March Meeting Minutes

The March 12^th meeting of the South Shore Outboard Association was called to order by Commodore Alan Akerstrom at 2:00 PM. The Meeting was held at The Trailer Place of New England in Kingston, New Hampshire. There were FOURTEEN members present.

Secretary’s Report – The minutes of the February meeting were accepted as printed in the Newsletter.

Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Dick Currier presented the Treasurer’s report as of March 12, 2011. A motion was made and seconded to accept the report as presented and to pay all of the outstanding bills. Motion passed. Copies of the Treasurer’s Reports are available at the meetings.

Membership – Membership Chairman Bob Cronin reported that the membership numbers are as follows: We currently have 81 members comprised of: 52 – Racing; 18 – Non Racing; 10 Life members and 1 Honorary member. The updated membership list is posted on the website. You must be a paid member to receive Club points at the South Shore Outboard races. If you have not received your 2011 Membership card, call or email Bob Cronin. The Club will be taking nominations for Life Membership status. A life member must have rendered exceptional service to SSOA and been a member in good standing for a 25 year period. Any members that receive Life Member status will be honored at the Annual Banquet.

Equipment –

Radios – Alex P. has purchased six Cobra waterproof marine radios and has two more are on order.

All of the Club trailers and rescue boats have been registered in the State of Maine. Shawn will look into having the registrations done on a multi year renewal basis.

Steve N. has contacted two parties regarding used electronic scales. He should have a response at the April Meeting. It was mentioned that this expense could be funded by the Region. Further discussion to follow…

Nick Nowak has the white rescue boat to correct the shifting issue.

The small tow boat received its second patch job prior to the meeting.

The Club Equipment Trailer will be cleaned and repacked by the Trailer Place.

$80.00 worth of oil was purchased for the Rescue Boats.

Website – The website now has a link to the US A-Team site.

Standish, Maine – The Sanction and Insurance applications have been submitted to APBA and K&K Insurance. The beach cleanup will be on May 7^th. All those that participate will be entitled to free testing on 5/20. To expedite registration, all are encouraged to mail their entry forms to Harriet prior to the race. Registration forms will be available on Friday. The J Hydro and J Runabout class entry fees will be $20.00.

Hubbardton, Vermont – The Secretary spoke to Terry M. this week and it appears that the property used for the pit area may be sold. If that is the case, our event would probably be questionable at best. Terry will look into any alternative sites, but we may have to pass on a race in Hubbardton this season.

Haverhill, Mass – The race was awarded the Northeast Marathon Divisional Championships. Members of the Northeast Division (Regions 1-3) will receive double points. The Marathon will be lengthened to six laps (28.26 miles). It will only be run on Sunday and will start promptly at 11:30 AM. In an effort to put more boats on the water, entry fees for the closed course portion of the program will be as follows: 1^st Class - $30.00; 2^nd Class - $15.00; if you run three or more classes, your entry fee will be capped at $60.00 for the day. In addition, a family will pay no more than $100.00 for the day for unlimited entries. There may be additional discounts for out of Region drivers. The Marathon will be a $25.00 entry fee.

Taunton, Mass – No Report.

Kingston, NH – 5th Annual Kingston Fall Classic is scheduled for September 24-25, 2011. We are planning on running three days in two, 10 – 12 class schedule and the 2^nd Annual SSOA All Star Clash to complete racing for the season as the last event on Sunday. Entry fees for the race will be the same as the Haverhill event. Miss Kingston will be making her annual appearance at the Race.

Hartford, Ct – The USTS Series event will be Labor Day weekend again this year.

National News – There was a general discussion relating to the Stock Outboard Ballot that was recently sent to the membership. Although the club is supportive of the acceptance of the newer engines, the general consensus is that we need to vote no on proposal #6. The supporters of the proposal are adamant that that the consolidation of classes is necessary to the future of Stock Outboard racing. SSOA already runs a 10 -12 class program, has new race sites, a thriving membership and sponsored events. We do all of that with better management of the existing structure. A Club can control the amount of classes they schedule to run. A yes vote on proposal # 6 will have an adverse financial impact on us and many other small Clubs throughout the Country. All of the other proposals on the ballot were viewed favorably.

Race Officials – The Club is looking for additional Inspectors and Referee’s. If you are interested in being involved to help out for a set of classes on race day, contact the Commodore and we will work in getting you approved. This is a great way for the non racing membership to help contribute to the continued success of SSOA.

Bob O’Connor – Good news! Bob is out of the hospital and in rehab back in Farmington, Maine. Your continued well wishes and prayers would certainly be appreciated.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:10PM. Next meeting will be April 9th at the Trailer Place of New England, Kingston, New Hampshire. Please note the Meeting date has been changes to April 16^t^h.

Congratulations – Kenny and Lela Rosado are now the proud grandparents of Amelia Marion Rosado who was born on January 31^st. Amelia is the daughter of Ken’s son Steven and his wife Jen. All are doing well.

Wanted – Don Worth is from Miami, Florida and resides in Sheffield, Massachusetts during the summer months. He is very active in trying to get the Miami Marine Stadium rebuilt and usable again. He has caught the vintage boat racing bug and is interested in finding a small outboard hydroplane to display either up against a wall or hung from a ceiling. If you know of anyone that could help Don out or would like to know more about the Miami Marine Project, his contact information is dontonton@gmail.com.

Standish Reminder – Work Session only Saturday May 7^th. Open testing on Friday May 20^th. Testing will commence once the course has been set out, the judges stand set up, the PA system in place and the inspection scales are operating. Come early so that you can help and have plenty of time to test.