Existing Rules as of January 1, 2002
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I OFFICERS
SECTION 1: The officers of this corporation shall be a Commodore, Vice Commodore, Secretary and Treasurer.
SECTION 2: The Commodore shall be the chief executive officer and preside at all meetings of the Board of Governors and of the general membership. He shall have general and active management of the business of the corporation, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Governors are carried into effect. He shall have the general powers and duties of supervision and management usually vested in the office of president of a corporation, and generally, all powers in the day-to-day management of the affairs of the corporation, saving unto the other officers and to the Board of Governors those powers reserved unto them herein or by law.
SECTION 3: The Vice Commodore shall serve in the place and stead of the Commodore during the absence or incapacity of the Commodore, or temporary vacancy in the office of Commodore. He shall be ex-officio member of all committees, and shall attend to such other duties as may be required of him by the Commodore or the Board of Governors.
SECTION 4: The Secretary shall have charge of all records of the corporation, shall give notice of all meetings of the Board of Governors or of the general membership, shall attend all such meetings and record all votes and other proceedings had therein in a book to be kept for that purpose, and shall have custody of the Seal of the corporation, and when authorized by the Board of Governors shall affix same to any instrument requiring it, and to attest to same by his signature. The Secretary shall attend all committee meetings and keep records thereof when so required.
SECTION 5: The Treasurer shall have charge if all funds of the corporation and of their disbursement under proper direction. He shall keep a record of all monies received or paid out, and shall make a report of same to the Board of Governors at each regular meeting .thereof, and whenever requested to do so. He or the Commodore shall sign all checks, drafts, and notes on behalf of the corporation.
SECTION 6: The Board of Governors may appoint such other officers and agents as it shall deem necessary, and may establish such duties and powers for such officers as it
deems necessary.
SECTION 7: Officers shall serve without compensation provided that in the event there is created the office of Executive Secretary, the Board of Governors may provide such compensation form that officer as is deemed proper, subject to approval of the general membership, by majority vote.
SECTION 8: The office of Commodore shall be filled by vote of the general membership, as provided in ARTICLE II of these By-Laws. All other officers shall be appointed from among the members of the Board of Governors by the Commodore.
SECTION 9: Officers shall serve a term of one calendar year, commencing January 1 and ending December 31 of each year. The Commodore shall not succeed himself, but shall succeed automatically to the office of Rear Commodore; and shall hold no other office during his term as Rear Commodore. The Rear Commodore shall not succeed himself in that office. All other officers may succeed themselves.
SECTION 10: The Rear Commodore shall have such duties as the Board may specify, and shall act as Commodore in the event of a vacancy in that office during the period from the lapse of his term and the taking of office of his successor. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Rear Commodore, it shall not be filled.
ARTICLE II BOARD OF GOVERNORS
SECTION 1: The corporation shall be governed by a Board of Governors(hereafter referred to as the Board) which shall be composed of not less than five(5) members elected annually from the general membership, provided that no Fleet shall have more than two(2) members serving simultaneously upon the Board, nor shall there be more than two members who are not members of A Chartered Fleet.
SECTION 2: Election to the Board, and to the office of Commodore, shall be as follows:
A. Sixty days prior to the Annual Meeting of the general membership, the Secretary shall give written notice to the general membership of the following:
Nominations to the Board must be received by the Secretary at least thirty days prior to the annual meeting.
The number of positions to be filled.
A list of current Board members, their Fleet numbers and the expiration dates of their current terms.
Nominations must be submitted and seconded in writing, signed by the nominating member and the seconding member.
B. Thirty days prior to the annual meeting, or as closely thereto as practicable, the Secretary shall give written notice to the general membership of the following:
A list of current Board members. their Fleet numbers, and the expiration dates of their current terms.
The number of positions to be filled.
A list of nominees to new terms. and their Fleet numbers.
Proxy votes must be in writing, signed by the grantor, naming the member authorized to cast the grantor's votes, and filed with the Secretary at or prior to the 'opening of the annual meeting.
C. Voting at the Annual Meeting shall be by open ballot, unless the majority of votes present demand secret ballot.
D. Voting shall proceed as follows:
The first ballot shall include all eligible nominees. and shall be for election to the first open position of Board membership. Those nominees having the highest total votes, added together until a majority of the voting power present is reached, shall then be until one placed on the second ballot; and so on until a nominee has received a clear majority of the votes present.
The next ballot shall be for the next open position, proceeding in the same manner, and so on until all open positions-are filled.
After each position is filled, the list of remaining nominees shall be purged of any that have become ineligible before proceeding to the next ballot.
E. After all positions on the Board have been filled, all new Board members and all Board members whose terms do not expire at the end of the current year, except the current Commodore, shall be deemed nominated to the office of Commodore, and balloting shall resume in the same manner until that office is filled.
SECTION 3: Terms of Office.
A. The Commodore shall succeed to the office of Rear Commodore, and shall not be placed in nomination for any other position. Following his term as Rear Commodore, he shall again be eligible for nomination.
B. The first two members elected to the Board shall be elected for terms of three years; the next two shall be elected for terms of one year. Thereafter, as these terms expire, all new terms shall be for three years.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Membership in the corporation shall be restricted to persons who own a bona fide interest in a South Coast 21, and shall be further restricted to not more than two such owners per yacht. Neither the corporation nor any Chartered Fleet shall grant membership to any person who is not the owner of such a bona fide interest in a South Coast 21, provided that provisional membership may be granted to an applicant who satisfies the corporation that he has placed a bona fide order for a South Coast 21. Such provisional membership shall become absolute upon delivery of the yacht, but shall be cancelled if delivery is not made through the fault of the provisional member.
SECTION 2: Membership in the corporation may be granted directly by the Board to qualified persons who are not members of a Chartered Fleet, provided that such persons have no Chartered Fleet available to them.
SECTION 3: Membership in the corporation is automatically granted to qualified persons who have been extended membership in a Chartered Fleet.
ARTICLE IV CHARTERING OF FLEETS
SECTION 1: The corporation may issue a Charter to any organized group of owners of a South Coast 21, who own a total of not less than three such yachts and share a common geographic location, provided that the prospective Fleet shall meet all other requirements hereinafter set forth.
SECTION 2: Prospective Fleets shall apply by letter to the Board for a Fleet Charter, and such letter shall be accompanied by tender of payment of one year's dues for each member of the prospective Fleet not already holding non-fleet membership, the Chartering Fee, and any other fee properly established by the Board prior to its receipt of the application. In the event of denial of the Charter, all funds so tendered shall be returned.
SECTION 3: The Board is authorized to further condition granting of Fleet Charters upon proper compliance with any other requirement of the corporation.
SECTION 4: The Board is authorized to revoke the Charter of any Fleet which demonstrates unworthiness of continued association with the corporation; provided that the Board shall not revoke any Fleet Charter upon less than a vote of two-thirds of its membership, and provided further that any such revocation shall be appealable to the general membership, which shall affirm or overrule the revocation by majority vote. The Board shall establish procedures and time limits for such appeals.
ARTICLE V FEES AND DUES
SECTION 1: Fleet Treasurers shall annually, in the month of January, collect and pay over to the corporation Treasurer the sum of Five Dollars ($5.00) per owner. Non-Fleet members shall make the same payment to the Treasurer directly. Members of prospective Fleets shall make the same payment at the time of making application for Fleet Charter, unless the prospective Fleet members already hold Non-Fleet membership.
SECTION 2: Prospective Fleets shall: at the time of making application for Fleet Charter, pay over to the Treasurer the sum of Twenty-five Dollars($25-00) as a Chartering Fee.
SECTION 3: The Board is authorized to increase or decrease the amount of annual dues by vote of not less than two-thirds of its membership, provided that no such change shall be passed during the month of December. Upon passage of such change. notice thereof shall be sent to all members, and the general membership shall have thirty (30) days within which to approve or disapprove the change. The change shall become effective for the following dues period unless, within the thirty day period, the corporation shall receive negative votes from more than 50% of the general membership.
SECTION 4: The Board is authorized to alter the amount of the Chartering Fee, provided it not reduced to less than $25.00 upon a vote of not less than 2/3 of its membership. Such change shall become effective immediately upon mailing of notice to all members, but shall not affect the Chartering Fee of any Prospective Fleet which has already made initial contact with the corporation and which makes formal application for Fleet Charter within sixty days of the effective date of the change.
SECTION 5: The Board is authorized to establish such other charges and fees as are deemed necessary, upon vote of not less than 2/3 of its membership. Such charges and fees shall become effective upon the expiration of thirty days from the date of mailing of notice thereof to all members unless. within the thirty day period, the corporation shall receive negative votes from more than 50% of the general membership.
SECTION 6: The Board is authorized to establish such reasonable charges as are deemed necessary to defray the expenses of regattas and other special events, and shall not require approval of the general membership, provided that such charges are assessed only against those members participating in the event.
ARTICLE VI MEETINGS
SECTION 1: The Board of Governors shall meet at least once annually for the purpose of establishing committees, planning the year's events, and such other business as may come before the meeting; may meet at such other times and for such lawful purposes as the Commodore shall specify and shall meet for any lawful purpose specified in a written request of not less than 25% of the general membership.
SECTION 2: 2/3 of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum, and the meeting may be conducted with the members in the actual physical presence of each other or through any recognized means of communication sufficient for the purpose.
SECTION 3: The general membership shall meet at least once annually, in conjunction with the National Championship Regatta. Proxy voting shall be allowed. provided that each proxy be in writing, signed by the grantor(who must be an eligible voter), and filed with the Secretary or his representative prior to the beginning of the meeting.
SECTION 4: At the written request of not less than 25% of the general membership, the Board shall call a special meeting of the general membership, which shall be limited to such business as is specified in the request.
ARTICLE VII VOTING
SECTION 1: Voting in meetings of the Board shall be upon the basis of one vote per board member.
SECTION 2: Voting in meetings of the general membership shall be upon the basis of one vote per South Coast 21. Votes of yachts having dual ownership may be split.
SECTION 3: In special elections in which voting is to be by Fleets rather than by yachts, the call for the election shall specify the manner and conditions of the vote.
ARTICLE VII I FLEET GOVERNMENT
SECTION 1: Chartered Fleets are authorized to adopt such Fleet By-laws as they deem necessary for their own government, provided that no such By-laws shall be in conflict with these By-laws or with the Articles of Incorporation.
SECTION 2: Chartered Fleets are authorized to establish and collect such Fleet dues and fees as they deem necessary, provided that an annual account of such is presented to the Treasurer of the corporation each January, covering receipts and disbursements for the preceding twelve months.
SECTION 3: Each January, Chartered Fleets shall render a report to the corporation giving names, addresses and sail numbers of all members in good standing, the Fleet officers and the current Fleet Champion. During the year, Fleets shall supplement this report immediately upon the addition or loss of Fleet members. It is recommended that Fleet officer elections be conducted at the same time as the National elections.
ARTICLE IX SPECIFICATIONS
SECTION 1: General
A. Specifications, however complete, cannot anticipate every possible situation which may arise. If a point is not covered herein or governed by common sense, a ruling must be obtained from the Chief Measurer. The Association reserves the right to declare ineligible any yacht which does not conform to the spirit as well as the letter of these specifications.
B. The manufacturer of a South Coast 21 shall furnish at the time of original delivery, a Certificate of Measurement showing the Yachts sail number, the year of manufacture, and a statement that the yacht meets all class rules in effect at the time of manufacture. The certificate shall bear the name of the manufacturer, and shall be dated and signed by the manufacturer or his authorized representative.
C. The Certificate of Measurement shall serve as prima facie evidence that the yacht described thereon meets all class rules but shall not prevent a challenge of the yacht's measurements.
D. Protests of measurements or specification of a South Coast 21 must include a $15.00 deposit, returnable only if sustained. The deposit will be payable to the National Association.
E. It is the intent of these specifications to maintain rigidly the dimensions and specifications of the hull, spars, sails, and hardware insofar as an unfair advantage is not given by use of innovation.
F. It shall be the sole responsibility of every owner to maintain his yacht in accordance with these Specifications and Dimensions.
G. It is recognized that some variations have occurred in keel placement on hulls under number 90' and that rudder shapes have been altered. These variations do not seem to provide any unfair advantage and owners of the yachts shall not be required to change them to meet current specifications.
SECTION 2: Hull.
All hulls and decks shall conform to the design and specifications of the South Coast 21 as designed by Carl A. Alberg, NA. and built by South Coast Seacraft or by their licensees. All hull and deck molds shall be approved by the Board of Governors. Any change in the hull must be approved by the general membership by majority vote.
SECTION 3: Spars.
Spars shall conform to the specifications and dimensions as shown on the attached diagram. Tapered sections are prohibited.
SECTION 4: Standing Rigging.
Standing rigging shall conform to specifications and dimensions as shown on the attached diagram. The use of a backstay which is readily adjustable while underway is prohibited.
SECTION 5: Running Rigging.
Halyards and the sheaves shall bear the weight of the sails. The arrangement of the jib and genoa sheets and blocks, spinnaker sheet and guy and leads, and cleats shall be optional. The use of a winch on any sheet or halyard shall be optional.
SECTION 6: Spinnaker and Whisker Poles.
The maximum overall length of the spinnaker pole including fittings shall be 7 feet, 3 inches, the whisker pole optional. Topping lift and downhaul arrangements are optional. The spinnaker pole or whisker pole may be made of any material and must have the inboard end attached to the mast when in use, handholding is not permitted.
SECTION 7: Boom Vang.
A boom vang may be used and permanent fittings for attaching the vang to the boom and to the boat or mast may be installed.
SECTION 8: Travelers.
A mainsheet traveler of optional design may be used but must be located aft of the rudder post.
SECTION 9: Sails.
A. Measurement. Sail measurements listed herein are maximum measurements and are to be made with the sail laid on a plane surface with tension adequate to remove all wrinkles across the line of measurement. Luff wires shall be stretched taut. The point of measurement on all sails shall be cringle(grommet) center to cringle(grommet) center.
B. Cloth. Sails shall be made of woven sailcloth of the same nominal weight throughout that sail except for conventional strengthening at head. clew, and tack. There are no limitations as to material or weight of sailcloth for jib, main, genoa, or spinnaker. Synthetic films are not permitted except for windows of reasonable size. Laminated materials are not permitted. Increasing the number of thicknesses of material is permitted only for seams, conventional tabling, and strengthening at head, tacks, clew, and points of wear. Seams may be taped, glued. or sewn. Miter cut sails are permitted.
C. Emblem and Numerals. The SC-21 emblem as drawn on the Official Plans and the boat number shall be carried on both sides of the mainsail, the starboard side being higher. Numerals shall be carried on both sides of the spinnaker. Numerals shall be at least 12 inches tall.
D. Mainsail. There shall be four battens, two not exceeding 24" and two not exceeding 27", the center battens being longer. All mainsails, when in use, shall be attached to the spars for the full length of the luff and foot. Loose footed mainsails are prohibited. The mainsail shall have a functional tack. Luff and foot zippers, leech lines, Cunningham holes, and adjustable clew outhauls are permitted. There is no limitation of leech roach. Maximum width of the headboard measured perpendicular to the luff shall be 4 ˝ inches. The maximum measurements of the mainsail shall be the following:
Luff-- 23' 9"
Foot-- 10’ 4"
Leech--25' 9"
The mast and boom may be banded as illustrated in the attached diagrams in lieu of the above mainsail measurements. The mainsail shall fall within these bands at all times.
E. Genoa. Genoa jibs shall be equipped with snaphooks, all of which must be attached to the jib stay when the sail is set. The amount of roach in the foot and leech is optional, but stiffening the roach by any means is prohibited. Either a luff wire or rope is permitted. A leech draw-string is permitted. Zippers are prohibited. The maximum measurements of the genoa jib shall be,
Luff---20’ 00"
Foot—12’ 00"
Leech-19’ 00"
F. Spinnaker. Spinnakers shall be of the parachute type with equal luffs. Overlapping slots or vents are prohibited. The maximum measurements of the spinnaker shall be:
Luff—22’ 00"
Foot—14’ 00"
G. Crews. In all races the crew shall consist of the skipper plus at least one other. There shall be no maximum restriction.
H. Safety Equipment. Every SC-21 shall carry all Coast Guard required safety equipment plus adequate ground tackle.
ARTICLE X RULES OF RACING
SECTION. l: All officially sponsored or sanctioned races shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the United States Yacht Racing Union. They shall be further subject to local laws and regulations of the organization hosting the races.
SECTION 2: Officially sponsored or sanctioned races shall be open only to yachts owned by members in good standing in the corporation.
SECTION 3: Eligibility to skipper a South Coast 21 in an officially sponsored or sanctioned event shall be restricted to only bona fide owners of a South Coast 21. This does not. restrict an owner to skipper only his own yacht as he may skipper any other properly certificated South Coast 21.
SECTION 4: Scoring shall be by the "Low Point" system: 3/4 points for first place, 2 points for second place, 3 points for third place, etc. The lowest point total shall determine the victor.
SECTION 5: Any race in which no yacht has rounded the first mark within 1 hour and 30 minutes of the starting signal shall-be declared cancelled. Any other time limitation upon a race shall be at the discretion of the Race Committee in charge.
SECTION 6: Protests shall be conducted in accordance with USYRU Rules and the rules of the host organization.
SECTION 7: In National Regattas, a minimum of 5 races shall be scheduled. At least 4 races must be completed to determine the final standings. In the event 4 races are not completed within the scheduled period, the regatta may either be extended as necessary or rescheduled at a later date. A majority vote of the participating yacht owners shall determine the decision.
SECTION 8: In all National Regattas, notice of the tentative schedule of races shall be given to all members not less than 90 days prior to the last date for registration. The notice shall be given by the Board of Governors or its delegate. This notice is intended for the convenience of the members and failure of the Board to give the notice timely shall not be of itself, cause for protest of the regatta.
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
SECTION 1: These By-laws may be amended upon recommendation of the Board or of the Rules Committee, subject to the following rules:
A. If the amendment shall relate to any matter affecting the one-design principle, it shall become effective only upon receipt of affirmative votes from not less than 90% of the eligible voters, or at the expiration of 60 days from the date of mailing of ballots to all members, unless the corporation shall receive, within the 60 day period. negative votes from 10% or more of the eligible voters.
B. If the amendment relates to any other matter it shall be deemed defeated unless the corporation shall receive-affirmative votes from not less than 50% of the eligible voters within 60 days of mailing of ballots to all members.
SECTION 2: These By-laws may be amended without the recommendation of the Board of Governors or of the rules Committee, subject to the following rules:
A. A petition, setting forth the exact terms of the proposed amendment, dated, and signed by no less than 10% of the eligible voters shall be submitted to the Board.
B. Upon receipt of such a petition, and after verification of the eligibility of the signatories, the Board shall forthwith call an election, which shall be held in the same manner as is provided in Section 1 of this Article.
AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE IX, SPECIFICATIONS (AMENDED SEPTEMBER 1993)
Section 9: SAILS, is amended as follows:
Section 9, Paragraph D., Mainsail, is amended to allow a full length top batten and batten lengths of up to 40" for the two middle battens and up to 36" for the bottom batten. The leach roach shall not be greater than 15 " measured along a straight line from the clew grommet to the aft edge of the mainsail headboard.
Section 9, Paragraph E., Genoa, is amended to allow battens, not exceeding 12" 'm length, to be used in the leach on the lapper jib sail.
Section 9, Paragraph F., Spinnaker, is amended to restrict boats from changing spinnakers in any given race, except 'm the event of damage to the spinnaker being used.