San Luis Yacht Club Constitution
Article 1. Name
This organization, located at Avila Beach, California, shall be known as the San Luis Yacht Club (SLYC).
Article 2. Objectives
The objectives of the SLYC are to:
1. improve the port facilities of Port San Luis.
2. develop Yachting in the Port San Luis region.
3. attract visiting Yachtsmen from other ports to Port San Luis.
4. benefit Avila Beach.
Article 3. Officers
The elected officers of the Club shall be a Commodore, Vice
Commodore, Rear Commodore, Sailing Fleet Captain, Power Fleet
Captain, Cruising Captain and Port Captain who shall be known as
Flag Officers; also a Secretary, a Treasurer, and three (3)
Directors, all of whom shall be elected by the Flag Membership,
except as otherwise specified in the Club By-Laws. Commodores
retiring after full term or terms of office shall take rank and
office as Staff Commodore. The two most recent Staff
Commodores shall be members of the Board of Directors. In case
of absence of all Flag Officers, the senior Flag Member present
shall be the acting Commodore.
Article 4. Duties of Officers
Section 1. Commodore. The Commodore’s duty is to take command of the squadron, to preside at all meetings, and to enforce the rules and regulations of the Club. The Commodore shall enforce all provisions regarding the conduct of the various officers of the Club, conduct of the Club members and general provisions for the Club’s welfare. The Commodore shall call special meetings of the Club or Board of Directors, whenever the Commodore deems it necessary, or upon the written request of five Flag Members in good standing. The Commodore shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2. Vice-Commodore. The Vice Commodore’s duty is to assist the Commodore in the discharge of the Commodore’s duties and to officiate in his absence.
Section 3. Rear-Commodore. The Rear Commodore’s duty is to assist the Commodore and Vice Commodore in the discharge of their duties, and to officiate in their absence.
Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary’s duty is to keep the minutes of the meetings in a book provided for that purpose, have custody of all reports and documents connected with the proceedings of the Club, keep a correct roll of members together with the dates of their election to membership, notify each member of his election, keep a correct list of the members’ yachts, conduct the Club’s correspondence, issue meeting notices, and present a written report of the Club’s activities at each meeting.
Section 5. Treasurer. The Treasurer’s duty is to collect, dispurse, and maintain custody of the Club funds.
Section 6. Fleet Captains. The Sailing Fleet Captain, Power Fleet Captain and Cruising Captain shall be executive officers of the Commodore in all fleet activities and maneuvers.
Section 7. Port Captain. The Port Captain shall have charge of the
Club’s anchorage, lockers, floats, boat landings, and wharves, and
is responsible for the care and placement of all racing buoys and
equipment.
Article 5. Directors
Club government shall be vested in a Board of Directors composed of the Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, the two Staff Commodores, Secretary, Treasurer, Power Fleet Captain, Sailing Fleet Captain, Cruising Captain, Port Captain, and three other Flag Members of the Club (Directors).
Article 6. Duties and Powers of the Board of Directors
Section 1. Subject to specific action of the Club at a general or special meeting of the members, the Board of Directors shall have full authority in the management of the affairs and finances of the Club, and control of all its property. All rights and powers connected therewith shall be vested in them.
Section 2. The Board shall make all appropriations.
Section 3. The Board shall approve all bills and expenditures. No money shall be paid by the Treasurer unless approved by the Board.
Section 4. The Board shall appoint all special officers.
Section 5. The Board shall inquire into the standing and character of all candidates, and elect to the Club membership all whom they find are likely to further Club objectives. The Board shall also act upon all transfers from one class of membership to another. Such elections shall be by at least an 80% vote of the Board present.
Section 6. The Board shall be authorized to fill vacancies among the officers of the Club, who shall serve until the next annual meeting. Any member holding elective office, who is absent from three consecutive regular monthly Director’s meetings without excuses satisfactory to the Board of Directors, shall be considered as having resigned said office.
Section 7. A member of the Board of Directors holding more than one office shall exercise but one vote on the Board.
Section 8. The Board shall also appoint Standing Committees and such other committees from time to time as necessary for furthering Club objectives.
Article 7. Election of 0fficers
Section 1. All elective officers shall be elected at the General Membership meeting, to be held within the first two weeks of November. The Board of Directors must call for this meeting not less than forty-five(45) nor more than ninety(90) days prior to the meeting. The new Officers’ installation shall be held in December.
Section 2. All elections shall be by secret ballot, and a majority of votes shall be necessary for Officer elections.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall appoint a nominating committee at their August meeting. The Committee shall be composed of three past Commodores, not members of the current Board, and two members of the current Board, preferably past Commodores. The Commodore shall call a meeting of this committee before the September meeting, at which time they shall present a ballot for the Board’s approval. Their recommendations shall be for the following offices: Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, Secretary, Treasurer, Sailing Fleet Captain, Power Fleet Captain, Cruising Captain, Port Captain, and three Directors. The nominating committee shall submit three or more names to appear on the ballot for election as directors; and the three persons receiving the greatest number of votes shall serve as directors.
Article 8. Meetings
Section 1. A Board of Directors meeting shall be held on the first Thursday of each month.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the Commodore or by the Board of Directors whenever they deem it necessary, or at the written request of at least five Flag Members of the Club, at which meetings no other business than stated in the call shall be transacted. Voting privileges of members at all Club meetings shall be in accordance with basic membership as shown on Club records.
Section 3. The rules of parliamentary procedure as laid down in “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern all meetings of the Club.
Article 9. Quorum
Fifty percent of the board members shall constitute a quorum at regular or special board meetings. Twenty-five percent (includes absentee ballots) of the Flag and Honorary Members shall constitute a Quorum at general or special membership meetings, and in the absence of the Flag Officers, the senior Flag Member shall preside.
Article 10. Officer’s Pennants
The Commodore’s Flag shall be rectangular in shape, having a fouled anchor and thirteen stars in white on a blue field. The Vice Commodore’s Flag shall be the same as the Commodore’s, substituting red for a blue field. The Rear Commodore’s shall carry a similar flag, except that the field shall be white and the device and stars red. The Fleet Captain’s flag shall be rectangular in shape, having a fouled anchor in blue on a white field, but no stars.
Article 11. Club Signal Flag
The signal flag of the Club shall be pennant on a white background of red, white, and blue overlaying triangles with a white star in the middle of the blue triangle, the hoist of which shall be one half of the fly. The Club burgee shall be flown on yachts belonging to members of this Club.
Article 12. Amendments
An amendment to the Constitution must be carried by a majority vote of the Flag and Honorary Members (proxies not permitted) at a regular or special meeting of the Club and notice of the proposed amendment must be stated in the call for the meeting.
Article 13. Uniform & Yachting Procedure
Uniforms and insignia of officers and members, also yachting procedure, shall conform to specifications of same adopted by the Southern California Yachting Association.
Article 14. Absentee Ballots
Section 1. In exceptional cases (e.g., a scheduled vacation, a scheduled medical procedure, a prior planned event) that conflict with the scheduled General Meeting, an absentee ballot may be requested in writing and signed by the Flag or Honorary member stating the reason for the request. The request must be mailed to the SLYC Secretary and post-marked 60 days prior to the General Meeting.
Section 2. The absentee ballot must be completed in entirety and returned 14 days prior to the scheduled General Meeting.
Issued: Nov. 1970
Revised: Nov. 1993 Amended Article 3, Article 4. Section 6, Article
5 and Article 7 to include Cruising Captain.
Revised: Nov. 1999 Amended Article 6. dividing into sections for
readability.
Revised: Nov. 1999 Article 7. sectioned for readability and
Nominating Comm. meeting and report moved ahead one month.
Revised: Nov. 1999 Article 8. Clarifying “Board Of Directors”
meeting.
Revised: Nov. 2000 Amended Article 3, Article 4. Section 8, Article
5 and Article 7 Section 3 to include Social Director.
Revised: Nov. 2003 Changed all references to Social Director to
Social Captain.
Revised: Nov. 2003 Article 6, Section 5 changes “unanimous” to “more
than 80%”.
Revised: Nov. 2004 Amended Article 7, Section 3 to change
nominating committee dates and number of Director nominations
required to three or more.
Revised: Nov. 2005 Article 3 and Article 5 to remove
“Junior” Staff Commodores. Article 7, Section 1, remove “on
the first Saturday” in December.
Revised: Nov. 2006 Non-substantive changes for clarity,
readability and grammar.
Revised: Nov. 2007 Elimination of Social Captain board
position and establishment of a Social Committee.
Revised: Nov 2008 Added Article 14 ‘Absentee Ballots’;
revised Article 9 and Article 12 to address absentee ballots.
Revised: Nov 2009 Article 6, Section 5 changed “more than”
to “At least 80%”; Consolidate Quorum Definition into Article 9