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The Combs Sailing Club Constitution

1.  Name
The name of the Club shall be “THE COMBS SAILING CLUB”.

2.  Objects
To encourage and practice the arts of sailing, racing, rowing and paddling small craft. With the exception of power for the propulsion of patrol craft the use of any form of power is specifically excluded.

3.  Sailing Ground
The Combs Reservoir, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

4.  Membership
Membership of the Club is open to all regardless of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs or disability.
There shall be the following classes of membership:

1. Full
2. Sailing
3. Family
4. Junior
5. Outport
6. Honorary
7. Temporary
8. Group

Application and consideration for membership shall be carried out in the following way:-
Candidates for membership shall apply on a form and be sponsored by four FULL members of the Club. Candidates may be interviewed by a member of the G.P. Committee. The application will be considered by the G.P. Committee and the applicant shall be elected if supported by the majority of the committee.
The G.P. Committee will consider:

Full membership

Any Sailing member of two years standing may be re-elected as a Full member on the recommendation of the G.P. Committee. Such recommendation shall be restricted to those, who in the opinion of the Committee, have taken an active interest in Club affairs. A Full member is entitled to vote on all matters at general meetings.

Sailing membership

Sailing members are entitled to sail and use any craft approved by the Club.
Sailing members are entitled to vote at general meetings but not on matters which affect the Constitution of the Club.

Family membership

Family members consist of married couples or partners with or without children up to the age of 18. Family members are entitled to sail any craft approved by the Club.
Adult family members have the same voting rights as Sailing members, or if offered Full membership by the G.P. Committee, as Full members.

Junior members

Junior members shall be under the age of 18 on the 1st of January. Junior members are under no obligation other than to obey club rules. Juniors may attend general meetings but may not vote. Junior members may apply for Sailing membership before 18 if they wish.

Outport membership

Outport membership is available for any member who sails less than four times a year and does not intend to leave their boat at the club.

Honorary membership

Conferred at the discretion of the G.P. Committee on those who have notably helped the Club or the cause of sailing.

Temporary membership

Temporary membership for a minimum period of a month and a maximum period of three months may be granted by the G.P. Committee to individuals who reside more than 25 miles from the club and who can prove membership of an RYA affiliated club. Temporary members are not eligible for trophy events and may not vote at general meetings

Group membership

To be considered at the discretion of the G.P. committee on a year to year basis. Group members are not entitled to vote at general meetings.

Any member who, in the opinion of the G.P. Committee,

 will be notified of this and unless a satisfactory explanation is received, will not be permitted to renew membership.

5.  Management
The general affairs of the Club shall be managed by a General Purposes Committee consisting of three Flag Officers (Commodore, Vice-Commodore and Rear-Commodore), a Secretary, Treasurer, and three other Members.

No Flag Officer may hold the same office for more than five consecutive years. The Committee shall have power to decide any matter not provided for in the Constitution and shall decide on any Bye-Laws for the efficient running of the Club. It may co-opt one or two Members (with voting powers) for special purposes. It shall determine the times when dinghy and board sailing can take place on the sailing ground.

The sailing fixtures of the Club shall be arranged and managed by a Sailing Committee consisting of a Treasurer/Secretary and five other Members. Once elected, the Sailing Committee shall choose:
(1) its own Chairman and
(2) a Captain of Matches who shall decide tactics in inter-club matches and
(3) a Representative for each Fleet.

The racing records of the Club shall be kept by an Official Recorder

The audited accounts of the Club shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting.

The measurements of all boats of the Club classes shall be made by the Club Measurer, who may, however, accept class certificate signed by other authorised Measurers.

Election of the Officers named in this section (except the Chairman of the Sailing Committee, and the Captain of Matches) and of the Committee, shall be made at a General Meeting. Written nominations, signed by two Members and countersigned by the nominee, are normally required; failing these, verbal nominations may be accepted.

Only Full Members shall be eligible as Flag Officers and for the General Purposes Committee, and only Full Members may vote at their election. For all other offices only Full and Sailing Members, including adult family members, are eligible, but all Members except Junior Members may vote at their election.

On formal motions involving policy, only Full Members may vote: if any question arises as to whether a particular motion is in this category, the Chairman of the meeting shall decide it.

The Commodore is ex-officio a member of all Committees; if necessary he may appoint the Vice or Rear-Commodore to deputise for him.

6. Abandoned boats

If at any time a member or former member is more than six months in arrears with his subscription or boat fees:
a) The G.P. Committee shall be entitled to move the member’s boat or boats and/or associated equipment to any other part of the premises without being liable to damage to the boat or boats, and/or associated equipment, however caused.
b) The G.P. Committee shall be entitled, upon giving three month’s notice in writing to the member or former member at his last known address, to sell the boat and/or associated equipment and to deduct any monies due to the Club from the net proceeds of the sale, before accounting for the balance (if any) to the member or former member.
c) Alternatively any boat and/or associated equipment which in the opinion of the committee cannot be sold may, upon giving six month’s notice in writing to the member or former member at his last known address shown in the Club records, be disposed of in any manner the G.P. Committee deem fit and the expenses recovered from the member or former member.
d) Furthermore the Club shall at all times have a lien on member’s or former member’s boats and/or associated equipment parked on Club property in respect of all monies due to the Club, whether subscriptions, boat fees or otherwise.

7.  Finance
The Club is a non-profit making organisation and all surplus income or gains will be re-invested in the Club. The Club does not permit any distribution of club assets, in cash or kind, to members or third parties.Donations to the RNLI and to support the development of sailing are permitted.

The Entrance Fees, Annual Subscriptions and Boat Registration Fees shall be determined by a General Meeting; but any change shall not be considered as a change in Constitution.

8.  Type of Craft
All craft except keelboats and multi-hulls are permitted to sail at Combs.
All craft racing at Combs shall belong to either
1) the G.P. 14 fleet and/or
2) the menagerie fleet or fleets limited to dinghies within the range 1386 to 900.
For specific races there may be no upper PY limit for Junior races.
3) the sailboard fleet.

9.  General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held within five months of the end of the Club Year on a date to be fixed by the General Purposes Committee. Thirty five days or more before that date the Secretary shall convene the Meeting and invite motions for the Agenda and nominations for office; the notice shall state which retiring Officers, if any, refuse re-nomination. Motions and nominations must reach the Secretary at least twenty one days before the Meeting. At least seven days before the Meeting the Secretary shall send a copy of the Agenda to each Member.

Extraordinary General Meetings may be called at any time on giving at least seven days notice to all Members either:
(1) by the majority vote of the General Purposes Committee;  or
(2) by the Secretary at the written request of four or more Members; such request to include at least one formal proposition on a matter of importance to the Club as a whole.

10.  Change in Constitution
No change in the Constitution may be made except by a General Meeting voting on a proposition included in the Agenda; though such propositions may be amended at the Meeting in any way which does not affect seriously the sense and purpose of the original proposition.

A change in the Constitution shall be made if, and only if, two thirds of the Full Members present and voting at the Meeting vote in its favour.

11.  Trustees
The property of the Club shall be vested in trustees who shall be appointed by the General Purposes Committee and the property of the Club shall be vested in them to be dealt with by them as the General Purposes Committee may from time to time direct by resolution (of which an entry in the minute book shall be conclusive evidence). The Trustees shall hold office until death or resignation or until removal from office by the General Purposes Committee who shall have full power to nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustee or Trustees of the Club. For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination the Commodore of the Club is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the Club within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustee Act 1925 and he shall by deed appoint the person or persons so nominated by the General Purposes Committee.

12.  Borrowing Powers
If any any time the Club in general meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the General Purposes Committee to borrow money, the Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purposes of the Club such amount of money either at one time or from time to time and as such rate of interest and in such form and manner and upon such security as shall be specified in such resolution, and thereupon the Trustees shall at the direction of the Committee make all such dispositions of the Club property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest. All full members of the Club, whether voting on such resolution or not, and all persons becoming Full members of the Club after the passing of such resolution, shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they had voted in favour of such resolution.

13. Dissolution of the Club

If the Club is dissolved any assets remaining will be donated to the sports governing body, the Royal Yachting Association or another Community Amateur Sports Club which has similar objects to those of Combs Sailing Club. The dissolution of the Club requires the support of two thirds of Full members attending a General Meeting.

Updated Dec 04

BYE LAWS

Safety
1 a) All members must wear a buoyancy aid which meets current EU regulations at all times when on the water in any boat.
b) No minor who cannot swim may go afloat at any time in any type of boat or go onto the pontoon.
c) All minors who do go afloat or go onto the pontoon must wear a buoyancy aid which meets current EU regulations whatever the weather.

2. All boats used on the Club water must have firmly secured buoyancy equipment to the satisfaction of the Sailing Committee, which shall have the right to inspect it and may require a test to be carried out.

3. a) Any member present at the Club may be required to assist with manning the Patrol boat or to help recovery operations if requested by the OOD or by members of the Sailing or GP committees.
b) Juniors of 14 or under are not permitted to operate or crew the patrol boat.
c) Joy riding in the Patrol boat is not permitted.

4. Parents and guardians have sole responsibility for their children and the Club cannot be expected to provide supervision and control.

5. All members using Club equipment must follow the relevant safety guidelines. Copies of the Club’s safety guidelines are available in the Health and Safety Folder in the Clubhouse

Insurance
6. All boats and craft must be covered by third party insurance of at least £2,000,000. All members are required to confirm this on either the application form or renewal form

Membership

7. The Club year is the 12 months from November 1st to October 31st the following year. Any member whose subscription is four months in arrears may, at the discretion of the General Purposes Committee and after due warning. be deemed to have resigned.

8. Accompanied guests of members may sail on club waters in any boat or craft owned by the member for a maximum of four days in any one year provided they comply with the General Rules of the Club and also the Bye laws.

9. The discount for retired members is available from the age of 65.

General

10. Members are required to assist with the care and maintenance of the Club properties at the work parties organised by the Club.

11. Cars are only permitted into the boat park while unloading boats or equipment. The OOD, AOD or Committee members may require cars parked in the boat park to be removed.

Contents were correct at time of publishing.