Greetings NMSC Members:

The marina was officially closed for the year on October 19 and all boats have now been removed from the marina. Thanks to the volunteers who helped with the marina decommissioning, including Clif Meyer, Mack Jordan, Leo Bitteker, and Mark Hempel. The lake level is going down slowly and is currently 7161 ft, about 10 ft lower than the high level in July.

 Jackie and Jeremy Wiebe of Farmington donated an AMF Apollo 16 to the club this fall; the boat looks to be in good shape and looks like a lot of fun to sail. Thanks again to Jackie and Jeremy for the donation.

 As reported a couple of months ago, the club voted at the Labor Day meeting to increase slip and buoy rental fees by 5% for next year. The membership fee remains the same as last year. Thus the fees for next year will look something like this: (note: 2009 fees preliminary and FYI; fees have not been finalized)

Membership                      $45.00

Slip Rental                           $415.00 (2008 fee)  + 5% ($20.75) = $435.75 (2009 fee)

GRT                                        6.0625% (may change for 2009) = $26.42

Dock Fund                           $50.00

Slip + Fund                          $512.17

Total membership, slip fee, GRT, and Dock Fund for 2009:            $557.17

Buoy                                      $240.00 (2008 fee) + 5% (12.00) = $252.00 (2009 fee)

GRT                                        6.0625% (est.) = $15.28

Dock Fund                           $50.00

Buoy + Fund                       $317.28

Total membership, buoy fee, GRT, and Dock Fund for 2009:         $362.28

The wait list  fee for those who desire is the same at $20.00.

The club relies primarily on volunteers to perform maintenance and necessary construction projects. In 2008 a total of 39 members contributed nearly 700 hours for marina maintenance projects.  Thanks again to those members who volunteered and helped with projects. However, this represents a minority of the club members, and a handful of members end up doing most of the work. Some board members have suggested that additional incentives be provided to members to encourage more members to volunteer. One proposal includes charging a volunteering fee at the beginning of each year, say $100 that can be refunded throughout the year as members participate in work parties; this would be in addition to the credits now given for volunteers to save up to 50% off of the next year’s slip fees for hours worked. Other ideas have also been  discussed. Thus, we’re planning to have a meeting of the board on Friday November 15 to discuss this and other items such as marina maintenance and upgrade priorities for 2009. The time and location of the meeting will be announced when determined.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 13 to attend the Holiday Dinner, general meeting, and gift swap at the Coronado Grill in Bernalillo.

Look for ballots in the mail for voting on club officers and board members for next year. Ballots should be mailed out in a few days.

Club members Stan Hafenfeld and Rich Strassia are currently sailing south along the west coast of Baja California as part of the annual Baja HaHa to Mexico. Hope they are having a great trip and wish I were there.

Cheers.

-Rich