Shavings Volume 18a Number 1 (February 1997)

Page 1

Published bimonthly for The Center for Wooden Boats 1010 Valley Street Seattle, WA 98109

Volume XVIII Number 1 February, 1997 ISSN 0734-0680 1992, CWB

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORTS Executive Director Bob Perkins presented a "Slate of the Center" report at the November CWB membership meeting. For all those who didn't get to the meeting, here's what he had to say: The Center for Wooden Boats is a work in progress. A voyage. It is my hope that we will never reach port. Even though the Center has been around for 20 years we're still learning new things and improving old things. The point at which we drop anchor will be the point at which we feel we have nothing left to explore, nothing new to put our hands and imaginations to. Our goal is to continue our journey wherever our imaginations take us, realizing that, in order to sail safely and wisely, we need to keep our ship tuned and our crew happy. So, apart from that metaphor, what are we really up to? My current primary goal is to insure that everything we're doing is as sound as it can be. Our boat is in good shape: we continue to operate in the black, our programs attract more and more people of all ages and abilities, we have an excellent paid staff and lots of dedicated volunteers. We're feeling some creaks and groans, though, because we're trying to do so much. This year we have taken several actions to address our biggest needs. Staff: We are presently operating with the largest paid staff the Center has ever had. Obviously, this presents both opportunities and challenges. The biggest challenge is the increase in personnel costs. We feel, though, that the benefits outweigh this cost, as long as we're financially realistic. For the first time we now have a paid livery person in Meg Trzaskoma. Meg has done a marvelous job, training livery volunteers, maintaining rigging, serving as back-up to Dierk Yochim in directing volunteers to boat maintenance jobs, teaching sailing and acting as one of CWB's most visible goodwill ambassadors. A grant from the Discuren Foundation has enabled us to hire John Brennan as our Youth Program Coordinator. We see programs for

youth of all ages and experiences as our most exciting area for development. At present, our youth programs include sail instruction for high-risk and "normal-risk" kids, boat maintenance through schools and the Big Brother program, school tours and toy boat building events. We hope to add boat building intensives for school groups during spring break and traveling exhibits to go directly into schools. Margaret Huchting joined us as Public Service Manager in March (having been selected from 180 applicants!) and has been blasting along ever since. She has been instrumental in bringing organization to our volunteer program, professionalizing many of our other efforts, improving the income from Boathouse rental, managing retail merchandise and generally giving us a bit of extra style. Dierk Yochim has been managing the Boatshop since I moved out. The array of skills he brings are serving us well: boatbuilding, sailmaking, sailing, exhibit building. We discovered the latter talent when Dierk built a beautiful exhibit for the Secretary of State's Olympia office.

AUCTION TIME One of the most anticipated events of the CWB year is just days away! It's our annual fundraising Auction, coming up Saturday March 1, at Yale Street Landing (1001 Fairview N., just a few blocks east of CWB). The doors open at 6:30 p.m. Between the sumptuous buffet from the topnotch chefs at Baci and the Auction action led by Sandy Bradley, it promises to be an evening to remember. On the Auction tables, you'll find everything from unique getaways to a variety of goods and services (both nautical and non-nautical) to a baby grand piano - all certain to inspire some spirited bidding action. Tickets for the fun-filled evening are on sale now. Individual tickets are $35 or you can save by buying yours in groups of four or more at $30 each. Order your tickets today by calling CWB at (206) 382-2628. See you at the Auction. 1

Sean Kennedy replaced Roger Coulter when Roger went back to school. Sean's primary responsibilities are bookkeeping and coordinating sail instruction. We hope to use his library experience in organizing our library of books and making them more accessible. In September Tyson Trudel came on as our first ever apprentice. Tyson's primary goal is to work with youth through maritime skills programs so CWB is the perfect fit. He has been assisting Dierk and taking the lead in working with a group from Bush School to restore one of our Beetle Cats. Dick Wagner and I complete the paid staff. Dick, of course, needs no introduction. Essentially, I'm responsible for managing the dayto-day affairs, freeing Dick to do fundraising and programming. We work together and with the Board to do long-range planning. Our unpaid staff is as important a factor in our success as the paid staff. We rely on volunteers to maintain the boats, teach sailing, host our reception desk, type, work with kids and maintain the plants. We have been holding monthly orientations and roundtables to improve communication and plug in new volunteers. Site and Facilities: The Center is bulging inside our waterway. It is a challenge to use our space in the most effective way. The most significant use is for our boats. With our increase in sailing instruction and livery use have come problems associated with any high-traffic area. We have redesigned the dock arrangement north of the Boathouse to create as wide a channel as possible. Other adjustments will need to be made as the weather warms up and activity increases. As a resident of South Lake Union we are involved in whatever plans are made for this area. We are also connected, either by geography or mission to other maritime organizations who have an interest in this area. We will continue to identify our needs, to work cooperatively with the neighbors and to lobby for our interests. Boats: Our boat collection is our raison d'etre. We are constantly reviewing the fleet, thinking about what boats belong, what boats


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