1. TITLE

The full title of the Association shall be The Flying Fifteen Association of Ireland (hereinafter referred to as “the Association”).

2. OBJECTS

The objects of the Association are:

to promote the interests of the International Flying Fifteen Class in Ireland and to maintain it as a one design class;

to bring owners of Flying Fifteens into contact with each other;

to control and manage Class affairs in accordance with the wishes of the owners;

to co-ordinate the holding of championships and other open events;

to be affiliated to and to liaise with FF International (hereinafter called “FFI”) on any matters relating to Class Rules or any other matters which concern FFI.

3. MEMBERSHIP

There shall be four classes of membership:

1. a) Full Membership is open to any sole owner of a Flying Fifteen stationed in Ireland and with a valid Measurement Certificate.
2. b) Part Boat Owning Membership is open to any part owner of a Flying Fifteen stationed in Ireland and with a valid Measurement Certificate.
3. c) Associate Membership is open to members of clubs recognised by the ISA or RYA not owning a Flying Fifteen with a valid Measurement Certificate but having an interest in the welfare of the Class.
4. d) Honorary Membership may be granted to such persons as in the opinion of the Committee it shall be in the interest of the Association to admit to Honorary Membership and who shall be so elected at an Annual General Meeting.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS

The annual subscriptions for Full and Part Boat Owning Members which shall be the same and Associate Members shall be fixed by the Committee for each year commencing on 1st April. A Member who has not paid the subscription shall not have the right to attend and vote at any meeting of the Association nor have any other rights or privileges of a member and shall cease to be a member at the expiration of six months from the date the subscription fell due.

Subscriptions shall be designated in Euros and Sterling as appropriate at the approximate rate of exchange ruling on the day the subscriptions are decided.

5. MANAGEMENT
6. The affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Committee which shall consist of the Officers and the Appointed Members, all of whom shall be Full Members or Part Boat Owning Members, and shall include ex officio the Association’s Representative on the Council of FFI and the Chief Measurer.
7. The Officers who shall be elected annually at an Annual General Meeting by simple majority shall comprise:
   • The President the Chair at Meetings). who will normally take General and Committee
   • The Vice President
   • The Honorary Secretary
   • The Honorary Treasurer
   • The Honorary Fixtures Secretary
   • The Honorary Publicity Officer

The President shall serve for not more than three consecutive years but shall be eligible for re-election after a lapse of two years.

1. The Appointed Members shall comprise one representative from each Recognised Fleet who shall normally be the Fleet Captain but may be a Full Member or Part Boat Owning Member of such Fleet. In the latter event, the Fleet Captain shall be entitled to attend Committee meetings on giving prior notice to the Honorary Secretary.
2. The Association’s Representative on the Council of FFI shall be appointed or re-appointed annually by simple majority at the first Committee meeting following the Annual General Meeting.
3. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt Full Members or Part Boat Owning Members.
5. ACCOUNTS

The President and Honorary Treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the Association and shall cause proper books of account to be kept relating to:

• all sums of money received and expended by the Association and the matters in respect of which the receipt and expenditure takes place.
• all sales Association. and .purchases of goods by the
• the assets and liabilities of the Association

Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are no such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Association’s affairs and to explain its transactions. The books of account shall be kept at such place as the Committee shall think fit and shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection by members of the Committee.

The financial year shall be the calendar year, ending on 30th March.

7. AUDITOR

An Honorary Auditor shall be appointed or reappointed annually at the Annual General Meeting.

8. APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS

A copy of the audited accounts which are to be laid before the Annual General Meeting of the Association together with a copy of the Committee’s Report and Honorary Auditor’s Report shall be forwarded to all members together with the Notice of the Annual General Meeting.

9. REGISTER OF BOATS AND MEMBERS

The Committee shall cause to be kept and maintained a Register of Full Owners and Part Boat Owning Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members.

10. NEWSLETTER
11. The Committee shall be responsible for the production of Newsletters, as required and other communications and distribute them to members.
12. The Honorary Fixtures Secretary shall co-ordinate the dates and venues of championships and other open meetings; prepare an Annual Open Event Fixture List; advise organising clubs, particularly in the case of championships, of their obligations and the requirements of the Association and consult with them regarding their racing, social and allied arrangements, entry fees and other charges. The Honorary Fixtures Secretary shall collect and tabulate the results of all such events which shall be supplied by the organising clubs. In arranging championships the Honorary Fixtures Secretary shall take into consideration the existence of Northern, East Coast, South Coast and other Area Fleets and shall co-ordinate the holding of a championship each year in addition to the National Championship. The location and timing of the Regional and National Championships shall be decided by the Committee on the basis of applications from clubs to host these events.
13. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Committee may appoint an Executive Committee consisting of such Officers of the Association and other Committee Members as it may consider desirable to deal with urgent and routine matters. All decisions of principle made by the Executive Committee must be placed before the Committee for ratification at the next duly convened meeting of the Committee.

12. SUBCOMMITTEES
    1. The Committee may from time to time appoint a special subcommittee of persons which may include members of the Committee, Full Members, Part Boat Owning Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members, to carry on some activity aimed at promoting an object or objects of the Association as the Committee may think fit and may delegate such of its powers to any such subcommittee as it considers necessary and every such subcommittee shall conform to any regulations and shall, subject thereto, regulate its own procedure and meetings.
    2. A subcommittee shall report to the Committee.
    3. Any subcommittee may be disbanded by the Committee at any time.
    4. The President shall ex officio be a member of a subcommittee.
13. GENERAL MEETINGS
14. a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year at a venue to be decided by the Committee. A quorum shall normally be 5% of the number of Full Members and Part Boat Owning Members, present in person or by proxy, but if a quorum is not present within fifteen minutes following the time appointed for the Annual General Meeting, those Full Members and Part Boat Owning Members present may by simple majority resolve that they shall be a quorum and the meeting may be held.
15. b)

(i) Notice in writing of the Annual General Meeting, including the Agenda and enclosing copies of the Audited Accounts, the Committee’s Report and Honorary Auditor’s Report, shall be sent by ordinary prepaid post to all Full Members, Part_ Boat Owning Members, Associate Members and Honorary · Members not less than twenty one days before the date of the meeting.

(ii) The accidental omission to give Notice of a Meeting to, or the non-receipt of Notice of a Meeting by any person entitled to receive Notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting.

1. c) Any Full Member or Part Boat Owning Member shall be entitled to notify in writing the Honorary Secretary of motions for inclusion in the agenda not less than 14 days prior to the issue of the Notice of Meeting and shall furnish a brief summary of the proposer’s reasons proposal and such summary agenda for circulation Committee’s comments. for such motion and such shall be included in the and may include the
2. d) A Special General Meeting shall be called for a specific purpose by the Committee on receipt of a request in writing to do so, stating the reason for the request and signed by not less than twelve persons which may include Full Members, Part Boat Owning Members and Honorary Members. Notice in writing of such meeting, together with the Agenda, shall be sent by ordinary prepaid post to all Full Members, Part Boat Owning Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members not less than twenty one days before the date of the meeting and may include the Committee’s comments. No business shall be conducted at a Special General Meeting other than that specific resolution or topic on the Agenda. A quorum shall be 5% of the number of Full Members, Part Boat Owning Members and Honorary Members, present in person or by proxy.
3. VOTING AT GENERAL MEETINGS
4. a) Voting at General Meetings shall be in accordance with the mandatory provisions contained in the Appendix hereto as prescribed by FFI which shall prevail over any provisions of this Constitution.
5. b) In the event of any alteration of such mandatory provisions by FFI, the Appendix shall be automatically altered, amended or substituted and shall take effect on the date prescribed by FFI or at the commencement of the following calendar year whichever shall be earlier.
6. c) Subject to the aforesaid provisions, voting members shall be Full Members, Part Boat Owning Members and Honorary Members. Part Boat Owning Members shall inform the Honorary Secretary prior to a meeting which Part Boat Owner shall vote or failing such notification the first named joint owner of a boat shall be the voting member.
7. d) Voting members may vote in writing by proxy in the form prescribed by the Committee.
8. e) Associate Members shall not be entitled to vote but may at the discretion of the Chairman of the meeting be granted the right to address the meeting but resolutions may be proposed, seconded and voted on only by voting members.
9. f) At any General Meeting a Resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded:

(i) by the Chairman, or

(ii) by at least three voting Members present in person. Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the Chairman that a Resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried or carried unanimously or by a particular majority or lost, and an entry made to that effect in the minutes of the proceedings shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such Resolution. The demand for a poll may be withdrawn. Where there is an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or a poll, the Chairman of the Meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

16. RECOGNISED FLEETS
17. a) Any group of four or more boats with valid Measurement Certificates owned by paid up Full Members or Part Boat Owning Members may be accorded the status of a Recognised Fleet on application to the Association.
18. b) Each Recognised Fleet shall elect a Fleet Captain who shall be a Full Member or Part Boat Owning Member of such Fleet.
19. MEASUREMENT CERTIFICATE
20. a) No boat shall be allowed to race as a Flying Fifteen unless its owner or owners hold(s) a valid Measurement Certificate issued in accordance with the Class Rules.
21. b) Class Measurers, including a Chief Measurer, shall be appointed from time to time in accordance with the Class Rules.
22. CONDUCT OF MEMBERS

Every Member shall be deemed to have notice of and impliedly undertakes to comply with this Constitution. Any refusal or neglect to do so or any conduct which in the opinion of the Committee · is either unworthy of a member or otherwise injurious to the interests of the Class shall render a member liable to expulsion by the Committee whose decision, duly made in accordance with the rules of natural justice, shall be final.

19. INDEMNITY OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

The Officers, Members of the Committee, Executive Committee and Subcommittees, in carrying out their functions and duties shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Association and the Association shall take out and maintain such policies of insurance as the Committee may from time to time deem necessary or advisable.

20. DATA PROTECTION

Membership of the Association will be deemed to constitute consent to the holding of relevant personal data for the purpose of the legislation governing data protection.

APPENDIX

Being the mandatory provisions prescribed by FFI referred to in Article 15 herein

1. at general meetings of members, resolutions shall be decided by simple majority of votes cast by voting members present, in person or by proxy, and voting;
2. before voting on any proposed change to the Constitution of the Federation or to the Class Rules or the Championship Regulations, the National Association shall first conduct a postal ballot of i t s voting members. When voting on the proposed change, the National Association shall cast the same number of votes against that proposed change as were cast by its own voting members on the national postal ballot;
3. voting members are those members who own registered Flying Fifteens. Each voting member shall be entitled to one vote per boat, except that no member shall be entitled to more than one vote regardless of how many boats that member may own. If a boat is owned jointly by more than one member, any one (but only one) of those members may cast a vote for that boat.