Promoting the sport of sailing on Lake Travis since 1951

Welcome 2012!

I’ll bet most everyone who sailed Red Eye Regatta will agree that there’s no better way to start the new year than a beautiful sunny and breezy afternoon on the water. It was a perfect winter day for sailing. We had a very good turnout, and the event was the first case in point that it’s going to be a great year at AYC despite the low water conditions. Normally I would have sailed my C-22 in Red Eye, but like many other members, I use a dry slip and cannot easily launch my boat now. I had a lot of fun crewing on someone else’s wet slipped boat, but this brings me straight to what I believe is one of our highest priorities at the outset of this year: restoring ramp launch access as soon as possible.

Your incoming Harbor Commander, Jon Nash, is gathering information and putting together proposals to make ramp access possible at current lake levels. Concepts include modifying and extending the existing north ramp and/or adding a new concrete ramp on the point. The board will be evaluating initial concepts as part of our second budget planning session on January 8, and my hope is that we will have enough information by our January 26 board meeting to vote on an actionable plan.

Although January is not the most active sailing month for most of us, it is a busy month for AYC’s board and staff. Your incoming commanders have taken the hand-off from last year’s board. They are forming their committees, setting priorities for the coming year, establishing work routines with the staff and honing their operating and capital budgets.

A very important component of the budget deliberations this month will be to determine acceptable levels of financial reserves. This is particularly true as the low water squeezes our revenues while increasing our operating costs and creating opportunities for us to make significant harbor access improvements. For the past two years Don Dwight, Treasurer, has done a great job guiding us financially and we are fortunate to have his expertise on our board again this year. We will make sure that our cash reserves are adequate to maintain a strong financial footing, and we may decide to take on additional long term debt to finance a portion of our needed capital improvements. The budget will be discussed at length at our January 26 board meeting, and I encourage you to attend.

Jenny Loehlin, Sail Training Commander, and Junior Coach Kate Noble, will be coordinating junior practices in the coming weeks as our young sailors prepare for the upcoming Roadrunner Regatta March 3-4. Each year this is one of the best attended regattas at AYC. Hundreds of kids from all over the state come to compete.  This year’s Roadrunner Regatta will be a showcase of AYC’s ability to put on a first class event during low water. Our juniors will be excellent hosts, and they will be sailing to win!

Barry Bowden, Race Commander, and Vice Commodore Christopher Dwight have been completing the 2012 racing calendar while Susie McDonald, Social Chair, has put together a full social schedule. Both calendars are being finalized and will be published in the coming days. The Frostbite series will start January 21. While sailboat racing bands us together as a club, there are many additional reasons to gather with friends and family at AYC. Our social calendar kicks off with the Superbowl Potluck on February 5, so come to the party and root for your team!

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