Commodore's Column - November 2007

by Tom Sokoloski
Catalina 36 International Association

NEW FACES

By the time everyone is reading this, fall will have descended upon those of us north of the Mason/Dixon line, with winter just around the corner. Bummer. Our beloved fiberglass creatures are being hauled out of the water, preparing to spend a lonely, cold winter under a blanket of snow. For those of you in the warmer climates, I’m jealous!!
Over the past few months, your Association has been very busy. I hope that by now our new website will be up and running. Alex Lynch has spent a HUGE amount of time designing and building it, and as I write this, is currently busy working out last minutes bugs. Tom Senator and Chooch Jewell have been busy answering a multitude of questions from both MkI and MkII owners. Brian Giersch has been filling orders from the Ship’s Store, and helping members form and organize local fleets. Phil Rojas is often called upon to work his magic behind the scenes as our Factory Liaison. Lin Bass is always cheerful, organized, and firm, in her requests to the rest of the officers to get our Mainsheet articles to her on time. Bill Harvey has done an outstanding job of keeping our finances in line. Chuck Reed, our Membership Chair, has done a SUPER job of building and organizing our membership database. It takes a dedicated effort by a number of volunteers to keep the Association running. Because of new job commitments, Chuck Reed no longer feels that he can devote the time necessary to continue as Membership Chair. Filling this position will be Sean McGuckin, a retired Submarine Officer who now works as a consulting engineer for combat systems design. (He was about to tell me more, but said he would then have to kill me! J) Sean lives in Gales Ferry, CT, with his wife Susan and their three daughters. He sails out of Mystic, and has been active in LISCA (Long Island Sound Catalina Assoc.). Sean is also his town’s Emergency Management Director, EMT, volunteer fire fighter, and ambulance driver. WOW! Sean knows he has huge shoes to fill, but feels he is up to the challenge. Please join me in thanking Chuck for a job very well done, and welcoming Sean to his new position.
The second new officer to join C36IA is Chic Lasser, as Vice Commodore. Chic hails from Rochester, NY, and was instrumental in building Fleet 7 on Lake Ontario. He has sailed for over 40 years in a variety of boats, qualified several times for the US Open in sailboards, and still races competitively in local one design classes. Besides cruising with his wife Naomi, Chic’s other passion is skiing, and DEEP POWDER! Welcome aboard Chic.
There is always room for a few more people to help run the Association. Everyone feels they don’t have the time, or they don’t have the skills. Hogwash. One of the positions we are currently looking for is an assistant webmaster. With more and more content going onto the web, Alex could use some help. If you have some knowledge of bits and bytes, please give a call to one of the officers, and ask what you can do. A few hours a month, or even a few hours a year would make a difference. For all members, please tell us what you want. It’s YOUR association. Tell us how to make it better. Fair winds and happy sailing.