Southerly Owners Association (SOA) Rules
1. OBJECT
The Object of the Association is to serve the interests of owners of Southerly Yachts.
2. MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION
Full Membership shall be open to sole, joint and part owners of Southerly yachts.
A Full Membership may be in the name of two or more persons jointly, provided that at least one is a sole, joint or part owner of a Southerly yacht and that only one address is used for the purposes of Association business.
More than one Full Membership may be associated with a jointly or part owned yacht.
Where a Southerly yacht is owned by a company, one person may be nominated as owner for the purpose of SOA Membership.
Associate Membership shall be open to others wishing to support the Association in its Object.
Associate Members shall be entitled to attend and to speak at General Meetings of the Association but not to vote.
Honorary Membership may be conferred upon individuals by Committee proposal to a General Meeting.
Honorary Members shall be exempt from payment of dues and shall be entitled to attend and to speak at General Meetings of the Association but not to vote.
Addressing of correspondence from the Association to Members will be according to wishes expressed to the Secretary.
3. SUBSCRIPTION
The full annual subscription shall be due from all members on application and thereafter, except for Honorary Members, on 1 April. All Members are entitled to receive one copy of all Association publications in the current subscription year.
The annual subscription shall be £20 or such other sum as may be decided by the Committee. The preferred method of payment is by Standing Order
4. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Association shall be Chairman, Vice Chairmen, Secretary and Treasurer.
5. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Association shall be delegated to a Committee comprising the Officers, the Membership Secretary, the Editor of the Association Magazine, the Events Coordinator and other members. All Committee members shall be Full Members of the Association elected by resolution of a General Meeting. Officers and other Committee members shall normally be elected to serve for one year by the members attending the Annual General Meeting.
6. GENERAL MEETINGS
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held in the first quarter of each year.
A Special General Meeting shall be held if ten Full Members request it of the Secretary in writing.
Members shall be given at least three weeks notice of such meetings and two Officers and nine other Full Members shall constitute a quorum.
At any meeting, decisions not affecting the Rules of the Association shall be carried by a majority vote of those present. To effect any change of Rules shall require a majority of two-thirds of the votes of paid-up Full Members present or voting by written proxy at a General Meeting.
Counting of members and votes shall be on the basis of one for each Full Membership, with the Chairman having an additional and casting vote.
7. ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT
The Treasurer shall prepare an annual financial statement, which shall be subject to an Independent Examination, not being an Officer of the Association, and presented at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the Charities Commissions Guidance.
8. EVENTS
All Members and their crews shall be entitled to attend events as may from time to time be organized, subject to the following:
a) Full and Honorary Members shall have priority if numbers have to be restricted, and
b) Non-Southerly yachts of Associate and Honorary Members may join rallies only at the discretion of the event organizer and one other who shall be a Committee member.
Guests and guest yachts may also be invited only at the discretion of the event organizer and one other who shall be a Committee member.
9. RESIDUAL ASSETS
In the event of the winding-up of the Association, any residual assets after discharging all outstanding liabilities shall be realized and donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.