IrDA 2011 Annual General Meeting

These are the minutes from the 2011 Annual General Meeting of the Irish Dragon Association.

You can also download them here Minutes IrDA AGM 12 August 2011 (MS Word document).

Irish Dragon Association

The 2011 AGM of the Irish Dragon Association took place

in Kinsale Yacht Club (by kind permission)

on Saturday 13 August 2011

Minutes

Attendance:

Andrew Craig (Chairman)

Tim Pearson (Secretary/Treasurer)

David Good, Peter Bowring, Martin Byrne, Sean Kingston, Donal Small, Owen O’Neill, Don O’Dowd, Cameron Good, Olaf Sorensen, Anthony O’Neill, Neil Hegarty, Frances Rhatigan, Peter O’Reilly, Simon Brien, Henry Kingston.

Apologies were received from Mick Cotter, Iain Finnegan, Paul Maguire, Rick Johnson, Richard Goodbody, David Clarke, Michael & Susan Halpenny, Frances Lynch, Paddy Bishop and Kathy Gillan.

1.   Accounts for 2010 are to be circulated to the members by email. The Secretary explained that because expenses had been successfully reduced in recent years it was now possible to reduce the annual subscription for 2012 by €20. This was proposed by the Secretary, seconded by the Chairman, and passed by the meeting.

The subscriptions for 2012 will therefore be:

·         Dublin Bay Dragon Fleet €200

·         Kinsale, Belfast Lough €130

·         Glandore, Ree, Derg €90

Members are reminded that it is compulsory for any Dragon and its owner(s)/helm to be registered with their national association before that boat can enter a Dragon class race.

By paying the fee the named Dragon and its owner or owners and crew become registered with their national association (the Irish Dragon Association) and the International Dragon Association. The fee also includes membership of the British Dragon Association (and in the case of Dublin Bay Dragons it includes membership of the Dublin Bay Dragon Fleet).

2.  The following officers of the Irish Dragon Association were re-elected (Proposed Peter Bowring, seconded Cameron Good):

§   Chairman – Andrew Craig

§   Secretary/Treasurer – Tim Pearson

3.   Dates for 2012 were discussed and agreed as follows:

4.   Edinburgh Cup / Gold Cup updates. Simon Brien proposed a once off Grand Slam Trophy and prizes for 2012 in order to capitalize on the fantastic line up of events for next year and this was accepted unanimously. A committee of A Craig, S Brien, H Kingston and T Pearson to draft a format to include promotion, rules, prizes and sponsors and circulate to the membership. Simon Brien to have finalised a ferry deal in September, based on entering Ireland via Belfast in June and leaving via Cork/Rosslare in September 2012.

The Gold Cup is still seeking a title sponsor. Any help, connections, etc to Cameron Good.

5.   AOB. A lengthy discussion about promoting the class took place, both to bring in younger members as crew, and to find prospective new owners. Many familiar topics and some novel and unusual suggestions were brought forward, including: Under 25 prizes, Corinthian prizes, trying to find ways to dispel the High Cost of Entry myth, the high cost of sails, the weight limit for crew (the IDA have a moratorium on discussing this at their agm for 3 years), developing a Presidential role that could better promote the class, and not sailing on Sundays so we can have a bigger party on Saturday.

The meeting ended with agreement that the class should continue to pin its hope on the early discovery of the Elixir of Eternal Youth.