- Details
November 4th, 2025
Paradise Bay - Sarasota Bay Boating & Fishing Club Meeting Minutes
President: Ron Prieskorn
Vice President: John Hopkins
Treasurer: Jim Bowling
Secretary: George Mullen
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by President, Ron Prieskorn. There were 58 members present. Ron led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and then recited the Fisherman's Prayer
Today was Ron Preiskorn's birthday, to give him a nice warm feeling the other board members gave Ron a birthday spanking. John Hopkins broke a birthday fraternity paddle over Ron's behind, Ron ran around the front of the table holding his behind till the heat cooled off.
Happy Birthday Ron!
Ron then asked for a motion to accept the minutes from our April meeting, motion made by John Hopkins, 2nd by Gary Plum, membership approved.
Ron asked for a motion to approve the spending of $1,500 to cover the cost of an ice maker that was installed over the summer by Don Vogel. Joyce Stepansky made a motion to approve and it was 2nd by Stan Hellenbrand. The club membership voted and approved the motion. Ron explained the location of the ice maker behind the maintenance shop and how to access it. He also asked not to empty the ice bin and to share with other park neighbors.
Ron told the membership there will be three boating trips this year, one in January, February and March. Details to follow when Jim Elias arrives for the season.
Ron told the membership the club board is considering revamping the frank and bean dinner, depending on club feedback. After the meeting some alternate food ideas were shared with the board members. With that said the club is open to further ideas from the membership.
Rhonda Bowling reviewed our club shirt line up and asked for any new ideas for this season's shirt design. Ideas can be given to any club board member. She also said someone had asked for a hat option to cover the ears on cold days.
Ron told a fishing story about spelling errors in text messages that resulted in blue girls instead of blue gills being easy to catch in Michigan. Long story but funny as heck.
Shilea Gilstrap reviewed some fishing regulations and told everyone if they had any additional questions to ask her in person.
Stan Hellenbrand reviewed some of the fishing contests and told everyone about a new monthly award for the largest legal fish caught during the month. Ron displayed a ceramic colorful large mouth bass figure to set outside of the monthly winners home. Stan then told a story about seeing a large shark on the bay recently and to be alert about what's in the water around you. He also reminded everyone about the one day fishing contest November 13th. Then he explained that in these contests a green flag will be displayed if the contest is on and a red flag displayed if the contest is delayed to the next day, because of weather.
Anne Osgood explained anyone launching a boat in the park needs to provide insurance, registration and title for their boat to the office, even if you don't have a slip.
Ron reviewed how to lock the chain at the boat ramp, by using the hook below the lock ring so there is no tension on the combination lock, to make it easier to use.
Joyce Stepansky told the attendees not to give the padlock codes out to anyone but park residents, the ramp and storage yard are for the park residents only.
Ron Preiskorn then reminded boaters not to tie the ramp up by leaving your trailer unattended in the ramp area. Also, please have your boat prepared to go in or out of the water so others can use the ramp without unnecessary delays.
Anne Osgood then reported the park had signed an agreement with the Alstroms on 106 street. The Alstroms are going to rebuild the damaged ramp at their expense. Once finished 106 street residents will be parking their trailers along 106 street next to the million dollar lot while using their boats. Paradise Bay residents will also be able to use this ramp.
Jim Bowling gave the financial report. He explained the club has moved our banking to the same bank the park uses. He also explained we still have full control of deposits, check payments and monitoring of our balance just as we did with our old account. The Paradise Board is working with the bank to have electronic access in the near future.
The 50/50 drawing was for $49 ticket # 852452 won by Pat Gardener
Respectfully Submitted by George Mullen
- Details
April 1st 2025
Paradise Bay Sarasota Bay Boating & Fishing Club Meeting Minutes
President: Ron Prieskorn
Vice President: John Hopkins
Treasurer: Jim Bowling
Secretary: George Mullen
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by President, Ron Prieskorn. There were over 65 members present.
Ron led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and then recited the Fisherman's Prayer .
Ron then asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the membership, motion made by John Hopkins 2nd was Doug Jones, membership voted to approve.
Stan Hellbrand Read of the winners for One Day Fishing contest, One Day Kayak contest, One Day Non Winners contest.
Ron asked everyone to not drain the ice maker when getting ice and be considerate of other people wanting ice.
Scotty Yates gave the dock master report, Scotty thanked Forrest McPherson, Harry Osgood, Stan Hellbrand, John Mattei and Nick for all the repairs on the docks and water front.
Scotty said he is still shuffling boats in the marina and is continuing to assign slips. He then reminded everyone not to lock the tongues or rear wheels on trailers in the boat yard, because they have to be moved. He also said there could be ongoing issues in the marina because of saltwater damage experienced during the hurricanes.
John Hopinks reported the Fish Fry luncheon was a huge success and thanked all the volunteers that made the luncheon happen.
Chris Matteson spoke about the Easter Dinner scheduled for April 20th at 1pm. The boat fish club will be providing the food including the side dishes. Bring your eating utensils and plates. Chris reported the Activities club will pay $300.00 towards the cost of food with our club and the park paying for the ham.
Ron asked for a motion to approve up to $500 for food expense toward the Easter Dinner, motion was made by Chris Matteson and 2nd by Ricky Baer, membership voted to approve.
Ricky Baer spoke about the Coast Guard safe boating class on April 12th 8:30 to 4:30 at the Cortez Baptist church. The Class includes lunch. cost is $40 a person or $55 a couple.
Chris Matteson made a motion for the club to pay the whole fee to attend the safety class, Gayle Noren 2nd it, membership voted to approve.
Stan Hellbrand read the March monthly fishing contest.
Ron told a funny story about fishing buddies and friendships made while fishing.
Jim Elias found a picture with a $100 bill on the back and asked if anyone dropped it, Jim then laughed and said April Fools, it was a joke and he wanted to see if anyone would try to claim it.
Jim talked about the beer can island boat outing, he reported what a blast it was and asked if anyone had a good time and all the hands went up. Jim is planning our next boat outing and is thinking about a trip to Egmont Key, depending on weather.
Jim Bowling gave the treasure report with a final balance of $9021.62
Ron explained that there has been little use of the kayak trailer the club bought last year and asked for a motion to resale the trailer. motion was made by Jim Elias 2nd by Ge Stepansky. Membership voted to approve the sale.
Rhonda Bowling spoke about a contest for next year's club shirt design. She said a simple clear picture is all that is needed.
Ron Presikorn Thanked Kathy Sparks for her artwork that was used in a raffle and on custom club shirts. Ron then gave Kathy a Tervis mug that was personalized with her name.
Stan Hellbrand then read the fishing contest winners for the season.
Chris Matteson got up and Thanked all the volunteers that made our club a success. 50/50 Drawing winner was Donna Matteson she won $44.00
Rhoda Bowling did a drawing for a club hat that won by Martin Esquimaux then Rhonda drew names for a fish towel donated byTerry Buse
there were 5 winners
Rita Foley, Kathy Sparks, Jim Elias, Norm Kitchen and Cheryl Jones.
Ricky Baer finished up the meeting with an auction. Several items were bought at a great price. Ron Dismissed the meeting at 9:55am.
Respectfully Submitted by George Mullen
- Details
March 4th 2025
Paradise Bay Sarasota Bay Boating & Fishing Club Meeting Minutes
President: Ron Prieskorn
Vice President: John Hopkins
Treasurer: Jim Bowling
Secretary: George Mullen
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by President, Ron Prieskorn. There were over 125 members present.
Ron led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and then recited the Fisherman's Prayer
.
Ron then asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the February 4th 2024 meeting, motion was made by Tim Sease 2nd by Stan Hellenbrand.
Scotty Yates told the membership that he was working on assigning slips from the boat slip list. He should have them assigned soon. If you have questions feel free to contact him.
John Hopkins talked about the fish fry coming up March 21st at 12pm. One detail of the luncheon is that food will be served for one hour 12pm to 1pm, the luncheon is scheduled till 2pm. A volunteer sign up sheet was sent around during the meeting. Many members signed up to help, thank you for your selfless help.
Jim Elias spoke about the boating trip taken to Gilligan's Island in February. 18 boats made the trip with approximately 100 people, the club provided pulled pork sandwiches with chips and cookies. Jim thanked everyone that provided the food and served the membership. Jim talked about the next boating trip to the south of the Longboat key area. Jim is working on details and will post on Team Reach when available.
Ron asked for a motion to approve $300 for the upcoming boat trip. Motion was made by Jan Hassik 2nd by Jim Elias.
Kathy Sparks reported about the Golf Cart decorations on her husband, John's, golf cart and trailer. Kathy thanked her crew that decorated the ride including Diana Faust, who had the Clown face idea for the windshield, other crew members were Tim and Kim Sease, Donna Matteson,Mary Hellenbrand and her husband Stan.
Kathy also encouraged others to volunteer their time and talents for future projects as the rewards are many.
Ron then talked about the club’s board members' Bayfest skit. Ron committed that next years skit would be even better with volunteers from our membership,
Ron then gave the kayak update, there will be a cookout party on the return of an upcoming outing. Details for the kayak outing will be posted on Teamreach.
Jim Bowling gave the bank accounting numbers for last month's business. Jim then asked Kathy Sparks to come up to the front to be recognized for her contribution to the club. Kathy's portrait contributed $505.00 to the club.
Rhonda Bowling gave the apparel update, She reported that shirt orders for Kathy Sparks new design are special order and being taken now. Rhonda also spoke about a new PB/SB logo and a new rear shirt design.
Sheila gave the fishing update and reported Sheepshead limit is 50 per vessel and 8 per individual though March and April, Snook is in season, slot limit 28” to 33”, 1 per person per day with permit. Red fish 2 per vessel and one per individual. Sheila said Get Out There and Fish!
Norm Kitchen gave a talk about checking your equipment on your boat, especially the bilge pump. His had line wound up in the impeller which caused his boat to sink during a recent storm. He also said to read the fine print on your boat insurance policy. His policy only paid about 60% of his boat's value. All good information for any informed boater.
Ge Stepansky talked about the chain at the 5th street boat ramp. Ge thanked Chris Smith for replacing the eyebolts on the boat launch. Ge also asked everyone to be sure to lock the chain each and every time they launch their boat.
Stan Hellenbrand reported that a new tow rope setup was mounted on the backside of the club’s fish board. This new line can be used by membership when towing a boat in during a time of need. Stan then read the contest winners for February’s one day contest, Women's one day contest and then the monthly contest winners.
Chris Matteson came up and conducted our board elections. The result was all current board members were retained by majority.
The 50/50 drawing was won by Jim Molenaar for $87.
Meeting was Adjourned by Ron Prieskorn
Club auctioneer Ricky Baer then auctioned off many items including rod and reels donated by Beverly Blank from her late husband's fishing gear. Also other great fishing gear and golf cart parts were auctioned off.
Meeting was Adjourned by Ron Prieskorn
Respectfully Submitted by George Mullen
- Details
February 4th 2025
Paradise Bay Sarasota Bay Boating & Fishing Club Meeting Minutes
President: Ron Prieskorn
Vice President: John Hopkins
Treasurer: Kevin Sullivan / Jim Bowling
Secretary: George Mullen
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by President, Ron Prieskorn. There were over 125 members present.
Ron led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and then recited the Fisherman's Prayer.
Ron then asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the December 10th 2024 meeting, motion was made by
Ron then told club members to get their chili while the meeting was conducted.
Scotty Yates spoke about the waitlist and said after the dock fees are paid toward the end of February then he can assess which docks are available.
Scotty said to pay your fee at the office.
John Hopkins reported that the Frank and Bean dinner was a success even with serving it outside of the Sara Bay Hall. John Thanked and the volunteers who made the dinner a success, Especially the ladies in the kitchen.
Ricky Baer spoke about the upcoming Coast Guard boat inspections on February 8th.
We will meet at the waterfront by the docks at 9am to begin the inspections. Ricky also gave out information sheets about what the inspectors will be checking for.
Jim Elias then spoke about boating trips.
Jim said there might be a trip as soon as next Tuesday the 11th, details will be posted on team reach. Jim then spoke about a trip to Gilligan's Island in the near future and shared how much fun the last trip there was. Jim said he will be poting a signup sheet for both of these upcoming trips.
Ron Prieskorn explained Caroline M would be head contact person for the kayak trips. Caroline was out kayaking at the time of the meeting.
Kevin Sullivan gave his final treasure report as he is resigning from the board. Kevin will be very missed by our boating community. Kevin was a very large part of the park and presence will leave a large void. Our interim treasure Jim Bowling has takin the job over from Kevin and doing a great job.
Kevin then asked Ge Stepansky to come forward and presented Ge one of our personalized club logo mugs made by Tervis. Kevin thanked Ge for his years of service on the boating and fishing club.
Sheila Gilstrap gave the fishing report and said snook will be back in season at the end of February. Sheila report you are only allowed one trout over 19” in a boat, she also had cheat sheets to carry on your boat of current fish regulations.
Stan came up and read out all the one day and monthly fishing contest winners.
Ron then said many fish are caught on kayaks and off the seawall in the park.
Ron reviewed the money for donations to other clubs, $500 to Paradise Bay activities, $300 to Sara Bay activities, $300 for Kayak party, money needed to replace the fish fryers and a tow rope for approx $100 for towing in boats. Jim Elias made a motion to accept Stan Hellenbrand seconded the motion, and the club voted yes verbally. motion passed.
Ron then asked for volunteers to decorate a golf cart for the Bay fest rodeo. Several people in the crowd offered to help.
George Mullen then got up and asked Kevin Sullivan to stand and presented him a club Tervis mug personalized with his name. which Kevin received after the meeting.
George thanked Kevin for his 5 years service on the board and for all his contributions.
Ricky Baer then had the club auction and sold a lot of fishing gear including an offshore rod and reel donated by Beverly Blank from her late husband Larry Blank's estate.
Larry was Loved by many in the park and was a park board member and was also the President of the boating and fishing club.
Several door prizes were awarded during the auction.
The 50/50 Drawing was for 125.00 Brian Bourgeois was the Winner, Congratulations to Brian.
Meeting was Adjourned by Ron Prieskorn
Respectfully Submitted by George Mullen
- Details
February 4th 2025
Paradise Bay Sarasota Bay Boating & Fishing Club Meeting Minutes
President: Ron Prieskorn
Vice President: John Hopkins
Treasurer: Kevin Sullivan / Jim Bowling
Secretary: George Mullen
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by President, Ron Prieskorn. There were over 125 members present.
Ron led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance and then recited the Fisherman's Prayer.
Ron then asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the December 10th 2024 meeting, motion was made by
Ron then told club members to get their chili while the meeting was conducted.
Scotty Yates spoke about the waitlist and said after the dock fees are paid toward the end of February then he can assess which docks are available.
Scotty said to pay your fee at the office.
John Hopkins reported that the Frank and Bean dinner was a success even with serving it outside of the Sara Bay Hall. John Thanked and the volunteers who made the dinner a success, Especially the ladies in the kitchen.
Ricky Baer spoke about the upcoming Coast Guard boat inspections on February 8th.
We will meet at the waterfront by the docks at 9am to begin the inspections. Ricky also gave out information sheets about what the inspectors will be checking for.
Jim Elias then spoke about boating trips.
Jim said there might be a trip as soon as next Tuesday the 11th, details will be posted on team reach. Jim then spoke about a trip to Gilligan's Island in the near future and shared how much fun the last trip there was. Jim said he will be poting a signup sheet for both of these upcoming trips.
Ron Prieskorn explained Caroline M would be head contact person for the kayak trips. Caroline was out kayaking at the time of the meeting.
Kevin Sullivan gave his final treasure report as he is resigning from the board. Kevin will be very missed by our boating community. Kevin was a very large part of the park and presence will leave a large void. Our interim treasure Jim Bowling has takin the job over from Kevin and doing a great job.
Kevin then asked Ge Stepansky to come forward and presented Ge one of our personalized club logo mugs made by Tervis. Kevin thanked Ge for his years of service on the boating and fishing club.
Sheila Gilstrap gave the fishing report and said snook will be back in season at the end of February. Sheila report you are only allowed one trout over 19” in a boat, she also had cheat sheets to carry on your boat of current fish regulations.
Stan came up and read out all the one day and monthly fishing contest winners.
Ron then said many fish are caught on kayaks and off the seawall in the park.
Ron reviewed the money for donations to other clubs, $500 to Paradise Bay activities, $300 to Sara Bay activities, $300 for Kayak party, money needed to replace the fish fryers and a tow rope for approx $100 for towing in boats. Jim Elias made a motion to accept Stan Hellenbrand seconded the motion, and the club voted yes verbally. motion passed.
Ron then asked for volunteers to decorate a golf cart for the Bay fest rodeo. Several people in the crowd offered to help.
George Mullen then got up and asked Kevin Sullivan to stand and presented him a club Tervis mug personalized with his name. which Kevin received after the meeting.
George thanked Kevin for his 5 years service on the board and for all his contributions.
Ricky Baer then had the club auction and sold a lot of fishing gear including an offshore rod and reel donated by Beverly Blank from her late husband Larry Blank's estate.
Larry was Loved by many in the park and was a park board member and was also the President of the boating and fishing club.
Several door prizes were awarded during the auction.
The 50/50 Drawing was for 125.00 Brian Bourgeois was the Winner, Congratulations to Brian.
Meeting was Adjourned by Ron Prieskorn
Respectfully Submitted by George Mullen