Click on to the Useful Links page at our website and scroll down where you’ll find the first five chapters of the North U J-24 videos!  Great for getting your mind in the game for the first race of the year coming up on May 21st!

 – Howard

Continuing its tradition of giving back to its host, Fleet 43 has donated Regatta Pro Start to the Portland Yacht Club. Regatta Pro Start is an automatic starting horn that relieves the race committee of the demanding task of keeping time for shooting guns and allows them to pay closer attention to the start line.  The system was used by the race committees in the most recent Louis Vuitton and America’s Cup races and by the Storm Trysail Club at last year’s Block Island Race Week. 

Not only will Regatta Pro Start make things easier for race committees, it will also save PYC roughly $1,000 annually on shotgun shells.  No shotguns also means improved on-ther-water safety. We expect it to be installed on the Lindsay Lord in time for the first Wednesday night race.

As a result of the savings that PYC will realize in 2008, the PYC Board has redirected $500 budget dollars in Fleet 43’s name to the construction of the Bud Singer Dock House.  The Dock House is under construction now and should be complete shortly.  Fleet members interested in donating toward the construction of the Bud Singer Dock House should contact Tony Jessen or Chip Harris.

  — Howard

At the Fleet meeting last night we conducted the following business:

Approved the calendar for the year, which is now posted at http://www.j24fleet43.org/pages/calendar.php.  Launch on the 17th and first Wednesday night race on the 21st!

Approved Fleet dues and Wednesday Night registration fees, all of which were reduced from last year.  Wednesday night registration will be $200, Fleet dues are $50 and the “alternate helmsman” fee is $25.

Appointed Molly White as the Downeast Regatta Co-Chair.

 – Howard