Objectives and History

Objectives and History

The club was originated in September 2001 by Roger Cornish, Lawrence Nicholls and Henry Moore. They decided to form a club to attract other individuals who were also interested in sailing and who lived in the Oxted area.

The basic approach was and remains:

1.Membership should be as wide an age range as possible. Particular efforts would be made to encourage membership from outside the circle of friends and acquaintances of the founding members.
2.Criteria for membership would be simple. Enthusiasm for and preferably experience in offshore sailing. There would be no geographic restriction on membership.
3.The meetings and events would be entirely informal. There would be no formal speaking except in exceptional circumstances to address those present and which had not been able to be communicated by prior e-mail.
4. Communication with individual club members on membership and administrative matters would be by e-mail and each member would be responsible for providing and updating as necessary the e-mail address held in the membership records.
5.The club will be run for the benefit of all the members.
6.There would be no subscription or annual accounts. Any costs which the club might incur for events would be paid by participants in the event.

Since then, the following has come out of various discussions with the members:

7.There will be an annual dinner event where partners will be invited and that various sailing events may be organised or facilitated by the Club, including one or more rallies each year.
8.To remain a member an individual must attend at least one meeting or event each year.
9.For the avoidance of doubt, both female and male members are welcomed. Partners and children (18 years or older) of members are automatically entitled to become members subject to them attending one meeting or event and expressing an interest in joining.
10.The wide age range and spread of personalities in the club is a successful feature and efforts will continue to encourage membership particularly from friends of members other than founding members.
11.There should continue to be no subscription. It is important Members continue to promptly pay any proportion of any agreed expenditure for events etc as this is normally being interim financed by a fellow member.
12.Members are entitled to purchase and fly the Club burgee. These will be ordered when it is judged there is sufficient interest to make organising and cost viable.
13.All members acknowledge that they participate in any club activities entirely at their own risk. In addition, individual skippers must not rely upon any information provided by any Club Member or Officer but independently check any information which may effect the safety of their boat or crew. Members must agree to the Club's "Waiver of Liability" for all events and activities.
14.Whilst the monthly meetings will continue to be an informal get-together without a meal, from time to time supper meetings may be organised either locally or in yacht clubs elsewhere.