VOLUNTEERISM AND RACE PROCEDURES

Fishing Bay Yacht Club is a "participation" yacht club. Our Racing and Social events are run by our members without paid help. Membership assistance is crucial. New members as well as old are expected to provide at least two (2) days' service to one of the committees set forth in the attached membership application.

I agree to assist in the following areas of club activity for no less than two (2) days per year:

                                                                                                                                                FBYC Membership Application

Participation in helping staff and run FBYC sponsored events are ways for newcomers and experienced hands alike to increase their skills and knowledge and to get to know members they might not encounter in the course of their usual activities at the club. Early each year, various board members recruit Chairs for our many events. To the extent needed, Chairs find their assistants from the general membership. The Club cannot function without this valuable resource. The Sailing Events page at www.fbyc.net/Events will be updated continually during the year to show the current calendar and assignments. We encourage all members to check the Events page frequently for updates. The names of Chairs on the web page that are underlined are links to their contact information - accessible only by Members. Any member who is willing to help any particular Chair, or just wants to give Race Committee or other tasks a try is asked to e-mail or contact the Chair (or Division Officer, if you don’t know the Chairs) to volunteer to assist. This year, additional web-based tools to increase communication and availability of information about needs and opportunities are being developed.

CHAIRS

Members assigned to be Chair are responsible for finding their own replacements if they are unable to fulfill their duties. Replacements need to be approved by the appropriate Division officer. Responsibilities of the individual event chairperson assignments are as follows:

Event Chair: Event Chairs have overall responsibility to plan, market, staff and manage our larger events. The Race Chair and Social Chair report to the Event Chair.

Race Committee Chair: Race Committee Chairs are responsible for recruiting and running the race committee on the days assigned. In addition to race day organization and management, the function also includes the responsibility for presenting awards following most events. The Race Chair is expected to find an adequate number of assistants to man the signal and mark boats. At the conclusion of the racing, the results must be calculated and posted on the web site, or submitted to the Division Lt. Commander for processing. Detailed guidance on Race Management procedures is available through the FBYC Race Management Manual.

Junior Race Committee Chair: Junior Race Committee Chairs runs the Junior Race Committee courses.

Social Chair: For the typical weekend series race, where there is no Event Chair assigned, the Social Chair is responsible for after-race refreshments: generally soft drinks, beer, and snacks. For larger events, the Social Chair usually assists the Event Chair and is responsible for food, refreshments, beverages, entertainment, recruiting and managing volunteers and facilities. Receipts should be sent to the Treasurer for reimbursement.

FINDING VOLUNTEERS

The web site has several tools, which may help locate volunteers; all are described at the Members/Volunteers section of the web site. New web-based tools to help organizers find volunteers and help volunteers find opportunities are under development, so keep an eye on the web site and the Log. As we go to press, the following tools are available.

E-mail Mailing Lists: Visit the Members section of the web site and click on "Mailing Lists." Select the list most appropriate to your purposes - iwanttosail@fbyc.net, offshore@fbyc.net, etc, and send out an e-mail to the group asking for help.

Member Database: Visit the Members section of the web site and search for a particular Member's name. When the search result appears, a list of the Volunteer Chair jobs that member has had in the past 2-3 years will appear below the member's data. No data does not mean they have done nothing - only that they have not had a Chair position. Ask people to help who have not been a Chair.

New Members: Visit the Members section of the web site, then click on "Volunteers". New Members are frequently desirous of serving as Race Committee assistants as it gives them a fun way to meet other members and become involved in the club activities. This web page has a tool to help you look up the names of new members by year of admission to the Club.