LWA Annual General Meeting – 2008
Queen Mary Sailing Club

21 February 2009 – 13.30 pm
 

Present: Chairman / Treasurer – Paul Robinson

Committee – Rod Davis, Janet Pain, Andy Watkinson, Alan Jackson, Sandra Jackson.

Attendees – C Wells, D Starr, A Lacy, C Flint, R Kent, A Kent, G Horsley, N Kidd, D Kinnerley, T Birch, B Keeling, T Lloyd Williams, B Ingram.

Minutes (taken by Sandra Jackson)

Apologies received – Brian Tilbury, Kerry Hastings, Gill Humble, John Ellis.

Minutes of last meeting – AGM held on 8 February 2008, available on LWA website & distributed at AGM.

Proposal: These minutes are a true record of that meeting.

Proposer:  C Wells. Seconded: R Davis

Outcome: Carried

Matters arising:

       -     the LWA has implemented the revised starting sequence as discussed 

• the RYA/UKWA fleet flags as trialled in 2008 had issues of clarity and the red/yellow cross raceboard fleet flag would be continued to be used
• Entry fees remained at £10 for adults, £5 for youths. Further discussions later in this AGM.
• Burghfield SC offered 2 dates, both of which deemed unsuitable.
• Brogborough  An RYA grant enabled them to purchase a RIB which was then stolen. Safety cover provision is not known at this time.
• Techno training – event was snowed off
• LWA Young Windsurfer 2008: Congratulations to Alex Mitchell & Andrew Robinson.
• Boards for Unlimited class – to continue with any board option but the raceboard class excluded unlimited entrants from the overall raceboard results
• Brian Tilbury has reported that there is a 2 sail limit for international events, and 3 sail limit for UKWA events.  Note: the Worlds at Weymouth will have a 2 sail limit. Sail numbers are to be black on white background, and with a hyphen between country code & number (e.g. GBR-353)

Chairman’s Report:

1/   Firstly I would like to give my very grateful thanks to the LWA Committee for all the hard work and effort they have undertaken this year in order to deliver first class racing, both for our own Summer and Icebreaker Series, but also for the UKWA Inland Series Event at Oxford Sailing Club. This event just goes from strength to strength and this year we welcomed 86 competitors and some 30 or so team 15 participants. This is an essential transition event for junior sailors and is highlighted as a “should do” for the RYA Zone Squads sailors. It also captures those occasional competitors, who we then have the opportunity of enticing into joining us in our regular series. I am sure all of you will join us in encouraging and supporting both young and seasoned sailors in sailing with us.

2/ Many thanks for the support of all those who have sailed with us in 2008. The numbers returning suggest that we are doing the right thing and it is important that we fully recognise our core purpose and deliver that to the best of our ability. We need to learn lessons from each season and strive always to improve. Whilst your committee is dedicated to delivering what sailors want,  it is important to recognise areas where we need to do better and we need your ideas and suggestions and feedback. As an organisation we need to be both inward and outward looking in our approach

3/ The average numbers attending events in the Summer Series was slightly up on 2007 and generally in keeping within the numbers for the last 4 years. This year we may have well bettered the general average as we lost one event which in the previous year was the highest attended. The number of juniors racing with us is somewhat variable, albeit encouraging. This is an area we want to target for 2009 and the use of separate starts and shorter races has been shown to work. I know the regular sailors can and do offer great advice and support and this just forms part of the mix that makes sailing with us enjoyable. The Inland event was a huge success and was very well supported.  It is an essential part of the LWA calendar and is a vital ingredient in enabling our finances to remain stable and keep series entry fees low. This coming year the date is after the summer break and we would hope that we will receive the same level of support as this year. There may be some spin off from the world event at Weymouth in August. We would anticipate and encourage techno and raceboard master entries from the LWA as it has been some time since the event was held in the UK.

4/ Disappointingly the Icebreaker numbers were down to nearly their lowest ever. This was due to some extent  because of the event clashes with RYA Zone  Championships and training selection events, which robbed us of our juniors. The rather nippy weather also probably played a part. Perhaps  sometimes the cake gets cut into too many slices and the calendar is certainly a very full one. Are there too many events? Discuss !

5/ The Association is in a good financial position given the generous support of the IMCO Association - thank you Robert Kent  - and the success of the Inland Event. This allows us to retain the entry fees to the same level as last year, albeit that we anticipate the club fees may well rise, so we would be expecting a small financial loss next year. We are all aware of the current financial challenges and hopefully this will encourage and enable everyone to remain sailing with us.

6/With the current financial issues, it is certain that those companies who have been unclear of their brand, purpose and customer base are the ones to suffer the most. The LWA commitment is to fun, friendly, but also high class competitive racing throughout the fleet. A Series where all competitors are welcomed, acknowledged and feel that their time has been well spent and that they have had an enjoyable time. You should be aware that if you are unable to attend an event, your absence is noted and regretted. One less sailor makes the event  just that little less than it might have been - please encourage your friends to come with you!

7/ Many thanks for your support in 2008 and we are looking forward to a fantastic 2009 including the Weymouth World Cup

8/Finally you may have seen/heard about a new venture, formation of a UK Raceboard Association who within the framework of the UKWA and with magazine and manufacturer’s support, will promote and market raceboard racing. Its purpose is to encourage raceboard racing through the involvement of new racers, the return of previous raceboard sailors and the development of a dynamic youth fleet. Robert Kent is the chairman and the LWA is fully supporting the concept.

Treasurer’s Report: figures distributed at AGM.

Points of interest – net summer series income was down due to 6 events being held (King George SC was abandoned due to lack of wind)

• Inland event at Oxford SC saw a 50% increase in income. The fees for this 2-day event are determined by the UKWA.
• LWA Icebreaker – income is down 21%
• Overall income is up, and the surplus balance is £686.
• Comment from floor – “entry statistics are useful”, “very comprehensive”.
• LWA income / expenditure to January 2009 shows entry fees are up.
• The anonymous donation for the LWA Young Windsurfer of the Year is a boost for the youth. Thanks given to the donor. Confirmed that the donation is available again in 2009.
• An IMCO donation would be welcome again. R Kent stated that he would like to see IMCO funds going towards windsurfing.
• The raffle was satisfactory, although not greatly helping.
• Cash in hand remains high, partly because transferring this to the savings account is difficult, and because interest rates are low there is no incentive. Cash flow will be watched carefully.
• The exceptional income item of £175 is an old uncashed cheque paid to Oxford Sailing Club, so a new cheque will be sent to them.
• Entry fees will remain at their current levels.
• Queen Mary SC have increased their fees. Other sailing clubs have yet to confirm.

• Proposal: that these figures represent a true record.

Proposer: D Kinnerley. Seconded: R Kent.

Outcome: Carried.

Election of Officers – the current committee is prepared to stand again. No offers received for inclusion on the committee.

Proposal: to have the current committee accepted for a further year.

Proposer: G Horsley. Seconder: N Kidd

Outcome: carried.

 

Proposals – none received from the floor or via the website.

• Light winds criteria for racing: committee proposed that there should be no racing below 3 knots, calculated on the committee boat and also at windward mark, and there should be ripples across the course.
• Discussions – GPS could be used, but would need a sailor to rig up and get onto the water to test wind strength.  PR asked A Lacy what he would like to have for the minimum – 5 knots response. UKWA has a limit of 6 knots into tide.  PR wants to see consistency in the criteria. JP asked B Ingram what the criteria was for the Midlands Region – response that they took away the minimum windspeed but would go in 3 knots. G Horsley would prefer the Race Officer’s decision rather than an actual reading, and wanted to know the time that an event would be abandoned.  D Kinnerley suggested that if 1 lap could be completed in 30 minutes, but PR pointed out that the size of the course is a factor in that suggestion.

Proposal: that the decision is at the Race Officer’s discretion, with windspeed at 3 knots or above consistently across the course, and with a 1pm cutoff.

Outcome: carried.

• Weight classes to be re-instated in raceboard fleet: light, heavy & superheavy.
   
• Discussions – R Kent: principle is sound but small numbers in each fleet makes further subdivision difficult. T Lloyd Williams: bigger volume boards plus the 8.5 limit for ladies makes it not comparable.  A Lacy suggests remove 10.5 fleet or remove Master or Unltd divisions and bring in weight divisions.  B Ingram: lightweight limits >75kg, heavy <70kg. B Keeling: the volume of a board makes a difference. PR pointed out that 9stone+ youths stop racing on One Design as they are no longer competitive. T Lloyd Williams: pointed out the same happens with dinghies, with some youths sailing up to 15 years old, others being too heavy at age 12. G Horsley: suggests a year’s notice to stop Unltd. PR would like to keep the class until there are no more sailors in it.

PR summary – no action for now.

• Icebreaker format – keep the teams but include individual prizes over the 3 events.  The team aspect is failing due to less sailing clubs putting forward teams.
   
• Discussions – There will be a cup for the team. R Kent suggested a team of 5 with 4 scores to count, which might encourage more formula sailors. B Keeling suggested that if only 4 members of the team are present, the 5^th sailor’s score should be an average of the other members’ scores, rather than the current system of the total sailors plus 1. T Lloyd Williams suggested the final race of the day should be a pursuit race. RD suggested each team should set the order of starting for their members. N Kidd suggested the names should go in a hat for the starting order.
• PR summary – the committee will look at these suggestions in the coming months and put forward some ideas.
   
• Youth open class – to encourage any board, sail limit 8.5, to help encourage Techno sailors. AW will promote this. PR asked if any sailors could bring second hand boards, R Kent can bring some One designs.
   
• UK Raceboard class – R Kent said there was enthusiasm from Starboard and Mistral who are making boards again. A new website is under construction, with more of a push on advertising and a new focus on the sailors. This will remain as part of the UKWA with a promotion of raceboards for e.g. those Techno sailors who don’t go to RSX and youths after age 19, plus older sailors will be encouraged to return and bring in more friends.
   
• Discussions – T Lloyd Williams suggested free training for recreational sailors to get round the daunting aspect of racing for the first time. RD pointed out the insurance issues. R Kent will look into the right environment to hold such training, such as not a race meeting.

Any other business – JP pointed out there is a Round Hayling race on Good Friday and for more information look at the HISC website.

On behalf of the floor, Chris Gibson thanked the committee for all their efforts

There being no other business the meeting closed at 2.45pm