Constitution & Bylaws

A. The object of the Association shall be to promote offshore yacht racing and class racing, in measurement classes and one-design classes and, in the promotion thereof, to

Promulgate and/or conduct each year a schedule of races for championships among individuals and meritorious classes (meritorious because of active competition therein, or because of the desirable type of yacht the class produces).
Sanction and/or conduct such races among Member-Clubs of the Association as will assume responsibility for holding the races so assigned to them and will agree that such races shall be open to any yacht qualifying in such a class whose owner is a member of a yacht club affiliated with this yacht racing association, which is a member of the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING); and that any such yacht which races therein shall have the right to appeal from the rulings of the Race Committee of such a Member-Club, to the Association.
Provide a committee to examine and decide appeals from the rulings of a race committee of any member club.
By a vote of the Delegates, arrange additional races with non-member organizations.

BY-LAWS

Article I - Membership

A. The membership of the Association shall consist of:

Sailing Organizations who are members of US SAILING and maintain a station or office in Hawaii, which shall have been elected Member-Clubs.
Individuals who shall have been elected Individual Members. Individual Members shall have the privilege of attending all General Meetings of the Association and of addressing such meetings, but may not vote. They shall receive the publications of the Association. All HYRA individual members shall be members of US SAILING.
Corporations who are members of US SAILING and maintain an office in Hawaii, which shall have been elected Corporate Members. Corporate Members shall have the privilege of attending all General meetings of the Association and of addressing such meetings, but may not vote. They shall receive the publications of the Association.

B. A candidate for any classification of Membership shall apply in writing to the Secretary of the Association; but an application for yacht club or corporate membership may not be acted upon unless notice of such candidacy shall have been included in the notice of the meeting. The Secretary may elect any application to individual membership; but no such application shall be rejected except by the Executive Committee.

C. A yacht club which is a candidate for membership shall file with its application:

The various categories of membership available and the number of current members in each category.
A list of the active fleets in that yacht club.

Article II - Representation of Member Clubs

A. Each Member-Club in good standing shall be entitled to be represented in meetings of the Association by Delegates to the number of one Delegate for each fifty, or major fraction thereof, voting members on its rolls; but a Member-Club shall not have more than twelve (12) Delegates.

B. A Delegate must be

An owner or part owner of a yacht enrolled in the Member-Club's fleet, or
Any other member of the Member-Club who is an active supporter of yacht racing.

C. At least fifteen (15) days before the Fall General Meeting of the Association each Member-Club by its secretary shall certify to the Secretary of the Association a summary of the number of members designated by classes of membership.

D. Annually, by January 10, each Member-Club shall submit its list of appointed Delegates with addresses and telephone numbers to the Association Secretary.

Article III - Election & Term of Officers

A. The Officers of the Association for the succeeding calendar year shall be determined annually by election at the Fall General Meeting. Thereafter, transfer of responsibility of any Officer to a duly elected successor may be made during the current year only if the incumbent Commodore deems it to serve the best interest of the Association. To fill any vacancy which may occur in an elective office, the Executive Committee may appoint any Delegate for the unexpired term.

Article IV - Officers and Executive Committee

A. The officers of the Association shall be: Commodore, Vice- Commodore, Rear Commodore, Secretary and Treasurer. They shall become Delegates-at-large upon election to office.

B. The Commodore shall preside at all meetings and shall have all such powers and duties as usually appertain to such office. The Vice-Commodore shall act in his absence. The Vice-Commodore and Rear Commodore shall have such powers and duties as usually appertain to those offices and as are assigned by the Commodore.

C. The Secretary shall keep full and complete record of the proceedings of all meetings, send out all notices and perform such other duties as usually appertain to such office. The Secretary shall mail to each Delegate and to the Secretary of each Member-Club within ten days after each meeting of the Delegates or the Executive Committee a copy of the minutes of said meetings.

D. The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys , keep a correct account thereof, and deposit same in the name of the Association in such bank as may be approved by the Association, and shall disburse same in payment of properly approved debts of the Association. At the Spring General Membership Meeting of the Association, the Treasurer shall submit a full report, in writing, of the financial condition of the Association which shall have been previously audited and approved by the Auditing Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint the auditor. The financial year shall begin the first day in January. As soon as feasible, the Treasurer shall appoint the (1) Budget Committee Chair, (2) Audit Committee Chair, (3) Trophy Committee Chair and (4) Annual Awards Committee Chair.

E. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Commodore, Vice-Commodore, Rear Commodore, the Secretary, the Treasurer and as Delegates-at-large, the two immediate Past Commodores of the Association, with power to take any necessary action on behalf of the Association in the furtherance of its purposes during intervals between meetings of the Association, to set dues and to include the appropriation of Association funds for such purposes at its discretion, provided that all actions of such Executive Committee be agenda for full report and discussion at the next special or regular meeting of the Association following such action by the Executive Committee, and provided further that the affirmative vote of any three members of the Executive Committee shall be sufficient to cause actions to be taken.

Any Member-Club may object to any non-routine appropriation of funds by a written protest to the Secretary of the Association, and if so protested within ten days, such appropriation shall not remain authorized unless approved by a vote of the majority of the HYRA delegates.

Article V - Standing Committees

A. As soon as feasible, the Commodore shall appoint the Nominating Committee and any other standing or temporary committee that may be required to properly conduct the business of the Association. He shall endeavor to avoid the appointment of more than one Delegate from a Club to any one Committee.

B. As soon as feasible, the Vice Commodore shall appoint the (1) Racing Rules Committee, (2) Committee on Appeals, (3) Program Committee, (4) Safety Committee, (5) Offshore Committee, (6) One Design Committee and (7) Multi-Hull Committee.

C. As soon as feasible, the Rear Commodore shall appoint the (1) US SAILING Delegate Area H Events Committee, (2) Single Handed Championship Committee, (3) State Championship Committee, (4) Hawaii Youth Sailing Association and (5) the US SAILING Training Coordinator.

D. As soon as feasible, the Treasurer shall appoint the (1) Budget Committee (2) Audit Committee, (3) Trophy Committee and (4) Annual Awards Banquet Committee.

F. The Executive Committee shall from time to time determine the makeup of the various Standing or Temporary Committees.

Article VI - Meetings

A. The Spring General Meeting shall be held in February at a time and place which the Commodore shall designate, for the purpose of receiving reports of committees and concluding action on the various matters which may have been brought up for discussion prior to the meeting.

B. The Fall General Meeting shall be held in November at a time and place which the Commodore shall designate for the same above purposes and for election of Officers.

C. The Commodore shall call such other General or Executive Committee meetings as he may deem advisable, at such time and place as he shall designate; and upon written request of five Delegates, he shall call a meeting to be held within thirty (30) days after the filing of such request.

D. Any Delegate may attend any Executive Committee meeting, and the Commodore may invite other persons to attend.

E. Every Delegate must vote upon roll call, unless excused.

F. Substitute Delegates for a particular meeting may be appointed by any Member-Club upon written notice signed by an elected officer thereof if filed prior to convening that meeting.

G. Eight Delegates directly representing at least three Member-Clubs shall constitute a quorum. Substitute Delegates shall be counted for that purpose, but officers and other Delegates-at-Large shall not.

H. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for conducting of all Association meetings.

Article VII - Notices

A. Notices of every meeting of the Association shall be sent to:

Each Delegate and
To the secretary of each Member-Club, such notices to be mailed not less than five (5) days prior to such meeting.

B. Notices of each general Meeting shall be sent to all other Members.

Article VIII - Dues

A. Dues are payable in the amounts shown below whether billed or not:

1. Each Member-Club shall pay to the Treasurer upon election, and on each first day of January thereafter, dues as follow: If entitled to one Delegate, fifty dollars; and for each additional Delegate, twenty dollars.
2. Each Individual Member shall pay the Treasurer a minimum of ten dollars per annum; or prorate thereof from date of election until the succeeding January 1st.
3. Each Corporate Member shall pay the Treasurer a minimum of $100.00 per annum.

B. A Member in arrears on March 1st shall be suspended ipso facto. A Member in arrears on August 1st shall, ipso facto, forfeit membership.

Article IX - Amendment and Suspension of Articles

A. These articles of association may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Delegates present at a meeting, if a draft of the amendment shall have been filed with the Secretary fifteen (15) days before the meeting and same set forth in the notice of the meeting.

B. The articles of association cannot be suspended under any circumstances.

Article X - Suspension and Expulsion

A. Any Member-Club or Individual Member may be suspended or expelled for cause by a majority vote of all Delegates entitled to vote on Association questions; but no such action shall be taken until after the Member shall have been furnished with a written statement of the charges preferred against him and shall have been given at least one (1) week's notice of the time when, and place where the same will be considered by the Delegates; and every such Member shall have the right to appear and be heard in answer to the charges before final action shall be taken by the Delegates.