CLASSIC & VINTAGE RACING DINGHY ASSOCIATION

CONSTITUTION

1. NAME

The name of the Association shall be
CLASSIC & VINTAGE RACING DINGHY ASSOCIATION

2. Aims and Objectives

The Aims of the Association are to further the interests of Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghies and Catamarans, and govern the affairs of the Association.

The aims will be achieved by undertaking the following objectives

(a) to encourage classic and vintage racing dinghies and catamarans to race together as often as possible:
(i) in their own meetings;
(ii) as a classic handicap within larger fleets;
(iii) in mixed fleets under age-related handicaps.

(b) to share and disseminate information about classic and vintage dinghies and catamarans:
(i) by keeping an ownership and boats database;
(ii) to keep and build a record of the histories of these boats;
(iii) to encourage and preserve the skills and information needed to build, repair, restore and sail these boats.

(c) To establish and maintain the CVRDA Web site at: www.cvrda.org for the purpose of undertaking and supporting the objects of the association.

(d) to raise the public awareness of these dinghies and catamarans and the nautical heritage they represent.

(e) to encourage the owners of all Classic and Vintage dinghies and catamarans to keep their boats in good condition and sailing where they can be viewed by as large an audience as possible.

(e) to offer support to Classic Dinghy class associations that find it hard to compete in the modern sailing scene and help them find hosts for their national championship.

(f) to offer support to the owner of any Classic Dinghy or Catamaran that no longer has an active class association by offering the facilities to measure and determine, when required (subject to any necessary approval by the owner of the copyright) the specification of the hull, sail plan, weight, spars, rigging and fittings of the boat.

(g) to sponsor an annual regatta meeting and any other meetings thought fit.

3. BOAT CLASSIFICATIONS (WINGS)

(1) Handicapping will be used to promote good racing between boats of all ages and to reflect their degree of originality or modernization.

(2) Owners may make representation to the committee who may, at their discretion, place a particular boat in any of the three wings where it is clearly more suited to the spirit of that wing even if it does not fit the exact criteria of that wing.

(a) Vintage Racing Dinghies

The CVRDA define these as boats designed and built around WW2 using solid wood and no glue in their construction. They would be constructed using clench pin or copper rivet construction both in double-skin planking and clinker construction. Typical examples would include Uffa Fox built 14's, early Holt built Merlins, Wyche & Coppock Rockets and many early National 12s.

(b) Classic Racing Dinghies

The CVRDA define these as boats designed and built before 1965 that are not already covered by the Vintage classification. They would be made from plywood or moulded veneer construction using glue within construction. Typical examples would include any Fairey Marine built dinghy, all glued ply Merlin Rockets, glued National 12s and the plywood hard chine designs of Proctor and Holt. These boats would be from the hey-day of dinghy racing between the 2nd World War and 1965.

(c) Old Racing Dinghies

We define these boats as being from any dinghy class established before 1965 and built before 1985. This includes any of the development classes established before 1965 as long as the boat was built before 1985.

Lost Classes . Certain interesting examples of dinghies from classes designed between 1965 and 1985 and where that class is no longer in production and its association has ceased to exist, may be permitted to join the Old Racing Dinghies Wing after application to the committee if it is felt that the dinghy embodies the spirit of the CVRDA. See 3 (2) above. No post 1985 built dinghy will be considered.

(d) Catamarans
The CVRDA define qualifying catamarans as having been designed before 1965 and built before 1985. Typical examples would include the designs of Rod MacAlpine Downie and Prout Brothers in plywood and in GRP.

4. OFFICERS

The officers of the Association shall consist of a Commodore, a Secretary and a Treasurer who shall be elected by the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by one person.

5. COMMITTEE

The Association shall be managed by a Committee, which shall consist of:
(a) The Officers.
(b) A minimum of four and a maximum of seven elected Committee Members who have full membership of the Class Association.

6. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Committee shall be elected at the A.G.M. and shall hold office until the conclusion of the next A.G.M. Four shall form a quorum and the Commodore shall have a casting vote.

7. WEB SITE & Email communication

The web site and associated email address is to be the primary source of contact between the Association and the membership. An officer will be appointed at the A.G.M., along with assistants if necessary, to maintain and update the Web site on a regular basis. This will include an interactive forum to provide interactive communication between the whole membership. Written communication by normal land-mail will be limited to one or two newsletters a year.

8. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE.

The Committee may

(a) appoint any sinecure officers ex honoris causa who shall thereupon become honorary members.

(b) appoint sub-committees and delegate to them such powers as it thinks fit.

(d) appoint official measurers

(e) grant such honoraria and pay such travelling expenses as it thinks proper.

9. MEMBERSHIP

There shall be three classes of membership:

(a) Full Membership (Family, senior & cadet (full-time education))- which shall be open to all Classic and Vintage dinghy owners. This Class of Membership carries full voting rights. Joint owners shall be entitled to only one vote. A member interested in ownership of more than one Boat may not personally cast more than one vote, but this shall not prevent a co-owner from voting provided not more than one vote per member is cast.

(b) Associate Membership - shall be open to non-boat owners who are interested in the Association. Associate Members may be allowed to join in discussion but may not vote on any matter.

(d) Honorary Membership - shall be open to any person having an interest in the Association who is proposed by a Full Member and seconded by at least one member of the Committee and is elected by Members of the Association at any General Meeting of the Association. Honorary Members may be allowed to join in discussion but may not vote on any matter.

Members shall be bound by the Association rules, if helming in races that consist of or include the adopted classes, they shall be bound by the Measurement Rules existing currently or historically for those classes.

Any person wishing to enter the National CVRDA Regatta as helm must be a full member of the Association.

10. ASSOCIATION'S YEAR

The Association’s year shall be 1^st August to July 31^st

11. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

The subscriptions to the Association is proposed as:

(a) Full Member - £ 10.00
(b) Associate Member - £ 5.00

Subscriptions fall due on 1st January.

12. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The date, time and place of the Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be fixed by the Committee and at least six weeks notice shall be given of the date of the A.G.M. The business to be transacted thereat shall be:

(a) to receive the Secretary's Report,
(b) to receive the Treasurer's Report and audited accounts,
(c) to elect Officers,
(d) to elect the members of the Committee,
(e) to elect Auditors,
(f) AOB

Items to be included in (f) to be received by the Class Secretary for circulation to the membership not less than fourteen days before the A.G.M.

Notification to members will be by email only and item published on CVRDA Web site.

13. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

The Secretary shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting on the direction of the Committee or on receipt of a written request signed by at least fifteen members, stating the purpose for which the meeting is to be called. Such meeting shall be held within twenty eight days of it being called and fourteen days' notice thereof shall be given. Only that business may be transacted for which the meeting has been called.

14. COMMITTEE MEETING

At least three weeks notice of the date, time, place and agenda for any Committee Meeting must be given, by email, by the Secretary to each Committee Member. Any business conducted by correspondence shall always be circulated through the Secretariat and any Committee Member not answering a motion communicated to them by email within three weeks of the date of sending shall be deemed to have agreed to such a motion.

15. ALTERATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

Any alteration of these articles shall be passed at an Annual General Meeting by a majority of two-thirds at least of the members present and voting. Notice of motion of any of these articles shall be given by email or in writing to the Secretary at least twenty-eight days before any Annual General Meeting and any notice thereof shall be given by the Secretary at least fourteen days before such meeting.

16. DISSOLUTION

It shall be necessary to give notice of motion as aforesaid of any motion to dissolve the Association and such motion must be passed by a majority of at least three-fourths of those present and voting. On such dissolution the assets of the Association shall be paid or transferred to such person or body as the Meeting by a simple majority shall decide, and in default of agreement to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.

17. Email BALLOT

The Committee of the Association in general meeting may refer any question to the decision of the members by email ballot subject to the following conditions:

(a) Voting Papers shall be emailed so as to reach members at least fourteen days before they are due to be returned.

(b) Each question submitted shall be susceptible of answer by "Yes" or "No".

(c) The Secretary shall send therewith any memorandum directed by the Committee and on the receipt of adequate copies of any memorandum
from a member shall within three days thereof also send out such memorandum but at the expense of the member concerned.

(d) The Secretary shall certify the result of the ballot in writing by email.

Any question decided as aforesaid shall be deemed to have been decided at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting as the case may be, subject to their having been decided by an appropriate majority of those returning ballot papers.

18. NOTICES

Notices shall be deemed to have been duly served if emailed to the last known email address of a member. In the case of joint owners of boats notice need be sent only to the one named first in the records of the Association. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting or ballot to, or the non-receipt of notice or ballot by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate that ballot or the proceedings of that meeting.

Original draft by Andy Hayes based on RYA class recomendations: February 2001
2nd draft Ed Bremner: August 2001
3rd draft Ed Bremner after input from Alan Williams and Neil Witt

Presented to the first AGM of the CVRDA on 25th August 2001. Constitution was proposed and accepted.

Some changes to the constitution proposed and accepted at the AGM August 2009