The official name of the Section is “Tata Steel Sports and Social Club Port Talbot, Sailing Section”, (referred to as the Section). The working name shall be TATA Steel Sailing Club (Margam). Tata Steel Sports and Social Club is referred to as the “Parent Body”.
Objectives
The Objectives of the Section shall be:
To promote the amateur sport of sailing, including racing, in the South Wales area, and to encourage community participation in this sport. The primary focus is on monohull centreboard sailing dinghies, which will take precedence over any other manually propelled craft authorised by the Management Committee after consideration of safety issues and other circumstances. Kite surfing will NOT be allowed.
To provide and maintain facilities, equipment, premises, and programmes for the use and benefit of members.
To promote the activities of the section through training and advertising.
To liaise with TATA Steel Port Talbot, the RYA (the governing body for sailing in the UK), the Royal Yachting Association Cymru Wales (RYA Cymru Wales), members of other sailing clubs, and non-commercial organisations over the holding of sailing, training and other events at the club.
Flag
The Section Flag shall be a red dragon on a blue or black background.
Membership
In accordance with relevant legislation, and advice from the RYA, membership shall be open to anyone wishing to sail a craft as defined in para’ 2a regardless of sailing ability, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs.
However, minors, and those with certain disabilities, may not be able to participate in sailing for health and safety reasons, where appropriate special facilities or adequate supervision are not available. Applications will be considered on this basis
The management committee will make decisions on health and safety and supervision matters concerning young persons under the age of 18, and publish these in other documents which cover the detail of club rules
All new members with little or no sailing experience are required to undertake instruction appropriate to their intended activities in the club. Before taking charge of a craft on the water without supervision, each new member must satisfactorily complete the club's basic sail training course, or otherwise demonstrate an equivalent level of competence.
Membership shall be closed if it is considered that the facilities are fully utilised, or that there are health and safety issues arising from
The number of members. In the event of closure of membership, the names of prospective members shall be placed on a waiting list and chosen in rotation of the dates of their application, as and when facilities, health and safety issues allow, or vacancies arise. In this event, priority will be given to Tata Steel employees before other prospective members.
Classes of Membership
a. Membership of the Section is divided into classes :-
Employees of Tata Steel
Class of membership
Honorary Life
Full
Ordinary under 65 years
Full
Ordinary 65 years or over
Full
Junior Ordinary (see para 15.e)
Cadet
Family membership
Full
Family under 18 (see para 15.e)
Cadet
Full time Student/Apprentice
Full
Non Employees of Tata Steel
Class of membership
Honorary Life
Associate
Ordinary under 65 years
Associate
Ordinary 65 years or over
Associate
Junior Ordinary (see para 15.e)
Cadet
Family membership
Associate
Family under 18 (see para 15.e)
Cadet
Full time Student/Apprentice
Associate
Associate members – shall be associate members or temporary members in accordance with current Rules of the Parent Body and who are eighteen years of age or over.
b. Members of the Parent Body shall not become members of the Section until they have paid their section subscriptions. For those aged 65 and over, and Cadet membership, the appropriate subscription depends upon age at the date when the subscription becomes due.
Group Membership
Application for Group membership shall be considered by the Management Committee.
Cessation of Membership
A member who has not renewed their subscription within 1 month of the Due Date shall be considered to have resigned.
Suspension and removal from membership
Any member who does not abide by the Rules or Standing Orders, or does not carry out the expected shared duties, may be asked to discuss this with the Management Committee, who may impose suspension for a period not exceeding six months.
The Management Committee may refuse membership renewal, or remove membership, only for good cause, such as conduct likely to bring the Section or sport into disrepute, or to jeopardise the health or safety of other members, or other persons on the premises.
Appeals may be made to the Commodore, or Parent Body, if there are facts or special grounds not known to the Management Committee, or if the original case was not correctly considered.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions, and certain other charges, will be set at each Annual General Meeting, aiming at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to potential members. Subscriptions will include the Parent Body subscription except for those TATA Steel employees and ex- employees who already subscribe to this. The Parent Body contributions will be remitted to that body by the Hon. Treasurer on a regular basis, together with member names and addresses.
Subscriptions and certain other charges will become due on a date (the Due Date) determined by the Management Committee. This is currently the 1st January for personal members, and by agreement for group membership.
The membership year, and the annual subscriptions for the various classes of membership, will be set out on the current membership application / renewal form.
Officers
The Officers of the section shall be the Commodore, Vice-Commodore, Rear Commodore, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer. The Commodore should be an Ordinary Member of the Parent Body and all other officers shall be Ordinary or Associate Members. If no Ordinary Member of the Parent Body is willing to stand for the position of Commodore, then the AGM shall appoint a Family or Associate member, in which case one of the other officers must be an Ordinary Member of the Parent Body. All officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting to hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting, and shall be eligible for re-election immediately.
The Officers of the section shall receive notices and minutes of, and be entitled to attend any meetings convened by any standing group, Class or Sub-Committee of the Section.
The Management Committee shall have the powers to appoint an Honorary President and Vice-President by invitation.
Section Representatives
The Section shall be the represented on the committee of the Parent Body by an Officer or committee member who shall be an Ordinary Member of the Parent Body. The Management Committee of the Section may appoint a deputy, who may be an Associate member, to cover for meetings when the main representative is unavailable.
Management Committee
All the affairs of the section shall be conducted (except as otherwise provided for by these Rules) by a Management Committee consisting of at least ten, but preferably up to fourteen elected members including the Section Officers. Members of the committee shall be elected and retire at the Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election immediately. At least two members of the Management Committee shall be Ordinary or Family Members of the Parent Body.
In the event of vacancies amongst the Officers of this Committee, they may appoint one of themselves or some other members of the Section to fill such vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting.
The Management Committee shall meet when it considers expedient, or when required by an Officer, or upon request of three of its members, but not less than once within each calendar month.
Five Members of the Management Committee shall form a Quorum.
Each member of the Management Committee shall be sent due notice by post, e-mail or verbally, of every Management Committee meeting at least three days prior to the meeting except in cases of emergency.
The senior Officer present shall take the chair at all meetings of the Management Committee. If no officer is present then the Committee shall select a Chair from among its members.
All decisions of the Management Committee shall be made by a show of hands. The Chair shall have a casting vote as well as his deliberative vote.
If any member of the Management Committee absents himself from three consecutive meetings without a reasonable explanation to the Hon. Secretary, it shall be considered that they have resigned from the Committee.
The Hon. Secretary shall keep the minutes of General Meetings and the Management Committee, and perform such duties as are required of him by these Rules and by resolutions of the Management Committee who shall be empowered to grant him authority to deal with the day to day business of the Section. Formal external correspondence shall be conducted by the Hon. Secretary or with agreement of the Committee by another member who shall copy correspondence to the Hon. Secretary.
The Hon. Secretary shall arrange for a register to be kept of members’ names, addresses and other relevant details including craft owned, to be used for the purpose of Section administration. This responsibility may be delegated to a Membership Secretary who need not necessarily be a Committee member.
The Management Committee shall organise a sailing programme and arrangements for the use of the sailing equipment.
The Management Committee shall recommend any changes in fleet status for the following season and report to the Annual General Meeting.
The Management Committee may write Standing Orders, which have the force of Rules in connection with Para 8.
Sub Committees and Special Responsibilities
The Management Committee shall appoint and disband sub-committees as required.
The Management Committee may appoint Section members, not necessarily Committee Members, to carry out special roles and to report to the Management Committee as appropriate. These roles may include Membership Secretary, Training Officers, Compound Manager, Young Person's Welfare Officer, Fleet Representatives, Results Officer, New Member Co-ordinator, Publicity Officer, Web Master and Bosun or any other position the Management Committee see necessary.
Class Committees
Classes officially adopted for the time being may elect a fleet captain and may organise their own committee, but must keep the Management Committee informed of their activities and must not take any action which would be prejudicial to the Section, or commit the Section to any unauthorised expenditure.
No class shall organise events on the reservoir, either domestic or involving outside organisations without prior permission of the Management Committee.
General Meetings
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Section shall be held in November of each year when business as detailed below shall be transacted in the order given:
Minutes of previous Annual General Meeting and any intervening Special General Meeting.
Matters arising therefrom.
To receive the reports of the Commodore, Vice-Commodore and Hon. Treasurer.
To receive and approve the audited accounts
To fix Section subscriptions for the ensuing year.
To elect two Hon. Auditors.
To elect for the ensuing year the Officers and Management Committee.
To determine the third party insurance cover for any one incident required to be held by members or visitors for each of their craft used or kept at the Section.
Notice of motion: Any member wishing to submit a Motion for consideration at the Annual General Meeting should inform the Hon. Secretary in writing not less than fourteen days before the date of the meeting, stating the motion and the names of the proposer and seconder.
Fleet Status.
A.O.B.
A notice convening the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to each member at least 21 days before the meeting.
Special General Meeting
A special General Meeting shall be called by the Hon. Secretary either:
(i) when deemed necessary by the Management Committee, or
(ii) on receipt of a request signed by twelve members who are entitled to vote, stating the business to be transacted.
A notice convening this meeting shall be sent to each member within 28 days of such a request and at least 7 days before such a meeting. No business other than that stated may be transacted at such a meeting.
Chairman
At all General Meetings, the senior Officer present shall take the chair. In the event of no officer being present, a Member of the Management Committee shall be elected by the meeting to take the chair.
Quorum
The quorum at all General Meetings shall be twenty percent of the membership entitled to vote, or twenty members entitled to vote whichever is the least.
Voting Powers
Only Full members and Associate members of the Section shall be entitled to vote at Annual or Special General Meetings of the Section. In the election, all Members entitled to vote shall have one vote. In all other business, members entitled to vote shall have one vote, but the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to the normal vote.
Accounts
The accounts of the Section shall be kept by the Hon. Treasurer. All monies shall be banked in the name of the Section in the Bank(s) approved by the Management Committee. No payment other than petty disbursements shall be made by the Treasurer or any other member of the Section unless approved by the Management Committee. The Hon. Treasurer shall keep an account of all monies received and paid out and shall prepare an annual statement of the income and expenditure, up to the last day of September in each year. The accounts shall be audited by the auditors appointed in accordance with Rule 15 and shall be available to each member at the commencement of the Annual General Meeting. The signatures of at least four, but up to six, members including at least four Officers shall be registered with the bank and any two of these signatures shall be required on each cheque.
Constitution and alterations to Rules
Copies shall be lodged with the Secretary of the Parent Body, and shall also be available in the Committee room at the clubhouse.
No alteration to the Constitution Rules shall be made except at a Special General Meeting of the Section for the purpose in accordance with Rule 15 b. The majority required to alter Rules shall be in the proportion of two to one of the votes cast. Any amendment must be approved by the Management Committee of the Parent Body.
Nothing in the Rules of the Section shall take precedence over anything in the Rules of the Parent Body or in any agreement existing between the Parent Body and Tata Steel Strip Products UK.
The Section recognises the Tata Steel Strip Products UK “Workplace values and rules" (published January 2007, and any subsequent updates), and agrees to follow the principles in those rules where appropriate, particularly on health and safety matters in para. 3 of those rules, including legal duties, accident reporting, general behaviour and alcohol and substance abuse matters.
Other Section Rules, Standing Orders, and Procedures
Standing orders, and other rules and procedures are set out, or referred to, in the Section’s membership application / renewal forms, Club Booklet, and / or in other documents posted in the clubhouse or website.
These include member and employee responsibilities, health and safety matters, welfare of young persons, limitations of the club’s liability, sailing instructions and procedures, rescue boat procedures and operation, procedures for race management, and dinghy compound rules.
All sailing procedures, including safety measures, race management, and training, will be consistent with the guidelines of the RYA.
The section will maintain a Training Procedures Manual which will be updated with current RYA advice, and Instructors will hold current RYA qualifications including appropriate certificates in First Aid.
The Section will maintain a Risk Register which will be reviewed regularly and updated annually.
The section will maintain documents for Health and Safety Policy and Procedures, and Food Safety Management; these will be reviewed annually and updated as appropriate.
The Section will maintain an Accident Book and members will be required to update it each time an accident is reported either on or off the water.
Non-profit-making status
The Section is a non-profit-making organisation. All surplus income or profits will be re-invested in the club. No surpluses or other assets will be distributed to members or to third parties.
Liability
The Parent Body or the Section shall not be liable for loss of life, injury or damage to or loss of property under any circumstances and members and guests participate in all the activities at their own risk.
Each applicant and member renewing annual membership is required to sign a declaration that they will comply with all club rules. The liability of members, guests, and guardians of young sailors, are detailed in the Club booklet.
Craft owned by members and visitors must be insured currently against third party risks, the amount of cover in respect of each incident to be reviewed at each Annual General Meeting.
The Section will maintain insurance cover for its own dinghies and rescue craft against third party risks at the annually agreed level of cover, and will maintain public liability insurance cover providing indemnity in relation to risks incurred by the Section, its officials and members, including risks associated with instruction.
Damage to Property
In the event of any damage to, or loss of, Section property caused by a member or his visitors in circumstances precluding a successful insurance claim, the member shall, at the discretion of the Management Committee, remedy such damage or loss at his own expenses to the satisfaction of that committee.
Visitors / Guests
Members may introduce visitors who may sail on payment of the day- sailing fee, but no visitor may do so more than six times.
The name and address of each visitor shall be recorded. The introducing member shall ensure that any boat sailed by the visitor complies with the Rule 20 (Liability), and that the visitor complies with the Section’s rules.
Spectators may be invited by a member to the Section’s clubhouse, or to view the sailing.
Competitors in official or invitation events (open events) shall be Hon. Members in accordance with the rules of the Parent Body.
Compound Keys
Although compound keys are available to Members, it is not the intention to supply every member with a key. Keys, which are entrusted to members, shall bear a returnable payment set by the Management Committee. All keys shall remain the property of the Section and are to be returned with a refund when the membership is terminated. The Membership Secretary shall keep a record of all members possessing keys.
Interpretations
In the interpretation of these Rules, any words implying masculine gender shall include the feminine.
Disputes
Any matter of dispute, not provided for by these Rules, shall be referred to the Management Committee.
Abandoned Boats
The right to park boats in the compound ceases when a member resigns, or is considered to have resigned (para. 7). One month after the Due Date for fee payment, the Section may use the following procedures for any abandoned boat in line with RYA guidance:
The Section shall be entitled to move the boat to any part of its premises without being liable for loss of or damage to the boat howsoever caused.
The Section shall be entitled, upon giving one month’s notice in writing to the former Member at their last known address shown in the register of members, to sell the boat and to deduct any monies due to the Section (whether by means of arrears of subscriptions or fees for parking fees or otherwise) from the proceeds of the sale before accounting for the balance (if any) to the former Member. Alternatively, any boat which in the opinion of the Section cannot be sold may, upon such notice as afore said, be broken up and any expenses recovered from the former Member. Further, the Section shall at all times have a lien over the boat in respect of monies due to the Section. For the purpose of this Rule - once membership of the Section lapses, a parking fee becomes payable at a rate fixed by the Management Committee which will not exceed 75% of the Membership fee payable at any time.
Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of the Section a Special General Meeting will be held. Any remaining movable net assets will be disposed of according to decisions made by the Management Committee in consultation with the Parent Body.
The fixed buildings will remain the property of the Parent Body unless otherwise decided by Tata Steel Strip Products UK which is the owner of the site.