PART B – RULES OF THE CLUB

1. Burgee

The Burgee of the Club shall be the crown of St. Edmund, King and Martyr, in gold on blue background.

2. Election of Members

Applications for Membership must be proposed and seconded by full Members of the Club. The proposal shall be forwarded to the Secretary who shall post the name on the Notice Board of the Club for at least seven days. The Secretary shall then submit the proposal to the next meeting of the General Committee. Applications shall be accepted by ballot. At least 75% of the Committee Members present shall record their vote for or against, otherwise the candidate shall be deemed not to have been elected.

One black ball or more in five will reject the proposal.

3. a. Subscriptions and Entrance Fee

The Entrance Fee and Subscriptions shall become due upon election. The Annual Subscription shall become due on 1st April in each succeeding year. The amount of the Entrance Fee and Annual Subscriptions shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting.

Any Member who, through absence abroad shall not be able to participate in the season’s activities of the Club, shall be entitled to pay only half the Annual Subscription on the following 1st April. (AGM 2013)

b. Registration of Members
i. Any Member desirous of resigning from the Club shall give notice in writing to the Secretary on or before 31st March each year, otherwise they shall be liable for the subscription for the next year following. (AGM 2013)

ii. When they consider such a course desirable, the General Committee shall have power to re-elect Members who resigned on the payment of the Annual Subscription without the entrance fee.

c. Family Membership
Parents and their children under the age of eighteen are eligible for family membership.(AGM 2012)

d. Subscription Reminder System
Subscriptions are due 1st April. To give Members the opportunity to pay their subscriptions by this date, subscription renewals are to be sent out by 1st March.

Those not having renewed their subscription by 1st April will be sent the appropriate subscription reminder letters: 1st reminder letter to be sent the second week of April; 2nd reminder letter to be sent 3 weeks after the 1st reminder.

3rd and final letter to be sent 3 weeks after the 2nd reminder giving a date when subscriptions need to be paid in full and stating that if payment is not received by that date they will no longer be considered a Member of Southwold Sailing Club and their name will appear on a list of persons not considered to be Members of the Club and displayed on the Club notice board.(AGM 2013)

4. Associate Members
Associate Members are admitted on the following terms and conditions.

a. Honorary Life Members
Honorary Life Membership of the Club may be conferred by the General Committee as a distinction.

b. Junior Members
Junior Members shall be between the ages of fourteen and eighteen and shall be duly proposed and seconded and elected by the General Committee in the usual manner. On attaining the age of eighteen, no Entrance Fee shall be required and no additional subscription shall be required until 1st April following. Such Junior Members shall be entitled to full privileges of Membership except that they may not vote at General Meetings. AGM 2013)

c. Temporary Honorary Members
Upon a proper invitation being issued by the Secretary, Members of recognised Yacht Clubs visiting Southwold in their yachts, or otherwise, may become Honorary Temporary Members. Subject to the permission of the Officer of the Day, such Members may compete in Club Regattas but shall not be eligible for Club trophies.

d. Temporary Members
Visiting boat owners may become Temporary Members of the Club for a period of not more than three weeks on payment of a reduced fee. Application for Temporary Membership may be received by Flag Officers, the Secretary or Committee Members. Subject to the permission of the Officer of the Day, such Members may compete in Club Races and Regattas but shall not be eligible for Club trophies

5. Election of Officers and Committee
The election of Officers and Members of the Committee, which may additionally include one Junior non-voting Member, shall be effected by ballot. The name of any Member and any Junior Member willing to serve shall be forwarded, with names of his Proposer and Seconder, to the Secretary not later than 28 days before the Annual General Meeting, such names to be placed on the Agenda for such Meeting. In the event of there being an insufficient number of nominations, Members may propose and second candidates for the remaining vacant offices at the Annual General Meeting, and the election for the remaining vacant offices shall be declared by ballot.

No Member shall be eligible for re-election at the Annual General meeting who has not attended at least half the summoned meetings held by the General Committee during the season then passed unless, in the opinion of the meeting, there appears to have been reasonable cause for such Members’ non -attendance. In the event of vacancies occurring between dates of annual elections, the General Committee shall power to select other Members of the Club to fill such vacancies.

6. a. Sailing and Handicap Committee
The General Committee shall elect not less than three of its Members who, together with the Flag Officers, shall form the Sailing and Handicap Committee. It shall regulate all matters relating to sailing and racing. They shall be responsible to the General Committee to whom regular reports shall be submitted, at all meetings of the Sailing and Handicap Committee four shall form the quorum except for the hearing of Protests, when three shall form a quorum.

b. House and Social Committee
The General Committee shall elect not less than three of its Members who, together with the Flag Officers and such other Members that the General Committee may deem advisable (but not exceeding two in number), shall form the House and Social Committee. At a meeting of such House and Social Committee, three shall form a quorum. The House and Social Committee shall devise an annual Programme of social events and subject to the approval of the General Committee be responsible for fulfilling it. It also, subject to approval of the General Committee regulate the tariff of charges, draw up any necessary bye-laws, and generally manage the arrangements of the Clubhouse.

c. Fabric Works Committee
The General Committee shall elect not less than three of its Members together with the flag Officers and such other Members that the General Committee may deem advisable (but not exceeding two in number) shall form the Fabric Works Committee. At a meeting of such Fabric works Committee three shall form a quorum. The Fabric Works Committee snail be responsible for recommending and, subject to approval of the General Committee, undertaking construction works and the maintenance of Club lands, premises and equipment, and, except in unforeseen emergencies, shall not commit any expenditure in excess of a sum to be set by the General Committee, that sum to be £ 250 or as otherwise agreed for the time being by the General Committee.

d. Finance Committee
i. The General Committee shall elect not less than three of its Members to be the Finance Committee, which shall be responsible to the General Committee.

ii. A person shall be appointed annually as a verifier of the club accounts.

e. Committee Reports
Whenever practicable written Reports or Minutes of the above Committees shall be circulated to Committee Members in advance of the meeting of the General Committee at which such reports are to be considered.

7. Expulsion of Members

a. If any Member shall commit any breach of the Rules, Regulations or Bye-Laws of the Club for the time being in force, or if the conduct of any Member, either in or out of the Club premises, is such as shall, in the opinion of the General Committee, be injurious to the character of the Club, then the General Committee may, by letter, invite such Member to withdraw from the Club within a time specified within such letter (but not less than twenty-one days). In default of such a withdrawal, the General Committee shall consider the question of his expulsion at a General Meeting held not less than one week and not more than two calendar months after the time specified in such letter.

The Member whose expulsion is under consideration shall be given not less than seven days notice of such meeting, and shall be allowed to offer at such meeting an explanation, orally or in writing, before the resolution for his expulsion is put to the vote.

The vote on such resolutions shall be taken by ballot if five Members of the General Committee present so require.

No resolution shall be valid unless carried by a majority of those present and voting of not less than two to one.

b. There shall be no appeal against the decision of the General Committee, whose discretion and decision shall be final and absolute, nor shall the General Committee be bound to give any reason for their decision.

c. A letter or notice sent by registered post addressed to the Member and sent to his last known place of address, shall be sufficient letter or notice for the purpose of this Rule.

8. Club Privileges
If a boat be let or lent she is not entitled to the Club privileges or to fly the Club flag unless the person to whom she is let be a Member of the Club.

Any Member letting his boat to a non-Member of the Club shall pay the mooring fee applicable to non-Members for the period of the charter.

9. Yacht Entered on Club Register

Every Member being the owner of a boat is entitled to have such boat entered on the Club Register, to fly the Club flag and to have his boat measured by the Official Measurer.

10. Club Pontoon
No boats are to use the Club pontoons for berths. These are for the use of the Safety Boat or boats; for the use of dinghies being rigged and de-rigged and for temporary mooring of larger craft including visiting yachts, at the discretion of the Flag Officer and Committee.

11. Disposal of Abandoned Boats
If at any time any mooring fees or facility fees payable to the Club by any Member or formed Member shall be three months or more in arrears:

i. The Committee shall be entitled to move the boat to any other part of the premises without being liable for any loss of or damage to the boat howsoever caused

ii. The Committee shall be entitled upon giving one month’s notice in writing to the Member or former Member, at his last known address shown in the register of Members, to sell the boat and to deduct any monies due to the Club (whether by way of arrears of subscriptions, mooring or facility fees or otherwise) from the net proceeds of sale before accounting for the balance (if any) to the Member or former Member

iii. Alternatively, any boat which, in the opinion of the Committee can not be sold may, upon such notice as aforesaid. be disposed of in any manner the Committee may think fit and the expenses recovered from the Member or former Member. The arrears as aforesaid shall be deemed to be a debt owing to the Club by the Member or former Member

Further, the Club shall at all times have a lien over the Members’ or former Member’s boats parked or moored on the Club’ premises or Club moorings in respect of all monies due to the Club, whether in respect of arrears or mooring.