Daingerfield Island Sailing Club Bylaws
2008
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Daingerfield Island Sailing Club (DISC) is to promote, organize, and sponsor recreational cruising and competitive sailing, and to encourage adherence to the highest standards of sportsmanship and conduct in the pursuit of these activities.
DISC LIABILITY
The DISC and its Executive Committee assume no liability for accidents or injuries occurring in connection with any DISC activities or events. This includes but is not limited to sailing accidents that occur during DISC sponsored events. Each participating yacht representative must complete a waiver of liability and agreement to hold harmless for himself or herself and each participating member of his or her crew prior to any event. Such completed waivers shall be turned in to an authorized representative prior to any event sponsored by or involving DISC in an official capacity.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the DISC shall consist of Regular and Junior members. A regular member shall be an individualwho is 18 years of age or older and shall be entitled to one vote at Club meetings. Junior members shall be those persons in a regular member’s household who are 17 years of age or younger. Junior Members are not entitled to vote on Club matters. A spouse or partner of a regular members is automatically eligible for all club programs and activities, except that each couple shares between them one vote for all elections and special issues and referendums. A spouse or partner wishing to vote shall register individually as a regular member. All regular members in good standing are eligible to hold office. All memberships shall be from April 1 – March 31. The Executive Committee shall establish membership dues and event fees annually. All members shall be entitled to receive all DISC mailings/emails.
CONDUCT OF THE MEMBERS
All members and their crewmembers are expected to conform to the highest standards of sportsmanship and conduct both on and off the racecourse. Unbecoming or objectionable conduct can lead to disciplinary action including expulsion from the DISC by unanimous vote of the Executive Committee.
MEETINGS OF MEMBERSHIP
There shall be a minimum of two membership meetings a year. The Officers of the DISC shall be elected at the fall meeting that shall be held prior to December l5th or as soon as possible thereafter. The spring membership meeting shall be held prior to April 15 or as soon as possible thereafter. Club business, as determined by the Executive Committee, may be brought before the Membership at membership meetings. Members shall also be allowed to raise matters of relevance to the club at membership meetings. Formal notice of membership meetings shall be distributed (e-mail and posted on the DISC website) at least two weeks in advance.
Additional membership meetings shall be called by the Commodore or upon written request by three (3)members of the Executive Committee or upon written request of five (5) members. Meetings from such written requests shall be scheduled within 30 days of receipt of the request. Members shall be notified of meetings at least five days in advance, except in case of emergency. Notification by e-mail shall be considered appropriate notification. A quorum shall consist of the members present.
Voice vote, show of hands, or secret ballot may be used to conduct voting. “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised” shall govern all meetings when not in conflict with the bylaws of the fleet.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Governance of the DISC is vested in the Executive Committee, which is responsible for the formation of club policies and guidelines. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, the most recent available past commodore of the DISC, and the Race Director (who is appointed by the Commodore subject to the approval of the other elected officers of the DISC).
Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the Commodore or upon written request by three (3) members of the Executive Committee. A quorum shall consist of fifty (50%) percent of the members of the Executive Committee. Any vote may be by secret ballot, voice vote or a show of hands. Minutes of meetings of the Executive Committee shall be kept by the DISC Secretary and made available to members upon request.
DISC OFFICERS
The elected officers of the DISC shall consist of the Commodore, Vice Commodore, Secretary, Treasurer, Spinnaker Fleet Captain and Non-Spinnaker Fleet Captain. The term of office shall be for one (1) year or until the next election. Officers may be re-elected. If any office becomes vacant during the year, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement.
Election of Officers:
DISC officers shall be elected annually at the fall membership meeting. At least two weeks prior to the meeting, the DISC Commodore will inform members electronically about Officers willing to stand for re-election. Members will be encouraged to submit nominations for all positions. While nominations will be encouraged prior to the meeting, they will also be accepted from the floor during the meeting. Individuals accepting nominations will be invited to address the membership prior to the vote. Individuals nominated prior to the meeting but unable to attend the meeting will be allowed to submit a candidate’s statement in writing to the Secretary at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The Secretary will disseminate written candidate statements at the meeting prior to the vote.
Each DISC member present at the fall meeting will be entitled to one vote. Voting by proxy will not be allowed. Votes will be made in writing and counted by the Secretary and two members.
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
The Commodore shall:
• Oversee and coordinate the entire DISC program
• Preside at Membership meetings
• Appoint the Race Director and Protest Chair
• Appoint committees as required
• Call special meetings as required
• Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees
• Serve as a liaison with District, Regional and/or National sailing associations and clubs
• Fulfill other duties as may be expected of the office
The Vice Commodore shall:
• Assist the Commodore in the discharge of his/her duties
• Preside over Membership meetings and other Officer meetings in the absence of the Commodore
• Serve as a member of the Standing Race Committee
• Ensure that all annual trophies and awards are prepared in a timely fashion
• Fulfill other duties as may be expected of the office
The Secretary shall:
• Ensure ongoing communication with and among DISC membership
• Record, maintain and distribute minutes of all meetings
• Maintain an electronic file of all critical DISC documents such as Bylaws, Notice of Regattas, Sailing Instructions, tax status, financial reports, race results, historical records, photographic files, and other files as determined to be necessary
• Request and obtain necessary race permits
• Maintain and provide members with an annual Membership Directory with member and yacht information
• Fulfill other duties as may be expected of the office
The Treasurer shall
• Receive and disburse all funds
• Maintain detailed records of receipts and disbursements sufficient for auditing purposes
• Maintain a list of all capital equipment and temporary inventories
• Provide periodic reports to assist the Officers in monitoring both revenue and expenditures
• Present the Commodore with a written, documented report of financial standing and capital and temporary inventories at least 14 days prior to each fall membership meeting
• Submit required tax filings to the IRS in a timely manner
• Maintain the current membership list and provide same to Secretary on a regular basis
• Fulfill other duties as may be expected of the office
The Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker Fleet Captains shall:
• Assist the Race Director with scoring, skippers meetings, coordination of Race Committee Duty, and other activities as needed
• Ensure that boats sailing in their respective fleets meet all requirements in terms of equipment, insurance and rating certificates
• Ensure that boats sailing in their respective fleets serve as Race Committee at least once during each sailing season
• Ensure that the interests of their respective fleets are taken into consideration in race management andDISC policies
• Fulfill other duties as may be expected of the office
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Members of the DISC Executive Committee are prohibited from involvement in any DISC activity which results in personal financial gain or advantage. DISC officers may, from time to time, seek to procure paid goods or services from DISC members when such transactions are determined to be in the best interest of the DISC and its members. In these cases, the DISC Executive Committee shall inform members by e-mail of its intention to enter into said agreement, allow members to express their interest or concerns to the Committee for a period of one week, carefully give all alternatives consideration, and make a decision that provides the best benefit to the DISC members. All terms of said transactions will be documented and made available to DISC members upon request.
STANDING COMMITTEES AND CHAIRS
The DISC may have defined Standing Committees and Chairpersons. The Commodore, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, shall appoint the Standing Committees and Chairpersons as needed.
RACING GUIDELINES
DISC racing activities shall be run in accordance to the DISC Sailing Instructions, which are to be updated annually by the Race Director and shared with members at the spring membership meeting. A copy of the most up-to-date Sailing Instructions shall be posted on the DISC website.
APPENDIX A
Appendix A describes an up-to-date description of duties of standing committees and chairs, inventories, suggestions for scheduling and other items which Officers should take into consideration. This appendix is to be updated by DISC officers on an annual basis prior to each fall meeting. Changes to Appendix A do not require approval of the membership.
AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION OR BYLAWS
The DISC Bylaws may be amended at membership meetings. Written notice of the proposed amendments shall be distributed to all regular members at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting. The proposed amendments shall either be recommended by the Executive Committee or proposed in writing by at least five (5) members. Changes to the by-laws require approval of 60% of members present and voting.
APPENDIX A
As outlined in the DISC By-laws, this Appendix is to be updated by the DISC officers on an annual basis prior to each fall membership meeting. Changes to the Appendix do not require approval of membership.
The Race Director
The Race Director is appointed annually by the Commodore at each fall membership meeting. The Race Director will, with the assistance of the Fleet Captains:
• Update the Sailing Instructions and Race Committee Instructions prior to each spring membership meeting
• Prepare and post Notice of Regattas in a timely fashion
• Obtain all necessary race permits and ensure that copies are shared with the Secretary and kept with the Race Committee equipment
• Coordinate and post Race Committee assignments and ensure that Race Committee equipment is passed from boat to boat
• Ensure training opportunities for sailors not familiar with Race Committee duties
• Ensure that skippers meetings and race day sailing decisions (i.e. courses to be used, whether or not conditions are suitable for sailing) take place as needed
• Ensure that race results are collected, calculated and posted in a timely fashion (within 24-48 hours, whenever possible)
• Ensure that protests take place as outlined in the Sailing Instructions and that the results of each protest hearing are posted on the DISC website
• Make sure that Race Committee equipment is complete and in good working order
• Provide the Commodore with all race and series results at least one month before the fall membership meeting
• Provide copies of the annual race results to the Secretary at the completion of each season
The Protest Chair
The Protest Chair is appointed annually by the Commodore at each fall membership meeting. The Protest Chair shall:
• Ensure that protests are heard in strict adherence to the DISC Sailing Instructions
• Provide the Race Director and the Secretary with a written summary of the findings of each protest hearing within 48 hours of its decision
Race Committees
DISC sailing relies heavily on volunteer Race Committee service. Each boat in the DISC fleet is expected to serve as Race Committee at least once during the season. The length of the DISC season will require some boats to serve more than once. Boats assigned to Race Committee will:
• Obtain the Race Committee equipment from the previous Race Committee
• Make sure that Race Committee equipment is passed on to the next Race Committee
• Be prepared to run an efficient race according to the Sailing and Race Committee instructions
• Accurately record race results and pass them to the Race Director within 24 hours of the completion of the race
Other duties to be assigned
The DISC Commodore will assign additional duties and responsibilities to Officers, Chairs and DISC members as needed. These duties and responsibilities may include:
• Selection and purchase of trophies and awards approved by DISC Officers
• Planning and coordination of social activities
• Planning and coordination of cruising activities
• Planning and coordination of skill building and training activities
• Website maintenance and management
• DISC publicity and fundraising
Capital Equipment of the Club
The DISC Treasurer shall be responsible for ensuring the proper care and management of:
• Race Committee Equipment, including course flags, a complete set of racing signal flags, horns, stop watches etc.
• Perpetual trophies, including Boat of the Year, Mayor’s Cup (Spin and Non-Spin), Commodores Cup, Impact Award, Cruising Award, Get Ahead Award, and the Hard Aground Award
• Any temporary inventory, such as burgees, burgee stickers, hats and other items
Suggested Dates for Racing Events
As of the 2008 sailing season, the following guidelines are suggested for determining the annual DISC Sailing Calendar, but can be adjusted as appropriate:
• The Tuesday night KISS series usually begins on the last Tuesday in April and runs through the first Tuesday of October
• Leukemia Cup is generally scheduled for the first weekend in September
• The Frostbite regatta takes place on the first weekend of November
• Other important races coordinated by other clubs include: Spring and Fall Flings (Mt. Vernon Yacht Club; often the 1st weekend in June and the 3rd weekend in September, respectively), Masters of the Potomac (usually the weekend following Leukemia Cup) and the Quantico Frostbite Regatta (generally in late October)