My Survey Answers... Rio Grande Sailing Club survey

Member Activities:
Which of the following events do you or would you participate in if held:
Buoy racing__X__
Organized cruises in other venues, using your boat__X__

Do you want the club to sponsor on-water events not listed above? If so, what events?:
___ On-the water race management, safety, and seamanship training

___ Race committee needs a reliable & suitable (low freeboard, high stability) motorboat to position marks and provide safety support

___ Funding for racing in 2010 was already cut significantly compared to 2007-2009 and to the amounts spent in the Adams and Mallory Cup years. Race funding need not be cut further. Race fees are in line if they can pay close to half of race costs. In fact, MORE should be spent on equipment and on training race committee volunteers to US Sailing standards, and on providing safety equipment and saving for a suitable (reliable, low freeboard, high stability) power boat to support racing.

Would you be willing to volunteer to help organize/run the events you indicated above? Yes __X___

Which of the following types of instruction would you participate in, if given?: Classroom sailing instruction__X__
On-water sail trim and shape clinic for your boat __X__
Sailing school (visiting instructors)__x
............... (advanced coastal cruising or higher level classes)_
Instructor certification classes __x_(keelboat preferred)

Do you think the club should have a clubhouse in Elephant Butte (similar to the facilities provided through the _____’s hospitality)? The clubhouse would provide, say, the basic kitchen/bathroom amenities, hostel-type accommodations, and a meeting/party area, in a central Elephant Butte location.
No____ Uncertain__x__ Yes_____

Not until club can obtain
--> 160 memberships
--> with membership open to all boats and all sailors
............... who support RGSC purposes,
--> $35,000 in savings,
--> $8,500 surplus per year,
--> has preferred-rate credit status,
--> has valid Internal Revenue Service
.............. non-profit organization determination,
--> is filing federal Form 990 Information Returns, and
--> is able to conduct regattas in full compliance
............... with US Sailing standards and with US Sailing-trained personnel.
Note that hostel-type accommodations may result in significant increase in insurance, licensing, regulatory, and other costs and would likely prevent a clubhouse from being built on public land at the state park.

If Uncertain or Yes to the above, how much would you be willing to be assessed for monthly costs of maintaining such a facility, or one similar to it, assuming a down payment could be made from club operations?
$10-$20__x___ (per month per membership)
___ Padre Island Yacht Club supports a marina and a two-story clubhouse with dues of $400 per year for full members and $100 per year for voting part-time members. With enough members and volunteer work to split and lower the cost, a smaller clubhouse on New Mexico state parks-land should cost much less.

Would you support the construction of an overnight mooring area or dock to be used with the clubhouse, if it were within walking distance to the clubhouse?:
No______ Yes______ If it were close by but not within walking distance?: No______ Yes______
___ x Yes if endorsed and supported by Lago del Rico ownership and able to be self-supporting within four years, and with an initial cost that could be supported within the annual budget without having to borrow any money.

If the club had such a facility, would you support a beach-based youth sailing program to be conducted from the facility for several weeks each year? No______ Yes______
___ x Yes if program publishes and enforces safety and program standards at least equal to those of Arizona Sailing Foundation/Community Sailing of Colorado with background checks and bonding of all instructors and annual cost to RGSC not to exceed $3,500 or 20% of club budget. Program must also be structured to require full parental involvement and support and must provide many opportunities for parents and family members to interact with the RGSC and be exposed to the benefits of membership.

Do you attend the club’s on-land social activities?:
Never______ Sometimes______ Frequently __x__


Do you want the club to sponsor other types of on-land events besides the current ones? If so, which types? ______________________________________________________________________________
Suggest safety, seamanship, race management, racing tips talks at socials in addition to the usual travelogues, also nice would be presentations by state parks & US Sailing personnel, visits by elite-level racers or elite coaches, visits by US Sailing-certified race management volunteers or area officers,
____________________________________________________________________________________

Are you happy with the club’s management?: Yes__X__

What could be done better? _______________________________________________________

Club needs arrangements to support reciprocal hospitality with other clubs – someone who is familiar with the reciprocity system and a good diplomat needs to be appointed to help with this.

Club needs to secure recognition of its non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service – someone knowledgable needs to be appointed to execute this, perhaps under the supervision of the treasurer

Race committee members and volunteers need to be trained to US Sailing or generally recognized standards and do not have the equipment (particularly a suitable motorboat, but also communications and anchoring gear) to run regattas properly and provide support and assistance to boats

Club needs fleets and provision for welcoming power boaters, dinghy sailors, and owners of small multihulls as full club members.

Club needs a “safety officer” or “safety liaison” and lacks a way to communicate safety concerns between the club, state parks, CG auxiliary, and other groups, does not have a way to demonstrate that it is addressing safety issues with the state parks, insurers, and other groups, and is hence vulnerable to future “surprises”.

Club members would benefit from having an installed sump and hot-water pressure washer in the new mast-up lot.

Club would benefit from being associated with or sponsoring a 501(c)(3)-qualified foundation for conducting sailing and seamanship instruction

Club members would benefit from having club-owned dinghies to sail or “adopt” as is done in Arizona.

Raft-ups need to be supported, funded, scheduled, hosted.
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