Bill Kneller action)

Rod Johnstone requested that an email be sent to both he and Jeff Johnstone at J/Boats informing them of the approved rudder source. (Bill Kneller / John McArthur action).

****2008 J/30 North American Discussions****
Bill Kneller reviewed the loaner boat procedure per the draft NOR on the website http://j30.us/na2008/
Currently a loaner boat has been tentatively requested for CA District, Eastern Great Lakes and International/Other. Formal loaner boat requests must be made by registering for the regatta per the NOR.

An overview of logistics, boat launching and sponsorship was provided.

*****Class Registration and Dues Process*****
David Erwin provided an overview of the 2008 class dues process. A spreadsheet was generated from the J/30 Class database and provided to all the District Governors that contained a listing of everyone in their respective districts, with contact info. The District Governors are encouraged to make phone contact with each member in their district, then click on the appropriate link in the spreadsheet to initiate a dues request email. The person will receive an email with a link that opens their database record for update. They update the form online, click “submit” and are emailed an invoice to print. The invoice and checks made payable to the “J/30 Class Association” are mailed to Dave Erwin.

********New Business*******
It was agreed that the Equipment Suppliers web site would be updated to add Tops in Quality as a supplier for the stainless steel parts (e.g. stanchions). It was also agreed that there are some equipment suppliers are provided as a convenience, rather than as class approved suppliers. David Erwin will coordinate with Larry Christy to develop appropriate wording on the web site to separate “approved” suppliers from those provided as a convenience.

Tom Watson discussed the alternate balanced rudder evaluation proposed for the Chesapeake Fleet. The consensus was that it would be acceptable for the Chesapeake fleet to evaluate boats with alternate rudders in a test program at the local level. Any boat participating in J/30 Class national events would need to comply with the J/30 Class rules and specifications. Thus, it was left that this was a local district decision on what they allowed for their racing, but that any one-design racing out of district or the national level would require J/30 Class rule and specification compliance.

Some proposals were made on potential locations for the 2009 North American Championship. Brendan Benson suggested Eastern Great Lakes, David Bowes suggested Marblehead, and John McArthur suggested Long Island Sound. John asked David Erwin about New Orleans. David indicated it would be a couple of years as they are still rebuilding the infrastructure as a result of Hurricane Katrina. It was suggested that the proposed location be posted on the J/30 Forum for discussion amongst the class.

*****Next Scheduled Meeting*****
It was agreed that the next Board of Governor’s meeting would be held at 5:30pm on Thursday 18 September at Bristol Yacht Club.

Thanks, Bill, for posting this information and for keeping the class at large up to date with the proposals and changes. I think the BOG made excellent decisions given the reality of the boat's vintage and the need to maintain true One Design compliance.

Thanks!