RULES

(Adopted at Special General Meeting 21st December 1967 and
amended at subsequent AGMs and Special Meetings
Last updated December 2022)

I – Name

The Club shall be called “THE WEST LANCASHIRE YACHT CLUB”.

II – Object

The primary object of the Club shall be the encouragement of amateur yacht and boat sailing.

III – Headquarters

The Headquarters of the Club shall be at Southport.

IV – Property and Funds

The property and funds of the Club shall be vested in the Club Committee (the “Committee”) for the time being. The Club is a non profit making organisation. All profits and surpluses will be used to maintain or improve the Club’s facilities. No profit or surplus will be distributed.

If, upon the winding up or dissolution of the Club, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed amongst the members of the club. The Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following:

(a) to another club with a similar sports object which is a charity and/or

(b) to another club with a similar sports object which is a registered Community Amateur Sports Club and/or

V – Flag

The Club flag shall be a blue burgee with a yellow lion statant gardant crowned with a ducal coronet and differenced with a label of three points. The Commodore’s flag shall be the Club flag with swallow tails. The Vice Commodore’s flag shall be the Club flag with swallow tails and one white ball. The burgee for past-flag rank shall be the Club flag with swallow tails but with the colours reversed and may be worn by the past Commodores and such other persons who may be granted the privilege by the Committee.

VI – Admission to Membership

Admission to membership of the Club shall be open to the whole community without discrimination, subject to applicants supporting the objectives of the Club and to the approval of the Committee.

Those who have previously been members of the Club shall be reconsidered for membership without paying an entrance fee provided that:

(a) there is no money owed to the Club from their previous membership

(b) they are joining the same membership class. If there is a change of class, the difference between the class entry fees shall become due but excluding any refund.

Applications for admission to membership shall be sent to the Membership Committee on the Form provided by the Club. The Membership Committee shall arrange for the applicants to attend an interview conducted by one member of the Membership Committee and another Club member of at least two years’ standing. The members conducting the interview will propose and second the applicant. The Chair of the Membership Committee will present the application to the Committee for consideration at its next meeting.

No past member shall be allowed to re-join the Club if there is money outstanding to the Club from a previous membership. The debt must be settled before membership will be reconsidered.

Applications for membership for those aged under 18 require the sponsorship of an Inport member who will act as mentor and be responsible for the safety, welfare and conduct of the minor member at the Club. The sponsor shall normally be a parent of the minor, but the Committee may consider an alternative Inport member in special circumstances.

Following successful election the Membership Committee shall send a Notice of Election to the applicant together with a request for the remittance of the entrance fee (or such proportion as is due, if any) and the appropriate subscription. Until the entrance fee and the subscription have been received, applicants shall not be entitled to use the facilities of the Club. If the sums due have not been paid within one month after sending the Notice of Election, such election shall be deemed void. The subscription due in the year of election shall be calculated pro rata for the relevant category of membership as shown in Rule Vlll based on the number of complete months remaining after the date of election. Entrance fees shall be paid at the rates shown in Rule Vlll.

VII – Members

CLASSIFICATION

(a) The Club shall consist of Life, Honorary, Inport, Lady, Outport, Youth and Cadet, and Temporary members. Members owning boats stationed at the Club shall be either Life, Inport, Lady, Youth, or Cadet members.

(b) The number of members of each class shall be determined by the Club Committee.

LIFE MEMBERS

(c) The Committee shall have power to nominate any member to a General Meeting for election as a Life member in consideration of special services to the Club. Such election must be decided by a unanimous vote at such General Meeting. Life members shall enjoy all the privileges of Inport members but shall be exempt from annual subscription.

INPORT MEMBERS

(d) Inport members shall be 25 years and older. They shall enjoy the facilities of the Club and be eligible for all offices of the Club.

LADY MEMBERS

(e) Lady members shall be members who were Lady members as at 1st January 2020. They shall enjoy the facilities of the Club and be eligible for all offices of the Club.

OUTPORT MEMBERS

(f) Members residing outside a 30 mile radius of the Headquarters. They shall not hold any office except that of Vice President. They shall not station a boat at the Club.

YOUTH MEMBERS

(g) Members from their 12th birthday up to their 25th birthday. They shall enjoy the facilities of the Club, may be co-opted to Sub-Committees and those aged 18 and over shall be eligible for all offices of the Club.

CADET MEMBERS

(h) Members under the age of 12 years. Cadet members shall become Youth members on their 12th birthday and until then shall be admitted to the facilities of the Club on such conditions as the Committee shall from time to time determine.

HONORARY MEMBERS

(i) The Committee may, at a Meeting specially called for the purpose and by a unanimous vote, admit Honorary members such or other person as under any special circumstances appear proper. Honorary members shall have the same privileges as Inport members except those of entering yachts or boats for Club races, voting at meetings and holding any office but that of Vice President.

TEMPORARY MEMBERS

(j) A temporary membership of the Club may be approved by the Committee for a limited period and for an agreed payment dependent upon circumstances. Temporary members shall have limited access to the facilities of the Club as agreed by the Committee. They will have no voting rights at General Meetings.

VIII – Subscriptions and Entrance Fees

All subscriptions shall (subject to Rule VII) become due on the first day of January in each year and payable on the first day of February in each year.

The Club may, at the discretion of the Committee, introduce a scheme enabling members to pay their subscription in instalments under a monthly Direct Debit mandate. In which case the first instalment must be paid by 1st February and then in eight monthly instalments. Unless the Secretary receives a written intention, before 1st January, from any member who wishes to resign, the member may be liable for that year's full subscription.

Any member paying by instalments whose subscription is two months in arrears shall not be entitled to use the amenities of the Club and if the instalments are four months in arrears his/her name shall be erased from the Register of Members and his/her membership shall cease forthwith.

Any member not paying by instalments whose subscription is in arrear shall not be entitled to use the amenities of the Club from 31st March in each year and if the subscription shall not have been paid by 30th June his/her name shall be erased from the Register of Members and his/her membership shall cease forthwith.

Entrance fees and subscriptions shall be payable by the various classes of membership as follows:

Entrance Fee	Class of Membership	Annual Subscription
£		£
	Inport age 25 & under 65:
50	Individual	203
75	Joint	284
	Inport age 65 & over
25	Individual	145
38	Joint	228
25	Outport	66
n/a	Lady	83
25	Youth	83
10	Cadet	46

Except that the total payable for a family shall not exceed £363.00 for subscriptions and £100.00 for entrance fees. For the purpose of this Rule, (a) a couple residing at the same address and both having Inport member status are eligible for joint subscription based on the age of the older Inport member and (b) a family comprises one or two Inport members and their children, being Youth or Cadet members.

Subscriptions and entrance fees may be subject to the addition of VAT in the event of any changes in law.

Members transferring to another class shall pay the appropriate entrance fee, reduced by any entrance fee already paid.

IX – Mode of communication and change of address

Notices of meetings, documents and other communications from the Club to a member may be sent by electronic communication provided the Club wishes to do so and the relevant member wishes to receive them in this way and provides an appropriate electronic address to the Club. It is the responsibility of the member to notify the Club of any changes to that address and to comply with any security and other procedures determined by the Committee for such communication. A member may opt to return to hard copy communications at any time.

All notices sent by post to the address of a member shall be considered as duly delivered. Members changing their postal address shall notify the Secretary thereof in writing.

X – Expulsion of Members

Whenever, after the election of a member, it shall become known that such election has been obtained by concealment of facts as to his character or responsibility, or when any member shall wilfully infringe the Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws of the Club, or be guilty of conduct which, in the opinion of the Committee, is unworthy of a member, the Committee shall have the power to expel such member by ballot, at a meeting called for the purpose, seven days’ notice of which shall be given.

XI – Officers

The Officers of the Club shall be the Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore(s), Offshore Captain, Dinghy Captain, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary who shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for the following calendar year.

If for any reason a vacancy occurs the Committee shall have power to fill such vacancy for the unexpired term except in the case of a Flag Officer who must be elected at a General Meeting convened for that purpose.

XII – Management and Committee

(a) The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Committee consisting of the Officers and, if deemed desirable by them, up to five other Inport members co-opted by the Officers.

(b) The Committee shall meet in Southport once a month and at such other more frequent times as may be necessary.

(d) When a conflict of interest exists for a committee member, that member must declare the nature of the conflict or the potential conflict. The member must not take part in deliberations or proceedings including decision-making in relation to the conflict of interest. The member must not be counted in the quorum required for decision-making on the matter for which he or she has the conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest should be recorded and managed by at least three unrelated/non-cohabiting members of the committee.

(e) The Committee shall have power to create Sub-Committees and to appoint any of the members of the Committee to and to co-opt other members to such Sub-Committees. Each Sub-Committee shall have a Chairman and a Secretary and the Minutes of all Sub-Committees shall be submitted to the Committee for confirmation. All decisions of Sub-Committees must be confirmed by the Committee before being put into effect (or by the Flag Officers in port at the time in case of emergency). No expenditure shall be incurred without the previous sanction of the Committee (or of the Hon Treasurer and Flag Officers in port at the time in case of emergency).

(f) The Committee shall have power to make regulations from time to time in respect of the Club premises and property under their control or to alter the existing regulations for the time being, which, being exhibited in all Club premises shall be binding on every member.

(g) The Committee shall have power to appoint an Assistant Hon Treasurer and Assistant Hon Secretary.

XIII – Accountants

A professional accountant(s) shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting who shall not be a member(s) of the Committee. The person(s) appointed will produce annual accounts after the end of each financial year and issue an Accountant’s(s’) Report covering these accounts.

XIV – Captains

Offshore and Dinghy Captains shall be responsible for the administration, organisation and Committee liaison for all sailing and racing events concerning their respective fleets.

XV – Visitors

Each member shall be allowed to introduce Visitors, who are not members of Royal or recognised Yacht Clubs, and every Visitor shall be considered the guest of the member introducing him. No guest shall be introduced to the Club more than three times in one year except when such introduction is required for the purpose of enabling that member to engage in the activities of the Club and, in the opinion of a member of the Committee, without whose presence such engagement would not be possible. No member shall introduce to the Club any person whose presence shall have been officially intimated to him by the Committee as objectionable, or any ex-member whose name has been removed from the Club List under Rule X. The Visitors’ Book shall be kept in the Club premises, and the names of all persons introduced into the Club and the name of the member introducing them shall be written therein by the member introducing. The member shall not leave the Club premises before his Guest.

There may be admitted to the premises of the Club, with the consent of the Committee, persons other than members and their guests and intoxicating liquor may be supplied to them by or on behalf of the Club for consumption on the premises only.

XVI – Visiting Yachtsmen

Members of other Royal or recognised Yacht Club visiting the Port may be admitted to the Club by a Flag Officer or by the Committee and be entitled to use the amenities thereof.

XVII – Yachts

(a) Every Yacht belonging to the Club shall be registered in a book to be kept for that purpose, such register to state the name, rig, dimension, and club rating of each yacht, with the name of the owner and distinguishing flag and official number (if any). Yacht owners on their election as members of the Club shall furnish the Captains with the said particulars, and in the case of any alteration affecting the measurement of a yacht the same shall be intimated to the Captain.

(b) Yachts belonging to members while on hire to non-members shall not fly the Club Flag or be entitled to the privileges of the Club.

SALE OR PURCHASE

Any member selling his yacht or acquiring a new yacht is requested within seven days after the transfer or purchase to intimate the same to the Captains with the particulars required by this Rule.

XVIII – Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting shall be held in Southport in the month of December at such time and place as the Committee may appoint, notice of which, together with a Copy of the Statement of Accounts, shall be sent by the Secretary at least ten days before the Meeting to all members entitled to vote thereat. At such Meeting the Report of the Committee and Statement of Accounts of the Club for the year ending on the previous 31st October, with the Report of the Accountant(s) thereon, shall be submitted, the Officers elected and any other business transacted, of which notice shall have been given. At such Meeting ten members shall form a quorum.

All nominations for election of Officers must be sent in writing to the Secretary. A list of such nominations together with the names of the proposers and seconders shall be posted on the Notice Board in the Club premises for seven clear days at least before the Annual Meeting. If, however, nominations are insufficient to fill the vacancies, these may be filled by nominations and voted upon during the Meeting.

XIX – Special General Meetings

A Special General Meeting shall at any time be called by the Secretary on receiving directions to that effect from the Committee, or on receiving a requisition to that effect signed by twelve members entitled to vote thereat or one-fifth of the total membership entitled to vote thereat whichever is the less. Such requisition shall state clearly the object of the proposed meeting, and at least seven days notice of such meeting and its objects shall be given to all members entitled to vote thereat. Fifteen members shall form a quorum at a Special General Meeting.

XX – Chairman of Meetings

The Senior Flag Officer present shall take the chair at all meetings of the Club, and should no Flag Officer be present the Captain who has the longer held office shall be the Chairman, or in his absence the meeting shall appoint a Chairman. The Chairman shall have deliberative vote(s), and shall have a casting vote in the case of an equality.

XXI – Voting at General Meetings

All proposals, resolutions, motions, recommendations of any nature whatsoever brought forward at any General Meeting to be effective and binding must be carried by a majority comprising of two-thirds or more of the votes represented by the members present at such General Meeting and entitled to vote but when a resolution which is not so carried has received more than one half of the votes represented by the members at the meeting it shall again at the same meeting be put to ballot at which the two-thirds provision shall again apply. The result of the second ballot shall be the definitive vote on the resolution.

All members aged 18 and over except Temporary members and Honorary members shall have one vote at all general meetings

XXII – Alteration of Rules

These rules may be revoked, added to or altered by a majority comprising two-thirds or more of the votes represented by the members present and entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting or any Special General Meeting of the Club of which notice has been duly given under Rule XVIII or XIX respectively specifying the intention to propose the revocation, addition or alteration, together with particulars thereof. Such proposals and/or recommendations shall be discussed and at the discretion of the Chairman any amendments arising there from may be voted upon.

XXIII – Dissolution

The dissolution of the Club may be effected by a resolution duly passed by a majority consisting of two-thirds of all votes represented by members present and entitled to vote at a Special General Meeting called pursuant to Rule XIX, and at which not less than twenty-one members shall be present.

XXIV – Rules and Bye-Laws

A copy of these Rules shall at all times be exhibited at all Club Premises together with the Bye-Laws of the Club and any amendments made thereto by the Club Committee and the Bye-Laws and Regulations made by the Club Committee under Rule XII(e) shall be printed in the Fixture List.

Unless the context shall clearly indicate to the contrary in all these Rules, Regulations and Bye-Laws the singular shall incorporate the plural and the masculine incorporate the feminine.

In case of doubt or ambiguity the interpretation of the Club Committee shall be binding until revoked or amended by the procedure of Rule XIX and XXII.

CLUB BYE-LAWS

1 CLUBHOUSE

These shall be the Club Headquarters. The Clubhouse will be open with the Club Steward in attendance at the times shown below:

(a) Thursday 19:00 – 23:00

Saturday 14:00 – 17:00

(b) The bar may be open on other days and for extended hours for Club or private functions.

The Clubhouse shall be open throughout the year at all other times as any Inport member shall wish but the services of the Club Steward may not be available and the member shall be responsible for leaving the Clubhouse locked and secure on leaving. Clubhouse keys are available from the Club Steward on payment of a deposit as determined from time to time by the Committee.

The billiards table will be available for use at all times the Steward is present as detailed above except:

(a) After 22:00 on the day prior to a social event until 12:00 on the day after the event.

(b) On special occasions, at the discretion of the Committee.

2 DOGS

Dogs other than assistance dogs are not allowed into the Clubhouse. Dogs are welcome on WLYC premises outside the Clubhouse provided they are kept on a lead at all times.

3 CLUB POLICIES AND CODES OF CONDUCT

Club members are required to read and follow the Club’s policies and codes of conduct, which are downloadable from the Club website or, on request, from the Secretary.

4 SUPPLIES

Members shall pay their bills for every expense they incur in the Club before they leave the house.

5 COMPLAINTS

All complaints should be addressed to the Committee in writing and no member shall personally reprimand any servant of the Club.

6 CLUB PROPERTY

No member shall take away or injure any property of the Club.

7 GAMBLING

No gambling shall be allowed in the Club’s premises.

8 CLUB EMPLOYEES

No member shall send an employee out of the Club’s premises on private business.

9 NOTICES

No paper or placard shall be put up in the Club’s premises or books or printed matter placed upon its tables nor shall any advertisement or circular be published bearing the name of the Club without the authority of the Committee or Hon Secretary.

10 PERSONAL PROPERTY

The Club shall accept no responsibility for the loss of or damage to any article left on the Club’s premises.

11 LOUNGE AND SNOOKER ROOM DRESS

(a) All members and their guests shall be properly attired according to season in the lounge and snooker room, and in particular sailing and wet gear shall not be permitted therein nor unaccompanied children of cadet age.

(b) Juniors may only use the snooker table in the company of an adult.

12 AMENDMENTS

The Committee shall have power to add to, delete and amend these bye-laws as it shall think fit and to charge members for admission to the Club’s premises such amounts and on such occasions as it shall consider appropriate and shall ensure that members are notified of such decision.