The April meeting of the Club returned to Sycamore Island for the first time in 1995. In spite of pleasant temperatures, the start to the evening was somewhat marred by a downpour which managed to soak many attendees as they walked down the path to the Island. Nonetheless, it was pleasant to be back on the Island.

The meeting was called to order shortly after 8:00 pm by Warren Brown, President. Those in attendance included: John & Peggy Thomson, Phil Jones, Bill Eichbaum, John Krasny, Mark & Marion Schlefer, Greg Super, Johnna Robinson, Peter Winkler, David Winer, Trip Reid, John & Ann Michner, Blair Bower, and Peter Jones.

The minutes of the March meeting were duly approved.

REPORTS
The Treasurer made a report which was accepted and indicated that as of March 31, 1995 the Club had a bank balance of $31,132.85.

The Treasurer's report led to a discussion of membership. It was noted that the following members have either resigned from the Club or moved into inactive status: R. Anderson, G. Breznay, M. Freeman, B. Gaber, L. Gustitus, B. White, and T. Sacks.

Following the discussion of these changes in members' status, Peter Winkler made a report on behalf of membership and moved the acceptance of five new members into the Club. These members are: Thomas and Lee Maholchic, Patricia and Richard Roth, Wayne and Susan Limberg, John and Susanna Membrino, and Patricia Hartge and Alan Strasser. Sycamore Island is delighted to welcome these new members to the Club and we all look forward to sharing the Island and the Potomac with them.

The Club reminds those on the waiting list that there are certain fees due if they wish to receive the Islander and to use the club on a limited basis. These should be paid promptly.

OLD BUSINESS
Warren Brown reviewed the proposal regarding large Parties which was presented in the April Islander. In the course of an extended discussion, the following points were raised:

* Sponsor must be present during the entire duration of a party;
* Sponsor must indemnify the Club and it is up to him/her to obtain indemnification forms from the members of the party;
* Size will be limited to 35, with waivers to be granted by Party Supervisor with agreement of President and Vice-President;
* Procedures to assure the fair implementation of the new policy will be arranged by the Party Supervisor and the President and published in the.Islander as necessary.

Other issues discussed included: the fee, the compliance requirement, and the wording of the indemnity clause. No changes regarding these items were agreed to. After appropriate motion and second the proposal as set forth by the President, and modified according to the indented points noted, above was unanimously carried. The full statement regarding large parties is published elsewhere in this issue of the Islander. The current rules of the Club which do not allow senior members to organize large parties were not changed.

There was a brief discussion of the conservation easement and the following procedure was agreed to:

The Club's easement committee will finalize a draft of an easement and present it to the Potomac Conservancy and the Maryland Environmental Trust;

Appropriate comments from them will be incorporated into the version of the proposed easement which appears elsewhere in this newsletter;

Further comments by Club members are invited during May.

A final vote will be held at the June meeting based on text which will appear in the June Islander. It is important to note that over the last year votes during Club meetings on this issue have resulted in a majority vote in favor of an easement. In addition the mail ballot of all members favored an easement. An easement will be decided on at a regular Club meeting, as required by the by-laws, and not by a poll of all members.

OTHER BUSINESS
There are new and more rigorous boating safety standards for small boats. These are printed elsewhere in this Islander and all members are encouraged to be sure they are aware of these rules and comply with them.

Welcome to the 1995 season on the Potomac. Beginning with the workfest on April 23, we all look forward to an active and enjoyable year on the water.

-- Bill Eichbaum, Acting Recording Secretary