Serving The Association

John G- was never a tech editor.
For over five years he was the General Editor for the Mainsheet Magazine and had more C25/C250 features published than any other Catalina editor of any length and model.
No one ever promoted our boats or our legitimate association more than he did.
Now the Association is reduced to the Forum where the stinkpot owner David Bristle has posted over 8000 times.
That is not a healthy Association nor does it expand the knowledge of our boats.
Attack the "Observer" if you must but you do it at the detriment of the Association.

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We Can’t Wait

Not to let a snarky opportunity pass us by.
The stinkpot owner David Bristle notes that we commented on Frank Hopper’s ample girth in a C25.
Well we can’t wait to see some photos of the rotund Shamu hiking out in his new hobie.
Do they have gale force winds on that lake?

Silencing The Lambs

We called attention to the fact that Frank Hopper, Former Commodore was NOT a an asset to the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association but rather a detriment.
We find it interesting that the naysayers are the few who post on the Association Forum the most, posting up to 8000 posts and are the most vocal.
The stinkpot owner David Bristle 8000+ posts and John Russell who has posted over 1100 times find their verbosity threatened by our criticism.
We have always said the Association Forum is a fine asset.
In fact John G- fought tooth and nail to keep it open without password protection to any all interested sailors who might want to know about our boats.
Not a popular position at the time. He won and Dave and John have benefited from his work.
The Association Forum does not, however, replace a true association.

It is telling that NO ONE has addressed the governance of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association and the misrepresentation that the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers continue to follow, that makes sure that all Paying members are not represented.
At the end of summer elections will come around. We have no doubt the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers will keep the nominees to the Association Forum denying PAYING members who do not use the Association Forum their due.

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Farewell to Frank Hopper

7/26/2008


NYCat, Kevin Flaherty’s post ”Sad about loosing Frank Hopper!” on the Association Forum is truly misguided.
Frank Hopper, Former Commodore has changed the very nature of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association reducing it to the Association Forum and a few (very few) who claim to be racing in the so called “Nationals”.
In the most damaging comment and initiative Frank wrote;
”Had this forum remained as merely an adjunct to the Mainsheet magazine and an unofficial means of communication the Association would have become moribund. Now we are the most vital and best example of what a Catalina association can be, that is because people worked to change the by-laws and recognize that the community on the internet and the power of the internet was the future of the Association”.
That all sounds well and good however….
It is only the Mainsheet that reaches EVERY PAYING MEMBER four times a year. By disenfranchising the Mainsheet Frank Hopper and rest of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers have disenfranchised any PAYING members who don’t use the Association Forum.
When Frank was Vice Commodore, he went on record saying that only users of the Association Forum had any business being members of the Association.
In our opinion if you have paid a full membership and don’t use the Forum you are being defrauded.
As we watch the Association Fleets slowly go back into hibernation and the so called ”Nationals” controlled by a few no one can say the Association is better off after Frank Hopper got done with it.
When Arlyn Stewart set up the Forum it was to give the owners a place to go while the Association was being rebuilt. The Association had been torn asunder by officers who tried to shove out anyone who wasn’t a racer. Sound familiar?
It was never meant to be the end all for the members. Hard work was done to rebuild the Association Fleets refresh the pages and publish C-25/C-250 features in the Mainsheet Magazine. That is now all gone after the tenure of Frank Hopper .
One can hope that the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers will try to reverse the damage but given the current line up there is no indication they will.

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Why No One Is Talking

Frank Hopper,
AKA Jaba,
Asks why no one is talking about the "Nationals".
It is because they are not "National".
Only the North West "nationals" managed to get a double digit participation (over 20 boats) and you and the the Erie mafia managed to squelch that forever.
I know it pains you to remember that I made it possible for the Gary Bruner to become V.C.by opening up the elections to all PAYING members and have his fleet be so successful. He never served again and I was banished.
Only 4 boat "Nationals" dominated by cronies have ever participated after that brief democratic effort.
By limiting the assoc. to just the forum Frank
managed to destroy the assoc.
Jaba’s tenure as Commodore destroyed everything the assoc had a chance to achieve,
Frank enabled Minefart to dominate the "Nationals" so he and his buddies could fill their mantles with silver that meant "NOTHING".
Frank has chased the fleets away reduced the membership and made the only communication with all paying members meaningless.
By taking membership money and limiting access to the assoc he has violated the charter and put the assoc. in jeopardy.
Good job Jaba
.
C25Observer

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Commodore Resigns

This is the result of the officers reducing the Association to just the few who use the C25-250 forum (http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/default.asp).
They have stopped communicating with members through their newsletter and now are trying to stop the Mainsheet which is the only means of contacting all the PAYING members. They have lost nearly a third of their membership and now want to use the dues for their own purposes and are now threatening to raise those dues while removing the expense of the Mainsheet.
In the thread "Commodore Resigns" (http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16664).
Steve Milby, a long time member and former Commodore writes,
"There was a year or two when the officers decided that their expenses to attend the national regatta should be paid by the Association, and the animosity that it generated almost destroyed the organization."
This is the same situation now led by the Vice Commodore Bill Meinert, whose goal is to dominate the so called "Nationals" where 4, yes 4, boats compete for the title of "National Champion".

It's sad to see the association reduced to a shell for a few.

All Differences Aside

The fires in Southern California affected a few of the members of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association. Specifically the members of Fleet #7 in San Diego including Former Commodore Jim Baumgart who had to evacuate his family and tells of the fear and the heroic efforts of his family to get to a safe area.
There has been loss of life and over 2000 homes destroyed.
Our hearts go out to all the people of that area and hope they can get back to normal in a reasonable amount of time.

Bill Meinert Speaks Out Against Catalina Yachts

Bill Meinart, the newly elected V.P. of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association is well on his way to taking the voice of the assoc. members away by the elimination the Mainsheet Magazine and has taken a strong negative stance against Catalina Yachts.

He recently wrote to the other Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers;

"In the last 8 yrs with the asociation, to date I cann't recollect a single thing Catalina Yatchs has done for us, I could be wrong, but they really have never supported us in the past.

Bill MeinertVice Commodore
Sailing Longwind #1408"

(Spelling mistakes are his)

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Farewell To The Association

As much fun as it is to post photos of the humongous Frank Hopper (see photo below) we need to examine the harm he and Duane Wolff have done to the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association

Frank Hopper, Past Commodore wrote in his farewell;

Had this forum remained as merely an adjunct to the Mainsheet magazine and an unofficial means of communication the Association would have become moribund. Now we are the most vital and best example of what a Catalina association can be, that is because people worked to change the by-laws and recognize that the community on the internet and the power of the internet was the future of the Association.

What Frank Hopper and the other C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers have done is to make sure the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association ONLY serves the participants of the Association Forum.
By going to the Association Forum, Members page anyone can see that fewer than 100 members use the Association Forum on a regular basis. That leaves 600 FULLY PAID Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Members out in the cold.

When Frank was Vice Commodore, he went on record saying that only users of the Association Forum had any business being members of the Association.
What Frank and his compatriot Duane Wolff have done in destroying the Association is to empower 4-5 members to manipulate the Nationals and put unearned silver on their mantels.
The Mainsheet Magazine cannot cater to all the needs of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association membership and no one has ever claimed that it would. What the Mainsheet does do is reach EVERY PAYING MEMBER four times a year. By disenfranchising the Mainsheet Frank Hopper and rest of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Officers have disenfranchised 600 of 700 PAYING members.
Frank Hopper and the other Officers may have done irreparable harm to the Association and the new slate of officers are hand picked to continue this trend.

Putting Bill Meinert in as V.C. is maybe the most egregious as he has manipulated the Nationals with Duane Wolff for the past two years and now has the authority to continue that trend.

Thats enough for now. Latter we will dscuss the destruction of the Fleet structure and total demise of the TellTales.

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Oh My &@D!!!

They need a bigger cockpit!!


Past Commodore of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association, Frank Hopper

Gee! What A Suprise!

The club our illustrious Commodore belongs to will host the 2008 Nationals.
Quite a legacy Duane and Frank have the Assoc. with.
More after the holiday.

Interesting Thread on the C25 Association Forum


"Locked topics and erased posts question..."

Steve Milby is trying to gently point out the Officers travails over the last few years and how they used their office to manipulate the Nationals to their advantage.

I will just say this and let the dialogue on the Forum continue on it's own.

I have always had a single minded approach to the governance of the Assoc. I want to see every member included in all activities of the Assoc. As you know the Assoc. was in turmoil when Ed Jacubas and I tried to restore the Assoc. We worked to figure out who was still a member, which fleets existed, which fleets wanted to continue and we worked hard to give them a voice. I saw the features in the Mainsheet as a way to not only promote our boats but to build community among the membership.
It is a fault of mine that I have taken it personally when those goals have been either disregarded or IMO outright attacked.
Don't get me wrong the forum and web site have taken great strides under the current administration but the best guess is that 20% of the membership makes use of these assets. That leaves a vast majority of paid members out in the cold.
All I have ever asked is that we use every opportunity, i.e. the Mainsheet and the Telltales as well as the forum to let all the members participate in the elections, have an open bidding process to determine the Nationals and use every effort to build the fleet structure. We have not seen a TellTales since Sept. 2006 and, IMHO, the Mainsheet has not tried to bring the fleets and members together let alone strive to tell the wonderful cruising stories that are being made.

Thanks John G-

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4 BOATS !!??


Are you KIDDING!!???

600+ members left out in the cold.
Good job.

Comments From Edgewater Yacht ClubFleet Captain Mike Dills


Not withstanding the protestations of Mike Dills,

The Edgewater Yacht Club Fleet Captain Race Chair - Cleveland Race Week, the C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers are indeed using the Edgewater Yacht Club to put unwarranted silver n their mantles.
Fleet Captain Dills writes “The events, real or imaginary, surrounding the selection of Edgewater Yacht Club to host the 2006 and 2007 Nationals is, as it should be, of little or no interest to us.” Of course latter in his comment to this blog he writes; “We host, on average, four or five "National" events every year."
He goes on to say;
"To suggest that Edgewater was in anyway part of a conspiracy or that somehow Duane Wolf managed to cook the bid with Edgewater's complicity couldn't be further from the truth.” And then he adds this wonderful admition “We receive far more bids than we accept.”


So…. Fleet Captain Dills which is it?
You are impartial and have no say in who attends the regatta OR you made the choice to allow Duane Wolf and his surrogate Bill Meinart to participate above other worthy bids.
The C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers are struggling to get enough boats to contend and while it is amusing to watch Duane and Bill fail it does not mitigate the fact that they manipulated the Association and you made the Edgewater Yacht Club party to it.

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Fiduciary Duty (Repost)

We suggst everyone from the Edgewater Yacht Club read this.

Frank Hopper, Commodore of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association has ignored his fiduciary duty to represent the entire membership of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association by restricting the bids for the 2007 “Nationals to just the few 100 members that visit the Association Forum, leaving more than 600 members out of the democratic process to participate in the one “National” event of the year.
Frank Hopper has manipulated the bid process so the “Nationals will be awarded to Duane Wolff’s surrogate Bill Meinart who intends to use the Edgewater Yacht Club for his and Duane's own agenda.
This is a terrible misuse of the office and the paid members continue to be left out of the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association’s most important events.

FOUR (4) Boats !!??

Are they The C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers KIDDING!!
They manipulated the years Nationals and the elections just make fools of themselves.
Unbelievable.

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Thank You Ex-Commodore Baumgart

You know every now and then a present gets dropped in your lap.
Ex-Commodore Baumgart attempted to abase me by making a horrible accusation. The surprise came when Arlyn Stewart came to my defense and it seems the Officers finally got heads out of their respective butts and realized that Baumgart had put the entire Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association’s charter at risk.

Thanks Jim,
M-O-R-O-N!!!

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Posted by John Gisondi

Oh No! Skippy Is The Forum Running Slow?

Seems the Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Forum is giving some of the members a bit of trouble.

Awwwwww!!! Hee Hee Hee!!!!

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Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association Elections

The Catalina 25-250 & Capri International Association elections are agian going to be a total farce without the participation of the membership and controlled by the current C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers.
They even embarrassed themselves by disregarding prior nominees who volunteered earlier this year.
To his credit Commodore Jim Baumgart has decided not to run but his nominations of Frank Hopper, Vice Commodore (see photo below) for Commodore and Duane Wolff, the current Measurer for V.C. will do harm to the Association for years to come.

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Notice Posted


The following letter was sent to the Officers of the Edgewater Yacht Club

Gentlemen,
It appears that the Catalina 25/250 & Capri 25 International Association Officers
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/officers.asp
intend to use your Yacht club to host their so called “Nationals” again next year, in 2007.
Their 2006 “Nationals” were awarded to Duane Wolff, who used your organization, under very troubling circumstances.
Please visit the Catalina 25/250 Observer Blog at
http://c25-250-observer.blogspot.com/
and discuss amongst yourselves and your trusties whether this is in the best interest of your organization.
The decision to welcome the C25/C250 & Capri 25 Nationals is, of course, in your hands we simply ask that you look at the history that led the C25/250 – Capri 25 “Nationals” to your door step.
Thank you,
John G- & Catalina 25/250 Observers
http://c25-250-observer.blogspot.com/


The continued arrogance of the C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers is amazing.
The C25-C250 & Capri 25 Officers are willing to disenfranchise their own membership and use the Edgewater Yacht Club for their own agenda.

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