Call to Order
J. Farmer called the meeting to order at 0805.

Introduction of Attendees
Each attendee gave a brief introduction.

2003 Minutes
The Minutes of the 2003 meeting were reviewed.
Motion: E. Nelson made a motion to accept the minutes as presented. The motion was seconded and approved.

President’s Report – J. Farmer
J. Farmer acknowledged and thanked the many people who have helped and contributed throughout the past year, particularly the District Governors. The USJCA has been on stable footing this year and has moved beyond some of the problems of the recent past due to the support of IJCA Chairman, Rudy Wolfs. Acknowledged that since Annapolis did not win a bid for the 2007 Worlds, there would not be another World Championship in the U.S. until 2009 at the earliest. There remain some questions about Mexico’s ability to support the 2007 Worlds sufficiently. There was some discussion about strategies the USJCA could use to facilitate getting U.S. members to that event such as organized transport. Update from the World Championship and the recent World Council Meeting. The group was briefed on the latest rules change proposals that have been submitted to ISAF for approval. J. Farmer then read a document created by the IJCA Executive Committee regarding the “Guiding Principles” to be adhered to by the International Technical Committee in order to facilitate the measurement process.

Executive Director’s Report – E. Faust
Review of U.S. Class membership for 2004 shows the Class will most likely fall by approximately 10% for the year. This is most likely due to the lack of World Qualifying event during the year. There was general discussion of market forces and challenges facing continued membership growth. E. Faust gave an overview of the Class finances and stated that the U.S. Class has operated within its budget for 2004 leaving the Class with a small projected net income for the year. Membership levels will impact our revenue, but there have been some significant cost savings (particularly in the bulk-mailing rate) due to the Class’ 501(c)(3) status. Royalty tags sails have been brisk, but the USJCA does not realize full profit from all of these tags because of the international rebate program by which the U.S. gives a credit for exported sails to the country to which they are shipped. Publications have been produced on time and on budget including two magazines and a wall calendar. In addition one IJCA magazine was mailed to the members. The U.S. will continue to budget for and purchase one international magazine for each paid USJCA member. J. Farmer indicated that the IJCA had recently approved moving its publication to a annual “year-book” format that will fit the USJCA’s publication plan. A recap was given on the major regatta from the year and a brief preview of upcoming events in 2005.

Financial Chairman’s Report – D. Anderson
D. Anderson reviewed the proposed budget for 2005. It was presented in the same format as previous years, grouping revenue and expenses by their useful purpose. The budget is relatively stable year-to-year because expected income is stable. The proposed 2005 budget showed the Class realizing approximately $1500 in net income for fiscal 2005. This budget once again includes the purchase of one IJCA magazine and the production of two USJCA magazines. There was some discussion of purchasing a new scale. T. Winger said he had researched a more modern, lightweight scale. D. Anderson indicated that the Class should have sufficient resources for such a purpose because the current year financial statements indicate that the Class should end fiscal 2004 with a small net income.
Motion: E. Nelson made a motion that was seconded and approved, “To accept the 2005 budget as presented.”

District Reports
Each District Governor in attendance gave a brief report on the activities in his area.

Old and Unfinished Business
Paul Scalisi discussed the topic of qualification for the World Championship, but pointed out that with the next potential World Championship in the U.S. not being until 2009, this discussion may not be immediately relevant. His idea is to make the U.S. Nationals and the North Americans more prestigious events with the intention of boosting participation. Paul pointed out that the current IJCA distribution of berths based on membership totals might not be as applicable as it once was. Also, he pointed out that the current system requires one to win a regatta in order to qualify. By using fewer qualifying events, the opportunity to qualify by finishing well in a top-level regatta (instead of winning outright) may lead to more competition and a more equitable distribution of berths in the U.S.

New Business
Qualification for the 2007 Worlds in Mexico:
5 Regionals (two per region as decided by the region.) 2 for U.S. Nationals, 2 for Midwinters, 1 USJCA berth (in addition to the IJCA berth) at the NAs, and 1 USJCA President. All regattas pass down within the top 3 or top 10% of the fleet (whichever is greater.) Unfilled berths will be distributed based on the results of the 2006 Nationals in Houston, TX.

Status of Major Regattas:
2005 Midwinters – The new Davis Island Yacht Club building is complete and will be open for the event.
2005 Nationals – E. Sanderson gave a report and mentioned that every effort would be made to make charter boats available at a reasonable price.
2005 North Americans – A report from the organizers was read. Everything looks good for that event.

Location of 2006 Midwinters: Proposals from both the J/24 fleet at the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida and from Flat Earth Racing in Miami, Florida were presented and discussed. The Board decided it was generally more comfortable with holding a major event at a location with a strong local fleet with a yacht club affiliation such as DIYC.
Motion: D. Anderson made a motion, “To accept the bid from the Davis Island Fleet 86 to host the J/24 Midwinters in 2006.” The motion was seconded and approved.

Location of the 2006 U.S. Nationals: E. Nelson presented a proposal from the Galveston Bay Fleet 5 to host the 2006 U.S. Nationals at the Houston Yacht Club. He described that the club was very excited to host the regatta and that it would likely be held in April or May to take advantage of the best wind at that location.
Motion: E. Sanderson made a motion to, “Accept the proposal from Fleet 5 to host the 2006 U.S. National Championship.” The motion was seconded and approved.

Location of the 2006 North Americans: There was general discussion about the location of the North Americans and the rotation of the event throughout the continent. J Farmer described the historic rotation of the event and the proposal presented from the Rochester Yacht Club. E Faust pointed out that there is currently no official structure in place to determine the location of the North Americans because the IJCA leaves the decision to the individual countries involved, and the countries in North America don’t have a official decision making structure. Understanding that this is the case the Board decided to endorse the Rochester Yacht Club proposal by voting.
Motion: D Anderson made a motion “That the USJCA Board of Governors endorse the Rochester Yacht Club bid to host the 2006 J/24 North American Championship.” The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.

Location of the 2007 North Americans: E Faust made presented a proposal from the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey near Los Angeles to host the 2007 North Americans. The club is highly enthusiastic to host a major event and the Southern California area could benefit from the activity in the area. Understanding that this is not an authoritative body the Board decided to endorse the proposal by voting upon it.
Motion: T Oelschlager made a motion that was seconded and approved “That the USJCA Board of Governors endorse the California Yacht Club bid to host the 2007 J/24 North American Championship.”

Location of the 2007 U.S. Nationals: With no proposals in hand for the 2007 U.S. Nationals, there was general discussion about the location of this event. Looking at the existing regatta schedule and the past rotation of events, it was decided that the east coast would be the best location. The District Governors on the east coast will look for interested clubs and report back to the Board before formally soliciting bids. This action will occur over the coming months with discussion taking place via email.

Technical Report: A report prepared by the U.S. technical chairman, Reid Stava, was presented by Tim Winger. With no questions about the report, T Winger discussed measurement issues that occurred at the recent World Championship. One issue that came to light there was the measurement of the bottom “V” of the keel. At the Worlds, the angle of this “V” was measured, and several boats required on-site work to come into compliance. This method is not highly standardized at the moment, and there seems to be some confusion among the members about the proper measurement of the bottom of the keel. J Farmer suggested that T Winger request a formal interpretation of this measurement from the International Technical Committee with the intention of helping the USJCA members understand this measurement and allow them to determine if their boats are in compliance with the rules.

J Farmer also mentioned a rule change that was approved at the IJCA meeting that said boats in a World qualifying event must specify an alternate helmsperson at registration if they are going to change skippers during the event.

D Anderson proposed that the USJCA ask the IJCA to consider revamping the system of allocating Worlds berths based on membership to better conform with the distribution of members around the world. Currently, it appears unlikely that the World Championship will maintain the same level of participation if entries are based only on the membership distribution stated in the IJCA Regatta Standards.

T Winger presented some information on purchasing a new scale for weighing boats that would be lighter and more efficient to use. E Faust suggested we should solicit some competitive bids for the scale before a purchase decision is made. The Board approved the purchase of a new scale pending acceptance of a reasonable bid.

Multiple Levels of Membership for the USJCA: E Faust proposed that the USJCA utilize its 501(c)(3) tax status to help solicit donations to the Class through optional membership levels. As with many other non-profit organizations, higher levels of membership help fund the organization and in exchange the member gets a premium and the donation is considered tax-deductible. The Board agreed to let E Faust get prices for potential premium gifts (hats, shirts etc.) and develop a pricing structure for the program to be implemented beginning in 2005. The program would then be evaluated at the next Board of Governors meeting. The proposed membership levels would be: Full Member (same as the current level), Contributing Member, Supporting Member and Sustaining Member.

Database of Existing Boats: D Anderson discussed the possibility of creating a database of J/24s in order to keep track of available boats. This would be a grass-roots type effort to locate all existing boats with the intention of making them available for use. D Anderson offered to provide server space free of charge for such an effort.

Election of Officers
T. Winger announced his resignation as Governor’s Representative. T. Winger then nominated J. Farmer for President, N. Zangerle for Vice-President, R. Stava for Technical Chairman, E. Nelson for Governor’s Representative and D. Anderson for Finance Chairman. The nominations were then seconded and closed.
Motion: E. Nelson made a motion, “To elect the nominated slate of officers.” The motion was seconded and approved without discussion.

2005 Board of Governors Meeting
It was decided that the specific date for the 2005 Board of Governors meeting be chosen after the racing schedule has been solidified in order to avoid as many conflicts as possible. The USJCA will target a fall (October or November) meeting at an established airline hub. Suggestions included Chicago, Las Vegas and Denver. These locations were targeted because they offer cost effective air travel, accommodations and meeting space. Money for the annual meeting comes from both the Class treasury and the board members pockets, so every effort is made to contain costs. A email vote will take place during the summer of 2005 to decide on the final timing and location of the next Board of Governors meeting.

Adjournment
At 1730, E Nelson made a motion to adjourn. The motion was unanimously approved.