Constitution and By-Laws

ARTICLE I: The name of the corporation shall be LONG LAKE YACHT CLUB, INCORPORATED.

ARTICLE II: The object and purposes of the Corporation shall be to encourage and promote amateur yachting and yacht racing on Long Lake in the State of Illinois, according to the rules of the Inland Lake Yachting Association.

ARTICLE III: Membership in the Long Lake Yacht Club shall be a person who is a sailor, sailboat owner, judge or those that in the past have been sailors, owners or who have actively participated in the welfare of the Long Lake Yacht Club.

Voting privileges shall be:

1. A dues payment of $55.00 - 1 vote
2. A dues payment of $40.00 - 1 vote
3. A dues payment of $30.00 - no vote

ARTICLE IV:

The dues structure shall be:

1. For a family (husband, wife, unmarried children under twenty-five years of age) - $55.00
2. For an unmarried individual twenty-five years of age or over - $40.00
3. For an unmarried individual under twenty-five years of age not covered by family dues - $30.00

Yacht registration shall be:

1. The owner of each Class "C" and Class "MC" yacht shall pay a yearly registration fee of $35.00
2. For each junior trainer, the parents shall pay an annual registration of $25.00 per yacht.

All fees shall be payable before July 1st.

ARTICLE V: The elective officers of the Long Lake Yacht Club shall consist of a Commodore, a Vice-Commodore, a Secretary-Treasurer and four Directors. A membership meeting for the election of officers shall be held following the first scheduled race of the last Sunday in August. Officers shall be elected by a simple majority vote of the membership present. Directors shall be the four preceding Commodores who still retain membership in the Long Lake Yacht Club.

SECTION I: The Commodore shall preside at all meetings of the Yacht Club and shall appoint judges, such committees as required, and integrate the activites and decisions of the sailing Committee with the normal functions of the Club.

SECTION II: The Vice-Commodore shall function in the absence or disability of the Commodore, and shall have such duties as may be prescribed by the membership.

SECTION III: The Secretary-Treasurer shall record all the proceedings of meetings, ssue any necessary notices, and keep accurate accounts of all monies and other assets received or disbursed. All money shall be deposited in a recognized bank, selected by the Secretary-Treasurer, and approved by the officers. All disbursements shall be approved by the officers. The Secretary-Treasurer shall render in writing to all memberships an annual report of all receipts and disbursements.

ARTICLE VI: A Sailing Committee, consisting of at least three, but not more than four sailors, shall be selected by the sailors before the first scheduled race. All matters pertaining to sailing shall be handled by this committee.

SECTION I: A Junior Fleet Committee shall consist of three members selected by the parents of the Junior Fleet sailors and the chairman of the Sailing Committee. All matters pertaing to Junior sailing shall be handled by this committee.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. The Long Lake Yacht Club is incorporated in the State of Illinois as a non-profit organization to promote sailing on Long Lake.
2. All races under the jurisdiction of the Long Lake Yacht Club will be managed in accordance with the latest ILYA Rule Book and U.S. Sailing Association Rules, except as modified in the LLYC Sailing Instructions.
3. All perpetual trophies shall be turned in to the Trophy Committee not later than August 1st.

NEW MEMBER PROCEDURES

(Adopted 04/29/2000)

Sailors and persons committed to advancing sailing are eligible to affiliate with the Long Lake Yacht Club, a member of the Inland Lakes Yachting Association (ILYA). Any club member in good standing may nominate a prospective member.

Long Lake Yacht Club, committed to promoting sailing on Long Lake, is interested in adding to its ranks of active sailors (skippers/crews) to expand the fleet(s); also persons interested in contributing to sailing competition on Long Lake through active participation as members of the race management committee or other committees that are formed from time to time (junior sailing, social, regatta, etc.)

Prospective nominees should be persons who have demonstrated a willingness to further wholesome sailing competition on Long Lake, and those who share the values and standards of LLYC. The following procedures have been developed through custom and practice of many years’ standing:

• Notify an officer or a member of the membership committee.
• Explain fully to prospective member the scope of club activities, responsibilities and expectations.
• Schedule three visits of nominee and prospective member’s family if applicable to Sunday beer parties. Three consecutive Sundays are preferred. Nominator is required to actively introduce nominees and make them feel welcome.
• Monitor progress of the get-acquainted period; check with membership committee. On fourth Sunday or Sunday after three visits have been completed, nominees are presented to members for a vote of acceptance.

NOTE: In case of activation of former members, nomination procedure is waived and former members become active by paying required dues and fees.

Sailing Information

Club Documents

These PDF documents detail the club's guidelines for our various class yachts. Prior to sailing, we recommend that you read the instructions for the scows you plan to sail. Club documents are updated periodically, so it's recommended to check back here for updates prior to the sailing year.

C-Scow Class Sailing Instructions

Our club rules for C-Scow class yachts. These rules were adopted 04/23/2017.

MC-Scow Class Sailing Instructions

Our club rules for MC-Scow class yachts. These rules were adopted 04/23/2017.

Junior Class Sailing Instructions

Our club rules for Optimist class yachts. These rules are coming soon.

Useful Links

In addition to club documents, other websites for each class of scow exist for further reading.

Crew's Union

Years ago, some folks from Cedar Lake Yacht Club in Indiana formed a crew's union. They tried to become part of the Teamster's and, indeed, had a deal with Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa disappeared before this matter was formalized. Several C boat skippers were questioned with respect to that disappearance. 'Me following "work rules" have been leaked to C World in an attempt to revive the effort to establish new working conditions.

1. Jumping into the water at anytime is strictly prohibited.
2. When bailing is required, the rule of equal time shall be observed.
3. In rigging the boat, the equal time rule also applies.
4. Duh, for carrying the sail bags.
5. Hiking straps must be soft and well padded.
6. A crew shall be allowed a five second rest between repeated use of hiking straps.
7. A crew will fold the full side of the sail, while the skipper will take care of the leach, inverse when rolling sails.
8. A crew shall not be expected to sail more than three hours in any given day.
9. The word "please" shall be part of every order given.
10. Only words of eleven letters or more may be used.
11. A crew is not responsible for the wind, speedboat chop, etc. and therefore shall not have to listen to comments about such.
12. A crew shall not be blamed for the placing of the boat by the skipper.
13. A crew shall not be responsible for any maneuver not instructed before the onset of such maneuver.
14. A crew shall not be reprimanded for anything because the skipper changes his mind.
15. A skipper shall exhibit sympathy for any wounds incurred while yachting.
16. A crew shall only sail in weather that has a wind of 10 MPH, 80', and is clear and sunny.
17. Refreshments (ambrosia and nectar) shall be provided during the race. Drink-holders a must.
18. The crew shall be presented with a drink of his/her choice immediately upon disembarking.
19. All apologies from the rear of the yacht shall be made before docking.
20. A skipper MUST treat the crew like a sweetheart not like a wife.
21. A sit-down strike on the part of the crew because of any violations on the part of the skipper should be expected and tolerated graciously.
22. A crew has the right to determine the number of tacks he/she will perform in a day. It is the skipper's responsibility to use only that many while racing. Any additional tacks shall be performed solely at the discretion of the crew.