Terms and condition

1. Interpretation
The interpretation of the rules by the Committee shall be  binding.

2. Membership categories
2.1 Any individual who  intends to participate in the sporting activities of the Club is  eligible to become a Full Member at the discretion of the Committee. Full Members of age sixteen or older shall have voting  rights. Full Members belong to either of the following two membership  categories:

2.1.1 Adult Members who are eighteen years of age at the date of joining the Club.

2.1.2 Junior and Student Members, who are under eighteen  years of age at the date of joining, or, if in full-time education,  under the age of twenty-four years. Once they are either eighteen years  of age and not in full-time education, or twenty-four years of age, they  move to the Adult Member category from the first day of the month  following their relevant birthday.

2.2 Associate Members who shall not have voting rights,  may be admitted at the discretion of the Committee  in the  following two categories:

2.2.1 Honorary Membership may be granted by the Committee to any individual in recognition of exceptional  achievement or contribution to the Club or sailing generally.

2.3 Temporary Membership may be granted in all categories of membership at the discretion of the Committee.

2.4 Members of organisations affiliated to the Club will  be able to use Club facilities as detailed in these Rules. They shall  not have voting rights.

3. Application for membership
3.1 An individual  applying for full membership shall complete an application form, which  will be either on the Club’s website or a paper form. For applicants  under the age of eighteen, the consent of a parent or legal guardian is  required.

3.2 The names of applicants will be disclosed to existing  members in an appropriate way, such as a regular Club newsletter.  Should any current full member have an objection to an applicant joining  the Club, they shall notify the Committee of this not  later than seven days after the names have been circulated.

3.3 The Committee  shall decide whether the  application is accepted not earlier than seven days after the name of  the applicant has been disclosed. Should an application be rejected, any  subscriptions already paid by the applicant shall be refunded. If the  Committee accepts the application, the applicant shall be a full member  in the relevant category.

3.4 The membership lasts for one year from the day of acceptance of the application, and will require renewing each year.

3.5 Privileges of membership do not apply until the Committee  has accepted an individual’s membership application.

4. Subscriptions
4.1 The Annual Subscription and other  fees and charges can be amended by the Members in a General Meeting and  shall be published on the Club’s website. The scale of annual  subscriptions shall remain in force until varied by a Resolution of the  Full Members, but the Committee may increase, reduce or  temporarily suspend storage fees.

4.2 For the purpose of subscription, a family discount is  granted to groups made up of up to two adult members and up to three  junior/student members all belonging to the same family or living in the  same household. This discount will combine the subscriptions of the  involved members into a single subscription fee.

5. Classes
5.1 Any sailing dinghy, windsurfer,  stand-up paddleboard, may be sailed at the Club. Other vessels can be  admitted at the discretion of the Committee.

5.2 Participation in Club Dinghy Racing is open to all  classes which have been assigned a Portsmouth Yardstick number (PY) by  Sailing Club.

5.3 Other activities can be organised by the Club or its  Affiliate organisations at the discretion of the Committee as appropriate.

6. Admission of visitors

6.1 No visitor shall be admitted to the Clubhouse unless accompanied by a Member.

6.2 No visitor shall be introduced after 17:00 or remain on the Club premises after the member introducing them has left.

6.3 The following persons cannot be admitted as visitors:

those who have been refused membership;
those who have been expelled from the Club;
those who, having been Members, have left with their subscriptions or other fees and charges in arrears.
6.4 The Committee reserves the right to limit the number of guests that any Member may introduce at any one time.

7. Conduct of Members
7.1 Every member, upon joining  and thereafter, is deemed to have notice of and to have undertaken to  comply with the rules, and sailing instructions of the Club.

7.2 Children will be admitted to the Club only if under adequate supervision.

7.3 No unauthorised gambling shall be permitted.

7.4 Dogs brought onto the Club grounds must be under complete control.

7.5 No Club property may be removed from Club premises  without authorisation from a member of the Committee, and  members are requested to return any items they have used to their proper  places after they have finished with them.

8. Limitation of Club liability
8.1 Members of the  club, their guests or visitors may use the Club premises, and any other  facilities of the Club, entirely at their own risk and impliedly accept  that:

8.1.1 The Club shall not accept any liability for any  damage to or loss of property belonging to Members, their guests, or  visitors to the Club.

8.1.2 The Club shall not accept any liability for  personal injury arising out of the use of the Club premises and any  other facilities of the Club either sustained by Members, their guests,  or visitors; or caused by the said Members, guests, or visitors, whether  or not such damage or injury could have been attributed to or was  occasioned by the neglect, default or negligence of any of them or the  members of the Committee or an employee of the Club.

9. Use of Club Premises
The Club shall be available  for members until 10.00 p.m. daily, but no member shall sail on the  reservoir or use the reservoir grounds after legal lighting up time,  except for the express purpose of entering or leaving the Club premises,  unless authorised by the Committee to do so. The changing  rooms are available at all times solely for the purpose of changing  before and after sailing. No items made of glass or china are to be  taken into the toilets, shower areas or changing rooms at any time.  Smoking is prohibited on Club grounds and in all Club buildings.

10. Insurance
10.1 Any vessel brought to or operated  at Sailing Club shall be insured by the owner against third party risks  with a reputable insurer for not less than £3,000,000. A written  declaration that such insurance has been undertaken and remains in force  shall be produced to a member of the Committee on demand.

10.2 The Committee may at their discretion  bar a Member or visitor from the use of their vessel on Swan pool or  withhold the allocation of points for participation in racing events if  the Member concerned has not satisfied them that the insurance has been  effected.

11. Security
Members with keys to appropriate areas  are responsible for seeing that all light, power and water is turned off  before they leave the premises, and that all doors and windows and the  gate are securely fastened.

Members must ensure that all boat sheds are closed and secured as soon as practicable after sailing has finished.

12. Personal property on Club premises
12.1 The  consent of the Commodore must be obtained before any equipment (boat,  windsurf board, SUP, trailer, etc.) is left at the Club premises. All  storage space may be re-allocated if needed by the Committee and the Commodore may re-arrange such storage space allocated  although reasonable notice will normally be given.

12.2 No Member shall bring onto or permit to be brought  onto the Club premises any article or thing which is dangerous or  potentially dangerous or which could or may be a nuisance or annoyance  or embarrassment to the Club, unless authorised by the Committee.

12.3 When a membership is terminated, the (former) member  shall remove any property belonging to them or their guests from the  club premises within 21 days of the end of the membership.

12.4 The Club shall have a right to retain any property  left on Club premises as a security for any debts incurred to the Club  by the owner of the property.

13. Abandoned property on Club premises
13.1 In  addition to the powers given to the Committee  under the  Articles of Association, if, at any time, any fees payable to the Club  by any Member or former Member shall be three months or more in arrears  and any property of a Member or former Member remains upon the Club  premises, the Committee  may use this as security against  the debt.

13.2 The Club management may move the property to any  other part of the Club premises without being liable for any loss or  damage to it howsoever caused.

13.3 The Club management may give one month’s notice in  writing to the Member or former Member at their last known address and  thereafter sell the property and deduct any amount owed to the Club  (whether by way of arrears of subscription or annual payments, storage  fees and other charges) from the net proceeds of sale before accounting  for the balance (if any) to the Member or former Member.

13.4 Alternatively, if the property is unsaleable, after  giving notice in writing as above, the Club management may dispose of it  in any manner it may think fit. Any costs incurred by the disposal  shall be added to the debt owed to the Club by the Member or former  Member.

13.5 If a Member or former Member cannot be traced with  reasonable effort, any amount left over from any sale of their property  after deducting the debt owed to the Club shall be retained by the Club  for a period of 2 years in case the Member or former Member makes a  claim for it.

14. Car parking
Cars shall not be parked up by the water edge or surrounding areas, until after the end of sailing activities for the day.

15. Participants in Club events

Any person who is a competitor, crew member, or helper in  any race sponsored by or on behalf of the Club is entitled to the use  of the Club premises.

16. Complaints and Whistleblowing
The Club supports  and protects the ability of members and employees to disclose certain  types of wrongdoing which are in the public interest. The policy and  procedure regarding whistleblowing and complaints is detailed in the  Club’s Training Manual.

17. Data Protection Act
The Club is registered under  the Data Protection Act (2018). Personal data will only be kept as  required by law or considered necessary for membership records and the  efficient management of the Club. The Data Protection Policy is detailed  in the Club’s Training Manual.

18. Safety
18.1 It is the responsibility of all  persons to ensure that adequate buoyancy is worn while afloat or by the  water edge at all times.

18.2 When operating motor launches, a kill cord must be worn in accordance with RYA guidance.

19. Safeguarding
The Club is committed to the  safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, as members or  participants in Club activities. The Club’s Children’s and Vulnerable  Adults Safeguarding Policies are detailed in the Training Manual.

20. Equality, Inclusion, and Diversity
All members and  participants in Club activities and events are treated as equals,  regardless of gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation  or any other protected characteristic. The Club’s Equality, Inclusion  and Diversity Policy is detailed in the Training Manual.

21. Amendment to Rules
Amendments to these Rules may  only be made by a General Meeting of Full Members of the Club in  accordance with the Articles of Association. Any Full Members wishing to  propose any alteration or addition to the Rules of the Club shall give  notice thereof in writing to the Honorary Secretary in time to be  included in the notice convening the General Meeting at which the  proposed alteration or addition is to be discussed.

1. Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Club will normally be held in the month of April.

2. Nominations for the Committee
The nominations of the Committee will be discussed in the Annual General Meeting.
Other nominations received by the Honorary Secretary which comply with  the requirements of Article 40 shall be notified to club members  as  soon as practicably possible.

3. Election of Commodore, Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore
The Commodore, Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore shall not hold their office for more than five consecutive years.

4. Notice of Meetings
Notice of General Meetings may  be served by email in accordance with Article of Association 11,  provided that the Member has consented to receive notices by email, and  has provided the Membership Secretary with an email address for this  purpose.

5. General meetings – Resolutions
The Committee may propose resolutions to be put before the Full Members in  General Meeting which will be included in the notice convening the  Meeting.

Any Full Member shall have the right to propose a  Resolution to be put to the Annual General Meeting, provided that it is  seconded by another Full Member, and notice of the Resolution is  received in writing by the Honorary Secretary in time to be included in  the notice convening the Annual General Meeting at which the proposed  Resolution is to be discussed.

A Full Member has the right to raise any matter under  “Any Other Business” and the Chairman shall allow reasonable time for  discussion but no formal resolution shall be put to the Meeting except  in accordance with these Rules.

6. General Meetings – conduct of debate
The Proposer  of a Resolution, who must be a Full Member, may speak once and for not  more than five minutes and may sum up for not more than three minutes  before the Resolution is put to the vote.

Before the Resolution may be discussed it must be  seconded and the Seconder, who must also be a Full Member, may speak for  not more than three minutes and may not speak again on the original  Resolution. Any other Full Member may speak once on the original  Resolution for not more than three minutes.

Any Full Member may propose an amendment to a Resolution  provided that the amendment is seconded by a Full Member, is clearly  worded and does not substantially alter the purpose of the original  Resolution and is not in the judgement of the Chairman a  counter-proposition.

The Proposer and Seconder of any amendments may speak once for not more than three minutes each.

Any amendment validly proposed as above, shall, after  discussion, be voted upon before the Resolution that it seeks to amend.  Any Full Member may speak once upon the amendment for not more than  three minutes.

Any Full Member may propose that the Resolution or the  amendment or the amended Resolution under discussion shall be put to the  vote and if properly seconded by a Full Member the Chairman shall put  the said Resolution, amendment or amended Resolution to the vote without  allowing further discussion except to allow the Proposer of the  original Resolution to sum up if appropriate.

7. Declaration of interest
Members shall declare any  financial or other interest that they may personally have in any matter  considered by a meeting at which they are present other than the  consideration of subscriptions, fees and charges to members. Members  having declared an interest may not take part in the decision making  process other than the provision of factual information, and may be  requested to withdraw during discussion of the relevant business at the  discretion of the Chairman of the meeting.