Offshore Model Racing Association
Minutes of the 2007 Annual General Meeting
Minutes of the meeting held at Almondsbury Social Club, Bristol on 18/11/2007
Members Present
K.Jones (Chairman) A.Baldry (Secretary) A.Rennie
M.Wild K.Cave G.Pope
S.Rae K.Bird G.Turner
T.Aggett G.Thompson A.Thompson
D.Bell D.Clay P.Weller
J.Barratt S.Tubby I Hayward
T.Ellis P.Locke B.Holder
G.Darch M.Copley L.Copley
R.Jordan R.Gay J.Smith
J.Copeland D.Wherlock N.Bedford
G.Stent B.Mykoo*
* Non-
Apologies for Absence
M.Golder (Treasurer) C.Locke J.Hine
P.Baldry C.Hine P.Locke (Jnr)
J.Firmin G.Wilkinson S.Wilkinson (Jnr)
F.Goldsmith I.Hayward S.Whenham
S.Baldry J.Kerr (Mr) J.Kerr (Mrs)
J.Hand P.Firmin K.Adams
The chairman opened the meeting at 12-
The minutes of last years AGM were taken as a true record, proposed by Stewart Rae, seconded by Andie Rennie. Agreed unanimously.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising from last year’s minutes.
Chairman’s Report
Welcome to this our 2007 AGM. I would like to start with thanking both Alan and Martin for all their hard work in the last year to help make the running of our association successful, I would also like to thank all the race organisers and the various members and families without whose help we would find it very difficult to run our events. And also to all our other members that keep our race reports and web site up to date for everyone’s benefit whether members or just interested in model boating in general. This past year has been one for a lot of changes to our racing calendar due to various reasons that have been beyond our control. I have not raced at meetings, only running a couple this season due to a busy year with other commitments but I intend racing again in the coming year.
I have kept this brief as we have quite a lot to get through today but thanks again to Alan and Martin for everything that they have done in the last few years for OMRA.
Secretary’s Report
I normally include my ‘thanks’ to everybody at the end of my report but just to break from tradition I am going to start by thanking the people that, quite frankly, without their help the association would struggle to survive. First, our race organisers who give up a great deal of their own time arranging venues, dealing with the local authorities, receiving and sorting entries and, of course, being front and centre on race day ensuring that the rest of us can enjoy our hobby. They are generally the first to arrive at a venue and the last to leave, plus all the work that has been done beforehand. Not an easy job – and nine times out of ten they coerce their family members into helping with the running on the day. Please remember that these races are for your enjoyment rather than theirs so be prepared to help out when needed. I can assure you it can be very frustrating asking for help with lap counting or rescue duties and looking out over a sea of blank faces!
Next, our news team, Stewart, John and Bernard who race after race, provide reports and results both internally within the association and externally through the model boating publications. Having done this myself at times, I appreciate what a thankless task it can be.
Phil deserves a special mention for supplying the trophies for many of the races and the AGM each year, and especially for reminding me every time that I haven’t ordered them yet!
Finally, as I look around the room, I see more or less the same faces at each AGM. There may be one or two additional people but generally it is the same group who come along each year to listen to the issues and try to resolve any problems, so sincere thanks to you all.
Time now for a change of subject, earlier this year there was unfortunately some quite frankly scandalous information posted on a particular web site. I don’t know who initiated this but you know who you are and if you are ever tempted to do something similar again, please get your facts correct first. I believe OMRA is a great organisation and none of us deserve the sort of comments that appeared on the site.
At the time of writing there are still no nominees for my position but I must make it clear that I will be standing down this year. The secretary should be an active boater in order to be fully involved in the day to day running of the association, something that I simply cannot do currently due to my other commitments.
Finally, thanks to Martin and Kevin for their support over the past year,
Thanks for your attention, Alan
Treasurer’s Report
Firstly please accept my apologies for my absence but due to work commitments I cannot be with you today.
I would like to thank Alan and Kevin for their help and support during the year and all race organisers and helpers for staging events.
At present we have 153 members being, 145 adult and 8 juniors, we have had 28 new members and 31 who didn’t renew their membership from 2006 giving us a revenue this year of £1825 in fee’s, and £16.69 interest in the deposit account, there was also £14 from the sale of the stickers at last years AGM.
As usual the biggest expense was the newsletter costing £642.93. Our insurance cost this year increased from £385.50 for 2006 too £588.20 for 2007.
The Balance sheet for this year: -
Expenses
Current Acc. Bal b/f 1408.36
Postage 283.99
Printing 406.95
Deposit Acc. Bal B/F 745.34 Stationery 54.20
Fees Received 1825.00 Trophies/Engraving 124.00
Sale of stickers at 2006 AGM 14.00 Insurance 588.70
Sundry 131.32
Interest Received 16.69 Cash Book. Bal. C/F 1658.20
Deposit Acc. Deposit Acc. Bal C/F 762.03
_________ ________
4009.39 4009.39
As we are keeping up with our expenses I will not be asking the membership to increase fee’s for the 2008 season.
The accounts where audited by Lee Sadler (Membership No. 29) on 16th November 2007.
PS. Having served 6 years as treasurer I would like to thank both Kevin and Alan
for their support, I have thoroughly enjoyed carrying out my duties but sadly due
to continued work commitments with unpredictable hours cannot continue, I understand
John Kingsley-
Thanks again, Martin
Election of Officers
Kevin Jones opened by saying that was willing to stand again as chairman but Alan Baldry and Martin Golder had both expressed a wish to stand down as secretary and treasurer respectively. The committee had received a nomination for the position of treasurer but none for the position of secretary so it was decided to sort out this position first.
Appoint John Kingsley-
Alan Baldry stated again that he was finding it increasingly more difficult to devote
sufficient time to OMRA business, also having attended so few races during the course
of the year; it was far more difficult to be fully involved with the running of the
association. He also pointed out that ideally the committee should have an active
involvement in the events themselves rather than getting everything ‘second-
Ian Hayward and Stewart Rae to assist in the secretarial duties, proposed by Andy Rennie, seconded by Mark Copley, agreed unanimously.
Alan accepted that although this would help considerably, it was still his intention
to stand down if possible. He appreciated the support given by the members present
but highlighted the fact that there were only some 30 people at the meeting out of
a total of 150 members so he hoped there may still be someone willing to take over
a now much-
Racing Calendar 2008
Copies of the proposed 2008 calendar were distributed at the meeting, copy attached. Alan pointed out that this differed slightly from the one issued before the AGM due to a clash of dates at Bryn Bach, now on June 15th rather than June 1st. There was also the possibility of second races at some venues. Dave Clay requested that the committee should ensure that the ‘second’ events should not be at the expense of a primary event at another location.
There was a great deal of discussion about the number of changes made to the 2007
calendar, brought about by bad weather and weeded lakes for example. Both Gary Darch
and Bernard Holder felt that the replacement races should not have been squeezed
into the end of the season, a view shared by a number of other people. Gary suggested
that if a race was cancelled, an alternative venue should be arranged for the same
date or the event should be lost. Alan Baldry agreed that where there was sufficient
notice, as in the case of the Chichester race, this could be done; however, this
would have been impossible in the case of the adverse weather experienced in the
Midlands this year. Dave Clay suggested that maybe the racing season should be set
and replacement races only allowed if they could be re-
Proposal – Fixed dates, proposed by Gary Darch, seconded by Tony Ellis, 11 in favour
Proposal – Fixed season, proposed by Dave Clay, seconded by Bernard Holder, 21 in favour, fixed season proposal accepted
Discussion then returned to the proposed 2008 calendar, Alan Baldry asked if anyone was willing to organise the race at Beale Park, Kelvin Bird offered.
Alan then moved to the proposed race at Liverpool docks that had been suggested as
a non-
Members Proposals
The first proposal from Ian Hayward highlighted that there had been a number of issues whereby a boat used for racing had come under question by OMRA members as to its legality under the OMRA rules. His suggestion was to have area representatives to both assist the OOD’s on race day, also scrutineer the models to ensure compliance. There was a great deal of discussion as to not only the role of the area reps but also whether there would be any volunteers to fill these positions. This led on to the subject of OMRA rules and exactly how they had been enforced during the year. A number of members felt that the rules were not being adhered to rigidly by all members, particularly in respect to noise levels, and wanted to see scrutineering and noise level checks at all venues. The secretary responded that he tends to be the custodian of the OMRA equipment but having attended so few races, the respective OOD’s needed to arrange to get hold of the equipment if it was required. He also added that noise checks had been carried out and members with boats that did not meet the necessary level had been warned accordingly. A number of people felt that the current policy of checks being carried out by the OOD before the start of racing did not need changing, just enforcing. Dave Clay and Bernard Holder both pointed out that the rules were very straightforward and it should be down to the individual to make sure that their model complies BEFORE turning up at a race. The chairman suggested that there had been more than enough discussion on this subject and requested a vote on the proposal.
Proposal – Appoint three ‘Technical Reps’, one North, one Midlands and one South, to assist the OOD’s, proposed by Ian Hayward, seconded by Alan Baldry. Vote 6 for, 16 against, 7 abstained, proposal rejected.
In view of this decision and the preceding discussion, Ian Hayward withdrew his next proposal regarding the setting up of a design register.
Ian’s next proposal was to help clarify the measurement of a boat’s sides if the
design features a rounded deck. This led again to a discussion about the way in which
the basic rule had been interpreted but it is clear in as much as the amount of the
side that must comply with the 2inch (50mm) rule is currently not specified, simply
that the boat’s side must be 2inches at a given point. Most members agreed that it
was not the intention to exclude models such as the Orange Box, a design that has
been used in OMRA for a number of years but more to prohibit the use of ‘multi-
Proposal -
John Kingsley-
Proposal -
John’s next proposal was that all events that are run on the sea/harbours/docks (those
places which link to the sea perhaps) including maybe the mini sea of Windermere
have points that count towards a sea going offshore champion trophy, called something
like OMRA Champion of the Sea for example. This would be an annual award for the
best scored points total performances for the events on the sea and work within the
current Drivers Championships. There were some positive comments on this subject;
the main stumbling block however, revolved around where people lived. Sea races,
with the exception of Lake Windermere, are in the South or South -
Propose an annual Championship of the Sea Trophy to work within the driver’s championship,
proposed by John Kingsley-
Propose that should Champion of the Sea not be accepted then all Championship points
scored on sea events to count and not be part of the discarded points rule, proposed
by John Kingsley-
Propose a slight reduction in the number of championship rounds but to include as
many sea events as possible, proposed by John Kingsley-
Discussion then moved on to John’s proposal for a ‘Supersport’ category, built around
the use of less-
Proposal – Introduce a ‘Supersport’ category to run within the normal A, B and C
classes, proposed by John Kingsley-
Proposal -
Stewart Rae suggested enhancing the clause in the rulebook regarding member’s behaviour
to read -
Nigel Bedford proposed that, particularly in view of the number of events that were changed in 2007, any venue should be able to hold 2 events that will hopefully take 2 separate formats e.g. 2x20 or 1x30 or 40 minute heat with chase boats being counted separately. After a short discussion it was accepted that this was covered within the existing rules and Nigel withdrew his proposal accordingly.
Nigel’s second proposal was to go back to the percentage method of choosing the number of scores to count for the championship; to be not less than 60% or greater than 75%. The main argument in favour of this proposal was that in a year such as 2007 with so many events having to be cancelled, the number of races to count towards the championship would also reduce accordingly. However, a number of members felt that it was far better to stick with a set number of results to count, particularly as it had already been reduced to just 7 scores out of 12 or 13 events in recent years.
Proposal – Revert to the percentage method of choosing the number of scores to count for the championship, proposed by Nigel Bedford. Vote 1 for, 21 against, 7 abstained, proposal rejected.
Following the rejection of this proposal, the meeting then returned to the subject of the number of results to count towards Championship honours.
Proposal – 7 ‘AA-
Proposal – 6 ‘Z’ class results to count towards championship honours, proposed by Ted Aggett, seconded by Dave Clay. Vote 8 for, 0 against, 21 abstained, proposal carried.
John Hand raised the subject of sponsorship within OMRA as he believed that the friendly competitiveness of racing seemed to have disappeared as a direct result. He also felt that some sponsors had been mentioned too much in the Model Boats magazine. This led to a lively debate on the subject. Stewart Rae responded regarding the magazine coverage that he had tried to be fair and include as much varied publicity as was possible. Dennis Wherlock pointed out that considerable coverage was given to Dateline Marine as they sponsored the Z class. He also added that a good result was still down to the person’s ability to drive, irrespective of how much sponsorship they had. Danny Bell firmly believed that if you were lucky enough to get sponsorship, good luck to you, a view equally shared by a number of others.
Proposal – OMRA not to allow fully sponsored boats or team racing, proposed by John Hand, seconded by Nigel Bedford. Vote 1 for, 20 against, 8 abstained, proposal rejected.
The final proposal for discussion was from Rob Gay who suggested raising the limit
on D class to 55cc to allow members to run twin-
Proposal -
Any Other Business
Bernard Holder informed the meeting of the very sad news that Syd McGoun had finally lost his battle against Cancer. Syd was a former secretary of OMRA, chairman of the Stevenage club and had been involved with modelling of all types over many, many years. His jovial presence will be sorely missed. Bernard handed out the details of Syd’s funeral and also said that it was Syd’s wish that rather than flowers at the service, any donations should be made to Cancer Research.
The first matter for discussion was regarding the scrutineering of boats prior to racing; this subject had been covered earlier in the meeting but it was agreed that race organisers should be encouraged to scrutineer all models before each race. This also included model design in that models should look like offshore racing boats. If the boat does not comply, then it should not race. There are people in OMRA that do try to uphold the spirit of offshore racing, which the club is based on and try their best to make their boats look like the real thing. New members should be encouraged to follow in their footsteps and to maintain the spirit of OMRA, racing boats that look like `proper' boats and at least resemble the real thing and not skateboards on a pond.
A number of members expressed their concern to the committee about the lack of trophies at the Telford race where hobby tools were awarded in place of trophies and that this was not in line with the association rules. The secretary agreed to contact the Telford club regarding this matter.
Geoff Stent confirmed that the Willen club would host the Alf Price Winter Series at their lake this year in view of the problems at Eastbourne but stressed that the races would only take place if there were sufficient entries.
Paul Firmin believed that the 2 inch rule does not seem to be working or is unworkable and offered the following definition: Freeboard is by definition is the height above static water level to the lowest part of the deck, i.e. how much depth before a boat will flood. (Maritime dictionary as well as other dictionaries). This is a measurement at one part of the boat only. (Very few boats would pass this test).
The word FREEBOARD should be replaced by CHINE to DECK height which was originally
meant, and suggested adding that the 2 inches must be for at least 80% of the length
of the hull as most boats decrease the height towards the bows. The secretary responded
that the wording had already been changed following the previous AGM. The members
present did not support the inclusion of the reference to the percentage of the hull
as this may well effectively exclude a number of well-
Paul also suggested that the measurement be decreased to 1.5 inches and that all
boats should be allowed to run but not for championship points in order to develop
new ideas but these ideas were not supported. He also felt that the committee should
select which races should count towards championship points, say one per month and
the remainder be run as non-
Danny Bell stressed the importance of the web site and pointed out that it had not been regularly updated and maintained this year, a view shared by a number of people. Although not an expert, he offered to take over the running of the site for 2008. Gary Pope offered his technical expertise if it was required.
Finally, the secretary informed the meeting that one of our new members, Dave Monck, was in the throes of starting a new model boat club based in Brighton/Hove. Negotiations were currently underway to secure the use of a water in the area. Anybody interested should call Dave on 01273 415102 or email dnmonk@aol.com
Presentation of Trophies for the 2007 Championship
See here for list of winners
There being no other business, the meeting closed at 3-
Next year’s AGM TBA