With this year's AGM around the corner we are writing with details of how the meeting will be conducted.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the 2020 AGM will not be able to be held in person, it will be conducted online. In a similar way to other yacht clubs around the bay, the ORCV will be conducting electronic elections. Full details will be provided to members closer to the elections, but it is anticipated that voting will open soon after the close of nominations for Committee positions (due 7 days prior to the AGM in accordance with Rule 41). Voting will close just prior to the AGM commencing.

Please note, the club has appointed an independent Election Officer to oversee the process and ensure the vote is conducted in accordance with the Rules in a fair and transparent manner.

Please find refer to the ORCV website for the following documents

• Notice of AGM
• Nomination form for General Committee Members
• Proxy voting form
• Proposed new ORCV Club Rules (Constitution)
• Proposed new Bylaws
• Proposed new Code of Conduct
• Constitutional Key Changes 2016 - 2020

Important dates:

• AGM - 7pm, Monday 14th September, online
• Nominations for Election to be lodged by 4.00pm, Monday 7th September
• Proxy voting forms must be received by 7.00pm, Sunday 6th September
• Voting for Flags, Officers and Honorary Life Members will be held online between the 7th and 14th of September, details to follow closer to voting.
• Voting in of the proposed new Club Rules, Bylaws and Code of conduct will be online at the AGM.

Important information:

• Only financial members can vote at the elections and AGM
• Only the following categories are eligible to vote:
  • Senior Members
  • Honorary Life Members
  • Outport Members

Trophy Presentation is to be conducted in person at a later date.

As part of the 2020 ORCV AGM we will be asking members to vote on a number of important matters.

1. Election of Committee members, specifically the Flag and Officer positions plus vacancies on general committee arising.

2. Appointment of Life Membership, as nominated by members and endorsed by the Committee.

3. Appointment of the Auditor for the year ahead, as recommended by the Treasurer.

4. Adoption of the Code of Conduct. Over recent years we have seen the welcome growth of women's participation in club activities. We have also seen one or two incidents where the conduct of individuals has fallen well below community and club expectations. Two years ago, the club adopted Australian Sailing's Membership Protection Policy. Since then the Committee has decided it wanted to go further, by being clear about the club's values and expectations through a Code of Conduct. We would like you to review it and support the club to adopt the Code of Conduct as a statement of expectations of members, volunteers, staff and participants.

5. Adoption of new Rules. The Covid-19 shutdown has given the club the time and opportunity to review and refine many aspects of the club, one of them being the Rules. They have needed updating for some time to bring them in line with club activities. One example is Youth membership, which we want to extend until a person turns 25 to support youth development and increase the participation of younger people. There are many other changes, some minor and some significant, see the summary for full detail. Some changes were debated at Committee level, and while they don't all have full agreement by all individuals on the Committee, the Committee confirms that all changes have majority agreement. We ask you to review the changes and support the club to adopt the new Rules.

6. Adoption of new Bylaws. There are many procedural aspects of the club which relate to the Rules but may need to change from time to time. For this reason, and for increased transparency, we have proposed a new set of Bylaws. The club has not had Bylaws before. We ask you to review them and support the club adopting the new Bylaws.

We will next be in contact in the first week of September with further details on voting and online access to the AGM.

We look forward to seeing you all online on the 14th of September, until then please stay safe. 

Regards,

Martin Vaughan
ORCV Commodore

ORCV Volunteer of the Year

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria runs essentially from a volunteer base.  There are many volunteer hours put into every event the ORCV runs. 

Each year, we award a person this award for their outstanding effort and contributions to the ORCV and its members.

Tim Boucaut 2024 Volunteer of the Year Photo Lukas White

Notice of Race

2020 Councillor Island Notice of Race (V1.1 Final) - amended

Notice to Competitors

2020 Councillor Island Race NTC No 1

ORCV 2023 Ocean Racer of the Year

ORCV Shenandoah II Ocean Racer of the Year award recognises individual achievement or excellence in Ocean Racing. The achievement is not limited to racing success. It may be in the form of a contribution to Ocean Racing in Victoria over several years in areas including, for example, sailing, navigation, boat preparation, race management, rescue, or incident recovery.

Ron White and the Family of Shenandoah II presented the ORCV Ocean Racer of the Year Perpetual Trophy.

Perpetual Trophy Winners

Damien King, Skipper of MRV, Ocean Racer for the Year 2024 Photo Lukas White

Sail Captain's News - The Planning Continues

We have been busy considering options, planning and adjusting so we can get back to sailing. We will take advantage of the scheduled race dates to whatever events are permitted by Government restrictions in two-handed, "autohelm plus 4" or fully crewed formats and with alternative course options where appropriate. Some of these are discussed below.

Deferred the September Coastal Sprint and launching the Go Coastal fleet development program which includes theoretical and practical training focused on entry and exit through "the Rip" will be run when possible.

Entry into Tasmania is unlikely for the traditional Melbourne Cup weekend race to Stanley and we will now run a "Councillor Islands Race". A round trip to Councillor Island (halfway up King Island on the eastern side) is 194 NM, we will be able to start in daylight and still be back in time for the Melbourne Cup. The NOR is now being prepared.

The scheduled Coastal Sprint on 21 November will hopefully be possible and then we have the Christmas Races.

New Format Christmas Races

If we are able to race and enter Tasmania, we will be offering a revised Melbourne to Hobart as well as Melbourne - Devonport. The race to Hobart will allow skippers to select an eastern course sailing north of Flinders Island and down the East Coast or down the West Coast leaving Black Pyramid Rock to Port. The cutoff date for course selection will allow skippers to review the weather before choosing the course which best suits their boat and crew. The Heemskerk Trophy will still be awarded to the fastest Westcoast boat on Handicap but all other awards will be independent of the course sailed. The difference in course length (east or west) is approximately 10 nm and should not be the deciding factor.

If we are not able to enter Tasmania this Christmas, we have an alternative "circumnavigation of King Island" planned. This course is just under 250 nm (which may offer some benefit in terms of insurance) but will also allow boats to return in good time for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Other Sailing News

There is some good news on crew qualification requirements. Although we have had to cancel the September Safety and Sea Survival (SSS) course, we remain hopeful the 14 & 15 November session will proceed and, if all else fails, we now have a dispensation from Australian Sailing which will allow the ORCV to relax SSS requirements where course cancellation prevents crews completing their SSS renewals.

Finally, a number of changes to the Australian Sailing Special Regulations are in their final approval stage, including a group of changes relating to electronic equipment. These will be fully covered in a separate newsletter when the decisions are final approval. The new requirements will not come into place before 1 July 2021 but it is worth mentioning at this stage that new regulations relating to Sat Phones are rather more stringent than those currently applied by ORCV. If you are buying new equipment it may be appropriate to contact the Club for further information.