FairWinds

Overview

Fairwinds Sailing and Recreational Association, founded in 1974, is a sailing co-op designed to provide experienced sailors with easy and affordable access to boats for cruising and recreational sailing in local waters. The Association currently owns and maintains two sailboats: a Pearson 33 which is moored at the Sidney North Saanich Marina near the BC Ferries Terminal and a C&C 27 which is moored at the Oak bay Marina in Oak Bay. Both boats are conveniently close to the prime cruising grounds of the Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands.

Operation

Fairwinds is a true co-operative where members take full responsibility for the success of the association as well as the maintenance and operation of the boats. All members are encouraged to share their skills, knowledge and experience, and to participate in the various activities of the association. The on-going success of Fairwinds is a direct result of this cooperation. With regards to administration, an Executive which includes Commodore, Vice Commodore, Secretary, Treasurer, and Captains for each of the boats, is elected each year at the Annual General Meeting, usually held in March.

Each boat has a captain who coordinates activities and maintenance involving the boat. Any problems encountered with a boat are reported to the Boat Captain, who arranges to have the problem rectified. Depending upon the nature of the problem, this may involve delegating tasks and coordinating work by various members of the association. In addition, each Spring an annual haul-out is scheduled when the boat is lifted out of the water and all members take part in stem to stern maintenance. The Association also maintains a weekend “Duty Skipper” roster that allows members not checked-out on the boats the opportunity to sail with a Skipper. This gives all members full access to both boats.

Membership

The Association has three levels of membership: Crew, Skipper and Full Skipper. A new member joins as a "Crew" member. Crew may book a boat, however, they must sail with a qualified Skipper when taking out one of the boats. A Crew member can upgrade to Skipper at any time having met the requirements listed below. A Skipper is able to take out the C&C only while a Full Skipper has access to both the C&C and the Pearson.

To join, an application and waiver must be completed and a deposit of $150 sent to the address on the application. The Commodore then contacts the applicant to introduce the club, determine their sailing skills and their expectations of the Association.

Upgrading

To upgrade to a Skipper, a Crew member must sail at least twice with a Skipper (including once with the Boat Captain), complete a written test, and successfully complete a formal "check-out" sail. The check-outs are conducted by the Vice Commodore who assesses the member's ability to safely leave the dock, sail all points of sail, conduct a man-overboard drill, heave-to, anchor, reef and return safely to port. An understanding of chart usage and navigation is also expected.

Skippers are solely responsible for any boat they use. They must satisfy themselves as to the sea-worthiness of a boat before use, and be mentally and physically capable of handling the boat, single-handed - if necessary. As such, the check-out process is designed to assure the safety of the boats and their occupants and to ensure all members are thoroughly familiar with the boats and their equipment (safety gear, engine, electrical system, propane system, plumbing and holding tank, all rigging etc.). A member who wishes to check out is required to have a valid maritime radio operators license as well as Pleasure Craft Operator Card (or equivalent). Note that members are not obligated to upgrade to Skipper.

Fees

Fairwinds attempts to provide easy and affordable access to boats for sailing in local waters by setting a fee structure which covers annual operating expenses and builds capital for the future to upgrade equipment. Fairwinds fee structure includes a Joining Fee, an Annual Sailing Guarantee and a Capital Fee:

Joining Fee	$150	one time fee
Crew	$500	annual sailing guarantee
C&C Skipper	$1500	annual sailing guarantee
Pearson Skipper	$2500	annual sailing guarantee
Capital Fee	$600	payable as 3 annual $200 installments
Off-season Fee	60%	of annual sailing guarantee; non-summer sailing only
Maintenance Fee	$100	associate membership - no booking privileges

1. Joining Fee
   
   Once an application for membership is approved, the new member will join as a Crew member and pay the one time Joining Fee and the Annual Sailing Guarantee for a Crew member.
   
   
2. Annual Sailing Guarantee
   
   The Annual Sailing Guarantee is the annual membership fee to cover operating expenses of the Association. It also represents the member's sailing account for the fiscal year running from April 1 to March 31. That account is debited on the basis of boat charge-out rates listed below. A Skipper can expect two weeks of summer cruising and more than two weeks of off-season sailing before their account has been exhausted. Any excess sailing fees are invoiced at the end of the year.
   
   Members reserve the boats through an on-line booking system which accepts reservations on a first-come first-served basis and keeps track of the members’ sailing debits. Any of the Annual Sailing Guarantee not used is retained by the Association. The expectation is that each Skipper will have fair and balanced access to a boat and, therefore, members need to coordinate any frequent or significant bookings of blocks of time with the boat captain.
   
   Members upgrading from one category to another (e.g. Crew member to a Skipper) pay the difference between the categories. This difference is reduced on a monthly prorated basis from April 1 of each year.
   
   
3. Capital Fee
   
   The Capital Fee is a non-refundable fee payable in $200 annual installments over three years on becoming Skipper. The fee is used to recognize capital costs to upgrade equipment over the years.
   
   
4. Off-Season Fee
   
   The Off-Season Fee is a percentage of the annual sailing guarantee for a given boat. This allows a member to sail non-summer only. A member must have been a Skipper for at least one year before being eligible to become an Off-Season Skipper. Off-Season membership may be restricted when there is a full complement of full-time skippers for a given boat.
   
   
5. Maintenance Fee
   
   The Maintenance Fee is for an associate/social membership that does not include booking privileges. This is for members who have been a skipper for at least 3 years and wish to take a year or two off from sailing but remain active within the association. This is an alternative to a member going "inactive" for which there is no fee. An important difference is that if an inactive member chooses to return after an absence, then the Capital Fee will once again be payable. A member who chooses to pay the Maintenance Fee retains their "active" status, has voting privileges, and can hold an executive position. Inactive members do not have these privileges.

Boat Rates and Reservations

A web-based reservation system is used to keep track of boat availability, bookings and member accounts. The system may be accessed via the Bookings link on the menu. Availability calendars can be viewed by anyone, however, in order to make a booking or view booking details, you must have a valid user id and password. Crew members may make bookings, however, they must designate a Skipper at the time of booking. Costs may be shared with other members by designating their respective user id(s). If a booking is made "For Maintenance" purposes, there is no charge, however a meaningful comment should be recorded and the boat captain must be aware of the maintenance being performed.

Summer bookings are coordinated via the Boat Captains and every attempt is made to ensure fair and balanced access to a boat. Off-season bookings are largely on a first-come, first-served basis, however members are reminded that any frequent or significant bookings of blocks of time need to be co-ordinated with the other skippers.

The following rates are charged against the Annual Sailing Guarantee for reservations:




The seasonal schedule for the boat charge-out rates is as follows:

• Spring: April 4 - June 19
• Summer: June 20 - September 19
• Fall: Sept 19 - October 30
• Winter: October 31 - April 2

Other Information pertaining to the booking of boats is as follows:

1. A part-day rate will apply to boats booked during the period covered by Pacific Daylight Savings Time ending or commencing at 2:00 p.m. A part-day rate will apply to boats booked during the period covered by Pacific Standard Time ending or commencing at 1:00 p.m. The part-day rate is 2/3 of the full day rate.
2. Bookings may be cancelled up to but not including a same-day booking. If you must cancel on short notice, as a courtesy let other skippers know that the boat is now available.
3. Boat fees will be assessed to member accounts on a shared basis according to the "Share With" information provided at the time of booking. If sharing is not designated, then the member making the booking is charged the full amount.
4. Summer bookings should be coordinated with the boat captain and other skippers. When bookings are made more than two weeks in advance, priority will be assigned as follows: (1) Week bookings (2) Weekend bookings (3) Day bookings (4) Half-day bookings
5. Week bookings run from Saturday morning to Friday evening.
6. Crew may make bookings. Those wishing to gain experience on a boat or have a check-out sail, should arrange to sail with a skipper and make the booking against their own account.

Engine/Fuel Rates

A flat rate of $4/hour is charged for engine/fuel usage. This is based upon the engine operating hours as recorded by the engine hour meter. This is intended to cover the cost of fuel as well as to build a reserve fund for engine maintenance expenses. The charge should be noted in the log and added to the kitty at the end of each sailing.