International Contender Association
Minutes of
Annual General Meeting
18 January, 2002
Black Rock Yacht Club
Melbourne, Australia

The meeting was opened at 7:45 P.M.
Minutes of the 2001 AGM at Kingston were approved with one correction.
Apologies:None
Election of officers: The following persons were re-elected to the following five offices. There were no nominees proposed in opposition to the incumbent officers.

President: Arthur Brett
Chairman: Søren Andreason
Technical Chairman: Alan Mollatt
Treasurer: Manfred Kieckbusch
Secretary: Gil Woolley

Officers Reports:
President's report:
Arthur stated that due to his short time in the job he had little to report except, smilingly, he had attempted to introduce adjustable checkstays.

The Chairman's report:
The Report from the Chairman this year will be very short. This is due to the fact that I have only been Chairman since the Kingston worlds 4 months ago.
Not much has happened so far, but we have decided make a new rule book and some new brochures.
Kingston Worlds was overall a very good worlds, the race committee was there BUT the sailing and weather was very good.
Such a shame not more people showed up, we had a very disappointing number of boats from Great Britain, USA and Holland.
In the coming months I will be contacting each of the National Contender Associations to Ideas how to get more people in the class, If the NA has some good Ideas the ICA might sponsor them. Could be local advertising a s o.
That it's

Technical Chair's report:
Alan stated it has been a busy year with the completion of the postal balloting for the measures approved at the 2000 Worlds at Medemblik. This was followed by a submission to the ISAF for their meeting in November. All of the rules changes previously approved by the ICA at the AGM in Medemblik and by the following postal ballot were approved by the ISAF.
Alan pointed out that our rules change process requires a 2/3 majority both at the AGM and following that, by a 2/3 majority of the votes cast by postal ballot.

Treasurer's report:
Separate written report provided information that there is Eu 20,109 in the bank. An income statement was not included. Later in the meeting, David Davies asked that the ICA committee take an action item to prepare a income statement with annualized income and expenses and present it to the membership.

Secretary's report
Gil reported that he has been gathering information about the size of the class, the growth of the class and the exchange of boat. His report is on the sale of plaques by the ISAF to boat builders, both amateur and professional licensed builders.
Numbers of New Boats being built and used boats resold.
ISAF have supplied the ICA with recent figures of numbers of plaques being bought and paid for by amateur and licensed builders. Presumably the vast majority of plaques issued are affixed to Contenders that are completed and sailed by the owner or sold to a buyer.
1998 20
1999 33
2000 18
2001 50
Used boat sales.
We have been informed of the sale of boats that were listed on the 2nd Hand Contender Market web page. We started keeping statistics on used boat sales during the year 1999.
1999 19
2000 47
2001 39
Since inception, there have been 2247 plaques issued. In the records from ISAF, there are no gaps in plaque numbers.
The secretary writes at least two required reports to ISAF. The first essentially is a report on the health of the class and its conformance to rules regarding International classes. Failure to report would possibly cause ISAF to delist the Contender as an International class.
The second report regards World Championships. The secretary and the organizers of the World event supply the information. Failure to report would result in the ISAF denying us the right to use the name "World Championship" in our promotional material.

World Championship Arrangements:
2003 Great Britain, Plymouth, 3rd Week of August. Approved.
2004 Italy, Lake Garda approved
2005 Germany. Jan von der Bank presented information regarding three possible venues
Votes
1 Kiel, during Kieler Woche 3rd week of June. Sort of early and cold. excellent sailing
18 Travemünde inexpensive camping, good social place
8 Wanemünde long waves, cheap accommodation
Despite the votes listed, a final decision was not made.
2006 Western Australia in January at Freemantle at Freemantle Sailing Club
Large sailing club, parking for 500 to 600 cars
Ramps, rock groins provide wave protection whilst launching.
Windy
Containers are stored right on the site.
Club is 1.5 km from the shipping port
Sea is fair, unbiased
Full Bistro
Morning races
cheap accommodation.

European Championship Arrangements:
2002 13-18 July ;Søren described
Dinner Thursday
Camping close by, 5 to 15 minutes away
Possibly able to park in the harbour and sleep
2 basketball courts

Championship rules.
Chris Mitchell reported.
We have been sailing different procedures at our championships than
the old rules provide for. They state for instance, that the chairman and
the president may not sail the World Championship. Søren and Arthur
would probably resign if we held them to that rule.
New championship rules
permit 2 races per day
Defines the championship committee
Junior is less than 25
Master is over 50
After discussion, some problems were identified so a vote was deferred until
the class is more ready to accept the provisions.

Other business.
Treasurer Kieckbusch presented a suggestion that instead of collecting dues
per person each year, instead we charge a "Button" fee for each sail purchased.
After discussion, the vote was 16 in favour, 19 against. Several people felt that this was unfair to certain Contender owners in various ways.

Chairman Søren talked about what we might do with the large bank account we presently have
and stated that he will be talking to national associations looking for groups with good ideas needing some money to expand the class. The discussion was too free ranging for the secretary to record all the interesting ideas shouted out.

Brochures, the need for them etc were discussed. An interesting suggestion from the members suggested the alternative of CD ROMs instead of brochure. The membership generally agreed to the expenditure of monies by the ICA officers to develop and print a new brochure. The Secretary pleaded inadequate skills to execute such a task and asked for a project manager for such a project.
No one stepped forward as a volunteer at the meeting but shortly afterwards some interested parties have spoken to the secretary. This will proceed.

New rigs.
Tim Hill led a discussion about the creation of a new rig having a much more modern appearance. The membership clearly wants the ICA officers to proceed with the expenditure of funds through interested and competent sailmakers who presently support the Contender class.

Proposed Rules Changes
The Secretary received a number of rules change proposals during the regatta and typed up and posted the suggestions received. The sailors present had an opportunity to translate these proposals into their native tongue and to consider further improvements.

At the AGM, a total of 45 members signed the sign up sheet. In order to pass a rule change must have at least 2/3 of 45 votes or 30 votes or if some members leave the meeting, then we counted those in favour and those opposed. A thumbnail description of each proposal is presented here but there are also links to the exact wording of the old rule and the new proposed rule.

Proposal 1. Rule 17.4. Changes the maximum width of letters and numbers from 45 to 40 mm. All other dimensions in the present rule are unchanged.
This passed unanimously.

Proposal 2. Rule 13.8. This change would decrease the mast tip weigh from 3 kg to 2.5 kg. This particular rule change would be made as of January, 2004.
The measure passed with 25 in favour, 7 opposed.78% in favour.

Proposal 3.
This proposal was to permit builders and owners to install up to 10 kg of lead weight compared to the present limit of 6 kg. Builders such as Paul Walker and Chappi Harprecht spoke against the practicality of the idea.
The measure failed with 17 in favour, 14 opposed. 55% in favour.

In discussion of the proposal, frustration was expressed that boats that are deemed to be at the correct hull weight at one championship are found underweight at another. The ICA committee received an action item to do something about solving the problem such as purchasing calibrated scales.
The ICA committee received an action item from Tim Holden asking what will be done to prevent the construction of any more Contenders which require more than 6 kg in corrector lead weights. Tim discovered this discrepancy in the boat chartered to Chris Mitchell.

Proposal 4.Rule 16.2.
The rule presently requires that lead weights be evenly divided and installed on the fore and aft cockpit walls no more than 50 mm below the deck. The proposal permits the lead to be installed lower in the cockpit but still at the cockpit ends.
The measure passed with 30 votes. 66.67% in favour.

Proposal 5.
This would have lowered the hull weight below 83 kg but the officers elected to not discuss the measure or ask for a vote as the mood seemed to be opposed to such.

Proposal 6a.
This measure replaced a proposal 6. The goal was to find an acceptable way to include the centreboard weight in the hull weight measurement at a major championship. The discussion indicated that the members do not feel this is a goal worth pursuing.
The measure failed.

Proposal 7. Rule 2.3
This measure legitimizes the existing practice of permitting amateur builders to build not only timber boats but also from a kit where the glasfibre hull has been built by a licensed builder.
This measure passed with 30 votes. 66.67% in favour.

Proposal 8. Rule 15.1
This measure permits materials other than aluminium in the construction of booms. This was rejected previously at the AGM at Medemblik in 2000.
This time the measure passed with 25 votes in favour, 6 opposed. 80.1% in favour.

Proposal 9. Rule 13.1.
When the recent change was made to rule 13.1 permitting materials other than aluminium to be used in the construction of masts, the words "inherently straight" were inadvertently omitted from the new rule wording. The measure is to put those words back into the rule.
The measure passed with 29 in favour, none opposed.

The meeting was closed at 10:30 P.M.
Faithfully,
Gil Woolley, Secretary, International Contender Association.