CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB OF TACOMA BYLAWS
As amended November 2021
Article I
Name
The corporate name of this association shall be Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma.
Article II
Purpose
The purpose of the Club shall be: To promote, advance, and encourage the sport of Corinthian or amateur sailing, particularly yacht racing and cruising; to promote, advance, and encourage safe boating and the science of seamanship and navigation; to provide Club educational, social, mooring, cruising, and racing facilities for its members; to hold and take part in sailboat races and regattas with other yacht clubs and associations, and to cooperate and associate with them; to develop the friendship, sportsmanship and good fellowship of its members and the general public; to make more popular the yachting facilities of the Puget Sound area and to utilize its possibilities; and to take part in and support other outdoor sports in the Pacific Northwest.
Article III
Location
The club is located in Tacoma, Washington - 5624 Marine View Drive, Tacoma WA 98422.
Article IV
Membership
Section 1. There shall be the following classes of membership:
a) Charter: The first fifty (50) Active Members to join Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma shall be designated as Charter Members, or those members, if less than fifty (50), that became members prior to August 31, 1975. A Charter Member shall be accorded all rights and privileges of an Active Member.
b) Life: Upon a one-time payment of $1,500.00, an Active or Associate Member, as defined herein, shall be entitled to a membership for that member's life without payment of further dues. The Life membership shall be limited to the first twenty (20) members who make their life payment. An Associate or Active Member converting to Life membership shall be given credit for the initiation fee previously paid. A Life Member shall be accorded all rights and privileges of an Active Member.
c) Active: An Active Member shall pay an initiation fee and annual dues. An Active Member shall be a yacht owner, as defined in Article X, Section 1, and shall be represented by one vote only. In the case of a married couple, or a jointly-owned yacht, each owner may hold office in the club. The Board of Trustees shall have the option of reducing the initiation fee for a membership drive.
d) Associate (Lido owners/Do not own "Yacht" as outlined in Article X): An Associate Member shall pay an initiation fee and annual dues. An Associate Member shall be accorded all rights and privileges of membership as an Active Member, with the exception of race fee discounts and reciprocal rights. An Associate Member may have the rights to the use of the dinghy dock, per a moorage agreement and associated costs. An Associate Member shall be represented by one vote only per membership. In the case of a married couple, each member may hold office in the club. The Board of Trustees shall have the option of reducing the initiation fee for a membership drive. Associate Member dues shall be 50% of Active Member dues.
e) Crew: Active members may sponsor one or more crew persons for Crew membership. Crew Members will receive a Crew membership card, may attend all Club meetings and functions, receive Club communications and be members of committees, but may not vote, skipper racing yachts, claim reciprocity or hold a flag office. Crew Member dues shall be 25% of Active Member dues.
f) Junior: A Junior Member is one who is under twenty-one (21) years and has neither the right to vote nor hold office. Junior Member dues shall be 25% of Active Member dues. Upon reaching the age of twenty-one (21) years, the Junior Member shall pay the active membership dues in effect at the age of eighteen (18) shall have the option of becoming an Active Member. The initiation fee shall be waived for Junior Members that transition of Active membership. A Junior Member wishing to become an Active Member must meet the criteria of Article IV, Section 1, Paragraph c.
g) Non-resident: A Non-resident Member shall be a former Active Member who has moved her/his primary place of residence or boat more than 100 miles from Tacoma, Washington. Non-resident Member dues shall be 25% of Active Member dues. A Non-resident Member shall receive all Club communications, but may not vote, skipper racing yachts, or hold a flag office. Upon returning to Tacoma, the Non-resident Member will be reinstated as an Active Member.
h) Inactive: Due to personal hardship or unusual circumstances, an Active or Associate Member in good standing, by permission from the Board of Trustees, may seek inactive membership status. Inactive membership status will be granted by the Board to Trustee based upon individual circumstances and will be for a period of not more than two (2) years. An Inactive Member has no rights or privileges during this period but will be reinstated as an Active Member upon application to the Board to Trustees.
i) Honorary Vessel: Honorary Vessel membership shall be granted by simple majority vote of the Board of Trustees where a minimum of six (6) Trustees as in attendance. Honorary Vessel membership may be nominated and granted any time throughout the year, but must be renewed before the start of the next calendar year. Honorary membership shall be only granted to vessels of historic or unique distinction.
j) Honorary Life: Honorary Life membership may be offered to an Active or Associate Member by a simple majority of the Board of Trustees where a minimum of six (6) Trustees are in attendance. A candidate for Honorary Life membership must have rendered outstanding service to the Club, be at least sixty-five (65) years of age, and been a member of the Club in good standing for ten (10) or more consecutive years. An Honorary Life Member shall pay no dues and shall not be entitled to vote or hold any office.
Section 2. Member Dues shall be paid in advance by April 1st. for the year, but may be paid in equal installments within 90 days. New member dues will be prorated by quarterly amounts based on the date of approval of membership for the applicant by the Board of Trustees.
Section 3. Applications for membership shall be made on a form supplied by the Club. Each applicant shall be sponsored by two members in good standing.
Section 4. The Board of Trustees, by a majority vote, may reprimand or expel a member for any unbecoming conduct or actions contrary to the purposes of the Club, upon according such member a hearing, after fifteen (15) days written notice.
Section 5. Any member in arrears with her/his dues for three (3) months may be dropped from the membership. If a member has resigned or been dropped from the membership for failure to pay dues, that member shall be required to pay the current application initiation fee upon re-application for membership. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, and by a majority vote of the Board, choose to waive the initiation fee.
Section 6. No membership, or portion thereof, shall be granted to any member or prospective member for any reason, with the exception of the most immediate Past Commodore who, upon completion of their term as commodore, shall receive the following year's membership free of charge in recognition of their service to the Club.
Section 7: At the discretion of the Board of Directors, and by a majority vote of the Board, the club may, in the interest of working with other clubs or organizations, offer discounted memberships at the "Active" and "Crew" level to organizations which have, in turn, offered discounted membership to CYCT members.
Section 8: From the date of April 1, and extending through June 30 of each year, the club shall undergo a membership drive during which the Membership Chair shall lead a program of active recruitment of new members. During this time, and as an incentive for new members joining as "Active" members, such new members shall not be charged the initiation fee. Other incentives may be agreed to by a vote of the Board of Directors at the March Board of Directors Meeting.
Article V
Officers and Their Duties
Section 1. The elected officers of the club shall be: Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, Membership Chairperson, who shall be elected at the November Annual Meeting each year to serve (1) year terms; Secretary and Fleet Captain-Cruising, who shall be elected in even- number years and serve two (2) year terms; Treasurer who shall be elected in odd-number years and serve a two (2) year term. Fleet Captain Racing shall serve (1) year and shall have served the previous year as Co-Captain Racing (the year prior) or a person appointed by the Board if a Co- Captain is unable to continue on as Fleet Captain Racing in the following year
Section 2. The flag officers shall be Commodore, Vice Commodore, and Rear Commodore. In addition to duties specific to their office, each flag officer shall represent CYCT in appropriate dress at events sponsored by other yacht clubs in which the Club agrees to participate.
Section 3. The Board of Trustees shall consist of the eight (8) elected officers and the immediate Past Commodore.
Section 4. The Commodore shall:
a) Be the senior officer of the Club and shall preside at all meetings of the membership and of the Board of Trustees.
b) Have served one term as Vice Commodore. If the Vice Commodore chooses not to
succeed as Commodore, a board member may be nominated, provided they have served a minimum of two (2) years on the Board as a junior officer or as a Board Member.
c) Be responsible for coordinating monthly meetings.
d) Be an ex officio member of all committees
Section 5. The Vice Commodore shall:
a) Take the place of the Commodore in the Commodore's absence and act as Executive Officer to the Commodore.
b) Plan and provide programs for the General Meetings.
c) Secure adequate meeting facilities for all Club meetings.
d) Assist the Fleet Captain Racing in staging sailboat races hosted by the Club.
Section 6. The Rear Commodore shall:
a) Assist the Commodore and Vice Commodore in their duties and act as Deputy Executive Officer to the Commodore.
b) Be immediately in charge of the clubhouse, and all activities at the clubhouse, including the maintenance of the Club facilities and property with the exception of racing equipment.
c) Be responsible for insuring that an updated list of reciprocal agreements with other yacht clubs is made available to the membership annually by the second Monday in April.
d) Mail during December each year, letters to other Yacht Clubs announcing the new flag officers and granting or reaffirming the terms of and facilities offered guests from other yacht clubs through the Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma's reciprocity agreement.
e) Secure and review annually with the Board, insurance on Club properties and liability.
Section 7. The Immediate Past Commodore shall:
a) Be a voting member of the Board of Trustees, for one (1) year.
b) For one (1) year after her/his term of office, be an advisor to the Board of Trustees.
c) Shall be the Club's fund raising chairman.
Section 8. The Secretary shall:
a) Keep records of all proceedings of the Club and the Board of Trustees, and a file of documents, records, communications and other matters connected with the Club business.
b) Attend monthly Board of Trustee meetings and all membership meetings. The minutes of each meeting shall be recorded and shall be mailed or distributed to the respective Board members by the next meeting.
c) Prepare and answer correspondence at the direction of the Commodore.
d) Annually renew Articles of incorporation and act as registered agent.
Section 9. The Treasurer shall:
a) Be the custodian of all funds of the Club, shall give necessary receipts for moneys paid to the club and shall deposit Club money in the bank approved by the Board of Trustees in the name of the Club.
b) Make distributions upon the authority of the Board of Trustees, by check. All checks for disbursement must have signatures of the Commodore and Treasurer. In the event the Commodore is not available, the Vice Commodore shall assume this duty.
c) Keep suitable books of accounts, make monthly reports to the Board of Trustees and to the meetings of the membership regarding the financial condition of the Club and shall be bonded, as directed by the Board of Trustees.
d) Provide access to the Club's financial records for an annual audit as directed by the Board of Trustees.
Section 10 Membership Chair (board position #1) shall be responsible for:
a) Recruiting new members, retaining existing members and planning Club promotional activities.
b) Preparing membership packets for presentation to new members at membership meetings.
c) Insuring that there is a greeter at Club meetings and functions and providing a guest book for visitors and guests to sign for use in follow up recruitment of new members.
d) Maintaining the Club roster including mailing lists, providing mailing labels and promotional mailing lists as required by the Board.
e) Providing the Treasurer with ongoing, updated list of members reflecting additions, deletions and changes of name, address, phone number etc.
f) Maintaining files of approved membership applications.
Section 11. Fleet Captain - Cruising (Board Position #2) shall be responsible for:
a) The Club's cruising program.
b) Planning/organizing a minimum of six (6) cruises, each year.
c) Providing advance notice of at least three (3) months for each cruise and such notice shall include a detailed itinerary.
d) Informing appropriate publications of pending cruising events in a timely manner that shall allow announcements to be published prior to the occurrence of each event.
Section 12. Fleet Captain - Racing (Board Position #3) shall be responsible for:
a) Establishing the racing schedule for the next season and publicizing this schedule by August First (1st). The schedule will include a minimum of:
Two (2) regattas
A Spring series.
A Fall series
Additional races or regattas as deemed necessary.
b) The Club's racing gear, equipment and publicity of racing events. Participants of these events are to receive notification of their standings within one week and receive recognition in a pre-determined timely manner. The news media shall be notified of the events and the participants' standings.
c) Ensuring Club representation at all race related organizations/boards with which the Club has an affiliation, e.g., PIYA, PHRF.
d) Maintenance of Club-owned "escort/chase" boats.
e) Informing appropriate publications of pending regattas and racing events in a timely manner that shall allow announcements to be published prior to the occurrence of each event.
Section 13. Education Chair (Annually appointed non voting position) shall be responsible for: Providing no less than two (2) educational seminars each year as put forth in Article II. These shall reflect needs of the Club (e.g., anchoring, Life sling, and other basic boating education and safety topics) as determined by the Board and/or membership.
Section 14. Social Chair (annually appointed non-voting position) shall be responsible for:
a) The club social functions. Annual events will include:
Commodore's Ball
December Holiday Party
Other social events at the discretion of the Board and/or membership.
Article VI
Board of Trustees and Committees
Section 1. The government of the Club is vested in the board of Trustees.
Section 2. The Board of Trustees shall meet monthly, on the last Monday of the month, and at such other times as the Commodore may direct on personal initiative, or upon request in writing by any two (2) members of the Board. Each member of the Board shall receive notice of any Board meetings not regularly scheduled herein at least three (3) days prior to the meeting date.
Section 3. The board of Trustees of the Club shall be responsible for the maintenance and operation of all Club activities. Various phases of this responsibility may be delegated to committees, but this shall not relieve the Board of Trustees from the ultimate responsibility for these functions.
Section 4. The Commodore shall appoint such committees as are necessary to carry out the activities and functions of the Club. Committee chairpersons shall attend Board Meetings, having a voice in such meetings, but no vote.
Section 5. Fill any Board position vacancy with an eligible member who shall hold office until next annual Membership Meeting.
Article VII
Meetings
Section 1. The Annual Membership Meeting shall be held on the second Monday of November of each year, notice of which shall be mailed to all members at least ten (10) days prior thereto.
Section 2. The following order of business shall prevail at such meetings.
a) Approve of minutes of previous Annual Meeting.
b) Reports of officers and committees (in addition, the Commodore shall require of all officers and chairpersons, a written report).
c) Unfinished business.
d) Miscellaneous.
e) Election of expiring Board of Trustee Positions (see Article V, Section 1).
Section 3. Monthly meetings of the Club shall be at a pre-specified location on the second Monday of each month, excepting for the months of June, July and August. For those months, social functions shall be held in place of the business meetings, at the discretion of the board. Under special circumstances, such as no appropriate meeting space is available, the Board may choose to have the meeting on another day in the second week of the month other than Monday.
Section 4. Special meetings of the membership of the Club may be called by the Commodore or at the request of a majority of the Board of Trustees, by giving ten (10) days written notice thereof to the members, stating the objective of the meeting.
Section 5. Those members, in good standing, attending a properly called meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Section 6. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern all cases not covered by these Bylaws.
Article VIII
Nominations and Elections
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees to appoint a Nominating Committee each year at its regular meeting in August. A majority of the Committee at the time of election shall be members of the Club other than elected officers. The Committee shall select its own chairperson.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall, at the regular October meeting of the club, submit to the membership a list of nominees and their qualifications for each of the elective offices. The list of nominees submitted to the membership by the Nominating Committee shall be mailed to each member eligible to vote at least ten (10) days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting.
Section 3. Additional nominations may be made by:
a) A letter signed by five (5) active members and directed to the Secretary of the Club and postmarked no later than thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting; or
b) Voice from the floor by any voting eligible member
Section 4. No person shall be nominated without that person's consent.
Section 5. Election procedures shall be conducted as follows:
a) A ballot vote shall be taken for all elected Board Positions:
1) Commodore
2) Vice Commodore
3) Rear Commodore
4) Secretary
5) Treasurer
6) Membership Chair
7) Fleet Captain - Cruising
8) Fleet Captain - Racing
b) The election shall be held for positions due to expire the following year at the Annual Membership Meetings which shall be held the second Monday of November each year.
c) The Treasurer shall provide the Nominating Committee with a list verifying the members in good standing and eligible to vote. It is the Nominating Committee's responsibility to provide one ballot per membership to each eligible member requesting one.
d) Voting shall be by written and secret ballot at the meeting).
e) Absentee (mail-in votes) ballots must be obtained from the Nominating Committee and postmarked seven (7) days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting. Before a vote is taken, the Nominating Committee Chairperson shall appoint three active members to act as Election Judges. The decision of the Judges shall be final as to the conduct and legality of the election, and the Judges shall certify to the Chair the successful candidates.
Article IX Budget and Finance
Section 1. Each officer shall review the current approved budget at the beginning of their term and recommend any changes to the Board of Trustees at the February Board Meeting. The Treasurer will prepare a revised budget if revisions are approved.
Section 2. Budget requests shall be submitted for the following year by Board of Trustees Members and Committee Chairpersons by the September Board Meeting. The Membership Chairperson shall also submit membership projections for the next year. The Treasurer shall consolidate the budget requirements with income projects into a proposed budget and present it to the Board for discussion and approval at the October Board Meeting.
Section 3. The Commodore shall request an audit of the Club's financial books by October 15 every year. The Audit Committee shall consist of a chairperson and three (3) Club members in good standing. The results of the audit shall be reported at the Annual Membership Meeting.
Section 4. All checks for disbursement issued by the Treasurer must have the Commodore's and the Treasure's signature. In the event the Commodore is not available, the Vice Commodore shall assume this duty.
Section 5. The Board of Trustees must have approval by the general membership for capital improvement expenditures of more than $2,000, the following process for approval shall be followed:
1. Requests for Capital Expenditure shall originate from a Board Member, with the request made at a Board of Directors Meeting. Agreement to the scope, amount, and conditions shall be discussed by the Board, with a Resolution developed for the review and approval by the General Membership and voted on by the Board of Directors.
2. The Resolution shall be included in the next issue of the club newsletter immediately after the Board Meeting.
3. The Resolution shall be presented to the General Membership at the next General Membership meeting under "New Business".
4. The vote for the resolution shall occur at the following month's General Meeting immediately following the notification in the club news letter and the presentation at the General Meeting. Votes may be cast by a) attendance at the General Meeting or b) by written notice, delivered by email or mail, to the Club Secretary, prior to the General Meeting
5. A simple majority of the votes received by A and B above will constitute approval
Article X Page 8
Yacht Owners
Section 1. An active yacht owner, for the purposes of registry as such in the Club, is hereby defined as a person who owns, leases or has fractional ownership in any boat. Such yacht owner shall be entitled to have such yacht enrolled in the Club squadron and to fly the Club Burgee.
Section 2. No boat or yacht chartered to a non-member of the Club or engaged in trading shall be entitled to fly the Club Burgee.
Section 3. At meetings in which representation is by yachts, such yacht may be represented by her owner or one of her owners, but no yacht shall be entitled to representation unless registered in the Club records. One vote may be cast for each yacht at such meetings.
Article XI
Flags and Uniforms
Section 1. The Club Burgee shall be a pennant in the colors of orange, white, light blue and dark blue. It shall be flown according to prevailing custom. The only boats authorized to fly the Club Burgee shall be yachts belonging to Club members or Club operated boats.
Section 2. Flag Officers shall wear the traditional Yacht Club uniform to membership meetings and appropriate club functions.
Article XII
Property Rights
Section 1. The Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma has no capital stock.
Section 2. Ownership of Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma Burgees resides with the Club. Burgees must be returned to the Club upon termination of membership.
Article XIII
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any annual or special meeting of the membership, provided that a notice of the amendment shall be given as one of the stated objectives of such meeting, and provided further, that a copy of the proposed amendment shall be distributed to the voting eligible membership at least ten (10) days prior thereto.
Cyndi Larison
Secretary
Bylaw Revisions
11/2013
12/2016
05/2019
05/2021