RULES
of the
Goldhanger Sailing Club
Established 1959
(Revised 30.02.2011)
NAME and AIMS of the CLUB
1. The Club shall be called the ‘Goldhanger Sailing Club’.
2. The object of the Club is to encourage boat sailing and sociability among Members.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
3. Annual subscriptions shall be agreed at an AGM each year, and details of amounts due will be advised to each Member within 30 days. The annual subscription shall be paid by Members to the Hon. Treasurer not later than 30th April. Should, after advice, a Member fail to pay his/her subscription by 31st May, the Committee has the right to terminate his/her Membership.
THE COMMITTEE
4. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee, which shall consist of seven elected Members of the Club, of whom no fewer than four shall be resident within a nine-mile radius of the Clubhouse. The Annual General Meeting shall elect a Commodore, Vice-Commodore, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary and other Members of the Committee. The Hon.Secretary, if having been elected, shall have voting rights but, if appointed and not having been elected, will be a non-voting Member, in which case one more person may be elected onto the Committee.
5. A Member of the Committee may not vote on any issue in which he/she has a personal involvement.
6. The decision of the Committee in all disputes and issues referred to it, or in other matters over which it has control, shall be final and binding upon the Members without right of appeal.
ELECTION OF THE COMMITTEE AND OFFICERS
7. The election of the Committee and Officers shall be made only at the Annual General Meeting.
8. The Members of the Committee present at an Extraordinary Committee Meeting called for the purpose may elect a Member to fill any vacancy on the Committee by a simple majority vote.
9. The Senior Flag Officer present shall take the Chair at all meetings; in his absence the Members present shall elect a Chairman.In all cases of equality of votes, or deadlock, the Chairman shall have the casting vote in addition to his vote as a Member.
10. A quorum shall consist of four Members of the Committee.
SUB-COMMITTEES
11. Sub-Committees for special tasks may be formed from time to time by the Committee. Each Sub-Committee shall be dissolved when the task for which it was formed has been completed.
HONORARY TREASURER
12. All monies due to the Club shall be paid to the Hon. Treasurer.
13. No expenses shall be incurred without prior approval of the Hon. Treasurer, who shall keep proper records of all financial transactions relating to the club. These records shall be subject to such scrutiny as the Committee considers necessary at each Committee meeting.
14. The Annual General Meeting shall each year appoint two Members to audit the accounts of the Club.
15. If at any Annual General Meeting of the Club the unlikely situation of a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Hon. Secretary shall immediately convene an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the dispersal of the Club’s assets.
HONORARY SECRETARY
16. The Hon. Secretary shall keep Minute Books and record all the proceedings of the Club. The Minutes of each meeting shall be read and approved at each succeeding meeting.
CLUB DEVICE
17. The Club Device shall be a white seagull on a blue background.
The Club Burgee shall be the same.
The Commodore’s Flag shall be a swallow-tail burgee of the same design.
ELECTION OF MEMBERS
18. A candidate for Membership shall be the owner of a boat, or person keenly interested in sailing. He/she shall be proposed by one Member and seconded by one other, and the application will then be submitted for approval at the next available Committee meeting. A majority of two-thirds of those present at the meeting shall confirm the application. The candidate shall be informed promptly and, on receipt of the appropriate subscription, shall receive a Membership/Fixture Card and a copy of the Rules.
ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO THE RULES
19. The Committee may make alterations, additions, and revisions to the Rules. Such changes shall not take effect until they have been approved at the next Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.
20. Any Member wishing to propose an alteration, revision or addition to the Rules must send a letter to the Hon. Secretary giving the full text and the name of the Seconder. Such a proposal shall first be considered at a Committee meeting and afterwards be submitted to the next Annual General Meeting. Unless supported by the Committee the proposal shall require a three-fourths majority of those present to be approved.
MEETINGS, GENERAL AND EXTRAORDINARY
21. With the exception of any unforeseen circumstances, there shall be an Annual General Meeting each year in January of which 21 days’ notice shall be given, for the presentation of the Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure Account to 30th November of the previous year. Any matters included under Any Other Business must be sent in writing to the Hon. Secretary at least 14 days before the date of the AGM.
22. The Committee may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting when needed, stating in writing the object of the proposed meeting.
23. At any Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting a declaration by the Chairman that a resolution has been carried or not carried by a stated majority shall be conclusive evidence of the fact.
SAILING REGULATIONS
24. The Committee shall each year appoint no fewer than two, and not more than four, members who, with the Officers, will form the Sailing Committee. They shall have the sole management of the sailing events and establish the Rules under which they are conducted.
BYE-LAWS
25. Any infringement of the local Bye-Laws shall be considered an infringement of the Rules.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
26. Members shall inform the Hon. Secretary of any change of address. Any notice posted to a Member’s last given address shall be considered to have been duly delivered.
EXPULSION
27. The Committee may expel any Member at a Committee Meeting specially called for the purpose. At least six Committee Members must be present and a majority of at least two-thirds in favour of the expulsion. Such a Committee Meeting may be called upon receipt of a written request for it, signed by three Members of the Club, and formulating the charge against the said Member.
28. In the event of a resolution for expulsion having been passed, notice thereof shall be given to the Member forthwith. Any Member thus expelled may appeal to an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club, to be held within one month from the date of the resolution of expulsion. The notice convening such a meeting shall be as follows :- “Appeal by a Member against the resolution of the Committee to expel him/her from the Club.” The decision made by the majority of the Members present at such a meeting shall be final.
29. The Member whose expulsion is in question may be present at the meeting, but shall retire at the request of the Chairman when voting takes place. Voting shall be by ballot and scrutinised by two Members chosen by the majority of those Members present.
30. Any Member wilfully abusing any of the privileges granted by the Club shall be liable to expulsion.
HEALTH & SAFETY IN CLUB COMPOUND
31. On occasions items stored in the Club Compound may be reported to the Committee as being a health and safety hazard, an eyesore, or in urgent need of care or repair. Such reports will cause the Committee to enquire of Members and post notices to identify the owners of the items, and request him/her to contact a Committee Member. This will be undertaken in order to establish that the items are: actually owned by a Club Member; have not been forgotten; are still wanted; and will be properly maintained.
32. If it is not possible to establish ownership then in the following sailing season the Committee shall be entitled to dispose of the items and retain for general Club funds any sum that may result.
33. Except when attending an event organised by the Club, for which permission has been obtained by the Committee, a Club Member wishing to gain access to the compound by vehicle shall always obtain prior permission from the Wilkin & Sons Ltd farm manager, regardless of the reason.
34. The tenancy agreement allows for the use of the Hatches seawall gate in April, May, September and October, for the sole purpose of launching and recovering vessels. A Member wishing to launch or recover a vessel by this route shall, without exception, obtain prior permission, and collect the key from the Wilkin & Sons Ltd farm manager. The Member shall ensure that the gate is locked properly and the key returned immediately.
35. Before any boat, not having already been accounted for, is left on the Club premises, authorisation must be obtained from an officer of the Club.