AuthorBen Wells - President Archives
March 2024
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Southeast Regional Recap5/2/2023 Just returned home from a fantastic 3 days of sailing from James Island Yacht Club in Charleston SC. Beautiful and historic locations - Ashley and Cooper Rivers confluence, tidal flows, various wind conditions, and very tight challenging competition. My hosts - Jay and Kathy Adams - provided such warm and fun hospitality that it was hard to leave. The great race management team managed to get 12 races in the 3 days of sailing. They were certainly ready to keep going on Sunday after 2 races, but we sailors had had enough. Plenty variety with both windward-leeward and triangle courses. The guys were sailing in spray tops and shorts, while I was mostly fine in full armor wetsuit, kneepads and furry spray top.
James Island YC has a large grassy area for setup, and a very nice sandy/shell beach for launching. After racing, there is a friendly bar - and popcorn! Also a handy covered area with chairs and couches to hang out. Sailors were treated to a full range of wind conditions - from 8-10 its - to absolutely nuclear gusts. Wait times were well spent visiting and swapping stories, and comparing the different boat setups. Doug Seib even set up his awesome Wave spinnaker for all to see. The St Simon's Surf Sailors - or as I call them - "the 400's" represented the great state of GA, the FL bunch from Mt Dora area, Doug from OH, and me from TX, and Jay Adams representing the home club - a fun and competitive group. You know it's windy when the boat is litterally shaking, you can't manage to get the mainsheet pulled in for more that a few seconds, you are waiting desperately for a lull and flatter water to attempt a tack, and you are so far back on the boat going downwind that you are in the guy behind you's lap. Turning downwind from the weather mark was particularly exciting. I witnessed some great saves - especially enjoying Terry Warren's boat doing a beautiful headstand and pirouette, followed by a less graceful crash landing. I understand that Jay Adams also did an impressive headstand as well, but I was afraid to look behind me at the time. On the last race, Doug's rudder would not lock down, and while giving him plenty of room at the gybe mark - Jay swooped in and turned that advantage into a horizon job. Beautifully done. Note from Ted: remember to sail the right course - Ted was sailing like a scalded-ass-ape towards the windward mark instead of the finish. Nice of the PRO to ask his intentions so he could come back. Note from Roland: never put sunscreen anywhere above your eyes. I managed to measure a bunch of boats, and several sails. Not really sure what the numbers tell us, but they are interesting to see. Numbers will be published on the FWC pages. Be sure to add the Charleston SC regatta at James Island Yacht Club to your schedule for next year. Jane Sherrod
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Mid-South Regional Recap4/24/2023 The Mid-South Regional in Shrezeport (a traditional Nebraskan pronunciation) started off on Friday, the 21st. Sailors were welcomed with a great breakfast, and racing started mid-day. The first two races were sailed in medium air, and the winds backed off quite a bit during the third race. Race Committee waited a bit before sending sailors in with not enough wind to hold quality racing in anymore. The evening took the group to Daqs, a local restaurant. The food was great, and the company and conversation was even better!
Saturday didn't have a promising forecast, and sadly, that was played out. The lake was very calm, so sailors entertained themselves by playing cornhole, measuring boats and sails, and generally solving most of the worlds problems. Racing for the day was officially called in the early afternoon, so many enjoyed the on-site keg for the rest of the afternoon, or went to explore other parts of the city. Saturday evening was the traditional cook your own steak dinner with lovely music on-site. It was a beautiful evening. Sunday brought cold and rain, but also some wind. The sailors who ventured out bundled up to withstand the low 50's temps, but the racing was high quality. The winds were mostly steady, and three races were held pretty quickly before sending sailors in to tear down in the rain. As always, the Shreveport Yacht Club members were amazing hosts, and the Mid-South remains an annual favorite for many sailors. Results can be found here: https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=25827
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FWC Update - April 20234/16/2023 Greetings FWC Sailors!
April showers bring.. umm.. April regattas? I guess the old saying doesn’t rhyme and work as well for us, but the fact of the matter is our racing season is in full swing now! We have several Tier 3 regattas in the books, and our first and second Regional regattas are only two weeks away! What’s Going On? As I have mentioned previously, we are excited to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary this year! As a way to celebrate, and as a way of saying Thank You, each sailor participating at one of our Tier 1 or Tier 2 regattas this year will receive a 5th Year Anniversary long sleeve T-Shirt! We will also have some short sleeve shirts on site for $10/each if you want to purchase extras or get one for a family member or friend. I’m excited to announce that ALL our Regional and Championship regattas now have open registration! I would kindly ask that if you are planning on participating, please take a moment to register early. This really helps regatta organizers plan ahead and encourages other sailors to come race as well when the list grows. There are a couple of price increases I want to call attention to. First, for the Championship regatta in June – there is a registration price increase that takes place on June 1st. The Upper Keys Regional in Key Largo has a big price incentive for early sign-ups. Save money by registering before May 1st. Also, in terms of planning ahead – if you are considering racing at Put-In-Bay – secure your accommodations well in advance. The island can fill up very quickly. Schedule As always, please check our website for our full schedule of regattas and registration links. (www.formulawaveclass.com/regattas) There are few coming up I want to highlight! Our first two regionals are coming right up! The Mid-South in Shreveport will be April 21-23 and the Southeast will be in Charleston, April 28-30. There is still time to register and join the fun at these great events. Our Championship regatta will be in Yankton, South Dakota, on June 23-25. We are planning a fun event with some lawn games to play, and a fun party with the local yacht club. Jane Sherrod will be hosting a pre-race chat on Thursday evening for any new or novice sailors who want some extra help or advice, or to ask any questions on their mind. This is a great opportunity to come sail at a championship regatta regardless of your skill level. Our next Tier-3 regattas will be the Mid-Americas in Dallas, Texas, May 27-28 followed by the Candler Regatta in Florida, June 3-4. Membership Membership remains at $25 for the calendar year and is required for our Tier 1 and Tier 2 regattas. It is optional for Tier 3 regattas, however only FWC members will earn season points at Tier 3 events. If you have completed your 2023 membership – thank you! If you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to do so by following this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FormulaWaveClass) or sending an email to formulawaveclass@gmail.com Our referral system is still in place! Refer a brand new member to the FWC and earn $5 off next years membership cost (max of $25)! If you have questions about how this works, please contact us to ask any questions! Our youth membership is only $10, and we strongly encourage any younger sailors to jump on a wave and come race! Resources I mentioned our website before and would again encourage you to check it out regularly for updates. I want to make sure you are aware of all other resources we have for you to stay connected and informed. · Social Media o Follow us on Facebook for updates, information, and sometimes just for fun pictures and all things Wave sailing! · Forum o This is a user content generated forum for you to start conversations, ask questions, or discuss whatever is on your mind when it comes to Wave sailing and racing! Check it out if you haven’t yet! Season Points FWC Members earn season points by racing at any of our Tier 1, 2, or 3 regattas. Points are weighted by the regatta type, with Tier 1 events earning double points, Tier 2 events earning standard points, and Tier 3 events earning half points. Want to see how things are stacking up? The link is on our info page of the website any time you want to check, and can also be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xFj1xwn9DZn-AZNb49lXcjPng_Iytc7WhIA5HFQMk04/edit?usp=sharing Thank You As always, Thank You to everyone who supports and sails with the FWC. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming regattas! Ben Wells FWC - President
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FWC Update - March 20233/18/2023 Greetings FWC Sailors!
The Ides of March have come and gone, and our sailing season feels like an anxious SpaceX rocket in the final stages of countdown. Liftoff is only weeks away, with several Tier 3 regattas coming up and our first two Regionals happening in late April! What’s Going On? As indicated, we are gearing up for the sailing season to really kick off. We have nearly all our events ready for registrations, and it’s shaping up to be a great year! As I have mentioned previously, we are excited to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary this year! As a way to celebrate, and as a way of saying Thank You, each sailor participating at one of our Tier 1 or Tier 2 regattas this year will receive a 5th Year Anniversary T-Shirt (see image attached). Schedule As always, please check our website for our full regatta schedule of regattas and registration links. (www.formulawaveclass.com/regattas) There are few coming up I want to highlight! Mount Dora Yacht Club will hold their 70th Regatta on March 25-26. There is a nice Wave fleet shaping up with 13 sailors registered so far. If you are looking for something to do in Florida next weekend, head on over to Mount Dora! MidWinters East and West are taking place on the same weekend, with the East in Ocean Springs, MS and the West in Lake Mohave, NV. Both are great locations and should offer a fun weekend of sailing on March 31-April 2. **For those out West – Richard McCreedy has offered a small number of Waves that could be chartered for the event. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to formulawaveclass@gmail.com and we will get you in touch with him to make arrangements.** Our first two regionals are happening at the end of April! The Mid-South in Shreveport will be April 21-23 and the Southeast will be in Charleston, April 28-30. Please take a moment to register as soon as able to help with regatta planning and to encourage other sailors to sign up as well. Finally, our Championship regatta will be in Yankton, South Dakota, on June 23-25. We are planning a fun event with some lawn games to play, and a fun party with the local yacht club. Jane Sherrod will be hosting a pre-race chat on Thursday evening for any new or novice sailors who want some extra help or advice, or to ask any questions on their mind. This is a great opportunity to come sail at a championship regatta regardless of your skill level. We have some rooms reserved at the local resort. Please see the attached document for all lodging information. Membership Membership remains at $25 for the calendar year and is required for our Tier 1 and Tier 2 regattas. It is optional for Tier 3 regattas, however only FWC members will earn season points at Tier 3 events. If you have completed your 2023 membership – thank you! If you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to do so by following this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FormulaWaveClass) or sending an email to formulawaveclass@gmail.com Our referral system is still in place! Refer a brand new member to the FWC and earn $5 off next years membership cost (max of $25)! If you have questions about how this works, please contact us to ask any questions! Our youth membership is only $10, and we strongly encourage any younger sailors to jump on a wave and come race! Resources I mentioned our website before and would again encourage you to check it out regularly for updates. I want to make sure you are aware of all other resources we have for you to stay connected and informed. · Social Media o Follow us on Facebook for updates, information, and sometimes just for fun pictures and all things Wave sailing! · Forum o This is a user content generated forum for you to start conversations, ask questions, or discuss whatever is on your mind when it comes to Wave sailing and racing! Check it out if you haven’t yet! Thank You As always, Thank You to everyone who supports and sails with the FWC. 2023 is going to be a fun and exciting year! Ben Wells FWC - President
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FWC Update - February 20232/27/2023 Greetings FWC Members!
Spring is almost here, and I hope that you all are ready for the sailing season to kick up into high gear very shortly! Here’s your February update! Schedule I’m very happy that registration is open for many of our Tier 2 and Tier 3 regattas! I would strongly encourage you to make time to sign up if you are confident you will be sailing at one of these events. It’s a major help to regatta planners to have an idea of how many people they might be expecting, and more early registrations brings in more total registrations – so don’t delay! Sign up early, sign up often J Please visit our website for a full list of regattas and registration links (https://www.formulawaveclass.com/regattas.html) but to highlight a couple of upcoming ones… · Mid-South Regional, Shreveport LA – April 21-23 o http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/25827 · Southeast Regional, Charleston SC – April 28-30 o https://theclubspot.com/regatta/2FEqDvQUwL/#notice-board · FWC Championship Regatta, Yankton SD – June 23-25** o https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/25826 Also for our upcoming Tier 3 regattas, be sure to check out the following: · Mt Dora Yacht Club 70th Regatta, Mt Dora FL - March 25-26 · Mid-Winters West, Lake Mohave NV - March 31 - April 2 · Mid-Winters East, Ocean Springs MS - March 31 - April 2 · Mid-Americas Area Championship, Dallas TX - May 27-28 We are still working to add more Tier 3 regattas to the list, so be sure to check back to the website periodically to see what else is coming up! ** Our Championship regatta planning is coming along nicely. I want to encourage any newer or novice sailors to feel welcome to join us at this event! Thursday night, our own Jane Sherrod will be hosting a race chat for newer sailors to have an open forum and ask any questions they would like or get some quick tips and tricks from an expert! We also have reserved some rooms at the host resort and are available now! Please call 1-605-665-2680 and mention the Wave Regatta to reserve one of the set aside options. Currently held are: 4 - Rooms @ 185/night 1 - 2 Bedroom Cabin @ $365/night 3 - 3 Bedroom Cabin @ $385/night 1 - 4 Bedroom Cottage @ $1350/night (cottage has massive common room and full kitchen available) Campsites will full hookups are available as well, and there are several hotels located within 10 minutes of the regatta site. Membership Membership remains at $25 for the calendar year and is required for our Tier 1 and Tier 2 regattas. It is optional for Tier 3 regattas, however only FWC members will earn season points at Tier 3 events. If you have completed your 2023 membership – thank you! If you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to do so by following this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FormulaWaveClass) or sending an email to formulawaveclass@gmail.com Our referral system is still in place! Refer a brand new member to the FWC and earn $5 off next years membership cost (max of $25)! If you have questions about how this works, please contact us to ask any questions! Our youth membership is only $10, and we strongly encourage any younger sailors to jump on a wave and come race! Resources I mentioned our website before and would again encourage you to check it out regularly for updates. I want to make sure you are aware of all other resources we have for you to stay connected and informed. · Social Media o Follow us on Facebook for updates, information, and sometimes just for fun pictures and all things Wave sailing! · Forum o This is a user content generated forum for you to start conversations, ask questions, or discuss whatever is on your mind when it comes to Wave sailing and racing! Check it out if you haven’t yet! Thank You As always, Thank You to everyone who supports and sails with the FWC. Our class wouldn’t continue the success we have had without you, and I’m looking forward to a strong and fun 2023! Ben Wells FWC - President
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Greetings FWC Members!
I'm excited to let you all know that registration is officially OPEN for the 2023 FWC Championship Regatta! https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/25826 Hopefully i'll give you everything you need to know here.. please feel free to ask any questions you have! The regatta will be in Yankton, South Dakota - June 23-25. This is a beautiful sailing location that has been home to many championship level catamaran regattas in the past. If you haven't been here before, I'm confident you will love it! Schedule We will have regatta check in on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Racing will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Thursday evening we are planning a pre-race chat/training for any newer sailors or those who have less experience and want to ask questions about the race course, how to start, etc. Jane Sherrod will host this, and it is open to any sailors who just want the opportunity to talk through some things and participate and learn from an expert! Friday evening we are planning on providing a Taco Bar and having lawn games available to play, like cornhole, lawn golf, bocce, etc. It should be a fun, relaxing evening where we can socialize and maybe have some friendly competitions. Saturday evening, the Yacht Club will host a party with food and drinks, and some form of entertainment in the evening! You can see full details here: https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/regatta_uploads/25826/2023MidwestWaveNOR.pdf Lodging There are several lodging options available! There are quite a few local hotels within 5-10 minutes of the regatta site. At the resort on site, there are some rooms and cabins reserved through early May. Currently held are: 4 - Rooms @ 185/night 1 - 2 Bedroom Cabin @ $365/night 3 - 3 Bedroom Cabin @ $385/night 1 - 4 Bedroom Cottage @ $1350/night (cottage has massive common room and full kitchen available) Campsites will full hookups are available as well. Please call 1-605-665-2680 and mention the Wave Regatta to reserve one of the set aside options. Also available is on-site tent camping, right next to the beach! Campers will need to pay the regular campgound fee. We hope to see as many of you there as possible! We expect this to be a fun, and competitive regatta! If you plan on sailing, please take a moment to sign up as soon as possible to help regatta organizers and to encourage other sailors to participate. Again, please ask any questions you might have. Thank you, and see you on the water soon!
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Regatta Tier Announcement1/12/2023 Greetings FWC Sailors –
I am excited to share some great news and exciting changes with you regarding the format in which the FWC holds regattas. Currently, the FWC holds regional regattas, and a Championship regatta, and those are the only opportunities to accrue season points and are all 3+ day regattas. We have feedback that there is a desire for 2 day options, and we have come up with a solution that will open up FWC sailing opportunities across the country. Please see the document at the link below for full details and an explanation of how it works: https://1drv.ms/w/s!Al8ZttwMFwUAgRweCpWUD64Qu-F5 Regattas will be broken down into three Tiers. Tier 1 will be reserved for Championship and Special Event regattas. Sailors participating will earn double points and must be FWC members to attend. Tier 2 will be our Regional Regattas. Sailors participating will earn standard points, and must be FWC members to attend. Tier 3, which is our new option, looks like this: Tier 3 The third tier can encompass any other regatta who wishes to offer a Wave start using the FWC rules and sailing format. Regattas who wish to do so will be given a copy of the FWC rules and will be allowed to use the FWC logo in promotion material. The FWC will not have any hand in planning but will promote the regatta on the class website and social pages. These regattas can be 2 day weekend events and paired with any other sailing class or regatta. The amount of frills offered at these events is completely up to the organizing group. FWC membership is not required, but non-FWC members will not accrue season points. Points will not be retroactive if a non-member races in a tier 3 regatta and chooses to become a member at a later point in time. Points will only accrue from time of active calendar year membership going forward. Regatta organizers will be required to provide results to the FWC scorekeeper within one week of the regatta ending, or season points will not be distributed to participating sailors. Regattas must have a minimum of 5 waves to qualify as a tier 3 FWC points regatta. The FWC will NOT be the Organizing Authority for any Tier 3 regattas. They must be paired with an existing event. Tier 3 participants will earn half points at these events. Again, membership is not required, but it is encouraged. Non-members will not accrue season points. I would encourage you to review the document in its entirety for all details regarding this new structure. There is a benefit for both sailors and any host clubs or fleets. We are currently working on a re-design of our website to show participating regattas in each Tier. We will also link a document for updated season points that can be referenced at any point in time. We expect this re-design to be done by the end of January. I would encourage you to share this with your local sailors or host yacht clubs or fleet. Spread the word! If you have any questions about this new structure, or are interested in incorporating the FWC into your next regatta, please contact us and let us know. While this is new and subject to change as we see it play out, we are confident this will bring FWC sailing to more people and provide more opportunities to participate with the class. Thank you! Ben Wells FWC - President
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FWC Election Results1/1/2023 Greetings FWC Members and Happy New Year’s Eve to you –
Whether you are gearing up for a big party or a quiet night in, I hope you enjoy your day, and of course, wish you all the absolute best in 2023. Voting closed for our ballot and election yesterday, so I wanted to share the results with you all. First, this election has been the highest turnout we have ever had. I’m really happy to see the participation numbers and engagement with the class. Out of 74 eligible voters, 48 completed the electronic ballot giving us a 65% participation rate. This completely blows out the 39% and 36% from the two previous years. I sincerely thank you for your time and making your voice heard to help steer the direction of the class. Here are the results for the officer positions, including any write ins: President Ben Wells 43 Bob Curry 1 Blank 4 Vice President Chris Wessels 42 Michael McNeir 1 Blank 5 Secretary Wendy Rice-Larson Treasurer Andy Humphries Rules Chairman Eric Dorschner 35 Doug Seib 9 Jane Sherrod 1 Blank 3 Event Coordinator Krista Vind Chief Measurer Jane Sherrod 44 Bob Curry 1 Blank 3 Also on the ballot were updates to our Rules and Bylaws. Here are the results of those: 7Cii Nominating Committee appointed by: Vice-President 42 President 5 10P Backrests are allowed Approve 46 No 2 2D Adaptive Sailor Modifications Rule Approve 46 No 2 We will update our rules and bylaws document, and send out a fresh version to everyone soon, as well as update the links on our website and social page. 2023 will be the first year we have had some major transitions with officer personnel, but we will ensure it’s a smooth process, and continue to communicate out all needed information and the upcoming regatta schedule. I want to specifically thank Doug for his time serving on the board the past several years as the event coordinator. We have had the opportunity to race at some great new locations and establish some strong connections with yacht clubs all around the country. This work was instrumental in our growth and will continue to help us grow in the future. With that said, I would like to officially welcome and congratulate Krista Vind and Eric Dorschner as newcomers to the board. I’m lucky to have known both of these individuals for a while, and I have a high level of confidence they will bring a great deal of experience and value to the board. I’m excited for what we will work on and accomplish together in the upcoming years. Finally, I’m going to be putting together a member feedback survey to help gather some data and understand the things that are going right, along with the areas we can improve. Look for that sometime very soon. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please let me know, and again, have a safe, happy, and healthy 2023. Ben Wells FWC - President
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FWC November Update and Meeting Information11/27/2022 Greetings FWC Members, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Our last regatta of the year is wrapped up, which means it’s time to move into the off season. There is still quite a bit going on, and we hope you participate with the upcoming annual meeting and election. First, congratulations to Bob Curry, who won the FWC Championship regatta! The competition was close, and the scores definitely indicate that it was a battle. If you haven’t seen them yet, the full results can be found here: https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=24713 Also, congratulations to Jane Sherrod, this year’s FWC Points Champion! Winning this award indicates that the recipient truly sailed at a high level all season long. Jane is very deserving! What’s next? As I mentioned before, we are heading into our off season, but much will be happening before the end of the year. First, the annual FWC meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, November 30th at 7:00 PM CST. I would love for as many people to attend as able to hear what is happening with the FWC and know what you might see on the upcoming election ballot. No voting will take place at the meeting, and it is open to anyone who wants to listen in and participate. Topic: FWC Annual Meeting Time: Nov 30, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting (e-mail us for the link!) Next, the election will take place very similar to how it has been done the past few years. Only paid FWC members will be allowed to vote. Members will receive a link via email towards the end of December. The voting period will stay open for several days before closing. Exact dates and details will be announced later. If you have any questions about the election process or attending the meeting, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want this to be a fair and transparent process, and make sure everyone has all needed information and the ability to cast a vote to have their say in the class. Lastly, there is an attached document to this email. This year’s election does include officer nominations and elections. This document details all who are running for the various FWC board positions so you can get to know who you are voting for and what role they are seeking. Thank you for your participation, not only in all of our regattas but in this end of year process. Ben Wells FWC - President
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From the Office of the Vice Chair10/18/2022 FWC MembershipWe are winding down for the season, with just one regatta left in November in Gulfport Florida and once that is completed, we need to turn our attention to 2023-24 season's planning and organizing.
1. NOMINATIONS for officers. If you or someone you know desires to be on the FWC Board, you DO NOT have to wait for someone to say they are stepping down. Please send me a note (xanderwess@yahoo.com) with any nominations you may have for: President VP Secretary/Membership Treasurer Event Coordinator Rules Chair Class Measurer If you have question on what each job entails, please contact me but get NOMINATIONS in PRIOR to the GULFPORT event Nov 17th. 2. Special Projects: We are currently starting work on a few special projects that you may want to be involved in. A. Adaptive Sailing: FWC wants to be the 'go to class for Adaptive Sailing, using the Wave. B. "The WAVE 100" is an idea of doing a distance race, similar in fashion to the Worrell 1000 and we're just beginning to hash it out. If you'd like to be on the planning committee for that, please contact me. We have focused in on a location, but logistics will the thing we need to work on with John Williams, PRO of the Worell event and he has volunteered to help with this event also. C. The next big thing: Another Corpus Christi type event a few years down the road. If you'd like to be involved in the committee for this, please reach out. Many hands make light work. 3. Our Class Meeting will be set via ZOOM, planned on Wednesday November 30th at 7:00 PM CST. No real business will be conducted regarding the class prior to Gulfport or at Gulfport, so plan on attending the zoom meeting (all members/prospects are welcome). Within 30 days of the meeting, we'll have an electronic VOTE for new officers and any other business that needs to be voted on. 4. Any feedback from membership, GOOD or BAD, please direct to me via email so we can attend to all issues. We are in a position of strength with in our little universe and we want to keep pushing forward with growth and innovation of events and fun ideas. Please help out with feedback - VERY IMPORTANT. Thanks for your attention to this list, I look forward to hearing from you. Chris Wessels VP FWC |