Where does one start when stepping back into the chair of a Yacht Club?.. You smile and take each adventure as it comes.

As you all are aware, I was getting ready to retire from the committee and go sailing. However, it seems this will have to wait as I made the decision Friday at 10am to stand up and again help out (thank you to those who pushed and offered to support me in the decision). I am happy to report that Wendy and I are quickly finding our feet in all things to do with the club (though having James and Russ away has added a small degree of difficulty in doing the basic tasks).

I would like to start off by saying a thank you to those involved in the change of watch. Not always a quick and easy task. Thankfully, the support given to the incoming executive in the last two weeks has been something we both are very thankful for.

My Commodore's report will be short and sweet as I believe letting you all know the portfolio roles of the incoming committee is more important. This allows for ease of communication and our time on the water more enjoyable.

The following portfolios now reflect the budgeting process that has been happening over the last three years. You will also notice new email addresses that will allow the future transitions and changes within our committee to be more seamless for our membership, customers and the outside world.

Committee members each have a portfolio of areas of responsibility to oversea. They are not trying to re-invent the wheel but hope to draw in and to utilise expertise from beyond the committee to help with running the club.
Eg. Your first point of contact for Boats is Brian Carroll; he will then respond and communicate to the committee his findings. Though 'the bar' portfolio is Wendy's, Ian Spottiswood will remain as manager and consummate overseer of all that is bar.

As the saying goes... many hands make light work. So if you see an area where you feel you have the time and expertise to help, PLEASE let the committee member with that portfolio know.

Jacqui

Jacqui Loft (Commodore) commodore@sailglyc.com

• Overall responsibility for overseeing all activities of the club.
• Call Executive Meetings, General Membership Meetings and any Special General Meetings.
• Preside at all meetings as per above.
• Approves the appointment of people to subcommittees
• Ex-officio of all other committees dealing with club business.
• Direct the general operation of the club with assistance as deemed necessary.
• Cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie pertaining to a vote at an executive or at a general meeting
• To deal with the press and other media with respect to announcements, releases or other specific matters affecting the Club's image in the community and in the public at large.
• Community Liaison and Liaison with outside agencies
• Trophies

Jenny Brown (Treasurer) treasurer@sailglyc.com

• Budgeting
• Bar
• Merchandising
• Sponsorship/Grants

Russ Peel (Secretary) glyc@sailglyc.com

• Membership (New members, Membership data base)
• Key register

Wendy Gardner (Vice Commodore) bookings@sailglyc.com

• Hall Bookings (Av Equipment)
• Meals co ordination (Tuesday night meal, Soup kitchen, Marlay point breakfast)

James Frecheville (Rear Commodore) sailingcaptain@sailglyc.com

• Sailing committee - divisions represented (Calendar, On water duty roster Sun & Tues, Handicaps - Brian Collins Tues)
• Protest committee - currently chaired by Chris Avery

Andrew Thistlethwaite (Sailability Officer) sailability@sailglyc.com

David Bacon (House)

• Lawns - currently done by Hugh
• Gardens - currently done by Chris and Lesley Avery
• Buildings

Brian Carroll (Boats)

• Maintenance of all power boats

Sharna Baskett (Discover Sailing Centre - Training School) discoversailing@sailglyc.com

• Training school
• Discover sailing day
• Tackers
• Power boat instructor

Christie Arras (Publicity Officer) wanderer@sailglyc.com

• Wanderer
• Publicity
• Photography
• Social Media
• E.Flash

Tim Shepperd (IT Manager) it@sailglyc.com

Jim Callahan (Yard and Marina)

David Parish (Immediate Past commodore)

• Continue to put together the procedures manual
• Oversee policy development and review
• Lead the development of the Strategic Plan
• Assist with the formulation of program budgets

Winter Series 2015

June 28, Sunday 1300 hrs

July 26, Sunday 1300 hrs

Aug. 30, Sunday 1300 hrs

Sept.27, Sunday 1300 hrs


Michael Clark has offered to RO the race on Sunday 28 June and I will be back for the remainder of the series. If any member would like to have a go as RO for a day please let me know.

James

Fridays
Club night up in the bar. Come and enjoy winter soup nights or you can bring in your own take out. It's a very lively night.

Tuesday afternoon Ancient Mariners
Bring a lunch and mull over the day's course before the 1300 hours start of the ancient mariners' stern chaser. Brian Collins has provided a spread sheet of courses to choose from depending on the strength of the wind and perhaps even the direction. Maybe even win the coveted bottle of wine. (A gold coin is suggested to support the cost of the winning bottle.)

Soup is on!!!
Our first Soup Night has come and gone. The club room and bar is livening up. What a better place to meet with friends and share the world's best bargain soup and garlic bread! Fraternize and feel generous and bountiful by preparing some lovely soups for your sailing mates. Join in the fun. Let Denise Lamble know what date is good for you...5152 3191.

Good afternoon everyone.

This season has seen a continuation of all the good work undertaken by your committee from last year.

This year I am going to breakup my report using the areas described by Yachting Victoria's CEO Steve Walker as some of the things that have been clearly identified as contributing to / or needing to be addressed when considering the sustainability of yacht clubs. Namely: Programs, Assets and Facilities, Planning and People.

Firstly, Programs
I could talk for a very long time about what we do and what happens at GLYC, but I have been doing so throughout the year in Wanderer so I will spare you the trauma of hearing me repeating myself. Suffice to say that these days we have something happening right through the entire year including: Sunday racing, Tuesday Twilight sternchasers, Ancient Mariners, Club cruises, 'Friday night' Club nights and all the other major events and activities such as the Pink fundraising Day, Paynesville Music Festival, Marley Point Overnight Race, the Easter Regatta and Interclub events with Metung Yacht Club, Loch Sport Boat Club and the interclub regatta and social events. All of this of course culminating with Celebration Night.

Of particular note is the continuing and developing cooperation between GLYC and our neighboring club, Metung YC. There have again been reciprocal arrangements made between the clubs with respect to sailing calendars for joint fleet racing as well as with the provision of assistance be it with boats and/or personnel. The goodwill between the clubs is excellent and has increased the communication and opportunities for further cooperation and joint events in the future.

Two programs that I will make special mention of are firstly our "Sailability program" which was again ably led by our Sailability Officer Andrew Thistlethwaite. Andrew along with a great group of members and volunteers, provide a weekly sailing experience for people with a disability as well as programs for school aged children and other groups. This is an incredible program and one that the club should be very proud of which contributes to "inclusiveness" within the community".
.

Secondly, Discover Sailing and Training school
GLYC's embracing of the Discover Sailing format has really paid off through new memberships, community interest and training Programs. This year has seen further development of these programs and the increased participation of families and friends of our Junior sailing group has been in clear evidence at the club throughout the year. Vice Commodore Lyn Wallace and Committee Member Sharna Baskett have taken the leading roles in this area and must be thanked and congratulated for what they have done and achieved.

Assets and facilities
All of these incredible programs could not be implemented if we did not have the appropriate assets and facilities to support them. This in turn necessitates constant maintenance and upgrades. Dave Bacon deserves special mention here: Dave has been in almost daily attendance throughout the year fixing this and tweaking that and basically making sure that when we come to the clubrooms they are in excellent, functional condition for our needs.

The major upgrades undertaken this year have included the completion of our Multimedia System, replacement of our Sailability Rescue Boat, repair and development of our marina jetties and the replacement of the roof over the boat shed. Further funds have been allocated for work on the Esplanade boundary retaining wall, remedial work on the FF slewing hoist and repair and replacement of the loft roof.

Now we have a look at People
Firstly, I want to briefly consider what it takes to keep the club going which in itself is a hard thing to start because once you do it is hard to find a finish! But here is a list to help us think about what is done to keep the club going:
Subcommittees: incl. sailing, handicapping, protest,
We've got: Results / Handicapping, A Web Master, Bar Staff, Publicity and Photography, Accounts and finance, Monthly editions of Wanderer, Weekly E-Flashes, Dim Sims, Soup Kitchen, Design Work / Logos, Tickets, Merchandise, The Pink Fundraising Day, Flood-watch, Maintenance, Housework, Social, Lawn mowing... The list just goes on.

Let's not forget the weekly commitment of people who man our home base operations as well as the Start, Course and Rescue boats. The core group of people, as well as the rostered volunteers, who carried out operations on each and every occasion we had a club ON-WATER event and provided the means for our enjoyment in our chosen sport as well as being in constant readiness to provide backup if such was ever needed. Special recognition and thanks to Rear Commodore, James Frecheville who, as Sailing Captain, has been instrumental in this aspect of our club activities.

All I can say is that on behalf of everyone, our thanks to you all!!!

And who does all this? You guessed it... our Volunteers. Again, we had many, many club members volunteering time and effort to help with Club events and to raise valuable funds for GLYC (and chosen Community Charities). Our fees are amongst the lowest in the state, so it is important to recognise the efforts that enable us to keep them down and to continue to pay our expenses, conduct our business of sailing and build the clubs assets and facilities. This amazing volunteering spirit at GLYC continues to set us apart within the yachting community. Thank you everyone!

Our Major Sponsors and Supporters help us monetarily and with 'in kind' support, which we greatly appreciate. Special thanks this year to: Gippsland Lakes Ministerial Advisory Committee, Lightfoot Wines, Paynesville & District Community Bank Branch - Bendigo Bank, Paynesville Business and Tourism Association, Paynesville Community Foodworks, Waterview Bakery, Riviera Meats, Ego Pharmaceuticals.

And what of GLYC as a Paynesville citizen?
Last year I posed the question of whether we have been successful in our endeavors in this area, but that perhaps it is best for others to comment. Well, they have. As I reported in my Feb Wanderer report, GLYC was honoured by being presented with the "Best Community Event" Award at this year's PBTA Australia Day Awards. A great start to answering the question, don't you think? Then we can add things like the excellent publicity we get from the East Vic Media (and hasn't Christie done a fabulous job in this area for the club?), and Win Television for the pre and post publicity for our regattas; the many favorable comments I have received throughout the year about the clubs' activities. Then there is the increased community inquiry and use of our Clubroom facilities for weddings, conferences, funeral celebrations, community meetings, Community club workshops, Service club meetings, Shire meetings and the list goes on.

Planning and Governance
Good governance is, I believe, what the COM must ensure and over the course of the past two seasons there have been (In my Humble Opinion) significant developments and improvements in all areas of club processes and procedures. At last year's AGM, I made a statement and I would like to repeat it now.

"For a Committee of Management, good governance is paramount. In today's ever changing society, the rules and regulations are constantly impacting on many aspects of our club - some requiring significant changes to our processes and practices. Most notably in the areas of Risk Management and financial practices - an inescapable sign of the times!"

So... what of risk management (RM)? I feel we have come a long way in this regard. Gone are the days of thinking of RM as a concept for stopping everything. This thought has been replaced with the recognition that RM is nothing more than a way of ensuring we provide the best possible practice whilst meeting our legal and moral obligations to members.

I am not going to preempt the Treasurer's report, but I will say that money around a volunteer
club such as ours is always in our thoughts and the use of available funds carefully considered. I am pleased to report that our financial position is very sound. Indeed, we have been able to make significant improvements in our assets, as well as ensuring our regular repair and maintenance requirements have been met. We have also commenced the process of identifying and budgeting for future needs and contingencies.

We currently have a financial plan that incorporates short, medium and long term goals.

Our short term financial plan is based on annual budgets and this year we have undertaken an extensive reorganizing of our club finances including development of individual "Portfolio" budgets. We have also undertaken a review of our reporting documents with the aim of being able to convey our financial situation to all members using plain English and with a clear identification of 'recurrent' vs 'non-recurrent costs.

Our medium term plan incorporates the development of a full depreciation schedule that identifies the cost of replacement of all club assets. It also has an amount within it identified as 'Contingency' which provides for unexpected events, eg. in the (hopefully very unlikely), sudden and dramatic reduction in membership and subsequently in membership fees.

For the long term, we have linked our financial situation and strategic plan by establishing a 'Futures Fund' in which money will be accumulate over time and which in turn will allow a full range of financial options to be explored with East Gippsland Shire, when our lease expires in year 2026. We currently have $40,000 invested and the plan is to make an annual allocation with next year's being budgeted at $20,000.

Funding for short, medium and long term goals is identified in both our membership fee structure and the significant revenue obtained through the hiring of our function facilities. With this in mind, we have identified a role for one of our members as that of "Function Coordinator" responsible for development, management and publicity of the club as a Major Function venue.

I can't let my report go by without special mention of Treasurer Jenny Brown for the professional way she has conducted GLYC's finances, and Ken and Janet of East Gippsland Financial Services for looking after the books all year and preparing the financial statements.

And what of the future, AKA Strategic Planning
Firstly, Policy development has been high on my priority list as I believe having policies in place provides a sound basis for decision-making both now and into the future. I am pleased to report that work over the course of the past two years has produced clarifications/updates of many existing processes as well as adoption of the following new Policies/Protocols: Algal Bloom Policy, Anzac Day and Bereavement Protocols, Boat Storage (Active Membership) Policy, Bullying Protocols and Code of Conduct Policy (Part 1 - All members/Part 2 - Committee of Management), Health and Safety Policy, Life Membership Policy, Responsible use of alcohol, and Sun Smart. We also have completed important Documentation in the area of Risk Management including the Asbestos, GLYC Safety Manual, GLYC Emergence Plan for the conduct of regattas and many other areas of club activities. As always, there has been a review of the Club Bylaws and, of course, at last year's AGM we adopted the rewrite of our Rules of Association in line with the new legislated requirements.

YV has recently produced two important documents for Clubs to consider, namely 'Member Protection' and 'Club Inclusive', Standards. These documents have been endorsed by Committee and we have stated that "We will not intentionally undertake any action or plan which is inconsistent with these documents. We will post them on our website in the Policies and Procedures section as documents endorsed by the Club for application within GLYC and, as our resources permit, will work consistently to implement these frameworks".

A couple of months ago, we had a workshop for our Committee of Management that enabled us to work through the YV Planning tool. In this session we identified a number of target areas in the redevelopment of our Strategic Plan. The intention is to engage the Club's Membership in a more far reaching and detailed discussion that will enable us to fully develop a plan that will take us into the medium and long-term future.

To conclude my report I would like to recognise and thank a number of people, starting with the retiring committee:
Immediate Past Commodore Jacqui Loft has been there right through and provided invaluable support;
Vice Commodore Lyn Wallace who has worked tirelessly on a myriad of jobs and with whom I have worked closely on much of the club's governance as well as 'scheduled events'; Rear Commodore James Frecheville whose skill and experience as Sailing Captain is clearly reflected in the great on-water enjoyment we all experience; Secretary Russ Peel who has been a pillar of strength for the club and a great sounding post for me; Treasurer Jenny Brown has expertly managed the complex tasks of Club finances and has worked very hard in the reorganizing of our budgeting processes; Sailability Officer Andrew Thistlethwaite has not only continued to run an excellent program of sailing for the disabled (and other) members of our community but has been a solid contributor to the general activities of committee;
Committee Member Christie Arras has continued her work in publicity (we all love to see the articles in the local paper), as editor of Wanderer and as one of our regular Course or Rescue boat operators (in fact, ask Christie to do anything and she will not hesitate to help); Committee member Dave Bacon whose efforts as House this year have kept him hard at work on an almost daily basis;
Committee Member Sharna Baskett who has not only worked with Lyn and James to revitalize our Junior Programs, but has also worked with me on the documentation of our Risk Management Plans; Committee Member Lou Hill has had considerable commitments as a Magistrate this year but has still managed to assist throughout the year with trophies and provide invaluable advice and service to the Committee of Management; Committee Member Andrew Somerville who has kept our fleet of water-craft afloat in his role as "Boats" this year.

You, like all committees before you, are owed absolutely heartfelt thanks... for your passion for the club and sailing, for your hard work and for your leadership within the club. Without your collective dedication, wisdom and shear hard work, our club would not be in the sound position it is. So from me personally and on behalf of the entire membership of the club, I say thank you.

To my long suffering wife Sue, you have always known I am a yachty but perhaps you didn't know what that might entail. For your unfailing support and understanding throughout my last 2 year's term as Commodore (and indeed the entire 12 years I have been on the GLYC COM), I want to give you the biggest thanks of all.

But of course, it's not the end; indeed, it's actually just the beginning of the next chapter in the history book of GLYC and I for one intend to continue to contribute to what is and will continue to be a great story.

To the members of the Incoming Committee, the challenge is now up to us.
Look to our statement of purpose to see at a glance what it is that we are here for: "To encourage and promote the sport of yachting..." We should continue to encourage an atmosphere that fosters a cohesive and collaborative approach; one that is based on mutual respect, tolerance and patience, and where a diversity of views is not only accepted but valued. Each committee person, I believe, should be out there encouraging positive talk that will raise the level of discussion to include suggestions for addressing perceived problems. We should be saying "the decisions that are taken by your COM are not taken lightly. Finding the balance between what are often very different ideas and sometimes very conflicting points of view, will mean that not everything will necessarily be in-line with your own thoughts. If you wish to make positive suggestions with solutions/ideas, then they will be most respectfully listened to." As they say in the classics "It's not rocket science".

To all members of GLYC... your continued support for the Club and for me has been exceptional and highly valued. What else can I say but thank you very much.

So here's to the future of GLYC. May it be a very positive one where the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club remains an icon in Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes and in the worldwide Yachting community.

Well done, everyone, and so...until I speak to you next, may we all continue to have calm seas and fair winds from aft of the beam.

David Parish

Division 3 was a buzz with juniors at last Sunday's Winter Series with three Minnows and a 125 heading out on the big lake for race 1. As the photos show, glistening sun on the winter's water plus reasonable winds gave the whole fleet a good run. The day also celebrated the christening of the new sail for the red Minnow, 50bucks. Looking really nice out there, Jaime Z!

Bonjour family and friends,

So much has happened in the past month, in one word... boat 'maintenance'. We finally left the Marquesas on the 10th of June; I felt a mixture of relief to be on our way and nervousness as we left the security of Taiohae Bay and the towering mountains shrouded in cloud.

While in Taiohae Bay we replaced the transmission which arrived in record time from Massachusetts via Tahiti to Nuku Hiva, a total of 7 days. Pete did an amazing job of taking the old transmission out and fitting the new one by himself in one day. Well, I was the multi skilled trades assistant and, thankfully, the bay was calm for that day. In short, the shaft was secured in place by a clamp Pete made up from a piece of timber and long bolts (I was worried we would have a big leak). Then the engine was moved forward with the running backstay tackle attached to the base of the mast and a lot of 'heave ho'. The new transmission was fitted and the engine moved back with lengths of four by two timber. Pete then contorted himself into all sorts of upside down positions to re fit the engine bolts with me holding the ratchet with a long handle extension. We would never have achieved this without the wonderful advice and support of Kevin Ellis from Nuku Hiva Yacht Services; we gave him our Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club Pennant to display in his office.

We made plans to visit Manihi Atoll in the Tuamotus which was a 4-5 day passage from the Marquesas. We had perfect sailing conditions for 2 days then the wind started to build and we were hit by squalls that came up very fast. We decided to bypass Manihi and head for Rangiroa as it was not possible to enter the pass due to the bad weather. Then the weather continued to build with gusts of 30-45 knts and seas of 8-10ft; it was then also impossible to enter the pass at Rangiroa. We managed to find an anchorage in the lee of Rangiroa and sat it out for two days and did some emergency sail repairs. We were in radio contact with boats inside the Atoll and the conditions inside made it impossible to leave their boats in dinghies or go out through the pass. When the weather improved we decided to continue on our way to Tahiti a 30hr overnight passage. In keeping with the mixture of weather conditions, the breeze was coming from NW to NE, which is contrary to supposedly prevailing ESE trade winds.

We have been in Marina Papeete, Tahiti for just over a week and it has been a wonderful experience. The Marina is very new and located in a huge bay with the shipping dock on one side and the city centre on the other. Our berth is next to the city boardwalk, gardens and Main Street, so we have traffic noise, sirens, lots of people, shops, huge cargo and cruise ships all around us. What a culture shock! It's vibrant and entertaining with cafes that have amazing coffee and French pastries. Our favourite place is the paved outdoor area on the quay which has a dozen or more food trucks that serve a huge range of dishes; eating outside on a balmy night with lots of other people is great fun.

Yesterday as part of the celebrations of Tahiti's independence from France there was a colourful parade then at night the young people danced an energetic mixture of salsa and samba in the outdoor areas which kept us entertained for hours. I especially love going to the markets in each of the countries we have visited; I get a real sense of the people and their lifestyle. At the market in Papeete you will find fresh crunchy baguettes to take home or made up with a variety of fillings. You can eat amazing cakes and huge sugary donuts, or buy big fresh steaks of tuna for cerviche (raw fish 'cooked' with lime and coconut) and find the usual local fresh vegetables and fruit. After 5 months I finally had a visit to the hairdresser as did Pete. We also had to buy new clothes as we both have lost weight; our shorts are very loose despite the yummy food.

On our last night here in Papeete as we were sitting amongst the food trucks, who should we meet? none other than Russell Peel, a fellow Australian and member of our yacht club! He had just finished a sailing holiday on a chartered catamaran in the leeward islands of Tahiti. I had to keeping pinching him to make sure he was real, amazing!

We leave tomorrow for the island of Moorea and will visit some of the leeward islands before our last stop in French Polynesia at Bora Bora. Our next port of call is Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. It will be sad to say goodbye to some fellow cruisers here in Papeete,with whom we made friends in Mexico, as they head off in different directions. The number of yachts going our way is diminishing, we will miss recognising the yachts and seeing their owners each time we make a new landfall.

Cheers for now, Pete and Anne

Good afternoon,

My name is Christine Newton, and my husband and I and our four children are sailing members of the Keppel Bay Sailing Club in Yeppoon, Queensland. We are thinking about travelling to Paynesville for the Impulse Nationals this year and I am seeking a little more information.

My son, Blake, was the winner of the Impulse Youth Nationals in Yeppoon last year and would love the opportunity to sail this Class again. As we would be driving down towing our caravan to incorporate a holiday down that way, we are interested in chartering an Impulse for him to sail for the duration of the Nationals. If you have any information or contacts regarding charter availability and cost it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you would have any advice on good caravan parks in the area that are reasonably close to the club, or anyone in the club that may have the room and bathroom facilities to have a van parked in their back yard for the nationals, that would also be very greatly appreciated. We are a quiet, respectful family, with two boys aged 17 and 16, and two girls aged 14 and 13.

Any information you can give to make my research a little easier would be great; I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Regards, Christine Newton Mob. 0411 481 013