110 Class held a General Membership vote on two proposals, both related to the rule governing the International Regatta, but both also important with respect to the long term attractiveness of the world’s first sport-boat. I’m pleased to let you know that both proposals passed with near-unanimous support. The first proposal was simply giving the authority to the Governing Committee to be able to define the parameters of the National Championship; previously this authority was embedded in the class bylaws and effectively could not be changed without a full membership vote. Hence the reason for the second proposal. If the first proposal had not passed then the membership was needed to vote on the second proposal.
The second proposal allows an experimental period to explore inboard jib leads on a smaller headsail as an alternative to the iconic, old-school, massively overlapping genoa. The thought is that the inboard sheeting and narrower sheeting angle allows a #2 Genoa of about 140% overlap to match the upwind performance of the #1 Genoa despite the difference in sail area. Other significant advantages of the smaller headsail is easier sheeting, quicker tacking, greater visibility and gives the ability for a smaller crew on the team. Proposal 2 also passed general membership vote indicating strong alignment between class membership and the class Governing Committee.
Additional topics regarding fleet building and making the 110 more attractive to a wider range of sailors are being discussed and will be considered at the Annual General Membership meeting in August during the National Regatta hosted by the Inverness Yacht Club on the beautiful Tomales Bay. Local Fleet 56 is preparing for visiting teams from East Coast and Pacific Northwest Fleets, including the availability of boats for charter for the regatta. In past regattas we have had local teams outside of the class join in the fun, so if you are looking for something to do August 8th~12th that involves sailing in paradise you might just consider reaching out to esteemed class president Milly Biller to see if one of the charter boats might be available.