RULES OF THE NATIONAL ALBACORE ASSOCIATION
(As agreed at the Annual General Meeting at Looe Sailing Club, Tuesday 12th August, 1995; further revised at the AGM on Saturday 6th August 2022 at Royal Lymington Yacht Club. )
1. The Association shall be called "The National Albacore Association."
2. The objects of the National Albacore Association shall be:-
(a) To promote the Albacore Class Dinghy as a National restricted class racing dinghy and as a family cruising boat throughout the United Kingdom
(b) To maintain liaison with all other Albacore Associations and to support the International Albacore Association
(c) To foster Regional and National racing in Albacores and particularly to encourage participation by young persons
(d) To represent the interest of owners to the RYA, particularly relating to measurement rules and licensed builders
3. It shall maintain a register of Members of the NAA,
4. Membership of the Association shall he open to owners, and to others interested in the class. Membership shall be available in the following categories:-
(a) Full Members (below in these Rules call "Members"). Entry into this category shall be unrestricted and members shall be entitled to all privileges and rights of the Association as set out in these Rules or determined from time to time at a general meeting of Members
(b) Associate Members, who shall either be non-owners or one of the immediately related family of a Member
(c) Crew members, who shall be non-owners normally crewing in Albacores. Apart from any further rights or privileges determined from time to time at a general meeting of members, the subscription of Crew Members shall be deemed to include a subscription to "Alive" but Associate Members shall not be entitled to their own copy of "Alive"
(d) Honorary Members, who shall have been recommended by the Committee at its discretion for confirmation at the next Annual General Meeting of the class following such recommendation, in recognition of exceptional services to the Association over a prolonged period. To be eligible for Honorary Membership the nominee shall no longer be actively racing Albacores. Honorary Members shall have all the rights and privileges of Members but shall not be obliged to pay a subscription. The number of honorary Members of the Association shall not exceed ten at any one time
(e) Life Members, this category shall be open to Members Who are over 50 years of age and who are and have been Members for a continuous period of not less than 15 years. Life Members shall pay a single life subscription of an amount to be determined from time to time by a General Meeting of Members. Life Members shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of Members
5. There shall be an annual subscription, payable by each Member, Associate Member or Crew member of the NAA on 1st January each year, the amount of which shall be fixed from time to time at a general meeting of Members.
6. The Officers of the Association shall be as follows:-
(a) Commodore
(b) Chairman
(c) Honorary Secretary
(d) Honorary Treasurer
(e) The Officer(s) representing the NAA at the IAA
No member shall be eligible to hold the same office on the Committee other than Commodore for more than three years consecutively or be Commodore for more than four years consecutively or the Officer(s) representing the NAA at the IAA for more than eight years consecutively. These terms of service 'in post' may be extended but only by agreement of a majority vote of members attending an AGM or EGM: such vote to take place before the election of officers at an AGM.
7. The Committee shall consist of the Officers of the NAA each of whom shall have one vote ex officio, together with elected Members who shall number not less than two and not more than eight.
Committee Members other than the officer(s) representing the NAA at the IAA (below called the IAA Members) shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Class but shall be eligible for re-election. IAA Members shall be elected biannually at the Annual General Meeting of the Class held in a year which the World Championships are held and shall hold office for two years and subject to Rule 6 of these rules shall be, eligible for re-election.
Four Members of the Committee form a quorum.
Any Members of the Committee unless unavoidably prevented by illness or other satisfactory reason, who shall fail to attend three-quarters of the meetings of the Committee during the year, shall not be eligible to serve on the Committee in the following year.
Nominations of Officers of the NAA shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary before noon of the day preceding the AGM.
8. The Committee shall ensure, that the following posts and duties, and any other duties that may arise from time to time are covered satisfactorily from within its own Members as far as is practicable but shall have the power to co-opt if deemed necessary:-
(a) Members to serve on IAA Council as required
(b) National Chief Class Measurer who will also represent the NAA on the IAA Rules Committee
(c) Representative to RYA
(d) Editor of "Alive" and responsibility for Class publicity
(e Class Records Secretary
(f) Responsibility for marketing class merchandise
(g) Representatives for special groups
(h) Representatives for geographical areas
9. The Association shall be affiliated to the RYA, who are responsible for administering the Class as a National Class.
10. Voting rights shall be confined to fully paid-up Members of the NAA. The Committee may conduct a ballot of all Members should the issue be of sufficient importance.
At a meeting or ballot of Members, each Member shall have one, vote. If during debate on a Resolution, an amendment has been proposed and seconded, the amendment must first be voted upon. If the amendment is passed the Meeting will then vote upon the original Resolution as amended but if the amendment is defeated the Meeting will then vote upon the original Resolution.
Members may nominate an officer of the Committee to be his proxy to vote at a General Meeting on any Resolution duly proposed and seconded in accordance with Rule 13. The Officer of the Committee so nominated shall vote as directed by the Proxy. To be valid all such proxies shall be in writing and lodged with the Honorary Secretary at least twenty-four hours before the meeting.
11. An Annual General Meeting shall be called normally during the United Kingdom National Championships (below called the Championships) of the Class, to enable active sailing Members to be fully represented.
12. Extraordinary General Meetings may be called, giving three weeks notice by the Committee at any time or on request of at least twenty per cent of the Members.
13.
(a) Three weeks notice shall be given of any General Meeting. Additional items may be placed on this Agenda if proposed and seconded by Members, in writing, at least forty-eight hours before the meeting.
(b) A duly convened Annual General Meeting may be adjourned by the Chairman to take place after the advertised time and/or date for such meeting if the exigencies of the sailing program for the championships or required PROVIDED that such adjourned Annual General Meeting takes place at the advertised venue at the earliest convenient opportunity following such adjournment and during the continuance of the Championships. If such adjourned Annual General Meeting cannot be reconvened to take place during the Championships then any such adjourned meeting must be reconvened in accordance with the requirements of Rule 13(a).
(c) Should it prove impossible to convene an AGM at the Nationals, provision may be made for a virtual Annual General Meeting to be held in the same calendar year; the date and time of such meeting to be communicated to the membership at least three weeks prior to the nominated date.
14. To race an Albacore in accordance with these Class Rules, the Helm must be a Member or a Crew Member or an Associate Member within the immediate family of a Member. Proof of NAA Membership shall be furnished, on demand to any Club organising racing for Albacores.
15. Albacore Class Dinghy hulls may only be built by builders licensed by the RYA. Boat builders may be licensed to build Albacore hulls by the RYA only after consultation and agreement with the NAA Committee and such licences may only be withdrawn or terminated by the RYA after consultation with the NAA Committee.
The NAA may recommend to the RYA that building licences be withdrawn if the Committee considers this to be in the best interest of the Class.
16. Any changes to the Rules of the National Albacore Association shall only be valid if duly proposed and seconded in accordance with Rule 13 and passed at a General Meeting with more than two-thirds of the votes cast at such meeting in accordance with the Rules as then constituted being in favour of the change proposed.
17. Exclusion of Liability. The National Albacore Association and its Officers and Committee shall not be Liable for any loss, damage, death or personal injury howsoever caused to Members, Owners, Competitors or Crew or Guests of Members taking part in or attending races, Championships or events organised by or on behalf of the National Albacore Association. Moreover, all persons taking part in or attending such races, Championships or events implicitly accept that the National Albacore Association, its Officers and Committee shall be exonerated from liability as aforesaid whether or not such loss, damage, death or personal injury could have been attributed to or was occasioned by the neglect, default, omission or negligence of any Officers, Committee or agents or servants of the National Albacore Association.