By-Laws of the Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes
Adopted: February 10, 2025
ARTICLE 1: Organization
Section 1 NAME:
The name of the organization shall be the Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes, hereinafter referred to as SAIL.
Section 2 OBJECTIVES:
SAIL is organized to encourage and promote the racing of sailboats and unify the rules and event schedules in connection therewith and to act as US Sailing’s Regional Sailing Association Council for area F representing Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Western Nebraska, within Area F of US Sailing.
ARTICLE II: Membership
Section 1 CATEGORIES:
SAIL shall have four categories of membership: Individual/Family, Club/Commercial, Fleet and Honorary Lifetime. All memberships, except the Honorary Lifetime Membership, shall be for one year from January 1st to December 31st.
Section 2 INDIVIDUAL/FAMILY MEMBERSHIP:
Each Individual/Family Membership shall include no more than two adults and all dependent children under the age of 25. Each individual in the family will be considered a member of SAIL but each membership shall have only one vote.
Section 3 CLUB/COMMERCIAL MEMBERSHIP:
Sailing clubs, organizations or corporations that participate in or support sailboat racing in the region are eligible for a Club/Commercial Membership. Each Club/Commercial Membership shall have one vote.
Section 4 FLEET MEMBERSHIP:
Organized sailboat fleets that race in the region are eligible for a fleet membership. Each fleet membership shall have one vote.
Section 5 HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP:
The SAIL membership can grant an Honorary Lifetime Membership to an individual or family that has demonstrated a long-standing and extraordinary commitment to the mission and work of SAIL by a vote of 2/3 of the members present at a Membership Meeting. Each Honorary Lifetime Member shall not pay dues and shall have one vote.
Section 6 DUES:
The annual dues amount assessed to the membership shall be established by a vote of the membership annually. Dues are payable on January 1st of each year. Dues paid prior to October 31st shall be applied to the current year. All dues paid after that date shall be applied to the next year. No refund of dues shall be made for any reason.
ARTICLE III: Officers and Committees
Section 1 OFFICERS:
The Officers of SAIL shall be Commodore, Vice Commodore, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at large. The Officers of SAIL shall exercise and perform the respective powers, duties and functions as stated in Section 2 of this Article and as assigned by the Commodore or membership. It shall be the responsibility of the Officers to attend and participate in SAIL meetings. One person may actively hold only one of these offices.
Section 2 OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES:
Commodore: The Commodore shall exercise general supervision, direction, and control of the affairs of SAIL, its Officers and committees. The Commodore shall call and preside over Annual, and Special Membership Meetings and Board of Directors meetings as prescribed in the By-laws. The Commodore shall be a signatory and listed on all financial accounts. The Commodore shall be designated as the US Sailing Area F Representative and shall represent SAIL at all Area F and US Sailing Regional Sailing Association Council (RSAC) meetings.
Vice Commodore: The Vice Commodore shall assume the duties of the Commodore in the Commodore’s absence. The Vice Commodore shall assist the Training Committee Chair to fulfill the responsibilities of the Training Committee. The Vice Commodore shall be responsible for promoting membership in SAIL and US Sailing.
Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping a record of the proceedings at each meeting. Additional duties include correspondence with US Sailing and the SAIL membership, distributing notices of meetings, and maintaining the official records of SAIL including the current organizational by-laws and current membership lists.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the supervision of all financial affairs of SAIL. The Treasurer shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining a complete and correct account of all SAIL financial transactions. The Treasurer shall be responsible for writing checks and paying all budgeted or approved bills. The Treasurer shall provide a financial report at each meeting and a year-end financial statement and annual budget annually.
Member at large: The member at large shall be responsible for assisting the committee chairs in identifying members to participate on committees. The member at large shall convene a nominating committee that presents nominations for Officers at the Annual Membership Meeting.
Section 3 COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES:
Committees shall be established by the Officers to conduct functions within SAIL. Committee chairs of standing committees shall be appointed by the Commodore annually or when the position becomes vacant. Standing committees of SAIL are Handicap Committee, Judging and Race Committee, Web/Social Media Committee, Rocky Mountain Racing Coordinating Committee, and Training Committee. The Committee Chair shall appoint committee members. Committees shall present a report at each membership meeting.
Handicap Committee: The Handicap Committee shall be responsible for assigning and publishing all regional PHRF ratings as requested by Individual/Family members.
Judging and Race Committee: The Judging and Race Committee shall be responsible to establish and publish the Open regatta schedule for member organizations, assist member organizations to fulfill their requests for qualified Race Officers and Judges to run regattas and staff and hold hearings, review Notices of Race and Sailing Instructions for Open regattas, and record and publish Open regatta scores. In addition, the Judging and Race Committee shall be responsible for appeals of protests within the SAIL Area, including meeting US Sailing requirements for communications with US Sailing and discharging the responsibilities identified under the current Racing Rule of Sailing (RRS). This includes identifying the Chief Judge for SAIL and assigning qualified individuals to staff and conduct the appeals hearings and overseeing all communications with US Sailing and the parties involved.
Web and Social Media Committee: The Web and Social Media Committee shall be responsible to identify a Webmaster and update SAIL website content and social media communications.
Rocky Mountain Racing Coordinating Committee: The Rocky Mountain Racing Coordinating Committee shall be responsible to promote opportunities for adult and youth racing in the region.
Training Committee: The Training Committee shall be responsible for organizing and conducting educational seminars and classes for SAIL members and individuals seeking certification in race management positions and as judges.
ARTICLE IV: Elections and Vacancies
Section 1 OFFICER ELECTIONS AND TERMS:
The Officers of SAIL, as stated in ARTICLE III shall be elected at the Annual Membership Meeting. All Officers shall serve a one-year term and/or until their successors are elected and installed. All Officers must be a member of SAIL in good standing in the year that they are elected as well as all subsequent years in which they serve.
Section 2 OFFICER NOMINATIONS:
The Member at large shall convene a nominating committee consisting of the at least two other SAIL members that shall select, and place before the membership, a slate of qualified candidates at the Annual Membership Meeting. Additional nominations shall be requested from the membership before any vote is called. Nominees must qualify by being a current member of SAIL in good standing as well as accepting the nomination before being added to a slate of candidates.
Section 3 VACANCIES:
Officers who are unable or fail to carry out their required duties or whose actions harm or bring discredit to SAIL or the sport of sailing may, at any meeting as described in Article VI, be removed from office for just cause by a majority vote of members present. Any Officer may resign his or her office at any time for any reason. The office shall become vacant upon the Officer’s resignation, removal, or death.
In the event the office of Commodore becomes vacant, the Vice Commodore shall become Commodore and the membership will elect a new Vice Commodore. In the event another Officer resigns or becomes unable to serve, the Board of Directors shall elect a successor. The successor shall serve out the incomplete term of their predecessor.
ARTICLE V: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall be composed of all current Officers and current Committee Chairs. The Board of Directors shall act on behalf of SAIL and shall transact necessary business required to maintain daily operations of SAIL. The Board of Directors shall have authority to act on the direction provided by the Membership in the form of the annual budget and shall carry out the duties of the Officers and Committees as outlined in ARTICLE III of these By-laws.
Directors shall serve without compensation. Expenses incurred in the conduct of SAIL business may be reimbursed by the Treasurer, in accordance with the SAIL financial policies.
Board of Directors meetings shall be held regularly, in-person or by teleconference, as called by the Commodore or upon written request of three (3) Officers. Members shall be notified of Board of Directors meetings and meetings shall be open to any current member of SAIL. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall constitute three (3) of the Directors. Actions of the Board of Directors shall be approved by a simple majority of the Directors present.
ARTICLE VI: Meetings
Section 1 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
An annual meeting of SAIL members shall be held at a location designated by the Officers on the 1st Saturday of November each year or such other day as shall be determined by the Officers. Notice of this meeting location and/or teleconference information and time shall be announced to the membership no fewer than fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting. The Annual Meeting shall be for the purpose of electing officers, approving the annual budget, establishing dues, and transacting such business as may come before the membership.
Section 2 SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
Special Meetings of membership may be called at any time by any Officer or by petition from seven (7) or more members presented to the Commodore. Written notice shall be made to the membership no fewer than fifteen (15) days prior to meeting.
Section 4 QUORUM:
A quorum for Annual, Regular and Special membership meetings shall be established by at least six (6) members.
Section 5 VOTING:
All motions made before the membership, except when otherwise specified in these By-laws, shall be approved by a simple majority vote of the members present.
ARTICLE VII: Finances
Section 1 GENERAL FUND:
All funds for SAIL shall be accounted for through the use of standard banking procedures or other depositories as may be determined by resolution of the Officers. The Treasurer shall maintain these accounts. The Officers shall have the authority to expend monies from the general fund within the limits of a budget. Non-budgeted expenses must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at any meeting.
Section 2 BUDGET:
An annual budget shall be prepared and presented to the Membership at the annual meeting. Approval of the budget requires a two-thirds majority vote of the Members present.
Section 3 DEBT:
All financial business of SAIL shall be conducted with cash on hand. No Officer, member or other person may in the name of the organization incur a debt by accepting a loan or other means.
ARTICLE VIII: Ratification and Amendments to These By-laws
Section 1 RATIFICATION:
The By-laws shall be ratified by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Membership attending a meeting designated by the Commodore for such a purpose. The Officers shall sign an official copy.
Section 2 AMENDMENTS:
These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Membership attending a meeting designated by the Commodore for such a purpose. The membership shall be notified of proposed By-Laws amendments at least (15) fifteen days prior to such vote. Amendments to the By-laws shall be signed by the Officers and attached to the official copy.
Section 3 OFFICIAL COPY:
The Secretary shall maintain the official copy of the By-laws. A copy of the By-laws shall be published on the SAIL website.
By-Laws as approved at the annual Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes Member’s Meeting on February 10, 2025