COMMODORE DONOFRIO

COMMODORE DONOFRIO'S MESSAGE at the CBYCA BALL

Working with the CBYCA Team,- representing a membership of yacht clubs over a vast multi-state area - is a distinguished opportunity! I am honored to be here tonight! Welcome everyone.

The strength and substance of the CBYCA is built on a strong organizational foundation, that has set the standards of this association and it’s members for almost 50 years.

Extremely important powerful political contacts are within our scope of members in the Five States and Washington DC. These contacts repeatedly interface with Your Board of Governors on a first name bases. Your Board of Governors has been and are today the very best people -- selected from the ranks of our 132 plus membership clubs. Everyone here, as a member of the CBYCA, shares in this massive resource of comprehension and influence, which reaches far beyond state boundaries.

Without doubt, we have entered many new frontiers with better legislation to insure safer boating,

Staunch positions on land & water rights for clubs,
Preventing the adoption of defective legislation
Intervention on ecological issues affecting boaters
safeguarding our place in the historical society of recreational boating.

Over the past few years - The management of your Association has seen major improvements in communications electronically and in print. We have been able to save over $13,000 in annual operational expensed in the publication of the Rosterbook, Chartroom Chatter and mailing list.

This is mostly due in large part to the devoted effort and management skills of your Publicity Director --- June Donofrio.

Many other have walked here before me but I am the new guy in town. The compass is steady now! As I head to the helm, my goal is to set new way marks that will improve our Association and your boating enjoyment. Here are a few of my goals that you may expect to see accomplished in the New Year.

Improvement in the number of Legislative Liaisons interacting on local issues by searching out and asking new people to step up and work with the DSL’s.
Assistance in review of applications for BIG program funding and dredging with a new position under the committees that are supported with experienced and professional persons.
Interaction with both Government and other non-profit groups for cleaner debris free waterways by reaching out to form new alliances not only in the Chesapeake but also in all states where membership reside.
Voluntary Reciprocity between member clubs for a one-night layover for traveling cruisers. A tradition of the Delaware River Yachtsmen for generations that has brought friendship and camaraderie to thousands of boaters far and wide. A simple solution to low cost cruising.
Improved communication levels and power point program for the website with an email tree that will get the message to every member and prospective members faster and accurately.

These programs may sound far-reaching and so were the expectations of the Honorable Bill Matthews many years ago, when he formed this organization of the CBYCA, traveling state to state, club to club.

Our founding members, along with Miss Wolf as Secretary, formed steering committees to help yacht clubs survive, to protect boating interest with quality legislation, establish protocol and uniform standards, and coordinate events of Commodore Balls and opening days to prevent conflicts.

We still do this today and have since the inception of this Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs Association; the Greatest most recognized boating organization in the Country. Others may try to emulate the CBYCA– but no one can replicate our established standards and no one may diminish our mission with an act of cut and paste or Xerox copy.

I would like to read a short letter that was received just this past week. It is from Ed Wolf. For those of you who do not know Ed, he was the husband of Secretary Wolf and traveling buddy of Bill Matthews. Suffice it to say that at now 98 years old he was one of the original founders of the CBYCA. I invited Mr. Wolf here tonight. He graciously declined stating, he would rather wait until the summer months. He wants to make a last go of it by visiting everyone at a delegates meeting.

Letter from ED WOLF (Founder)

Your CBYCA is a strong, viable, prestigious and certainly premiere association with a incredible past – superb present – and astonishing future. You have just heard from someone of the past. To show how we are all linked to one another as a boating society, I would like all the past commodores of the CBYCA to stand.

Now would all the Present officers, committee persons and liaisons stand.

And Please now- would all other officers, family and friends or anyone who has ever been in a boat please stand as you all share in the boating experience.

Look around this room – You are all part of the CBYCA . In each and every one person here stands the Past, - the Present - and the Future of the CBYCA.