Draft-2025 Annual Meeting Minutes

Nationals Annual Minutes

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

1. Meeting called to order at 11:32 AM (ET)
2. Roll Call: voting members – Quorum is made. 33 present fleets out of 53 fleets equals 62%. (Constitution Article XVII states one half of the fleets in good standing should constitute a quorum…)
3. Present:
   1. ExCom: Warren Duckworth, Aaron Holland, Paul Cone, Bob White, Lloyd Kitchin, Nicole Shedden (6 votes)

Treasurer: Sarah Paisley

Secretary: Dianne Duckworth

4. Minutes: 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes were
5. Voting
   1. 2026 Officer’s Slate- Presented by Past President: Nicole Shedden
      1. President: Aaron Holland
      2. 1^st.Vice President: Chris Murphy

• 2^nd Vice President: Paul Cone

1. 3^rd Vice President: Wheeler Sutton
2. Chief Measurer: Dave Hudson
3. Past President: Warren Duckworth

• Vote: The slate was motioned, seconded and APPROVED.

10. Sail Plan Proposal- up for a vote Article 10.11(Submitted by Fleet #21)
    1. Presented Official Plans and Specifications – Thistle Class Sloop Sail Plan revised 2014, Sheet 6, Main Sail Notes #10 to read: ADDITIONAL TACK AND CLEW GROMMETS ALLOWED FOR “SLAB REEFING”.REINFORCING PATCHES FOR THE CLEW GROMMET MAY BE NO LARGER THAN 900 SQUARE INCHES.  REINFORCING PATCHES FOR THE TACK GROMMET MAY BE NO LARGER THAN 100 SQUARE INCHES.  NO MORE THAN THREE SAIL GATHERING GROMMETS PER REEF MAY BE USED ALONG THE BODY OF THE SAIL.  THE REINFORCING PATCHES FOR THESE GATHERING GROMMETS MAY BE NO LARGER THAN 30 SQUARE INCHES EACH.
    2. Proposal was motioned and seconded.

• Discussion

1. Vote – motion was approved

6. Secretary’s Report- Dianne Duckworth
   1. July 2023: 573 memberships; July 2024 membership 559 (-14), and July 2025 501 (-58); overall, membership is declining
   2. Chevrons were sent to any District or Interdistrict regatta that was listed on the website calendar
   3. RVP’s, DG’s and FCs will receive the 2025 fleet information at the end of October.
      1. Fleet Captains:
         1. Check your fleet and see if it’s missing anyone or if there’s someone on the list you don’t recognize.  Make sure the Fleet Captain listed for your fleet is correct.
         2. If your fleet has the wrong number of members, boats, and registered boats please contact Dianne.
      2. District Governors:
         1. Make sure all fleets in your district are represented with a Fleet Captain. Please send me a list of all your Fleets and Fleet Captains by January 1, 2026
         2. Reach out to fleet captains of fleets with less than 3 boats to see if they’re missing someone on their list.
      3. Regional Vice Presidents
         1. Make sure all districts in your region are represented.
         2. Please check to make sure DG’s send in the Fleet Captains names for 2026 by January 1, 2026
      4. Treasurer’s Report: Sarah Paisley
         267. January to June 2025 P&L: Total Income- $35,267.60, Net Income- $1,712.92
         268. June 2025 Balance Sheet: Total Assets $147,384.18
         269. We are still working with a deficit budget, but the governing board approved dues increase, and then a plea to associate members to join. Membership Marketing Plan
      5. First Vice President, Aaron Holland
         1. Budget- Presented information on the class expenses vs. income. A proposed dues increase was approved at the Governing Board meeting.
         2. MWW at Mission Bay will be Jan. 29- Feb. 1, MWE in Pensacola will be March 4th -8^th
         3. 2026 Nationals at Eugene the last week of July. July 25 to July 31. Providing camping, and all meals
      6. Second Vice President, Paul Cone
         1. Marketplace coordinator is Tim Vining
         2. Still working on security for the website
         3. New advertisers in BP: Sail Tech, Allen Boat Works, and Fabric Craft.
         4. PNW is still looking for a boat builder and asking if anyone has any ideas.

Meeting suspended at 12:35 pm (ET)

Meeting resumed at 6:35 pm (ET)

5. Third Vice President, Lloyd Kitchin- Report given by president
   1. Received no request for U26 for Nationals 2025
6. Chief Measurer, Bob White
   1. Nationals 20205
      1. Measurement at Nationals went well
      2. Thanked Paul Kreitler and Noah Craciun
   2. Past President, Nicole Shedden
      1. Starting a Membership Marketing Campaign to follow
         1. Will work with Dianne to get the information out to RVPs. DG’s and Fleet Captains
         2. Brian Bauman suggested an option of a Gift Membership
      2. MWE Trophy Deeds
         1. Thank you to Craig Smith for bringing more TCA material
         2. Will work with Dianne on reviewing all new material
         3. National Loan Debrief: working well
            1. Will touch base with Sandusky to get their viewpoint and will report back to ExCom
            2. Sandusky has already paid back TC.
         4. President, Warren Duckworth
            1. Thank you to Sandusky Sailing Club to the members and officers for hosting the Thistle Nationals
            2. Thank you to Mark Foster as PRO and Nancy Zangerle as Chief Judge and all the Race Committee and Judges for enabling us to hold the Thistle Nationals.
            3. Strategic Initiatives – Thank you to John Howell for leading the Endowment Committee and Matt Fisher leading the Boat Grant program. They have both requested to step back from these leadership roles. With that we are looking for others interested in volunteering for these committees.
            4. Summary Losing personal touch with fleets, I am working to reach out to fleets to help identify lapsed members to help encourage them to rejoin the class.
               1. Memphis Tennessee Fleet 72 requested their fleet charter suspended as their lake has been drained due to issue with the dam. Suspension was approved by the Governing Board.
            5. New Boat Builder: Warren Duckworth and Bob White
               1. Beacon Composite is no longer building Thistles- researching new leads and will follow-up with ExCom.
            6. Adjourned at 6:53 PM (ET)