Canadian Radio Yachting Association

The name of this association is the Canadian Radio Yachting Association hereinafter referred to as the CRYA.

The purpose of this association is to promote the designing, building, racing, and recreational sailing of radio-controlled sailboats. This includes promoting competitive activities on a local, national and international basis as well as encouraging fellowship, among radio-control sailors. Among its objectives as an Association is to serve as the national organization for advancing the interests in common of Canadian radio-control sailing clubs and to act on their behalf as occasion may require. The CRYA is a Division Member of the International Sailing Federation - Radio Sailing Division (ISAF-RSD) which recognizes the CRYA as the National Authority for the competitive aspects of radio-controlled sailing for Canada. The CRYA shall also maintain an affiliation with the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA).

Within the framework of the purposes set out above, the CRYA shall have the following particular objects:

(a) To encourage Canadians to become more proficient in:

Membership of the CRYA is open to anyone expressing an interest in radio-controlled sailing and agreeing to abide by its Constitution and bylaws.

Citizens of Canada and residents of Canada who apply for membership are to be accorded all membership rights and privileges. CRYA welcomes members who are neither citizens nor residents of Canada but they may not, however, represent Canada in international competitions for world, continental or regional championships recognized by the ISAF-RSD. The CRYA may grant temporary permission to others if they are entitled to Canadian status and are in the process of obtaining it

The elected officers of the CRYA shall be a President, an Executive Secretary who shall also serve as Vice-President and a Treasurer-Registrar. The immediate Past President shall act in an advisory capacity. The Technical Director and Communications Director shall be appointed officers and there may be up to 5 appointed Regional Directors. The duties and manner of election or appointment of the officers and regional directors shall be prescribed in the by-laws.

return to Index

The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers and directors named in Article IV.

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer-Registrar, Technical Director, and Communications Director.

Adoption of by-laws, decisions requiring approval by the membership, and elections of officers shall normally be by a simple majority of members voting in a mail ballot. This will follow distribution of motions and nominations to members by mail or in the CRYA Newsletter at least one month prior to the scheduled balloting.

The CRYA Constitution may be amended by a mail ballot in which two-thirds of those members voting approve the proposed amendment. Notice of proposed amendments must be mailed to members or published in the CRYA Newsletter at least one month prior to the scheduled balloting. Amendments shall come into effect one month after the balloting unless another effective date has been an integral part of the proposed amendment

return to Index

 

Membership is obtained by the applicant filing a completed membership application form with the Treasurer-Registrar accompanied by one-year's dues. Acceptance of the applicant into membership shall be acknowledged by the issuance of a membership card by the Treasurer-Registrar. The membership of a person will be considered to have been terminated if the specified dues or other fees are unpaid within 60 days of the start of the calendar year, i.e. March 1. A person, whose membership has been allowed to lapse, may be reinstated by payment of the current year's dues. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to terminate the membership of any person for just cause.

As specified in the Constitution the officers of the CRYA shall consist of the President, Executive Secretary, immediate Past-President, Technical Director, and Communications Director. In addition there may be up to 5 appointed Regional Directors. One person may hold more than one office except the office of the President.

The President, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer-Registrar, shall be elected in the same year for two-year terms. Elections shall be by mail ballot every second year at the end of December. A call for nominations shall be distributed by mail or appear in the CRYA Newsletter which normally appears in August or September. Nominations with seconder shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary, by October 30 for inclusion on the ballot to be distributed to members in December by mail or with the November/December Newsletter. Nominations must include a letter of consent from the proposed nominee. To be eligible for election a nominee must be a paid-up individual member. Each retiring officer shall be eligible for re-election if otherwise qualified.

The retiring President shall be an ex officio member of the Board with the title Past President.

The Technical Director and the Communications Director shall be appointed for two-year terms by the President on the advice of the Executive Committee.

Up to five Regional Directors shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Executive Committee for two-year terms.

To facilitate continuity appointed officers and directors shall normally be appointed for two year terms in the alternative years from the elections. Appointed officers must be paid-up individual members of the Association.

(1) The President shall oversee the affairs of the Association according to the Constitution and by-laws and with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee and the Board. The President shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and the Board. He may appoint ad hoc and permanent committees as required or appoint individual members to carry out specific responsibilities. The President shall be responsible for relations with international organizations and other National Authorities.

(2) The Executive Secretary shall be the acting President in the absence or incapacity of the President. The Executive Secretary may be responsible for CRYA correspondence and for administering elections and referendums on balloted motions. The Executive Secretary may also be assigned by the President to carry out other specific duties or tasks.

(3) The Treasurer-Registrar shall maintain a registry of members and yacht ownership, collect dues and fees from members of the Association, control the collection and dispersal of all funds of the Association1 prepare and present an annual financial report for distribution to the Board of Directors and publish this report in the CRYA Newsletter, and obtain approval of the Board of Directors before disbursing any unbudgeted funds in excess of $100.00.

(4) The Technical Director shall be particularly responsible for advice to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors on matters relating to class rules and measurement, regulations relating to Class Associations and recognition of new classes and class owners associations, and matters affecting safety in the sport. The Technical Director may appoint a Technical Committee to assist him in the consideration of these matters. For those classes where there is a Class Secretary the Technical Director shall consult the Class Secretary in matters relating to that Class.

(5) The Communications Director/Newsletter Editor shall he responsible for the quarterly publication of the CRYA Newsletter, Canadian Radio Yachting, as the official publication of the Association and for the creation and maintenance of electronic or other communications on behalf of the CRYA.

(6) Regional Directors shall participate in the deliberations and decisions of the Board of Directors. A Regional Director may be assigned by the President to carry out specific duties or tasks. A task of a Regional Director shall be the encouragement of all aspects of radio-controlled sailing and particularly regattas in the region represented by the Director, and the submission of regular reports on activities within that region for publication in the CRYA Newsletter.

return to CRYA By-Laws

The Board of Directors shall establish the overall policy for the Association and have the right of approval of expenditures over $100.00

The Executive Committee shall share with the President the management and administration of the Association and advise and counsel the President. It shall be responsible for recommending amendments to the ISAF-RSD rules, the standards for conduct of regattas and sanctioning regattas officially recognized by the CRYA, appointment of measurers, and recommendations to the appropriate bodies for the specifications for yacht classes for which there is no recognized class owners association. It shall also have the right where a vacancy occurs in any office during a term to fill that office by appointment for the balance of the term.

return to CRYA By-Laws

The business of the Board and the Executive Committee shall normally be conducted under the direction of the President, (or in the President's absence by the Executive Secretary) by means of correspondence, telephone conference calls, electronic mail, or any other form of communication agreed to by the Board or Executive Committee. A quorum for any decision of the Board or the Executive Committee shall consist of four members in the case of the former and three in the case of the latter.

return to CRYA By-Laws

Section 6: Auditors:

The Board shall annually appoint an auditor whose duty it shall be to examine the accounting records of the Association and to make a written report on the financial affairs of the Association to be distributed with the Treasurer-Registrar's annual financial statement published in the CRYA Newsletter.

return to CRYA By-Laws

Section 7: Changes in Rules, Regulations, Specifications:

Changes to rules, regulations and specifications under the CRYA jurisdiction and recommendations relating to classes under the ISAF-RSD jurisdiction shall be made following a ballot. Specifications for yacht classes, which are not administered by class associations, may be changed only by balloting those Association members owning yachts registered in that class. Motions affecting a particular Class or yacht specifications of that class may be handled within that class where a Class association has been established and recognized by the CRYA but shall be subject to endorsement by the CRYA Technical Director.

Motions for balloting may be made and seconded by active members and submitted to the Executive Secretary by October 30 for distribution to members by mail or publication in the November/December issue of the CRYA Newsletter prior to balloting at the end of December. Changes to rules and regulations of the Association must be approved by a majority of the votes submitted. Written commentary on motions may be published in the issue of the Newsletter preceding the ballot date. The Executive Committee shall have editing rights with regard to any motions deemed redundant or unconstitutional.

return to CRYA By-Laws

The amount of annual dues and one-time registration fees for new yachts shall be established by the Board of Directors. Special assessments may be levied by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, but any such assessment shall be limited to no more than the equivalent of one year's dues.

return to CRYA By-Laws

The CRYA shall register individual yachts in any class. For purposes of CRYA sanctioned Canadian national and regional championships, however, the CRYA will recognize only those classes recognized by ISAF-RSD and those other classes which initially have twenty and continue to have at least ten or more current CRYA members with currently valid registered yachts in the class. To register a yacht in any class the owner must be a CRYA member in good standing. The CRYA Newsletter shall report in each issue the recognized classes and class associations together with the names and addresses of their officers.

In order to be recognized for CRYA sanctioned Canadian and regional championship regattas, a class owners association in classes other than those recognized by the ISAF-RSD shall submit the following information to the CRYA Treasurer-Registrar: a copy of its constitution, bylaws and other governing documents, a copy of the class specifications, the names of the officers of the class association, and a roster of current CRYA members holding yacht registrations in that class. The Treasurer-Registrar shall submit this material to the Board of the CRYA for formal recognition of the class. Where there is no class association, the Executive Committee will take the current registrations with the Treasurer-Registrar as the basis for class recognition.

[Under the above arrangements the CRYA would register boats in any class, but minimum requirements relating to ISAF-RSD recognition or minimum numbers of members with registered boats would be required for the CRYA to sanction official Canadian and regional championships. ISAF-RSD recognized classes are International "A", 10 Rater, Marblehead and International 1 -Metre. As of December 1996, CRYA members with fees paid in 1996 having registered boats in each class were: M=64, Soling=50, US 1-M=39, EC12=32, Int. 1-M=22, 36/600=15, 10 Rater=11. Star=10, SB=9, AC=7, Int. "A"=5, Open=4, Vintage=3, Unspecified 1-M=2, S5=1. For 1997 the CRYA Board is sanctioning Canadian Championship regattas in the Marblehead, Soling, US 1-Metre, ECI2, International 1- Metre and 10 Rater classes (see schedule in this issue of Canadian Radio Yachting).]

return to CRYA By-Laws

A club desiring to conduct a Canadian or Regional Championship Regatta shall petition the appropriate Class Secretary and the CRYA for such authorization. For a Canadian or Regional championship to be officially sanctioned by the CRYA and so in the CRYA Newsletter the following procedure shall be required: a formal request from the host club, endorsed by the Class Secretary on behalf of the class owners association where there is one, shall be submitted through the relevant Regional Director for authorization by the Executive Committee at least three months in advance of the event. Such events shall, as far as possible, be rotated geographically. The approved sponsoring club shall provide reasonable notice of the events to the membership through the CRYA Newsletter. The results of the event shall be promptly reported to the Class Secretary where there is one, to the relevant Regional Director and to the Communications Director of the CRYA to enable publication in the CRYA Newsletter.

In a Canadian or Regional Championship Regatta all yachts entered in the competition will be required to produce valid measurement certificates or be measured for conformance to the current class specifications prior to the first race.

In Canadian or Regional Championship regattas, each yacht shall be properly registered in its class and all skippers shall be members of the CRYA. However, non-CRYA entries may be accepted provided both yacht and skipper are properly registered with their National Authority in that class. The top Canadian finisher in a Canadian Championship shall be entitled to be one of the representatives for Canada in world or continental events. Where places for Canadian participants in world or continental championships are limited and there are more applicants than places, Canadian representatives shall be determined by a process established by the CRYA Executive Committee.

return to CRYA By-Laws

The CRYA shall be affiliated with the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA).

The CRYA, as the Canadian National Authority for radio-controlled sailing represents Canada within the International Sailing Federation - Radio Sailing Division (ISAF-RSD), is a Division Member.

Regional and Canadian Regattas sanctioned by the CRYA shall be sailed under the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Racing Rules of Sailing (including Canadian Yachting Association prescriptions) as altered by Appendix E, Radio-Controlled Racing Rules as established by the ISAF-RSD (including CRYA prescriptions). These may be altered by the sailing instructions with the prior approval of the CRYA Technical Director following consultation with the Executive Committee.

The CRYA shall attempt to publish quarterly a CRYA Newsletter, Canadian Radio Yachting. The Communications Director shall be the Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter is intended to serve as a vehicle to communicate dates and location of regattas including regional, Canadian and international championships, items of general interest including but not limited to technical articles, modifications to racing and class rules, notice of Association motions, nominations, elections and ballots, list and addresses of Association officers, Board members and measurers, reports on decisions of the Board and the Executive Committee of the CRYA, lists of recognized class associations and their officers, and reports on activities in the various classes. Distribution of a quarterly Newsletter by mail to members will as far as possible normally occur in February, May, August/September, and November/December. The Communications Director may also post pertinent information in an electronic bulletin board.

These by-laws may be amended by letter ballot after publication of the proposed amendment in the CRYA Newsletter at least one month in advance of the ballot date. A two-thirds majority of the members voting shall be required to implement the change.

Copies of the Constitution and By-laws shall be made available upon request at cost.

Copyright © 2002  - 2005 Canadian Radio Yachting Association
Last modified: November 24, 2005