An intimate group of Fleet 29 members joined hosts Roy and Molly Chaisson at their Madison County home for their July meeting. Mild evening temperatures and a clever use of strategically place outdoor fans created an artificial off shore breeze on the newly constructed wooden deck. Thoughts of oppressive July heat melted into the pastoral background as sparkling drinks and a nearby bubbling fountain further cooled the membership. The setting was so inviting that the entire meeting was held outdoors.

Freshly grilled chicken and a compliment of seasonal side dishes made up the evening’s menu. The picnic like meal was topped off with homemade banana ice cream provided by Linda Gilliland, served with a complimentary chocolate brownie, a tasty topping to the evening’s fare.

Fleet captain Sue Johnson led off the meeting with recognition of new member Sherry Pendleton, who joined the fleet at the June meeting. The meeting continued with a spirited discussion of the status of the Jane England Regatta for the spring of 2011. Otis Johnson suggested that the Jane England Regatta be absorbed into the Spring Fling Regatta as a class race, awarding the large trophy only if three or more Catalina 22 boats participated in the event. Otherwise, any Catalina 22 skipper would be absorbed into the PHRF class and scored accordingly. Otis also suggested that out of town participants would still be encouraged to participate in the regatta, making it a regional event. A recommendation was made to have the chairman for the Spring Fling Regatta be responsible for sending out the Notice of Race, including appropriate language of the new Catalina class proposal.

Also discussed during the meeting was the sponsorship of a sailing scholarship to the Summer Sailing Camp hosted by the Jackson Yacht Club. Due to mandatory restrictions by the public school system against distribution of information, it was suggested by Sue Johnson that the scholarship be offered to a private school student in hopes of fostering a school-related sailing program. Such a program existed in the past at St. Andrews School under the guidance of Gail Buzhardt. The selection process for choosing one or more students is still open for discussion.

Gary Rogers rounded out the meeting with a suggestion for a Camp JYC program that would offer youths the opportunity to participate in multiple events during the summer, such as the swimming team, the fishing and sailing camps. This new program would be structured similar to the curriculum of existing summer camps.

Sue reminded the membership that there will not be an August meeting due to the scheduled raft-up set for Saturday, August 14, with an optional rain date of August 28. More information on the raft up will follow in the coming weeks. With that, Sue adjourned the meeting.