Amended US Virgin Islands Sailing Association
Bylaws
Member National Authority of the US Virgin Islands to World Sailing
January 17, 2025
1. Name
The Association shall be called the Virgin Islands Sailing Association, also referred to as
“VISA” or “the Association.”
2. Office of the Association
The location of the office of the Association shall be determined by the current
President of the Association but must be located in the US Virgin Islands.
3. Objectives of the Association
3.1 To govern, promote and encourage interest and participation in the sport of sailing
in the US Virgin Islands for all segments of the community by serving as the National
Authority;
3.2 To encourage our membership to participate in local and overseas competition and
to provide them with a framework and logistical support to succeed at international and
Olympic events;
3.3 To maintain its status as a Full Member of World Sailing (WS) and to make such
affiliations with other associations that will maintain and enhance the Association’s role
as the Member National Authority (MNA) for the US Virgin Islands.
3.4 To promote educational programs in the training of sailors, race officials and race
management personnel for participation in regional, national and international
competition.
3.5 To recognize and support WS by:
a) promoting the objectives, interests and influence of WS;
b) carrying out and respecting WS rules, regulations and decisions;
c) using reasonable endeavors to persuade others within the Association’s
jurisdiction to refrain from actions that are inconsistent with WS objectives, rules,
regulations and decisions.
3.6 To represent its members to WS.
3.7 To provide a committee to hear and determine appeals from the ruling of any
Protest Committee of races sailed within VISA’s jurisdiction.
3.8 To arrange and conduct races where the need arises.
4. Members
4.1 The membership of the Association shall consist of:
a) sailing clubs and yacht clubs with an interest in the sport of sailing. To be
qualified for membership a club must:
(i) have a constitution or bylaws that do not contain provisions that are
inconsistent with the constitution and bylaws of the Association;
(ii) provide for and hold at least an annual meeting of members for which
notice is given to all members;
(iii) have a membership list with a minimum of twenty-five (25) voting
members;
(iv) charge fees for membership and/or services.
(b) schools or organizations having as their primary objective the teaching of
sailing;
(c) other associations or bodies controlling or having an interest in the sport of
sailing. The qualification of such association or body to be a member of VISA
shall be in the sole discretion of the Executive Committee of VISA;
(d) class associations controlling the sport of sailing within any recognized class
of sailboat;
(e) individual members, including junior, adult, family, benefactor, and honorary.
4.2 Candidates for membership in any of the categories specified in section 4.1 shall
make application in writing to the Executive Committee. Consideration for approval of
an application will occur at the next scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee.
4.3 The Board of Delegates may name Honorary members who will be chosen for their
special contribution to the Association and to the furtherance and development of
sailing in the US Virgin Islands.
4.4 The Board of Delegates may from time to time establish guidelines for additional
classes of members.
4.5 The Board of Delegates may expel from membership any member that fails to meet
its obligations of membership or exhibits conduct injurious to the character or interests
of the Association, its Officers and Delegates.
4.6 The member whose expulsion is under consideration shall be entitled to:
(a) notice of any proceedings the subject of which is the member’s expulsion;
(b) be advised of the grounds on which and the reasons for the expulsion
proceedings;
(c) offer an explanation or justification either orally or in writing; and
(d) a hearing before the Board of Delegates if requested.
4.7 Any member expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Delegates may apply as a
member at the next Annual General Meeting with no obligation for the Board of
Delegates to accept the application.
4.8 VISA will not discriminate in any way based on race, creed, gender or national origin
and any entity that wishes to join VISA must have a similar provision in its bylaws.
5. Obligations of Members
5.1 It shall be the obligation of all members of the Association:
a) to promote the objectives, interests and influence of the Association;
b) to recognize and respect the constitution, bylaws, rules, regulations and
decisions of the Association and of WS;
c) to use reasonable endeavors to persuade others within their jurisdiction to
refrain from actions that are inconsistent with the constitution, bylaws, rules,
regulations and decisions of the Association and of WS.
6. Financial Year
The financial year of the Association shall be the calendar year, and financial reports
will be presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
7. Annual Period of Membership and Dues
7.1 The annual period of membership in the Association will be the twelve months
corresponding with the calendar year.
7.2 The annual membership dues for each class of membership shall be approved by
the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
7.3 All members of the Association who are more than six months in arrears in payment
of dues may have their membership terminated.
8.0 Officers
8.1 The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer and Olympic Officer. These Officers shall be elected at the Annual General
Meeting to serve for a period of one year and will comprise the Executive Committee of
VISA.
8.2 Duties of the Officers
(a) The President of the Association shall preside at the Annual General Meeting
and generally perform the duties of a president and chairman of the organization.
(b) The Vice President shall support the President in the conduct of the affairs of
the Association and deputize for the President in his/her absence. The Vice
President will administer the Athlete Status Program to determine funding from
VISA to its member sailors.
(c) The Secretary shall be responsible for all official documents, papers and
records of the Association and the dissemination of communications to all
members. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all Executive, Special and General
Association meetings, serve all official notices and conduct the correspondence
of the Association.
(d) The Treasurer shall keep all paper and electronic records of all financial
transactions of the Association and collect all monies due or payable to the
Association and shall record and deposit such monies for safekeeping. The
Treasurer shall make any payments required for the purposes of the Association
and present an audited statement of the Association’s financial position at the
Annual General Meeting.
(e) The Olympic Officer will be responsible for representing VISA at all meetings
of the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee that the President cannot attend. They
will also serve as the voting member from VISA at all Olympic Meetings.
(i) The Olympic Officer will aid the President in setting qualifying events
for International Regattas when needed.
(ii) The Olympic Officer will assist and advise all sailors with the
processes and procedures for proper registration for any regional (Beach
Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games)
and Olympic games for which they have qualified.
8.3 Election of Officers
The officers of VISA shall be elected by the Delegates at the Annual General Meeting.
8.4 Residency of Officers
The Officers of VISA shall:
(a) reside in the US Virgin Islands;
(b) and meet Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (VIOC) residency requirements.
8.5 Vacancies in Executive Committee Offices
The Executive Committee will meet and elect a qualified member of VISA to fill the
vacated role until the next Annual General Meeting.
8.6 Remuneration
Officers and Delegates shall serve without remuneration of any kind.
9. Board of Delegates
9.1 The Board of Delegates shall comprise the President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer and Olympic Officer together with Delegates composed of the following:
(a) two delegates from each member Yacht Club with the intent that one will
represent one-design racing and one will represent handicap racing. These
delegates shall be appointed by their respective Club Commodore. A Club with
over 250 voting members may have a third delegate appointed by the Club
Commodore;
(b) one delegate representing the Optimist Class appointed by the Class
President;
(c) one delegate representing the combined International and Club 420 Class
appointed by the joint Class President;
(d) one delegate representing the ILCA Class appointed by the Class President;
(e) one delegate representing the ISCA Class appointed by the Class President;
(f) a class with five active sailors and four boats on any Virgin Island may apply
to the Executive Committee for representation on the Board of Delegates thirty
days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The application shall be sent to
members with the notice of meeting. Acceptance requires an affirmative vote of
two-thirds of the Board of Delegates at the Annual General Meeting.
(g) one delegate at large appointed by the Executive Committee at the Annual
General Meeting to handle special projects if necessary.
9.3 Duties of the Board of Delegates
The Board of Delegates shall be responsible for:
(a) managing the affairs of the Association;
(b) serving and protecting the interest of the members in local and international
sailing endeavors;
(c) serving as the forum for the advancement and support of sailing in the
community;
(d) representing the interests and aspirations of its membership to the
Government of the US Virgin Islands;
(e) communicating the rules and regulations of WS and making representation to
WS with regard to the formulation of those rules and regulations;
(f) serving as the liaison between the various yacht clubs, sailing associations
and classes.
10. Management
10.1 The affairs of the Association shall be conducted on behalf of the membership by
the elected Executive Committee who shall be responsible for fulfilling the intent of
Article 3 and reporting back to the membership of their actions and activity at the
Annual General Meeting.
10.2 The Executive Committee will have full authority to conduct the affairs of the
Association throughout their elected term of office. They may accept new members or
resignation of members or Board of Delegates members and replace vacancies among
the Officers until the next Annual General Meeting.
11. Annual General Meeting
11.1 The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year between Thanksgiving and
January 20th on St. Thomas, St. John or St Croix as decided by the Executive
Committee.
11.2 The Annual General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary upon the issuance of
a notice in paper or electronic form to the members.
11.3 The notice period for the Annual General Meeting shall be 14 days preceding the
meeting.
11.4 If five members of the Board of Delegates feel a Special General Meeting is
necessary, they may request that one be called by the Executive Committee with a
notice period of 30 days preceding the meeting.
12. Convening Special Meetings of the Officers
12.1 A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Association may be called at any
time by the President or Vice president. Notice shall be served in paper or electronic
form to the Officers.
12.2 The notice period for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall be 14 days
preceding the meeting.
13. Quorum
The Quorum at any General Meeting of the Association will require a majority of the
members of the Board of Delegates to be present.
14. Regular Order of Business
The regular order of business at all General Meetings shall be as follows:
(a) reading and approval of the minutes from the previous meeting;
(b) presentation of Financial Statements;
(c) reports of Committees;
(d) election of members, Delegates and Officers of the Association;
(e) any other business.
15. Voting
Each member of the Board of Delegates shall be entitled to vote in person or by proxy
on all motions placed before a meeting, and in the event of a tie vote, the motion shall
be lost. Written confirmation of proxy votes shall be presented to the Secretary prior to
them being exercised.
15.1 Telephonic or Similar Meetings
Subject to the notice provisions of Articles 11 and 12, any meeting may take place by
means of conference call or similar communications, whereby all persons participating
in the meeting can receive all communications taking place and can communicate with
each other. Participation in any such meeting shall constitute attendance in person at
such meeting.
16. Amendments to the Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Association can only be amended or annulled by the affirmative vote
of two-thirds of the Board of Delegates. A draft of the amendment must be registered
with the Secretary of VISA at least 30 days before the Annual General Meeting and must
be sent out with the notice of meeting.
17. Committees
Following the Annual General Meeting the President may appoint any of the following
committees:
(a) a Nominating Committee consisting of three delegates appointed 30 days
before the Annual General Meeting to nominate a slate of five officers to be
voted on at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations will also be taken from the
floor at the Annual General Meeting;
(b) and, any other committee as may be required to properly conduct the
business of the Association.
18. Indemnification of Officers
Each officer of VISA shall be indemnified by VISA against reasonable expenses actually
and necessarily incurred by him/her in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding in
which he/she is made a party by reason of his/her being or having been an Officer of
VISA, negligence or misconduct in performing his/her duties as such Officer, and such
right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other right to which he/she may be
entitled under any statue, by-law agreement, vote of members, or otherwise.
19. Parliamentary Authority
All parliamentary procedures not otherwise specified in these Bylaws will be in
accordance with the latest revised edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Amended US Virgin Islands Sailing Association
Bylaws
Member National Authority of the US Virgin Islands to World Sailing
January 17, 2025
1. Name
The Association shall be called the Virgin Islands Sailing Association, also referred to as
“VISA” or “the Association.”
2. Office of the Association
The location of the office of the Association shall be determined by the current
President of the Association but must be located in the US Virgin Islands.
3. Objectives of the Association
3.1 To govern, promote and encourage interest and participation in the sport of sailing
in the US Virgin Islands for all segments of the community by serving as the National
Authority;
3.2 To encourage our membership to participate in local and overseas competition and
to provide them with a framework and logistical support to succeed at international and
Olympic events;
3.3 To maintain its status as a Full Member of World Sailing (WS) and to make such
affiliations with other associations that will maintain and enhance the Association’s role
as the Member National Authority (MNA) for the US Virgin Islands.
3.4 To promote educational programs in the training of sailors, race officials and race
management personnel for participation in regional, national and international
competition.
3.5 To recognize and support WS by:
a) promoting the objectives, interests and influence of WS;
b) carrying out and respecting WS rules, regulations and decisions;
c) using reasonable endeavors to persuade others within the Association’s
jurisdiction to refrain from actions that are inconsistent with WS objectives, rules,
regulations and decisions.
3.6 To represent its members to WS.
3.7 To provide a committee to hear and determine appeals from the ruling of any
Protest Committee of races sailed within VISA’s jurisdiction.
3.8 To arrange and conduct races where the need arises.
4. Members
4.1 The membership of the Association shall consist of:
a) sailing clubs and yacht clubs with an interest in the sport of sailing. To be
qualified for membership a club must:
(i) have a constitution or bylaws that do not contain provisions that are
inconsistent with the constitution and bylaws of the Association;
(ii) provide for and hold at least an annual meeting of members for which
notice is given to all members;
(iii) have a membership list with a minimum of twenty-five (25) voting
members;
(iv) charge fees for membership and/or services.
(b) schools or organizations having as their primary objective the teaching of
sailing;
(c) other associations or bodies controlling or having an interest in the sport of
sailing. The qualification of such association or body to be a member of VISA
shall be in the sole discretion of the Executive Committee of VISA;
(d) class associations controlling the sport of sailing within any recognized class
of sailboat;
(e) individual members, including junior, adult, family, benefactor, and honorary.
4.2 Candidates for membership in any of the categories specified in section 4.1 shall
make application in writing to the Executive Committee. Consideration for approval of
an application will occur at the next scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee.
4.3 The Board of Delegates may name Honorary members who will be chosen for their
special contribution to the Association and to the furtherance and development of
sailing in the US Virgin Islands.
4.4 The Board of Delegates may from time to time establish guidelines for additional
classes of members.
4.5 The Board of Delegates may expel from membership any member that fails to meet
its obligations of membership or exhibits conduct injurious to the character or interests
of the Association, its Officers and Delegates.
4.6 The member whose expulsion is under consideration shall be entitled to:
(a) notice of any proceedings the subject of which is the member’s expulsion;
(b) be advised of the grounds on which and the reasons for the expulsion
proceedings;
(c) offer an explanation or justification either orally or in writing; and
(d) a hearing before the Board of Delegates if requested.
4.7 Any member expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Delegates may apply as a
member at the next Annual General Meeting with no obligation for the Board of
Delegates to accept the application.
4.8 VISA will not discriminate in any way based on race, creed, gender or national origin
and any entity that wishes to join VISA must have a similar provision in its bylaws.
5. Obligations of Members
5.1 It shall be the obligation of all members of the Association:
a) to promote the objectives, interests and influence of the Association;
b) to recognize and respect the constitution, bylaws, rules, regulations and
decisions of the Association and of WS;
c) to use reasonable endeavors to persuade others within their jurisdiction to
refrain from actions that are inconsistent with the constitution, bylaws, rules,
regulations and decisions of the Association and of WS.
6. Financial Year
The financial year of the Association shall be the calendar year, and financial reports
will be presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
7. Annual Period of Membership and Dues
7.1 The annual period of membership in the Association will be the twelve months
corresponding with the calendar year.
7.2 The annual membership dues for each class of membership shall be approved by
the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
7.3 All members of the Association who are more than six months in arrears in payment
of dues may have their membership terminated.
8.0 Officers
8.1 The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer and Olympic Officer. These Officers shall be elected at the Annual General
Meeting to serve for a period of one year and will comprise the Executive Committee of
VISA.
8.2 Duties of the Officers
(a) The President of the Association shall preside at the Annual General Meeting
and generally perform the duties of a president and chairman of the organization.
(b) The Vice President shall support the President in the conduct of the affairs of
the Association and deputize for the President in his/her absence. The Vice
President will administer the Athlete Status Program to determine funding from
VISA to its member sailors.
(c) The Secretary shall be responsible for all official documents, papers and
records of the Association and the dissemination of communications to all
members. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all Executive, Special and General
Association meetings, serve all official notices and conduct the correspondence
of the Association.
(d) The Treasurer shall keep all paper and electronic records of all financial
transactions of the Association and collect all monies due or payable to the
Association and shall record and deposit such monies for safekeeping. The
Treasurer shall make any payments required for the purposes of the Association
and present an audited statement of the Association’s financial position at the
Annual General Meeting.
(e) The Olympic Officer will be responsible for representing VISA at all meetings
of the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee that the President cannot attend. They
will also serve as the voting member from VISA at all Olympic Meetings.
(i) The Olympic Officer will aid the President in setting qualifying events
for International Regattas when needed.
(ii) The Olympic Officer will assist and advise all sailors with the
processes and procedures for proper registration for any regional (Beach
Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games)
and Olympic games for which they have qualified.
8.3 Election of Officers
The officers of VISA shall be elected by the Delegates at the Annual General Meeting.
8.4 Residency of Officers
The Officers of VISA shall:
(a) reside in the US Virgin Islands;
(b) and meet Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (VIOC) residency requirements.
8.5 Vacancies in Executive Committee Offices
The Executive Committee will meet and elect a qualified member of VISA to fill the
vacated role until the next Annual General Meeting.
8.6 Remuneration
Officers and Delegates shall serve without remuneration of any kind.
9. Board of Delegates
9.1 The Board of Delegates shall comprise the President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer and Olympic Officer together with Delegates composed of the following:
(a) two delegates from each member Yacht Club with the intent that one will
represent one-design racing and one will represent handicap racing. These
delegates shall be appointed by their respective Club Commodore. A Club with
over 250 voting members may have a third delegate appointed by the Club
Commodore;
(b) one delegate representing the Optimist Class appointed by the Class
President;
(c) one delegate representing the combined International and Club 420 Class
appointed by the joint Class President;
(d) one delegate representing the ILCA Class appointed by the Class President;
(e) one delegate representing the ISCA Class appointed by the Class President;
(f) a class with five active sailors and four boats on any Virgin Island may apply
to the Executive Committee for representation on the Board of Delegates thirty
days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The application shall be sent to
members with the notice of meeting. Acceptance requires an affirmative vote of
two-thirds of the Board of Delegates at the Annual General Meeting.
(g) one delegate at large appointed by the Executive Committee at the Annual
General Meeting to handle special projects if necessary.
9.3 Duties of the Board of Delegates
The Board of Delegates shall be responsible for:
(a) managing the affairs of the Association;
(b) serving and protecting the interest of the members in local and international
sailing endeavors;
(c) serving as the forum for the advancement and support of sailing in the
community;
(d) representing the interests and aspirations of its membership to the
Government of the US Virgin Islands;
(e) communicating the rules and regulations of WS and making representation to
WS with regard to the formulation of those rules and regulations;
(f) serving as the liaison between the various yacht clubs, sailing associations
and classes.
10. Management
10.1 The affairs of the Association shall be conducted on behalf of the membership by
the elected Executive Committee who shall be responsible for fulfilling the intent of
Article 3 and reporting back to the membership of their actions and activity at the
Annual General Meeting.
10.2 The Executive Committee will have full authority to conduct the affairs of the
Association throughout their elected term of office. They may accept new members or
resignation of members or Board of Delegates members and replace vacancies among
the Officers until the next Annual General Meeting.
11. Annual General Meeting
11.1 The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year between Thanksgiving and
January 20th on St. Thomas, St. John or St Croix as decided by the Executive
Committee.
11.2 The Annual General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary upon the issuance of
a notice in paper or electronic form to the members.
11.3 The notice period for the Annual General Meeting shall be 14 days preceding the
meeting.
11.4 If five members of the Board of Delegates feel a Special General Meeting is
necessary, they may request that one be called by the Executive Committee with a
notice period of 30 days preceding the meeting.
12. Convening Special Meetings of the Officers
12.1 A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Association may be called at any
time by the President or Vice president. Notice shall be served in paper or electronic
form to the Officers.
12.2 The notice period for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall be 14 days
preceding the meeting.
13. Quorum
The Quorum at any General Meeting of the Association will require a majority of the
members of the Board of Delegates to be present.
14. Regular Order of Business
The regular order of business at all General Meetings shall be as follows:
(a) reading and approval of the minutes from the previous meeting;
(b) presentation of Financial Statements;
(c) reports of Committees;
(d) election of members, Delegates and Officers of the Association;
(e) any other business.
15. Voting
Each member of the Board of Delegates shall be entitled to vote in person or by proxy
on all motions placed before a meeting, and in the event of a tie vote, the motion shall
be lost. Written confirmation of proxy votes shall be presented to the Secretary prior to
them being exercised.
15.1 Telephonic or Similar Meetings
Subject to the notice provisions of Articles 11 and 12, any meeting may take place by
means of conference call or similar communications, whereby all persons participating
in the meeting can receive all communications taking place and can communicate with
each other. Participation in any such meeting shall constitute attendance in person at
such meeting.
16. Amendments to the Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Association can only be amended or annulled by the affirmative vote
of two-thirds of the Board of Delegates. A draft of the amendment must be registered
with the Secretary of VISA at least 30 days before the Annual General Meeting and must
be sent out with the notice of meeting.
17. Committees
Following the Annual General Meeting the President may appoint any of the following
committees:
(a) a Nominating Committee consisting of three delegates appointed 30 days
before the Annual General Meeting to nominate a slate of five officers to be
voted on at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations will also be taken from the
floor at the Annual General Meeting;
(b) and, any other committee as may be required to properly conduct the
business of the Association.
18. Indemnification of Officers
Each officer of VISA shall be indemnified by VISA against reasonable expenses actually
and necessarily incurred by him/her in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding in
which he/she is made a party by reason of his/her being or having been an Officer of
VISA, negligence or misconduct in performing his/her duties as such Officer, and such
right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other right to which he/she may be
entitled under any statue, by-law agreement, vote of members, or otherwise.
19. Parliamentary Authority
All parliamentary procedures not otherwise specified in these Bylaws will be in
accordance with the latest revised edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.