Club Bylaws

NORTHAMPTON COLONY YACHT CLUB BY-LAWS

Last Revised September, 2022

Article I - Organization

Section 1
The name of the organization shall be: Northampton Colony Yacht Club Inc Northampton Colony, Town of Southampton Suffolk County, New York

Section 2
The organization shall have an embossed seal carrying the name Northampton Colony Yacht Club Inc. Corporate Seal 1955 N.Y.

Section 3
The organization by a two-thirds vote of the membership body may change its name.

Article II - Purpose

Section 1
To encourage the sport of boating
To promote the science of seamanship and navigation
To provide and maintain suitable recreational facilities for the use of members. To promote and facilitate community projects.

Article III -Northampton Colony Area

Section 1
Northampton colony is all the area bordered on the south by Noyac Road, on the east by Mill Creek and Channel, on the north by Noyac Bay and on the west by a line running north and south east of Oliver's development and Noyac Creek to Noyac Road

Article IV - Membership and Dues

Section 1
Beach Club and Marina Memberships are limited to owner occupied residents of Northampton Colony upon payment of an initiation fees. Such amounts may be set and changed based upon Board of Directors recommendation and a majority vote of members at an officially called meeting. Beach Club Membership must be in place in order to become a Marina Member.

Article IV - Membership and Dues

(Continued)

Section 2
Dues shall be payable annually on or before the 15TH of February for such amount established for that calendar year. Such amount may be set and changed based upon Board of Directors recommendation and a majority vote of members at an officially called meeting. Upon payment of annual dues each member will receive a membership card for the calendar year.

Section 3
Dockage facilities, if available, will require the payment of an initiation fee to become a Marina Member, as well as a Beach Club Member. Such amount may be set and changed based upon Board of Directors’ recommendation and a majority vote of attending members at an officially called meeting.

Section 4

Additional dues for a boat slip shall be payable annually on or before the 15TH of February for such amount established for that calendar year. Such amount may be set and changed based upon Board of Directors’ recommendation and a majority vote of attending members at an officially called meeting.

Section 5
Docking facilities shall only be available to Marina Members and guests of Northampton Colony Yacht Club in good standing and offered in priority of submission of application to the Dock Master. All boats docked must meet requirements as outlined in Article VIII Section 4 and be properly registered in the name of the Marina Member and carry appropriate liability insurance.

Section 6
Club members will receive a certificate of membership signed by the elected officers of the club. Each member house is entitled to one (1) vote for any official club business or contemplated community project. Upon death of a member his or her membership right in the club may continue by heirs so long as said heirs occupy the deceased’s residence. All rights and interests of any member shall cease upon the sale of his or her residence in Northampton Colony.

Section 7
Marina Membership may be retained with or without a boat upon continuous annual payment of all dues as outlined by this article. The club reserves the right to use any open slip and may charge a fee for the use of said slip.

Section 8
Members whose dues are unpaid at the time of the annual meeting shall be notified in writing by the club treasurer and will be dropped from the roll of active members, forfeiting use of all club facilities. They shall be reinstated upon payment of unpaid dues plus any special assessments in which the member did not previously participate. Any member whose dues are unpaid for two (2) consecutive years will be dropped from the club. The effective date of such action shall be on

Article IV – Membership and Dues

(Continued)
the first day after the second-year due date for which no grace period will exist. Reinstatement

shall be as a new member in full accordance with sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the articles. This reinstatement shall include any and all initiation fees in effect at the time of potential reinstatement as well as any outstanding assessments. For special individual situations that may occur, the Board of Directors has the authority to approve extensions beyond the due dates without any loss of use of club facilities by the individual.

Section 9
Rental of a member’s residence shall not constitute the loss of use of club or marina facilities for any period of time as long as there remains uninterrupted payment of all dues during the rental period. Such use of facilities is limited to members and their guests when accompanied by a member and does not allow for the use of any club facilities by the renting tenants. In the event that a member owns more than one house in the community, all residents of houses other than the owner-occupied are considered to be renters.

Section 10
The club, by majority vote of members at an officially called meeting, reserves the right to raise initiation fees, club and marina fees and to raise by assessment funds if needed for club expenses.

Article V - Meetings

Section 1
The annual membership meeting of the club shall be held on Saturday of the second week in June.

Section 2
A special meeting of the membership may be called by the Commodore or Vice Commodore.

Section 3

At least ten (10) days prior notice of the annual or special meeting shall be given to the membership by mail or e-mail. In the case of a special meeting, the object of the meeting shall be stated, and no other business other than that stated shall be conducted.

Section 4
One-third of membership shall constitute a quorum for transaction of any business of the club. If a quorum is not present the presiding officer shall adjourn the meeting to be rescheduled at a later date.

Section 5
The Commodore and in his absence the Vice Commodore shall preside at all meetings.

Section 6
The order of business shall be

  1. (a)  Roll call to establish a quorum

  2. (b)  Reading of minutes of last meeting

  3. (c)  Report of officers

  4. (d)  Report of committees

  5. (e)  Old business

  6. (f)  New business

  7. (g)  Adjournment

Article V - Meetings

(Continued)

Section 7
Voting at all meetings, except for the election of officers and directors, shall be by voice. For the election of officers, ballots shall be provided and there shall be no mark or marking that might tend to indicate the member who cast the vote. At any regular or special meeting if a majority so desires, any question may be voted upon in the manner and style provided for election of officers and directors. For all votes by ballot the presiding officer of the meeting shall appoint a committee of three (3) to act as Inspectors of the Election and who at the conclusion of the balloting certify the results. The results of the election shall be clearly stated in the minutes of the meeting. No inspector of the election shall be a candidate for office or shall be personally interested in the motion being voted upon. Each member household shall have one (1) vote and such voting may not be done by absentee. The exception will be at the biannual election of club officers and directors and special meetings, when absentee ballots will be allowed.

Article VI - Board of Directors

Section 1The business of the club shall be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of nine (9) members. The officers of the club, by virtue of their office, shall be members of the Board along with four (4) directors.

Section 2
The officers and directors of the club shall be chosen at a special bi-annual September meeting of the club and serve for a term of two (2) consecutive years. They shall assume office January l following the September election. The Board of Directors may appoint honorary members to serve in an advisory capacity only. No appointed honorary member shall have a vote.

Section 3
The Board of Directors shall have the control and management of the affairs and business of the club. Such Board of Directors shall only act in the name of the club when it shall be regularly convened by its chairman after due notice to all the Directors of such meeting. In the event of a violation of the by-laws or published operating policies and regulations by any member, the Board of Directors by a majority vote, has the authority to impose penalties including but not limited to the suspension or revocation of membership.

Article VI - Board of Directors

(Continued)

Section 4
A vacancy in any office shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, the incumbent to serve until the next election.

Section 5

Five (5) of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum and the meetings shall be held at the schedule and frequency as deemed necessary by the Commodore. Each Director shall have one (1) vote and such vote may not be done by absentee ballot. The Board of Directors may make such rules and regulations covering its meetings as it may, in its discretion, be determined necessary.

Section 6
Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership when sufficient cause exists for such removal. The Board of Directors may entertain charges against any officer or director. Any member may be represented by counsel at any removal hearing. The Board of Directors shall adopt such rules as it may, in its discretion, consider necessary for the best interests of the organization for this hearing.

Section 7
No officer shall, for reason of his office, be entitled to receive any salary or compensation. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent an officer or trustee from receiving any compensation for duties other than as an officer or director, or for being reimbursed for authorized expenditures in behalf of the club.

Article VII - Officers

Section 1
The officers of the organization shall be as follows:

Commodore
Vice Commodore Secretary Treasurer
Dock Master

Section 2
The Commodore shall preside at all membership meetings. He or she shall, by virtue of his office, be Chairman of the Board of Directors. He or she shall preside at each annual meeting of the organization. He or she shall present at each annual meeting of the organization a report of work of the organization. He or she shall appoint all committees, temporary or permanent. He or she shall see that all books, reports; certificates as required by law are properly kept and filed. He or she shall have such powers as may be reasonably construed as belonging to the Chief Executor of any organization.

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Article VII – Officers

Section 3
The Vice Commodore shall, in absence of the Commodore, becoming acting Commodore of the organization with all rights, privileges and powers as if he or she had been the elected Commodore. He or she shall assist the Commodore in all official duties.

Section 4
The Secretary shall be required to keep the minutes of all meetings and maintain such other records as may be appropriate. In the absence of the secretary, the presiding officer shall appoint a person to act as secretary. The secretary shall file any certificates required by Federal or State statutes and have official custody of the records and seal of the club.

Section 5
The Treasurer or Commodore shall be authorized to sign or authorize all checks, In the absence of the Commodore and Treasurer any two (2) officers may sign or authorize checks. The treasurer shall have the care and custody of all funds or securities of the organization. The treasurer shall render at stated periods, as the Board of Directors shall determine, a written account of the finances of the organization. Such account shall be affixed to the minutes of any meeting at which presented. All bills must be presented to the Treasurer in writing and must carry the signature of the member incurring the expense.

Section 6
The Dock Master shall be responsible for the orderly management of the business of the marina.

Section 7
The officers of the club shall be elected by the members bi-annually at the September meeting to serve a term of two (2) consecutive years. They shall assume office January 1st following such election. The election of officers and directors shall be a membership vote where absentee ballots will be official.

Section 8
At the annual meeting prior to an upcoming election the Commodore shall appoint a Chairperson of a nominating committee who will have ten (10) days to submit, for Commodore approval, the names of individuals selected to serve on the committee. The committee shall consist of five (5) members.

Article VIII - Facilities

Section 1
Each Marine Member house is limited to one (1) slip. /However, in the event that guest slips are available, Marina Members may apply for a second slip at the prevailing guest rate. Application for boat slip facilities shall be made directly to the Dock Master and issued in accordance with Article IV Section 5.

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Article VIII - Facilities

[continued]

Section 2
All boat lines are supplied by the member. They are the bow line, stem line, and spring line to hold boat one (l) foot off the main dock.

Section 3
A special fee for Marina Members who do not have a slip will be arranged where another member's slip is available for use in accordance with Article IV Section 7.
Section 4
Regular boat slips are limited to boats no more than 24 27 feet in length with no more than an 8- 1/2 foot beam. Accommodations for larger boats will be available in specially designated large boat slips.

Section 5
Dock Master must be notified in writing and all applicants for a boat slip will be placed on a list in order of receipt. Position in marina will be determined by the Dock Master and Commodore.

Section 6
Seasonal guest boats can be accommodated if facilities are available; members have priority. All guest boats will be subject to the rules and regulations as outlined in the Suffolk County Marina Sanitary Code.

Section 7
Marina property may be used for boat storage during winter months only. All blocking material, including trailers, must be removed from marina property. Time for such storage is limited from September 15th to June 1st.

In an emergency the Dock Master may issue special time extensions. A fee may be set by the Board of Directors as they see fit.

Section 8
Liability Insurance in such amount as shall be approved by the membership shall be carried on all Northampton Colony Yacht Club, Inc. properties. Northampton Colony Yacht Club is not responsible for damage to boats or property at docks, in slips, or stored on land. Use of launching ramp is permitted by Marina and Beach Club Members only and at member’s own risk. Liability insurance is required on all boats using Northampton Colony Yacht Club facilities. All members are obliged to help in the repair, maintenance of facilities and equipment of the Yacht Club as directed by the Dock Master or Commodore.

Section 9
A Marina Member may not rent or authorize the use of their boat facility under any circumstances. Any slip that is temporarily in use by the Marina Member is subject to club use in accordance with Article IV Section 7.

Section 10
A member does not have the right to more than one Beach Club or Marina Membership.

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Section 11
No boats are allowed inside marker buoys that will be set at the swimming beach in front of the Yacht club.

Article IX - Amendments

Any amendment or revision of these bylaws must be presented in writing to the membership at least ten (10) prior to the annual or special meeting, at which time the purpose of the amendment or revision will be discussed and voted upon. The majority vote of those members present constituting a quorum shall be necessary.

Seasonal Guest Marina Rules

  1. Slips will be assigned by the Dock Master based upon craft size and fees. Proof of liability insurance and registration will be required each year before occupying the slip.

  2. All boats in slips must have appropriate securing lines attached to the floating dock deck or piles. Boats shall be equipped with bow and stem lines and sufficient spring lines to prevent the boat from hitting the adjacent boat.

  3. Mill Creek is a ZERO discharge zone and members are not to discharge any prohibited fluids or floating debris into the water. Soaps used to wash boats must be bio-degradable and approved for marina use. Household cleaners generally do not meet this requirement. The member is also responsible for assuring that all hired repair personnel do not violate any EPA standards.

  4. Boats must be mechanically operable.

  5. Fishing and the cleaning of fish on the dock is not permitted.

  6. Dogs or any pets are not allowed on club property.

  7. Under no circumstances may the pump house in the marina parking lot be used for storage.

  8. Overnight stays on the boats are not permitted.

  9. Seasonal membership begins on May 1 and ends on November 1 of that same year.

  10. The marina parking lot may not be used for recreational purposes.

  11. No commercial venture can be conducted from the marina or marina parking area.

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MARINA

NORTHAMPTON COLONY YACHT CLUB RULES & REGULATIONS

1. Assigned slips are for the sole use of the Marina Member or family members that normally reside in the Marina Member's home when in the colony.

2. Slips will be assigned by the Dock Master based upon craft size and fees. Proof of liability insurance and registration will be required each year before occupying the slip.

3. Marina members may obtain a vacant slip for a second boat owned by the member if one is available for a given season. Availability for following years is subject to membership enrollment and demand. The cost of the slip will be based upon the seasonal guest rate.

4. Guests of Marina Members may use a vacant slip as outlined in the bylaws for a maximum stay of two (2) days. Prior approval must be received from the Dock Master or Commodore.

5. All boats in slips must have appropriate securing lines attached to the floating dock deck or piles. Boats shall be equipped with bow and stern lines and sufficient spring lines to prevent the boat from hitting the adjacent boat.

6. Mill Creek is a ZERO discharge zone and members are not to discharge any prohibited fluids or floating debris into-the water. Soaps used to wash-boats must be biodegradable and approved for marina use. Household cleaners generally do not meet this requirement. The member is also responsible for assuring that all hired repair personnel do not violate any EPA standards.

7. Summer dry storage of boats or boat trailers is NOT permitted. All boats regardless of size must be in slips as assigned by the Dock Master. Hand or wind powered boats are limited to kayaks, sup boards and sunfish may be stored at the marina in the club supplied for an appropriate fee providing sufficient space is available. When stored all boats must be identified properly with the owner’s house number on the craft. Prior approval must be obtained from the Dock Master.

8. Winter storage of boats will be permitted from September 15 through June 1st subject to the following:

A. Boats must be mechanically operable and properly identified with house number on the cover.

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B. Boats not launched by the deadline will be subject to a $25 -daily fee-for up to 30 days.

C. Boats exceeding the 30-day extension will be removed by the club at the owner’s expense.

D. Members must reimburse the club all removal expenses before occupying normal slip.

  1. Members failing to comply will forfeit all future approval for winter storage.

  2. Member’s slip number must be visible on shrink wrap or boat cover.

9. All marina rules are subject to extenuating circumstances as viewed on a case-by-case basis by club Officers and Directors.

10. ONLY beach club or marina members are allowed to launch watercraft from the boat ramp. Under no circumstances are guests allowed to use the boat ramp.

BEACH CLUB

  1. Under no circumstances can any structure be used for storage.

  2. After using beach facilities, it is the responsibility of the member(s) to remove all trash

and any personal FOOD or BEVERAGE items stored in the clubhouse refrigerator. Under no circumstances should it be left on club property.

3. NCYC chairs are limited to use in the clubhouse or on the deck. They are not allowed on the beach. Members are responsible for providing their own beach chairs.

  1. Fishing or the cleaning of fish is not allowed anywhere on club property.

  2. Dogs or pets of any kind are NOT allowed on club property at any time.

  3. Members may reserve the clubhouse for private parties. When doing so they must:

A. Request the date be reserved by the Vice Commodore as far in advance as possible.

B. Be certain that all weekend parties (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) do not begin prior to 5 PM.

C. Insure proper cleanup and trash removal after conclusion of the party.

D. The Board of Directors reserves the right to impose a fee for cleaning if the clubhouse is left in an unsatisfactory condition.

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Appropriate exceptions may be made at the Commodore’s discretion.

7. Club tables and chairs may be borrowed by members for private functions at their house, however the Commodore must be advised in advance.

8. All members are responsible for proper supervision of children while using club facilities.

9. Members are reminded that consideration should be given to your neighbors and all young children by always ensuring your dog is on a leash when walking anywhere in the Colony.