1. The Lantau Boat Club, Paddling Section (the Paddling Section/PS) was formed with the
following objectives:
2. In the interests of Paddling Section spirit, it is every member’s responsibility to show respect for:
3. The Paddling Section is a section of the Lantau Boat Club (LBC), which is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance, Chapter 32 of the Laws of Hong Kong. Where there is an incompatibility between these Paddling Section Rules and the LBC Bylaws, the LBC Bylaws shall take precedence and be considered as the true and correct document. When circumstances arise concerning the operation and management of the Paddling Section which are not covered by these Rules, reference should be made to the LBC Bylaws for appropriate oversight and procedures.
4. Membership fees in the Paddling Section shall be determined, from time to time, by the members at a general meeting. Any person residing in Hong Kong or overseas, may become a member upon payment of the fees, subject to limitations agreed by the majority of members at a Paddling General Meeting. Membership privileges shall commence when all fees have been paid and a signed waiver form has been lodged with the secretary.
5. No joining fees or annual subscriptions shall be levied by the Paddling Section (although LBC joining fees may be levied by LBC – refer LBC Bye-law 2. (a) (v)). The membership application and waiver for Junior Members must be signed by their parent or legal guardian. Junior Members are not entitled to vote Junior members must use the Paddling Section facilities and equipment under supervision of a Full Member or Spouse/Partner Member of the Section who shall be responsible for all acts of the Junior Members on LBC premises and paddled craft in their use.
6. Membership fees may be prorated quarterly, so that new members joining after the middle of the first quarter of the membership year may have a 25% discount, after the middle of the second quarter may have a 50% discount, and after the middle of the third quarter may have a 75% discount. The joining fee must be paid in full.
7. If any member is in arrears for fees for any year, such member shall be automatically suspended at the expiration of six months from the end of such year and shall thereafter be entitled to no membership privileges or powers in the LBC or Paddling Section thereof, until reinstated.
8. If a member acts in contravention of these Rules or acts in any way detrimental to the objectives of the of the Paddling Section as stated in Clauses 1 and 2 above, such member may be suspended or expelled by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at a Paddling General Meeting, for reasons communicated to him/her in writing by the Paddling Section Committee not less than one week before the meeting. In particular, members who shout, abuse, swear and/or act aggressively towards fellow members and/or constantly dispute the decisions of coaches and captains may be expelled in accordance with the above procedure. If a member is suspended or expelled, no fees shall be refunded.
9. Any member in good standing and whose membership is paid up in full for the year, has the right to attend, try-out for, and participate in all paddling sessions, races, functions, events, and festivals in which the Paddling Section participates. The member shall understand that participating in such activities requires commitment and may involve additional costs to the member.
10. Unless authorised at any meeting and after notice for the same shall have been given, no member (including members of the Paddling Section Committee) of the Paddling Section shall receive any remuneration for his/her services.
11. The Paddling Section shall hold a Paddling General Meeting every twelve months, of which notice in writing to the last known e-mail address of each member shall be delivered by e-mail not less than seven days prior to the date of the meeting. At this meeting there shall be elected: Paddle Section Chair, Vice-chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Maintenance Officer, Safety Officer, Events Organiser, Head Coach, and Sponsorship and Corporate Events Officer for a total of nine officers, all of whom shall be known collectively as the “Paddling Section Committee” (“PSC”).
12. Paddling General Meetings may be called at any time by any two members of the Paddling Section Committee upon the instructions of the Paddling Section Chairman by notice in writing to the last known e-mail address of each member, delivered by email seven days prior to the date of such meeting. A special meeting shall be called by the Paddling Section Chairman or Treasurer upon receipt of a petition signed by onethird of the members in good standing, setting forth the reasons for calling such meeting, which shall be by e-mail to the last known e-mail address of each member, delivered seven days prior to the meeting.
13. The supreme authority in the Paddling Section shall be vested in the Paddling General Meetings of members at which every full member has a right to attend and vote on all motions. Each Full Member shall have one vote only which shall be exercised in person and/or by proxy (refer to LBC Articles 13.14 to 13.16 for rules governing proxy voting). Any Full Member who has neither withdrawn from membership nor has been suspended or expelled shall have the right to vote at any Paddling General Meeting.
14. Since notice of meetings and all other communications (excepting those passed along during meetings) are done via e-mail, it will be the responsibility of each member to ensure that they have a valid e-mail address at all times and that this address is communicated to the Secretary of the Paddling Section.
15. The Paddling Section Committee (PSC) shall refer to the positions as defined in Clause 11. The PSC shall, subject to the Rules or directions given to it by majority vote at any meeting properly called and constituted, have full control and management of the affairs of the Paddling Section, and meetings of the PSC shall be held as often as may be required, but at least once every three months, and shall be called by the Paddling Section Chair. A special meeting may be called on the instructions of any two PSC members provided they request the Paddling Section Chair in writing to call such meeting, and state the business to be brought before the meeting. Meetings of the PSC shall be called by 48 hours’ notice e-mailed to each PSC member.
16. A person appointed or elected a PSC member becomes a PSC member if they were present at the meeting when being appointed or elected, and did not refuse the appointment. They may also become a PSC member if they were not present at the meeting but consented in writing to act as a PSC member before the appointment or election, or within ten days after the appointment or election, or if they acted as a PSC member pursuant to the appointment or election.
17. Any member in good standing shall be eligible for any office in the PSC. The PSC shall serve until their successors are elected and installed. The PSC so elected shall second other Paddling Section members as necessary to assist with administration.
18. The tenure of any PSC member is one year or until the next Annual General Meeting when elections are held. PSC members may hold office for more than one term as long as they are nominated and elected on an annual basis. A person may also hold more than one office, again, as long as they are nominated and elected on such a basis.
19. The PSC may fill any vacancy or vacancies that shall occur in the PSC if any elected PSC member shall cease to be a PSC member for any reason. Any PSC member appointed by reason of this provision of the Rules shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting and shall thereafter be eligible for election as a PSC member.
20. Any PSC member, upon a majority vote of all full members in good standing, may be removed from office for any cause, which the Paddling Section may deem reasonable.
21. The roles and responsibilities of the PSC are as follows:
22. There will be positions open for members at large to attend PSC meetings. These individuals do not have specific duties except to help represent the other members during PSC meetings. These members will also offer assistance as required and will be assigned special duties by the PSC. They are not entitled to vote during PSC meetings.
23. No business shall be transacted at any Paddling General Meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business and continues to be present throughout the length of the meeting. The quorum shall be 25% of the Full Members of the Paddling Section entitled to vote. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be dissolved and stand adjourned to another day and at a time and place as may be appointed by the Chairman with the consent of the meeting.
24. A quorum at Paddling Section Committee Meetings shall be a minimum of four members of the PSC, and meetings shall be held without notice if a quorum is present, provided however, that any business transactions at such meeting shall be ratified at the next regularly called meeting of the PSC; otherwise they shall be null and void.
25. In conjunction with the LBC Bylaws, the books, accounts and records of the Treasurer shall be audited at least once each year by a duly qualified accountant. A complete and proper statement of the standing of the books for the previous year shall be submitted by such auditor at the Annual General Meeting of the Club (LBC). The fiscal year of the Paddling Section corresponds with that of LBC, which is April 1 to March 31.
26. The books and records of the Paddling Section may be inspected by any member of the Paddling Section at the Paddling Annual General Meeting or at any time upon giving reasonable notice and arranging a time satisfactory to the officer or officers having charge of same. Each member of the PSC shall at all times have access to such books and records.
27. Decisions involving major effort or financial repercussions for the Paddling Section (ie: spending more than HK$10,000, committing the Paddling Section to partake in a festival, or committing the Paddling Section to a major fundraising effort) will need to be ratified by a quorum of the PSC. Decisions involving major financial repercussions such as acquiring canoes, boats or major equipment, require a majority of the quorum present at the Paddling Annual General Meeting (or specially called for General Meeting for that purpose).
28. The Rules may be rescinded, altered or added by agreement of the PSC.
29. Guest paddlers may paddle with the Paddling Section at up to three designated sessions (currently Saturday mornings) or as advised by the Paddling Section Head Coach before joining. After three sessions, the person must join the Paddling Section and pay the respective dues.
30. Children of members may sit in canoes if their parents are present. Parents assume all risks and liabilities of children sitting in canoes during paddling.
31. Members have priority over guests and children for use of the canoes.
32. Members who leave Hong Kong and are no longer resident or who are not paddling in the current season for personal reasons are exempt from paying annual fees and dues. However, away members must pay a flat rate of HK$600 for the season when participating in paddle sessions.
33. LBC will take out insurance for loss, damage and third-party liability for all Paddling Section owned watercraft stored and operated from LBC premises. Personally owned watercraft stored at the Club by members are responsible for their own Third Party/Personal Liability Insurance and shall not use their watercraft unless such insurance is held.
34. Safety is taken seriously. Members should be familiar with the safety procedures. Paddling Safety Guidelines are provided on the LBC website and are advisory only.
35. New members shall have an induction session on outrigger canoe usage and paddling given by the Head Coach or an experienced member of the Paddling Section as designated by the Head Coach, including a run-through of the safety procedures, before paddling with the Paddling Section.
36. When weather conditions are adverse, the Paddling Section advises utmost care for the Section owned boats when taken out. When a wind force signal 6 or above and/or typhoon signal no 3 or above is hoisted, (check HK Weather Advisory), members shall not take out any Section owned boats or canoes (LBC’s boat and canoe insurance and liability insurance is invalidated when T3 or above is hoisted). In case a Paddling Section boat or canoe is still taken out, the entire crew of the respective boat will be liable for any damage that happens during the outing and consequently, will bear all costs of repair. If any doubt about liabilities is raised, the Paddling Section Committee will have the final word on the matter.
37. Open Paddling sessions should be arranged for the convenience of all members.
38. Club paddling sessions are for all members to join in and therefore the organiser should keep all members informed by a scheduling/reservation system (currently TeamSnap). Late withdrawals from sessions are strongly discouraged owing to the inconvenience to other members who may have made arrangements to attend a paddling session.
39. Reserved paddling sessions are for members who would like to take a Paddling Section boat out for a special session – e.g. training for races, long-distance paddle, etc. Reserved paddling sessions should not conflict with Club paddling sessions or the wishes of the majority of Paddling Section members. Boats or canoes for reserved paddling sessions must be requested through the reservation system or via direct email to the Paddling Section Committee.
40. Once members have committed to a paddling session, they have full responsibility to other members participating in the same session to:
The Paddling Section OC2s allow flexibility to cater for all numbers and, members should always turn up at Club paddling sessions regardless of the number of sign-ups.
41. When more than one canoe goes out during a paddle session, the participating members shall agree to the format of the session on the beach beforehand, unless it is a designated race training session. The majority of members prefer for boats to stay together until a designated point after which races or alternative plans may be appropriate. Other than for safety reasons, changes to the agreed format while on the water are strongly discouraged. On the water, the steersperson/boat captain is in charge and all paddlers must follow his/her direction. Disagreements should be resolved on the beach after the session, not in the boat. Any differences of opinion generated by these arrangements shall be referred to the Chair for resolution. The rule of thumb for all arrangements is that the majority rules.
42. All members are required to have the necessary knowledge to prepare paddling craft for paddling sessions, and return them to their storage place. The following must be done properly to care for all paddling craft including OC1s, OC2s, OC6s and dragon boats:
43. To promote the smooth running of the Paddling Section, Working Groups shall be set up by the PSC comprising the PS members for the purpose of assisting the PSC. All PS members shall belong to and participate in a Working Group as a condition of membership. New PS members may select a Working Group, or if they have no preference, the PSC will allocate them to a Working Group. Each Working Group shall be managed by a relevant PSC member.
