Members shall pay an Annual Subscription together with any boat or board fees for all craft located at the sailing site. Trailer Sailor owners shall pay a full boat fee (Stand Alone Fee) per trailer sailor, regardless of normal first and second boat / board fees. The Annual Subscriptions and dues of each Youth Group shall be negotiated separately with the General Committee and be calculated on each Group's particular requirements.

Honorary members shall pay boat and board fees as stated, as well as subscriptions for their families where applicable. New Members fees other than Entrance, Social, Outport, Junior and Temporary are reduced by 1/2 for applications placed after 31st August and by 3/4 for applications placed after 31st October. Applications placed after 31st December are at full rate but no further subscription is charged for the following financial year.

2. All members agree to take turns of duty in running the Club Racing Programme and/or bar as required.

3. All boats and boards shall be registered with the Harbourmaster and/or Membership Secretary by the 1st April each year. Only boats and boards so registered with the Club shall be allowed on site and any member wishing to bring a boat to the sailing site shall notify the Sailing Committee in writing with the details and size of the boat or board. Registration may be refused to any boat or board which the Sailing Committee considers unsuitable. Changes of ownership of any boat or board must be notified to the Harbourmaster and/or Membership Secretary. An adopted class is defined as 5 boats with 4 regularly sailing in the Sunday Handicap/ Class races. Adopted classes are: classic F15, RS200 & Asymmetric. The following boat classes will automatically be accepted to the menagerie fleet: Solo, Laser, GP14, Enterprise, Topper, Optimist, RS Vareo, Phantom, Wayfarer, Laser 2000, National 12, RS Feva and Mirror.

4. Berths and moorings shall be allocated by the Harbourmaster each season, and individual members shall have no prescriptive right to a particular mooring or shore berth.

5. It is the boat owner’s responsibility to ensure that his/her boat and all its equipment is securely tied down or moored.

6. Members of the club, their guests and visitors, may use the club premises, and any other facilities of the club on the terms permitted under their own type of membership entirely at their own risk. New members and existing members by payment of their annual subscription and non member parents or carers paying membership fees on behalf of junior members impliedly accept that :-

(a)     The club will not accept any liability for any damage to or loss of property belonging to members, their guests or visitors to the club.

d)     Before inviting any guests or visitors onto the club premises or to participate in events organised by the club or to participate in events organised privately by members under bye law 19 members will draw their attention to this byelaw.

7. No member shall lend or hire out his or her boat or board to a non member from the Club premises or water, without first obtaining the permission of the General Committee. The General Committee may, as a condition of granting such permission, require the person borrowing or hiring the boat or board, to become a temporary member of the Club.

8. Boats and Club Buildings shall not be used as living accommodation. Under no circumstances is the bar area to be utilised other than for its designated purpose.

9. Each fleet shall elect a Captain, within one month of the Annual General Meeting, who shall be co-opted to the Sailing Committee.

10. Open Meetings:-

(a)     There will be no club racing on open meeting dates specified in the club handbook.

(b)     Club members may sail on open meeting dates but must not interfere with the racing.

(c)     The Race Officer may ask any boat or boats to leave the water, whose actions are, in his opinion, detrimental to the Open Meeting.

11. Children under the age of eighteen years are not allowed in the Club compound or on the water unless under control of their parent/s or carer/s, or a Member over the age of eighteen. Parents and/or Carers and/or Members who have accepted responsibility for them will be held responsible for the conduct and safety of their children.

Note The club is only able to provide rescue facilities during the hours of club racing and/or training. Outside these hours, parents and carers have sole responsibility for their children and must appreciate that the club cannot be expected to exercise supervision or control. Even during club racing the club cannot accept responsibility for children, or any other persons, not engaged in racing or organised training activity.

12. Training Boats: Training Boats, when not being used for training are available for use by Sailing Members, providing the consent of a member of the Training Committee is obtained. This facility is free, but will normally only be offered during a member’s first year of membership. All Members utilising this facility must report all damage, gear failure etc. to a member of the Training Committee.

13. Youth Groups

(a)     Bye-Law 1 applies to youth groups and their members.

(b)     Youth Groups are only admitted to the Club site and premises if accompanied by an adult Club member or complimentary member of their group who takes responsibility for their compliance with Club Rules and Bye-Laws. Admittance is restricted to one Group at a time on Club premises. A Youth Group, unless approved by the General Committee, shall not exceed twelve junior members.

(c)     Two competent adult members or young adult members of the Club or complimentary members must be present whenever boats or boards are afloat and the rescue boat shall be manned.

(d)     Adults as qualified in (c) above, who are not full members of the club, may be granted Complimentary membership provided their sole purpose is to supervise a Youth Group's visits for the specific periods as notified in Rule 6(b)(3) otherwise full membership will be obligatory.

14. Camping and Caravanning is permitted at the discretion of the General Committee. The use of caravans must be within the Club compound.

15. Swimming is Prohibited. The use of Non powered water based activities can be approved / rejected by any Committee Member in conjunction with the Duty Officer. If this decision is not accepted, then it should be raised at the next SC meeting.

16. The use of live ammunition is strictly forbidden on or in Club property, its margins or waters, except when authorised by the General Committee.

17. Radios and similar appliances are permitted provided they are used with due consideration to others and do not become a nuisance. Any issues arising will be resolved by the General Committee who will have the final discretion.

18. Prior approval must be sought from the appropriate Committee for storage of significant items of Personal property in club buildings or the compound. Personal property is stored at the owner’s risk.

19. Subject to approval by the House Committee, the Club premises may be used by club members for private functions. A fee will be charged, such fee to be determined by the House Committee on written application to the House Secretary.

20. Dogs are the sole responsibility of the owners, they shall be on a lead and under full control. They are allowed in the Club compound but not in the buildings. Dogs must not be left unattended at any time and are not allowed within the area bounded by the railings in front of the clubhouse. As far as possible dogs shall be prevented from fouling but where it occurs it is the dog owner's responsibility to take immediate remedial action.

21. Vehicle and boat access to the Sailing Site is via Chancery Lane and Meadow Lane, Thrapston, to the car park. The Causeway Entrance gate is to be locked on all occasions except by direction of a Committee.

22. Motor vehicles on club property shall only be driven by licensed & insured drivers and must not be driven unnecessarily, indiscriminately, or in a manner liable to cause injury or annoyance anywhere on the Club property or the accesses to Club property. When not in use, vehicles must be parked in the designated car parking areas.

23. The riding of motor or pedal cycles and the use of wheeled toy transport is prohibited within the site compound. Pedal cycles are to be stored in the rack provided.

24. Members must not light fires, cut trees or disturb wildlife habitat without the permission of the General Committee.

25. There is a strict “No Outside Publicity” rule regarding the fishery. This includes publication of any photographs or internet posts on fishing forums.

26. Fishing is a consented activity, by up to 40 anglers at any one time throughout the year (including night fishing). Fishing to take place from the bank only.

27. The use of boats or bait boats for angling is not permitted.

28. No fishing from the islands is permitted with the exception of the stone island at the sailing club end of the lake and the end of the spit.

29. All Angling Members must be in possession of a suitable unhooking mat.

30. Carp may be retained during the hours of darkness or for a short period of time while waiting for a photographer. Special care must be taken in the summer months when oxygen levels are low.

31. No transferring of specimen fish between the river and the lake is permitted. Any live bait’s must be caught on site.

32. It is the responsibility of all members not to drop litter and to remove any to the bins provided. Any litter in or around Angling members swim is your responsibility.

33. A maximum of three rods are permitted at any one time. Environment Agency Rod Licences must be carried by Angling Members for all rods in use.

34. Pike fishing runs from the 1^st October – 31^st March.

35. No guest anglers are permitted.

36. For the purposes of VAT, the following applies in respect of the Club accounts. "The Club is a non-profit making organisation. All profits and surpluses will be used to maintain or improve the Club's facilities.”

37. Charitable Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Club any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the club, but shall be given or transferred to one or more of the following approved sporting or charitable bodies:

(a)     Another sailing club with similar aims or objectives.

(b)     Another club which is registered as a community amateur Sports Club.

(c)     The RYA who shall use them to further interests in the sport

38. Committee Members only are responsible for enforcing the Rules and Byelaws of the Club.

39. Trailer sailors, the maximum craft is limited to 8. Electric outboards are permitted for the use of mooring purposes only. Launching of these craft shall be by using slipway No 3 (near the race box). For the  purpose of launching and retrieval all trailer sailor craft are required to use a suitable trailer.

Data Protection Act

Middle Nene Sailing Club holds membership information on computer solely for the use of the club.

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