December 27, 1999:

Dear Schock 35 Owners, Sailors and Friends:

I am pleased to pass the torch of grand poobah and all of the privileges appurtenant thereto to Mr. Dick Schmidt for 2000 following his unanimous selection. Dick will be the first person to serve a second term as Class President. (As ex-Pres. it is my solemn promise that it shall be a part of my official responsibilities to see that when he is accosted with rules issues, etc. after a day's racing, that I will at least be sure he has a drink in his hand while dealing with it!)

Congratulations also to Ray Beckett for his unanimous selection to continue as Fleet Measurer. I know that Ray did an outstanding job in '99 as Measurer and as Rules Committee chairman and put in many many hours of service to the class last year to put to rest some of the faux issues being rumored for years!

I am looking forward to our Class Championship racing schedule for 2000 which adds a distance race (Santa Barbara to King Harbor) and a different event (NOOD - San Diego) which will add some new parties and variety the season. After much work and thought, we have a great schedule which avoids the back-to-back weekends of racing that you have told the Board were difficult for anyone with a life outside of sailboat racing. As such, the schedule in 2000 is nicely spread out over the prime racing months of the year.

There are also nine rules changes for 2000. While specific language is being drafted and will be available by mid-January following another Board meeting, a summary of the changes is listed below to give everyone as much advance notice as possible of the changes. (Three of these changes were approved by Owner vote at the annual meeting.)

The Board also approved new trophies for Owner/Driver boats and for "Rookie of the Year".

As a final thought on my way out the door, it is my very strong feeling that decisions of the Board should be made in the interests of the Class first, ahead of personal agendas, and that the most important goal of the Board should be to encourage greater participation. I have tried to look at our Board decisions using this as a litmus test -- which has made some of the decision making easier. While each individual change the Board made to fine-tune the Class may not itself bring out more boats, taken together, all of the little changes add up to make our class an inviting one that will continue to entice new owners. We may reevaluate at year end, but if we don't try to make changes to improve the Class, we will stagnate and our class will suffer. Our emphasis on controlling costs, and making the racing level and fun has proven itself by virtue of the fact that our Class is stronger than ever after more than a decade while many other classes have come and gone! I think we've taken a great many actions to sustain the Schock 35 as the preeminent sailboat racing class in Southern California for many years to come.

I sincerely hope that I have fulfilled the trust placed in me in the role as Class President and assure you I have done my level best. Thank you to all for your support and the opportunity to lead the Class for this past year. Dick should be so lucky as to have the same level of support from the Board and the Owners in 2000! I look forward to seeing you on the water.

Gratefully your EX-President!

Dave Voss

P.S. Thank you also for your feedback on Internet access. While a very few of you are still on 28.8K access, most are up to speed. Your feedback will be helpful to me in redesigning the website this year.

P.P.S. Don't forget that official communications from the Board will be done electronically this year by vote of the Owners at the Annual Owners' Meeting. This will allow the Board to be more responsive to your issues and requests than was feasible or economically viable when we used snail mail!

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The Season Championship for 2000 will consist of 6 events with one throw out:

March 4 & 5 -- W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach

March 18 & 19 -- National Offshore One Design Regatta (NOOD), San Diego YC, San Diego

April 22 & 23 -- Ahmanson Cup, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach

May 27 & 28 -- Cal Race Week, California YC, Marina del Rey

June 23-25 -- Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week (aka Golison), Long Beach

August 5 -- Santa Barbara to King Harbor, Santa Barbara YC/King Harbor YC

August 25-27 -- Schock 35 Nationals, Alamitos Bay YC, Long Beach (Note: Not a part of the Season Championship)

Scoring has been simplified for 2000. We will use a "low point" scoring system in which first at a regatta is equal to 1 point, second 2 points, etc. Ties will be broken pursuant to the Appendix of the U.S. Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing.

We will continue to have the Corinthian Fleet Championship in 2000.

February 19 & 20 -- Midwinters (Note: This is an Owner/Driver event per the Class Rules although some fleets have changed this in the past)

April 28 -- Newport to Ensenada

May 6 & 7 -- Yachting Cup (Note: Yachting Cup will be an "open" event in 2000 in which the eligibility restrictions of our Class Rules will be suspended in anticipation of the event being a warm-up for Lipton Cup)

May 13 & 14 -- Thompson Cup (Note: Another Lipton Cup warm-up)

May 21 - 23 Lipton Cup -- San Diego YC

1) Pre-regatta voluntary weigh-ins/Mandatory at Nationals: The owners voted in favor of a voluntary option for pre-regatta crew weigh-ins (i.e. allows crew to eat and drink without worry during the regatta if under limit before start of regatta). The Board has acquired a scale which will travel to race events. Furthermore, the owners also voted in favor of pre-regatta weigh-in being mandatory at Nationals.

2) Random Testing for compliance with Class Rules including crew weight: To ensure compliance with class measurement certificates, all boats are subject to random inspection including weighing the crew.

3) Measurement Certificates will now be required at the beginning of the year before competing in Season Championship events. This means your boat needs to be measured before the W.D. Schock regatta in March.

4) The rule grandfathering floating jib leads has been deleted. All boats shall use the standard "track" system.

5) No drysailing: All boats shall be in the water at least 48 hours prior to regatta start. (Note: The Board is also considering strengthening this rule by requiring anti-fouling paint, so please plan on this.)

6) No tow out to race course: Boats may not be towed out to race except in case of engine failure and notification to the Board. Boats are reminded that they must meet all of the PHRF safety requirements including in particular the requirement of the ability to motor and sufficient fuel. Failing to carry enough fuel could be grounds for disqualification, so don't cut it too close!

7) Thirty days for clarifications: The Board changed the time limit last year for preseason eligibility applications, but failed to change the time limit for clarifications during the season to match.

8) No adjustment to mast butt location after leaving the dock for a day's racing.

9) No use of tenders to change sails in between races. (Note: The Board is considering strengthening this by adding that crew may not be changed between races either.)