2015 AGM
Dear CRYA Members,
Thanks for your patience once again as your executive assembled the AGM. We have used the same format as last year, which was considered successful by nearly all members who provided feedback.
Below you will find:
- President’s Report
- 2015 Financial Statements
- Elections Report
- Motions for Voting
If you have any questions on this process or any of the content, you will be given an opportunity to inquire or provide feedback/comments after the voting component.
President’s Report – 2015
President’s Report 2015 /16
This completes the second year since incorporation. Our membership which has been steady in the 140 to 150 region for some years during 2015 rose to over two hundred by the year end. . The majority of this late surge of new members occurred in the Lower mainland of BC and is good news as for the last ten years it has been a little quiet in the area. Additionally there have been quite a few lapsed members re-joining the Association. Whether this increase is sustained remains to be seen, but it did result in an unexpected surplus
This year new boat registration amounted to 61 new and transferred boats and since 2010 have been steady at around this number of new boats per year with the exception of 2013 when only 30 new boats were registered. Registrations seem to surge in any one year driven by a class becoming popular. This year this it has been the Dragon Force while previously it has been IOMs and Solings at different times.
Yacht classes find favour in different regions and this is often influenced by the sailing locations available and their condition. In the West and Prairies the boats of choice are the IOM and the DF while the Victoria is an endangered species. The Soling barely survives but there are rumblings of a revival in the class which has never been strong on the coast. The situation reverses to some extent in the east though not to the same extent. Much depends on individuals in each class.
Four classes held successful championship events with the West and Prairies also hosting Regionals for the IOM. Championship events are best attended in the two western regions and have been for some time perhaps due to the nature of the class of boat sailed, and despite the geography and travel costs imposed by the Strait of Georgia and the mountains. This brings me to what can be done about event attendance. There is little point in subsidising entry costs, already low, when travel and accommodation costs far outweigh the entry fee and in some cases the cost of a boat. Perhaps the easiest way would be to hold more one day Regionals, or regionals within regions to reduce travel and eliminate accommodation costs for many.
Measurer’s equipment, here I have to declare a conflict of interest. Many years ago when I volunteered to fulfil the position of official measurer I was presented with a stamp – I have replaced it twice since. What was not supplied was a scale and measuring tank the cost of these is substantial. It is proposed to supply at least a scale to the measurers measuring in metric units
Finally, and again, we need to make a serious attempt at reducing the median age of our skippers. Before anyone suggests it, I have no intention of dropping dead (if I can help it) to lower this feature of our sport / hobby. As has been mentioned several times in the past years the Association is interested in receiving proposals to this end. Perhaps the easiest way would be to get out from behind closed gates and sail when people are not busy earning a living or attending various levels of education. It is noticeable that groups who do this, do much better. Getting your old boat out from a closet and into the hands of a youngster on a long term loan might also produce wonders.
Best regards,
Lawrie
2015 CRYA Financial Statement
CRYA Financial Statement
As noted last year, membership renewals came in throughout the year with occasional surges when the sailing season opened in various parts of our country, or when a reminder of one kind or another went out. With memberships being renewed throughout the year, quite apart from making it difficult to predict the association’s limited cash flow, it makes it somewhat difficult to provide an answer to the question of “How many members.” Only in November can a specific answer be given. However, if new memberships for 2016 are counted in the membership on November 30th at the end of the financial year we reached 200 members. This is reflected in our income from this source and accounts for an approximately 50% increase in our income from two years ago. Whether this is a temporary spike or something more permanent remains to be seen. The previous treasurer assured us that 140 to 150 members was the expected annual membership. At the time of writing and two months after membership renewals were due we have 90 members in good standing! It should be kept in mind that the unexpected increase in membership accounts for our surplus
Registrations of new boats and transfers of boats already in the register remains steady and totalled 61. The majority of these were in the RG65, IOM and Soling classes
In recent years there have been changes made in operation which have twice saved us from sliding into a deficit situations. Most notably was the change from mailing newsletter to posting it on the website. Apart from allowing colour the real benefit to the Association was in the elimination of printing and mailing costs which are at present approximately $26 per member per year for members without email and Internet – this from dues of $15. Further savings were effected from discontinuing membership and boat registration cards and their associated printing and mailing costs and replacing them with the current system. This again gave us respite from the thought of increasing dues. It should be noted that while these savings have reduced our operating costs they have not reduced the time spent by volunteers but at least we are spared the stuffing of all but a few envelopes.
Our liability insurance continues with a small increase in the premium cost to $1050 per year. Rather than hope members would renew their memberships promptly funds were retained in our chequing account and the insurance renewed for next year in late November. This required deferment of issuing some expense cheques rather than redeeming one of our short term investments.
The short term investments are for three year periods to maximise the interest they generate and for a variety of amounts. Previously these funds sat in a chequing account earning a few cents interest per year. In late May there was a substantial amount in our chequing account with no foreseeable expenses this was reduced by transferring $1,000 to a short term investment. The investment interest contributes to our operating funds and our annual income. With the Bank of Canada muttering about negative interest rates, it is unlikely we can expect any increased benefit from this direction. It is unlikely that our rising costs will allow any transfers in the coming year.
In the coming year we have a number of cyclical bills to allow for, the main one being the hosting of our web site. The present host was a considerable saving over the previous one. It is hoped that the cost will remain comparatively low. Thanks to our Secretary there have been little in the way of maintenance costs for our web site. This may not always be so as it is in need of refurbishment. Also in the offing is a proposal to provide the official measurers with the necessary equipment for their job.
The present philosophy has been to maintain our low annual dues while providing benefit for all members. Much of this is due to the volunteer efforts of comparatively few members. However, as noted above, we do suffer from having to deal with creeping costs.
Canadian Radio Yachting Association
Balance Sheets
As at November 30
(Unaudited)
. 2015 2014
Assets
Cash $ 244 $ 775
Short term investments $ 15,000 $14,000
Prepaid expense $1,050 $168
. $ 16,294 $ 14,943
Liabilities
Accounts payable $ 426 $ –
Accumulate surplus $15,868 $14,943
. $ 16,294 $ 14,943
Approved by the Executive
Lawrie Neish
Lawrie Neish, President
Canadian Radio Yachting Association
Statements of Operations and Accumulated Surplus
For the Years Ended November 30
(Unaudited)
. 2015 2014
Revenues
Membership dues $ 2,890 $ 1,970
Boat registrations 286 236
Personal sail numbers 55 46
Interest 147 –
. $ 3,378 $2,252
Expenses
Bank charges $32 $78
BC Register $55 –
Insurance $1,050 –
Office supplies and expense $648 $84
Website $168 $394
World championship subsidy $500 –
. $2,453 $556
Surplus for the year $925 $1,696
Accumulated surplus, start of year $14,943 $13,247
Accumulated surplus, end of year $15,868 $ 14,943
Elections Report
The CRYA has three elected positions. These positions are elected by member-vote for 2 year terms. By acclimation, the incumbent President has been re-elected. The other two positions remains vacant. No member voting will be required for this AGM, however it would be a great help if members would be willing to step forward as Executive Secretary or Treasurer.
President: Lawrie Neish – nominated by Andrew Baak (Calgary), seconded by Peter Stevens (Victoria)
– elected by acclimation
Executive Secretary: vacant
Treasurer: vacant
Motions for Voting
The last item of this AGM is the voting component. After clicking on the link below, you will be asked to vote on two items:
- There is a motion to revise the structure of the constitution, essentially to move the bulk of the constitution to bylaws structured under the constitution.
- There is a motion to extend CRYA financial support to National and Regional Championship events.
These motions are both important in terms of how the CRYA proceeds forward. The first fairly straightforward – mostly a housekeeping item designed to help manage the rules that govern the organization. The second, however, has proven to be somewhat controversial in the communications leading up to the AGM. Opinions both in support and against this motion are offered, and will be available from the voting page. Members are encouraged to read all components carefully so they understand exactly what they are voting for.
Proceed to the voting component of the AGM
If you experience any technical issues with the voting process, please contact the CRYA Executive Secretary.