Memorial Day traditionally marks the official "in season" opening of our club with a weekend of racing, reconnecting with friends, and the annual Commodore's Reception. Unfortunately, the current Maryland State coronavirus guidelines require that our building remains closed through at least the Memorial Day weekend.  That means all DCLSA Memorial Day social events, which includes the Commodore's reception on Saturday night are cancelled.  

The good news is that recreational boating is now allowed in Maryland and as such, our club docks, moorings, and grounds are available for member use. It is requested that all members continue to follow public health guidelines and practice physical distancing. In addition, I am very optimistic that we will eventually open the club building and hold social events. A lot has been done behind the scenes to insure that we can hit the ground running as soon as these medical restrictions are eased.

Normally, at the Commodore's Reception, I am able to introduce the 2020 Board and honor individuals who that have already contributed valuable time and effort to prepare our club for the coming season. So I want to take the opportunity now to publicly thank those individuals who have gone above and beyond so early in the season.   

We are very fortunate to have an outstanding board. Each contributes significant time toward the betterment of our club and each provides outstanding service/leadership in club operations. They all receive my highest regard and sincere thank you: Joni Palmer, Vice-Commodore; Sarah Nill, Secretary; David Klueter, Treasurer; Coralyn Benhart, House; Greg Shafer, At large; and Ed Kemp, Building & Grounds. 

The depth of talent among our membership is amazing.  There are always many people working behind the scenes, exceeding expectations. Committee chairpersons and members have been hard at work planning and organizing in an ever changing environment due to the coronavirus. Our traditional way of doing things had to be suddenly altered. I would like to recognize a few individuals who quietly played a significant part to prepare our club for the 2020 season in this unprecedented time:

Membership Directory - Marty Hill quietly answered an online survey, stating that he wanted to help the club but didn't know how from Tennessee. He agreed to take on the big job of publishing our Club directory and he has done fabulous job. We hope to have the opportunity to see Marty and Sandy this summer and when we do, I hope you will remember to salute him for his efforts. Additionally, Will McGill is working with the local printer and will make the directories available to the membership.  Thank you both.

Medical Advisory Committee - Lead by Tom Johnson and a group of professionals; Alan Silverman, Judy & Doc Templeton, Judy Bertsch, Rob Gerlach, and Ed Kemp have and will continue to provide critical advice and guidance to the board regarding coronavirus issues. Thank you all for stepping up in our time of need.

Docks & Moorings -  Ray Gauthier, as always, quietly and efficiently organized and executed placing the docks, moorings, and dinghy in the water with limited support due to the coronavirus. He worked diligently over four different weekends.   It started back in March with dock repairs, and he was aided by  David Tuel, David Klueter, Greg Shafer ,and  Mark Schaefer.   Joni Palmer and Cheryl Shafer provided lunch.   Later in the month, Eric, Thomas, and Kenneth Yonke worked with Ray to prepare the new moorings.  Then in late April,   Kenneth Yonke, Thomas Yonke, Joseph Yonke, David Tuel, and David Klueter joined in to install the moorings.  Finally, on May 2nd the docks went in smoothly with help from David Tuel, David Klueter, Kenneth Yonke, Joseph Yonke, Roger Higgins, Ray Gauthier, and Medical Advisor Tom Johnson. Thanks to those who offered to be backup, but whose support was not needed: Ed Peters, Will McGill, Greg Shafer, Mark Schaefer, and Charles Buffington.   A big thank you to all.

Social - Sherri Haraway and Susie Coburn have been busy thinking of creative ways to continue to have social events while remaining mindful of health and safety concerns. I am very sure that if it can be done, they will find a fun way. We thank them both.

Buildings and Grounds - Alice and Ed Kemp took it upon themselves to complete the "Adopt a Road" clean up on their own. This is a lot of work usually performed by a team of members. Very well done and we thank the Kemps.  Additionally, Ed Kemp has singlehandedly turned on the water and electricity to the club so we are ready to open when allowed. He is in the process of making other repairs as noted in the Spring Meeting report.  Thank you Ed for always seamlessly getting things done.

The board has taken the approach of preparing the club as much as possible so that we will be ready when restrictions ease in our area. There is no doubt, this summer will be a challenging one as everyone navigates coronavirus concerns. But I am confident our season can still be great. And it will certainly be one to remember.  The DCLSA board asks all members to do their part by following our state's mandated guidelines and procedures when utilizing club facilities. 

We will continue to keep you informed via email regarding the status of the club opening and scheduled activities.  We thank you so much for your patience and understanding