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Home / Club / Our Renewals Process

Our Renewals Process

The WWSC membership year runs from January to December. This page explains how we determine memberships and allocate boat plaques, car park permits, and outboard store stickers for the following season. There are 2 separate parts to this - Part A: Renewing Memberships; and Part B: Applying for Boat Plaques etc. for the next season. You can remind yourself how each part works below.

Part A: Renewing your annual membership subscription

To simplify things for our members we assume all existing Full Members will want to renew their memberships unless they have informed us by November 11 in the preceding year that they want to resign or change their membership. We will remind you of the November deadline towards the end of the season but the sooner you can let us know the better.

This means Full Members don't need to do anything simply to renew their annual subscriptions.

If you are a Temporary Member (i.e. you were allowed to join mid-season) you will not have your membership renewed automatically. Instead, if you want to be considered for Full Membership for the following season you must submit a fresh online application by the November 11 deadline. All applications for new Full Memberships are considered in December which enables the Committee to assess the Club's overall capacity to admit new members in the following season. Due to these capacity limits, the Club cannot guarantee that those joining as Temporary Members will be accepted as Full members in the following year.

All those confirmed as Full Members for the forthcoming year (i.e. both new and existing) will receive confirmation in the form of an emailed invoice sent to the Primary Member within each membership around the end of December. Payment will be requested by January 14 of the new membership year.

If you are a membership that does not need any boat plaques, car park permits or engine store stickers, you can ignore Part B below. Otherwise, please read on as Part B does require you to act.

Part B: Obtaining boat storage plaques, car park permits, and outboard store stickers for the upcoming season

PLEASE NOTE: Members will be invited by email to submit online applications for 2024 boat plaques, car passes, and outboard store stickers immediately after the 2023 AGM on October 28. The email invitation will go to the Primary Member.

If you want any of the above items for the forthcoming season you must submit the annual online Request Form within the application window. Boat plaques etc. held the previous year will not be renewed automatically. Instead requests will be assessed each year so that the available capacity is shared out fairly.

Immediately after the annual AGM (i.e. once the new season's charges are agreed), the "primary member" within every WWSC membership will receive an email from the Club. This will contain the link to the online Request Form. This email is the only way to access the Form so watch out for it!

  • Members who do not want any of these items do not need to respond.
  • The window for submitting the online Form will be open for 14 days - i.e. until midnight November 11.
  • If a completed Form is not received within this period, we will assume that none of these items is required by that membership.
  • The Club will process the Forms and so far as possible try to meet members' requests.
  • If demand for boat storage exceeds the available space, we will allocate plaques as fairly as possible among members.

We will confirm the items allocated to each membership by including them in the annual subscription invoice that will be sent out to every membership around the end of December (see above).

The 2024 Plaque etc. Request Form (for illustration purposes only)

The 3 screenshots below show pages to record: Member Details, Items Requested, Boat Details (Plaque 1).

FAQs

Why are you asking about my West Wittering address?

It is a condition of the Club's lease that all WWSC members should be residents of the village meaning they have a registered address within the Parish that meets the Club rules. Given the pressure on the Club to grant new memberships and so as to treat everyone fairly, we require members explicitly to confirm each year that their registered address remains correct and complies with the Rules. When you confirm your renewal by paying the invoice you are required to make the Declaration here.

The Form explains what to do if your registered address is no longer correct. You should still fill in the rest of the Request Form and email the Club Secretary to explain what has changed.

Why are you asking about boat use?

It's really difficult deciding how to allocate boat spaces when demand exceeds capacity. Our members told us one factor we should take into account is how often a boat is used over the season. When we move boats for grass cutting in the car park sometimes it's quite clear that the boat hasn't moved. So we are trying to make sure we only issue plaques to boats that will be sailed during the season.

In 2021 we started to keep records of boat use and have continued this since then. However, we recognise this data may not always reflect plans for the following season. So we also ask members to tell us their expectations in the request form.

One of my children is now over 18?

Children can only be part of a Family (or Parent & Child) Membership if they are under 18 on January 1 of the membership year.

The Club will identify those who no longer qualify and will assume they wish to move to our reduced price Young Adult membership unless advised to the contrary. We write to their parents to find out what they want to happen.

Where this means no other children are left in the previous Family or Parent & Child membership, the Club will move the parent(s) to a Partners or Single membership as appropriate.

If a member wishes to change their membership type for any other reason, they should inform the Club Secretary as soon as possible and no later than the middle of November in the year preceding the change.

I don't use email?

Email communication is what enables the Club to function staffed almost entirely by unpaid volunteers. However, there are a few longstanding members who don't have email. These members will be able to apply for their boat spaces, etc. by completing a paper copy of the online Request Form which may be obtained from the Club Secretary.

I'm thinking of a new boat for next year but haven't yet got it?

You can only buy a plaque for a boat that you (or someone in your membership) already owns and has registered with the club. Also, please don't assume you can simply transfer a plaque that you obtained for a different boat to the new one as that's not allowed.

Instead please use the Box "Other relevant information" on page 2 of the Form to (briefly) tell us your plans - i.e. the type of boat you are thinking of and who will sail it and how often. We can then take all this into account and will do our best to accommodate you. And if your plans mean you will no longer need a plaque issued in the previous season, tell us as that will count in your favour too!

I discover I need an additional plaque during the season?

You can only buy a plaque for a boat that you (or someone in your membership) already owns and has registered with the Club. If you find you want a plaque mid-season and did not tell us anything about this on your Form, there's a real risk that all spaces will be taken.

In this situation the best advice is to contact the Club Secretary to check the availability of the type of plaque you need. Don't buy a boat assuming there will be room to keep it at the Club. If possible we will try to meet your request but please note that, with limited space, this won't always be possible. It will help if you are able to release any existing plaques that you no longer need but even doing this gives no guarantee of obtaining one for your new boat.

I've changed my boat during the season

Every WWSC plaque is linked to a specific named boat. Plaques are NOT transferable between boats.

So, if you change your boat during the season, you should contact the Club Secretary. As space is limited, requests for boat plaques from members who are also handing back plaques no longer needed are more likely to be successful. If you are planning to change your boat for the season ahead but have not yet bought it, you are strongly advised to let us know of this in the online Request Form so we can take you plans into account.

How do I choose the type of plaque? You can read more about this on our web page here. This will help you choose the right type of plaque for your particular boat.

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Last updated 19:14 on 27 September 2023

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