Dinghy Section EGM – 20 February 2008

The Dinghy Committee are looking for ways to increase participation from the dinghy section, improve the quality of the racing, and build friendships between members. Recent efforts to promote fleet racing, particularly in the Flying Fifteen and Laser 2000 fleets, have been encouraging and led to close, enjoyable racing.

The Committee has identified a number of popular dinghy classes in which it is hoping to encourage fleet racing – for adults, these comprise the Laser 1 (Standard and Radial rig), Laser 2000, Flying Fifteen and a high-performance asymmetric, monohull dinghy. At a well-attended EGM on Wednesday 22^nd February, members of the Section debated how best to implement this policy.

The original motion put forward by the Committee regarding a selective admissions policy for new members joining on or after 1 April 2008 was defeated but the various classes of preferred boats proposed by the Committee were accepted. After a constructive debate, a policy on allocation of berths to new members joining the Club was agreed as follows. Of the berths available to new members each year, a specified number will be restricted to new members having a boat in one of the “adopted” classes with the remainder of the berths being made available to new members having other classes of dinghy. New members who do not yet own a boat will be strongly recommended to purchase a boat in one of the adopted classes.

It was agreed that the Dinghy Committee be given the discretion to determine the type of high-performance dinghy to be promoted and also the proportion of vacant berths to be allocated to the adopted classes. At its meeting on 3 March 2008, the Dinghy Committee agreed that the high-performance monohull dinghy class includes any asymmetric boat in the PY range 880 to 952 (this category includes the RS400, ISO, 29er, Laser 4000, and B14) and that every year, 75% of the vacant berths available to new members be reserved for the adopted classes.