Sailing Club
Clubhouse (01636) 830065
NG14 7JX
| AGM Notice 2001 | Nottinghamshire
County Sailing Club Clubhouse (01636) 830065 NG14 7JX |
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Annual General Meeting (2001) of Nottinghamshire County Sailing Club will take place on Thursday 22nd November in the Clubroom. The bar will close at 19:55 hrs and the meeting will commence promptly at 20:00 hrs.
The preliminary notice of meeting was sent to club members on or around the 16th October 2001.
AGENDA
1. Apologies for absence
2. Approval of the 2000 AGM Minutes (copy attached)
3. Matters arising from the 2000 Minutes
4. Commodore’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. Executive, sailing, training and bar reports. (Some to be given verbally; others attached to
this notice)
7. Notices of Motion
8. Election of officers & Executive Committee
9. Election of Sailing Committee. (Individual fleets need to consider who will represent them for the forthcoming year and who will act as a deputy)
The AGM will finish at this point
Interval
After the interval there will be an open discussion where members can raise issues over the future direction of the club or raise any concerns
Notices of Motion
Proposed by the Executive Committee
1. Alteration to membership renewal
Subscriptions are due on 1st January each year and apart from collecting the revenue needed to run the club, this timing is vital to compile an up to date membership list. This list is used to programme the duty rota for the season.
Regardless of when people renew their membership the duty rota must be available before the start of the season in March. Taking into account the time needed to compile this and to have it printed and distributed the need for a definitive membership list as early as possible is obvious. If the duty list contains people who do not renew their membership because they intended to resign then problems arise when these people are not available on the allocated day.
Rather than paying their subscription when it becomes due, a significant proportion of members delay renewing their membership until later in the year. Doubt and uncertainty often lingers well into the sailing season about a proportion of the membership as to whether they will renew or not. This proposal is aimed at giving people an incentive to renew by the end of January each year by discounting the membership fee by 20%.
The proposed membership subscriptions for 2002 shall be as follows:
|
Annual Subscription |
Renewals after 31st Jan |
|
|
Family |
146 |
175 |
|
Ordinary (21 +) |
125 |
150 |
|
Ordinary (18 – 20) |
67 |
80 |
|
Junior (12 – 17) + Parents Social |
71 |
71 |
|
Junior (12 – 17) |
37 |
37 |
|
Associate |
35 |
35 |
|
Social |
35 |
35 |
|
Senior Social (65 +) |
10 |
10 |
|
Boat Berth – dinghy |
20 |
20 |
|
Boat Berth – junior |
10 |
10 |
|
Boat Berth – keel boat |
30 |
30 |
2. Amendment to the club constitution
During the year the balcony was extended. The Executive Committee were subsequently told by the Fire Department that they should be informed as to any changes to the structure of the club premises. Likewise, as a licensed premises, the licensing authority also need to be informed of changes to the premises and to the club constitution. There is currently no instruction in the clubs constitution to remind the Executive Committee to inform the relevant bodies of any such changes. The Executive Committee therefore propose inserting the following clause (17c) into the current constitution, in section 17 (Management of Club by Committee):
17 c) The Executive Committee shall inform the licensing authority of any changes to the clubs constitution or alterations to the club premises. They shall also inform the Fire Department of any change to the club premises.
Barry Rawlins, Secretary NCSC
Attached to the notice of meeting are the following:
3. Bar report
I have great pleasure in reporting on another very successful year for the training section. We have run a wide range of courses appealing to people of all different ages, abilities and interests. The courses have been extremely popular, both with existing members and to newcomers. In particular the new Development Course, which is designed to help both seasoned dinghy sailors and those who have just achieved level 2 to improve their skills, enjoyed great success. Also, the second Easter Juniors training was even more popular than last year and looks like becoming a regular part of the training season. We have also tried hard this year to encourage and support people who want to obtain or improve their racing skills by running a Race Training course.
The training section continues to bring great benefit to the club both in terms of generating income and of bringing in new members. The number of people who decide to take up membership after completing a course is on the increase. The figures speak for themselves. They show the considerable financial contribution made to the club, which in turn helps to keep the membership fees down.
An important factor in attracting new trainees is the club web site. Most courses are now booked on line and in fact the courses for next year are nearly full already. I think it is important to acknowledge the remarkable efforts on the part of David Eberlin and, more recently, Rob Spray in maintaining this vital service. I would also like to remind everyone of the enormous amount of free time and effort the Instructors give to the club year on year. The quality of the work they do is outstanding and Notts. County's excellent training reputation is largely down to them and their commitment to the sport.
As well as needing good Instructors the training section relies on having good equipment and tools to do the job. The Stratos' continue to be excellent training boats and are proving worthy of the investment made in them. There has been an overall improvement in the provision of powerboats over the year which will help to make courses run more efficiently. Unfortunately three of the Toppers have sustained damage beyond repair which means that the remaining craft will no longer be available to hire, except for organised events. The Adopt-a-Boat scheme has continued to make an important contribution to the maintenance programme and will continue to run next year, with some changes and with new adopters.
With much interest the new Sailability Access boat arrived in September. Brought with an Awards-For-All grant, this specially adapted craft will enable people with a range of disabilities to sail either single handedly or with a helper.
On a more personal note, it has been a privilege to hold the position of Principal of the Training Section in 2001 and I have enjoyed taking part in the development and growth over the year. Having said originally that I would take on the job for two years, I find that family commitments will not enable me to continue in 2002 and I will be stepping down at the end of this year. I wish both my successor and all of the Training Section well and know that they will all continue to do an excellent job in the future.
Neil Jacks (Training)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Sailing Committee Report for 2001
The start of the 2001 season was delayed due to the foot and mouth crisis, but we were more fortunate than many clubs only losing two weeks. The effect on Open Meetings for many classes was greater with some classes not getting started till May. When able to travel N.C.S.C. sailors and windsurfers competed at local, national and international level with considerable success.
Whilst the hot shots were away, racing and cruising was enjoyed at the club. All class boats retaining their class status, the menagerie fleet continues to grow in strength and the cruising members enjoyed some excellent recreational sailing/windsurfing.
The Sailing Committee controls members’ use of the water within the confines of the lease. This year there has been pressure from different sections of the membership to retain or increase their use of the water. It is both the Sailing & Executive Committee’s view that the facilities of the club should be used as much as possible by all members. To this end the alarm was moved from the main club room to the bar giving access at all times to the main club room.
Use of the lake is not so simple. Racers require duty crews and some none racers request safety cover. In 2001 there has been an increase in members failing to turn up for their allocated duty (a condition of membership) or duty swaps with all the experienced or inexperienced members on at the same time, putting increased pressure on the Duty Secretary (Val Parker). Val has decided not to stand for the post in 2002. She has worked tirelessly ensuring we have sufficient duty crews and I am sure you would like me to thank her on your behalf. She will be a difficult person to replace.
For the 2002 season it is proposed to co-opt onto the Sailing Committee a member to represent the cruising windsurfers/sailors. With all Committees there is a danger of the them becoming too large and nothing getting done. We did however feel that the cruising members required representation on the water usage.
It will NOT be possible to fully discuss the sailing programme at the Annual General Meeting so please forward all your ideas to your representative on the Sailing Committee. We wish you all the best of luck both on and off the water in the coming season.
John Allen (Sailing Secretary) for Sailing Committee
____________________________________________________________________________________
2001 has seen several changes with the bar. Shutters on the bar have allowed the alarm to be moved into the bar giving members free access to the main club room out of normal club hours. A new cooling system has been installed in the bar store hopefully keeping products fresher, and in good condition for longer. A new large screen television for the dry area was also purchased out of the bar profits.
N.C.S.C. is the largest club in the Midlands to be run purely on a voluntary basis with none of the Executive or Sailing Committee members being paid. Managing the bar requires a commitment of between 10-20 hours per week in the summer and between 5-10 hours per week during the winter. (not counting serving). It would be ideal if members could have free access to the bar or that it could be open at all times when members wished. However this would not only cause problems with the licence, but the stock would be difficult to control and replace thus requiring an even greater commitment from who ever manages the bar stock.
In 2002 the bar will continue to be run as at present. All organised events will have full bar cover, however when few members are expected to be at the club this may be restricted to cans/bottles sold through the canteen or by the Social Secretary. The profit from the bar is not only used to purchase items for the club, but helps to keep membership fees down. You are therefore thanked for your support.
John Allen (Bar Manager)
Minutes of the 2000 Annual General Meeting held in the clubroom on 30 November 2000, commencing at 20:00 hrs.
Attendance Officers, Committee and members. A total of 88 members signed the attendance sheet.
Apologies were received prior to the meeting from Mike Chadwick, Elin Iverson, Robert King, Barry Higham, Laura Craig, Peter Baldwin, Alex Thornhill, (Chris, Alex and Rod) Piggott, Margaret and Michael Kerslake, (Tony, Maria and Tom) Fenn, Dave Parker, John Riddell, Mary Poole and Martin Read.
These were approved as an accurate record of the Meeting: proposed-Dave Marriot, seconded- John Marshall.
The Commodore described the status of the club as healthy in its membership level and its range of activities, but that to thrive it must develop. There had been many successes over the preceding year: the lottery boats, the Easter sailing school, the Millennium regatta, team racing and the appointment of a maintenance officer for the club. There had been numerous achievements on the water; in competition at international, national and local levels; and plenty of cruising by members.
On the negative side there had been problems recently with flooding and the club was grateful for the strenuous efforts of Geoff Parker and John Allen.
There are future plans for the development of junior facilities, the balcony extension and alterations to assist with the control of the water level in the lake. The Commodore asked members to bring ideas to the committee now and during the coming year.
The Commodore thanked a number of members for their efforts throughout the year in helping to maintain the club’s activities: Margaret Kerslake (newsletter and results), Glyn Myatt (training), Rachel McEvoy (social), Chris Sawdon, John Hammond (Insurance and RYA), Norman Parr (for his 12 years as Secretary) and his continued role as President of the club.
The Treasurer highlighted the most significant points from the year’s accounts. It had been an exceptional year due to the £35,000 of lottery funds. The club is in a healthy financial position, although there is currently a slight deficit due to the situation regarding VAT payments. In 1995 the club correctly claimed back £16,000 in VAT which was correct at that time, but a few months after this, Customs and Excise closed a loophole and did not inform the club, and the club has had to repay part of this total. The club is now partially exempt. The Treasurer estimates that the change in the VAT law will cost the club around £4000 per year and that this was why subscriptions have to rise on average by £5 this year. He also commented that the RYA were pursuing the anomaly of rescue boats on the sea being allowed to claim back VAT on petrol, whilst those on inland water cannot currently do so. The Treasurer commented that although he was happy to continue running the club’s accounts, the club may wish to consider whether they should contract a professional to do so. Although it be costly to pay for the services of an accountant, the net effect might be to save the club money.
The Treasurer’s report was approved: proposed- David Eberlin, seconded – Glyn Myatt.
In reporting for the sailing committee, John Allen thanked Val Parker on behalf of all of members for her hard work as Duty secretary. He asked that members should let Val know well in advance if they intend to swap duties and that they should only swap for the same type of duty with other members.
These reports had been circulated with the Notice of the Meeting and were accepted by the members.
Motion 1 - that the AGM endorses the changes and clarifications made to the Constitution and Rules of the Club (these had been included with the Notice of the meeting). The Commodore explained the reason for the proposed changes to the constitution; the removal of unnecessary words, sexist language, repetition and inconsistencies.
There was one amendment (underlined below) to the amended version of the constitution, proposed by John Allen and seconded by Martin Stott. Section 18a of the constitution should state the following: ‘Social Committee consisting of the Social Chairperson, bar manager and at least two members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. They shall be responsible for the organisation of all social activities and the provision of refreshments, the bar manager shall also manage the purchase of and supply by the Club of all intoxicating liquor.’
This amendment will allow the social committee to control the sale of refreshments, and hence give the committee the option to change their provision should prices rise above an acceptable level.
This amendment was voted upon and passed unanimously.
The Commodore asked if there were any questions on the proposed amendments to the constitution. A query was raised concerning whether the current maximum number of six ‘honorary’ members permitted under the constitution was sufficient. It was suggested that this should be referred to the Executive Committee for their consideration and that the wording of the constitution might be changed to a maximum of six ‘active’ honorary members.
A vote on accepting the amendments to the constitution was passed unanimously.
Motion 2 on the hire of club boats was withdrawn, and the following motion proposed in its place by Glynn Myatt:
That club members may have use of the club Stratos boats on occasions other than for training and club organised events and that the matter be referred to the Executive Committee where full consideration will be given to the way that the arrangement will be managed.
Glynn Myatt and John Allen explained that two Laser Stratos boats could be booked in advance. It would be the responsibility of those members who adopt these two boats under the adopt-a-boat scheme to ensure that they are maintained. The amendment was voted upon and was passed unanimously.
Motion 3- concerning the purchase of a Stratos dinghy by the club which could be hired by club members, was withdrawn by the Executive committee.
Motion 4 - that there be a £5 increase in membership subscriptions for ordinary members and a pro rata increase for other categories. The Treasurer explained that the increase was necessary due to the change in the amount of VAT the club could claim back from the government. The proposed motion was passed unanimously.
The Commodore thanked all those who were standing down from the committee for all their hard work in helping with the smooth running of the club. The Commodore gave special thanks to Norman Parr for serving as the Honorary Secretary for many years and said that everyone was glad that he would be continuing in his role as President.
The following members were nominated to posts on the Executive Committee:
Barry Rawlins – Secretary
John Marshall – Membership Secretary
Phil Kilburn – Committee member responsible for Insurance issues
There was a ballot for the position of rear commodore; Adrian White was appointed as rear commodore, and the other nominee, Simon Ford, was made a member of the Executive Committee
David Eberlin was made an honorary member for his hard work on behalf of the club in promoting its interests in the local press, for attracting lottery funds and his long-standing contribution to the Executive committee.
The following Class Reps (and their substitutes) were either nominated or offered to continue to serve on the Sailing Committee:
Fireball: S Hextall (H Parmenter)
Flying Fifteen: P Brown (V Parker)
Scorpion: D Milns (K Twemlow)
Enterprise: S Poole (A Farmer)
Menagerie: I Johnson (B Seagreave)
Windsurfers: S Payne (R Towns)
Club’s 40th celebration and jubilee year (2002)
Will Gardener asked whether the Executive Committee had considered celebrating the club’s 40th anniversary next year with an event. It was also pointed out that 2002 was a jubilee year and that an event could be held to celebrate this as well. A vote on both events was supported by the vast majority of members present.
There was a wide-ranging discussion concerning this season’s team racing and the format that should be adopted next season. Although there was considerable support for retaining team racing in some form, John Allen suggested that such events should take place (and be completed) on specific days. The problem with running events over a number of weekends was that fleets were often away on consecutive weekends at open meetings.
John Allen commented that in future the pursuit race would be shortened from its current duration of 1½ to 1¼ hours. There was general agreement to a suggestion by Simon Hextall that if it was very windy then two handicap races should be run instead of one pursuit and one handicap race.
Racing: start times and race/series format
There was a discussion over the start time of races on a Sunday morning during the main sailing series. Although the start time had recently been brought forward to 10:45 am, a majority of members present voted that they would prefer the start time to revert to 11am. Although it was suggested that Thursday evening races should begin 15 minutes earlier at 7pm, the majority of members present voted to maintain the current starting time of 7:15pm.
John Allen asked all OOD’s to start races at the specified time; the fact that the majority of boats were still ashore was not a reason to delay the start. He commented that delaying the start in the morning was responsible for the racing finishing later than expected on Sunday afternoons.
William Jeffcoate suggested that it may be beneficial to split the main series into a number of shorter series. In response John Allen commented that it was currently difficult for many of the fleets to qualify for the series and that even fewer might qualify if such a change was implemented, and asked that if people had views on this could they pass them to the sailing committee.
Simon Ford stressed that it was important to maintain the junior race on Tuesday evenings.
Geoff Parker reported on the status of the extension: the planning officer had accepted the drawings and the planning application would be submitted in the next few days. The Executive Committee would be examining the cost estimates for construction at the next meeting and it is hoped that construction would begin soon after the end of the main season.
The Commodore thanked everyone for their contribution and asked that members continue to pass on their views to the Executive Committee. Meeting closed.
Barry Rawlins, Secretary NCSC
28 Rodney Rd
West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 6JJ
e-mail: secretary@ncsc.org.uk
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