Included with your CDSOA membership cards...

[Neil Gordon]

While a few associate members may gain full membership, I do not see how CDSOA benefits.

In no particular order:

The bylaw amendments will do no apparent harm. As for the status quo, excluding CD Power owners and former CD owners does no apparent good.

Maintaining and expanding brand awareness adds value. The more the public knows the Cape Dory name (and associates it with quality), the better off we all are. Both sail and power do that, as do former owners of each. They should all be encouraged to join and fully participate.

Inclusion encourages volunteers. At Northeast Fleet rendezvous and float ins, we've been ferried by CD Power owners and hosted by them. They should be encouraged to join, not discouraged with artificial barriers to full status. Further, there are positions within CDSOA that often go begging, another good reason to encourage rather than discourage perfectly qualified individuals otherwise willing to serve.

That there are too few CD Power owners and former CD owners to change anything is reason to let them vote, not to exclude them. The minority voice adds diversity and diversity adds value.

I have yet to see any specifics of the harm some expect when the bylaw amendments are approved. Will Masthead be harmed? Will this website and message board be harmed? Will float ins be harmed? Rendezvous? Winter meetings? Resale value? Help me here. What is it you're afraid of?

[Bob Ohler]

“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.â€

[mahalocd36]

I'm sorry, I wasn't going to comment on this and I have tremendous respect and like for everyone on both sides of this but there is NO reason at all for this to be a "divisive issue". People just need to chill out here, what's the big deal? The current board did the right thing by throwing this out for a vote, the membership is voting, we will all abide by the results of the vote and move on. Really, if there's some big "secret history" here that all of us who (thankfully) aren't aware of the "damages" from this issue is, just be clear and direct and spit it out. Have an open frank unemotional rational conversation about something so simple and frankly, that doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the global world view. Seriously, people are taking their toys and going home because the CDSOA *might* let a few powerboaters vote??

You only have issues like this disrupt an organization IF YOU LET THEM. The people who are turning this into a big thing, are the ones turning people off to the CDSOA. Not the people who put the proposal to the board, or the board for offering it up for a vote.

I applaud the current board for not having secretive politic-driven meetings deciding issues in a vacuum and instead actually having the membership vote on an issue. If the membership votes it down, fine. If it passes, fine. Move on. Go sailing, or motoring, or hanging out at the dock.

[ckreitlein]

The danger I see from letting anybody who wants into the CDSOA is that they may eventually achieve a majority and vote those of us with Cape Dory sailboats out of it. (a ridiculous idea but makes the point) An organization such as the CDSOA is by its very nature an "exclusive" club with a restricted membership ... or else it would be something else entirely. There is a perfectly adequate provision for "associate members". I really don't know why we are even having this discussion. Anyone offended at being an "associate" member (another ridiculous idea) should either buy a CD sailboat or join some other club. As a newer member I have no appreciation for the history of the CDSOA, but I can clearly say I joined because it was for Cape Dory Sailboat Owners. On the other hand, as the secretary/purser of the Central Gulf Fleet I will say that given our abysmal participation rate, letting in "all comers" might do little to increase participation but might very well increase our funding percentage.... and that would buy more nice steaks and dark n' stormies for the few of us that do attend our raft-ups.

[Joe CD MS 300]

[quote="Bob Ohler"]“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.â€

[Carl Thunberg]

I believe the proposal is to extend full membership status to two very specific populations: 1) Cape Dory powerboat owners; and 2) former Cape Dory sailboat owners who were full members, but lost that status when they no longer owned a Cape Dory sailboat. I happen to be in the latter category. To be honest, I don't feel all that strongly about this issue. I'll live with whatever the membership decides and will sleep like a baby either way.

Let's not extrapolate beyond those two specific populations. No one is proposing open enrollment.

[Bob Ohler]

To accomodate former Cape Dory Sailboat owners and CD power boaters, we already ammended the by laws by setting-up "Associate" level of membership. Everyone was happy. Now, we must do more. Why? Just how much more must we give these non-Cape Dory Sailboat owners to allow them to be a part of the CDSOA? How much needs to be done to keep the minority happy (for now)?

[Dean Abramson]

Has anyone done the math? What percentage of all CDs are power boats?

If Amendment 1 and 2 both pass, does that automatically mean that full membership will be afforded to former Cape Dory Power Boat owners in good standing?

These are just questions. I am not (yet, anyway) politicking.

Dean

[Neil Gordon]

Has anyone done the math? What percentage of all CDs are power boats?

If Amendment 1 and 2 both pass, does that automatically mean that full membership will be afforded to former Cape Dory Power Boat owners in good standing?

These are just questions. I am not (yet, anyway) politicking.

Dean

The number of hulls was listed in an earlier post.

I would think that a former CD Power owner who has been a paid member since owning a CD (if there are any!) would get full membership.

[Neil Gordon]

Just how much more must we give these non-Cape Dory Sailboat owners to allow them to be a part of the CDSOA? How much needs to be done to keep the minority happy (for now)?

I see. The dreaded "slippery slope."

As I pointed out in an earlier post, look to this message board as a good indicator of the risk posed by any expansion of CDSOA membership.

This board is open to CDSOA members and non-members. It's open to owners of CD sail and CD power. It's open to owners of Hunters, Catalinas, cigarette boats and jet skis. Kayaks and canoes, too. Also SCUBA divers, mountain climbers, chess players, Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists.

Where has the "open door" policy of this message board led us? Mostly it's discussions of Cape Dory sailboats and on occasion a post relating to CD power. If there's ever been a post hinting at hijacking this board and changing its 99.9% CD sail status quo, I haven't seen it.

[Dean Abramson]

My quickie math shows that less then 6% of Cape Dorys are power boats. (The About Cape Dorys page shows approx. 2800 larger sailboats, 2000 Typhoons, and 300 power boats. That's 5100 boats, of which 300 are power. (I get .0588235) Somebody check my math.

I say that we keep the name CDSailboatOA. (I do not believe that anyone is seriously suggesting otherwise.) That clearly marks us for who we are, a group made up overwhelmingly of sailors, and for sailors, of Cape Dory sailboats. If a few other boaters feel a kinship to us and meet one of the two conditions (CD powerboat ownership, or past CD sailboat ownership), I say let them in with full status.

There is no way that this small minority (the less than 6% that own power boats) could ever fundamentally change the character of CDSOA. As for the Past-CD-Owners: they ARE Cape Dory sailors, in my opinion. Why should we besmirch their excellent experience and camaraderie by "demoting" them?

If a few members choose to quit because of these changes, that will be sad; but that is of course their choice.

I will vote yes on both amendments, because both are inclusive. There are upsides to them. And I just don't see any real downsides.

Kudos to the current board for using daylight to make changes (or not).

Dean

[mahalocd36]

Has anyone done the math? What percentage of all CDs are power boats?

If Amendment 1 and 2 both pass, does that automatically mean that full membership will be afforded to former Cape Dory Power Boat owners in good standing?

These are just questions. I am not (yet, anyway) politicking.

Dean

I seriously doubt there is more than one or two (and my guess is ZERO) former CD power boat owners that are currently CDSOA members. God, I know I wouldn't bother if I was a powerboat owner with the atttitude this is getting.

I still have not seen one good reason for voting No. The only reasons I've seen (and sorry, these aren't convincing)

1) Even though a lot of work done with this board and organizing the beginnings of a CD organization was done by Walt, a powerboat owner, We put the 'S' in the name to mean sailboats, and it should forever stay that way as that's how we incorporated it.

2) This topic makes certain people upset for some unexplained reason, and in the past apparently caused some rifts between people so therefore it should never be spoken of again because it makes some people uncomfortable.

3) We like to keep things the way they are. Just because that's the way it's been.

4) If these amendments pass, I'm picturing the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where the ark opens and faces melt off everyone and
life of the CDSOA gets sucked in.

OR, "the day after" is exactly like the day before.

Man, I hope boats get launched soon.

[Neil Gordon]

I say that we keep the name CDSailboatOA. (I do not believe that anyone is seriously suggesting otherwise.)

At the risk of disclosing otherwise super secret goings on at the inner sanctum board of directors level of CDSOA, I can tell you I've never heard or seen any motion, discussion or suggestion that the name of the organization be changed. (For those conspiracy theorists who contrive to think some of us might be secretly communicating in braille, I can confirm I've not felt any such either.)

[CD-Sailor]

DELETED

[Dean Abramson]

Then again...

Not only leave things as they are, but go further, and totally BAN power boaters.

Members would be required to submit a detailed log of their last five seasons. The logs would need to be certified by a Notary Public (known in rural Maine as a Notarary Republic.) Of actual miles traveled underway, those who have logged less than 50% under sail will be designated as Power Boaters and summarily expelled. No fuss, no muss.

Other than the total eradication of the Chesapeake Fleet, what could be the possible downside?

;-)

Dean