MMBFC Committee

Mumbles Motor Boat and Fishing Club

Commodore

Phil Gavey

Vice-Commodore

currently vacant

Hon. Secretary

Phil Bowen

Treasurer

Keith Stephens

Membership Secretary

Janet Hurst

commodore@mmbfc.co.uk

treasurer@mmbfc.co.uk

membership@mmbfc.co.uk

Committee Members

John Elvins, Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Roy Evans,

Richie Pearce, Jonathan West, Tom Sheterline, Paul Eaton, Allan Walters

Executive Committee Meeting Reports

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 23rd November 2020 at 7.30pm Skype Meeting

1. Participants:
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman), Keith Stephens (Treasurer), Janet Hurst (Membership Secretary)
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Roy Evans, Phil Bowen

2. Apologies: John Elvins, Tom Sheterline, John West

3. Welcome
All members successfully joined the meeting (Skype). The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (29th September 2020)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be posted on the website once agreed by all Committee. We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters arising There were no matters arising.

6. Correspondence None

7. Membership
Janet advised that we now have 180 fully paid up members which includes 10 new members. She has been working through many files she has obtained from Jenny Mellard and is getting to grips with the various general items of husbandry managed by Trevor.

8. Finance

Keith reported that our income for the year is slightly higher than expenditure, giving a small surplus.

He is now carrying out work on advising Banks of the change of names. Trevor’s name to be removed, and all accounts have at least 2 names and preferably 3.

Keith also advised that many Banks are dropping the interest rate on all accounts due to the current Covid situation. Best account for deposit rate is at 0.5%.
The year-end accounts are currently still with the Auditors. PG advised that they are needed urgently as approved as he wishes to issue a statement to all Members advising an AGM.
PG advised that in order to comply with the Constitution we must hold an AGM within 3 months of the annual due date of 29th October being the date in 2019 for the last AGM. To do this we must hold a virtual AGM. A notice attached to these minutes is to be issued to all members within 7 days. This will advise an AGM to be held on the 10th December to which all Members will be invited via a ZOOM video conference.

9. Business items

Boat Reports:

Dean advised that Oystercat has carried out several trips mostly successful and that the current Covid restrictions are working effectively.
The pin on the starboard hatch has now been purchased but yet to be fitted.
There is air in the auto helm pump. This is an installation issue and is being addressed although we are currently restricted from attending the boats due to current lockdown.
The toilet door has now been fully fitted and all glass replaced. The door is now secure and safe. Mark Thomas has agreed to attend sometime to trim the spacers.

There is no update on The Belle although it is believed that it is now fully working and able to go to sea once restrictions are lifted.

Chalet Report:

There is a list of winter updates and checks that need attention.
The chalet is now closed for the season.

Thursday Evening Club Night.

Roy Evans told us that due to the social distancing rules few if any members are attending Club nights.
The current total lockdown has closed the Club for the next 2 weeks.

10. Any other business

Keith raised the issue of the Calendars for the booking of trips on the website. Some complaints over access from Members. Colin gave us a brief overview of options that would increase members’ access to self-book at a considerable monthly cost. Because of security issues (the site has public access) it was felt not to be beneficial.

Keith raised a concern that we have a number of insurance contracts that are his responsibility to pay and whilst he has no issue with that he wants an improved system where another member of the Committee is aware of renewal dates and so can ensure he does not overlook any payments. It was suggested that he should email all Committee with those renewal dates and that we should all diary note them. PG offered to set up a diary system to create reminders on those contracts once the dates are given.

Keith advised that in relation to the Mini bus we may need to renew a Section 19 certificate set up by Trevor. He will need to check DVSA a Dept of DVLA on this issue.

Also in relation to the bus he has discovered that we do not have an up to date list of named drivers on the insurance policy. All drivers over age 70 must be named.

Colin covered the issue of bookings on the website detailed above.

Mark Thomas asked that the project to look into the feasibility of purchasing and using a new boat be delayed until the Spring 2021. He asked for this because of current personal workload pressures as well as current restrictions on boat use which he feels would be counterproductive in purchasing an additional boat. Committee agreed to postpone to the end of March 2021.

There was no other business and the meeting closed.
Signed: P Gavey 27th October 2020

MMBFC Committee

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 29 September 2020 at 7.30pm Skype Meeting

1. Participants:
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman) Keith Stephens (Treasurer) Janet Hurst (Membership Secretary)
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Roy Evans, Jon West, Tom Sheterline, Phil Bowen

2. Apologies: John Elvins, Allan Walters

3. Welcome All members successfully joined the meeting (Skype). The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting. Phil Bowen was welcomed to the Committee as a co-opted Member until the next AGM. The Chair was also able to announce that Janet Hurst has accepted the position of Membership Secretary and also agreed to manage the Gift Aid matter within the Club.

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (24th August 2020)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be posted on the website once agreed by all Committee.

5. Matters arising

Trevor’s Funeral Arrangements: The funeral was attended by Family and a few close friends as well as Keith Stephens representing MMBFC. Keith read a eulogy.
Donations; It was agreed that a donation of £50 be given to the RNLI the charity chosen by the family.
Advertising the Secretary position: It was agreed that we should advertise the position of Secretary to the Membership however we must first clarify the duties of the position by creating a job description.

6. Correspondence None

7. Membership
Janet advised that whilst she has met with Jenny Mellard and obtained all records that were managed by Trevor she has not yet had time to organise those records to her systems. She could not therefore provide any information on Membership numbers or new Member applications. She hopes to be able to have organised same by the next Meeting.

8. Finance
Keith reported that the income and expenditure figures since the start of the new Financial Year in July have produced a small loss. The downturn is due in main by the effects of Covid on the activities of the Club. The exact figure to be confirmed once an accounting adjustment has been made to the rebate received from SCC in respect of the change of taxation on the chalet from Domestic to Business Rate The accounts for June 2020 are currently with the Auditors.

If members need further details on the club finances please contact the treasurer. treasurer@mmbfc.co.uk

9. Business items
Boat Reports: Dean has reported that in fact there is very little to report at this time. The Lynchpin in the starboard engine hatch has been lost and needs to be replaced. The cooker remains out of action but is not a current issue as we cannot provide drinks or food on board.

There is no update on the current condition of the Belle other than it is in the water at its Berth and awaiting some electronics work. More regular updates are needed.

Chalet Report: Due to the recent changes announced by the Welsh Govt we are now getting all of our October Bookings cancelled. This will cause a loss of approximately £2,000to our expected income. It was suggested that we should raise our charges for 2021 now by around 10% to prepare for the expected increase in UK holidays. We should also increase our minimum stay requirements for July & August 2021 to 7 days. This can be amended nearer the time to 4 days if bookings are not taken up. An inspection of the roof for leaks will be arranged in the closed season.

Thursday Evening Club Night. Roy Evans told us that there were around 5 members at the last Club night, mostly local Members. He commented that many still do not know that the Club nights have restarted. We must post a reminder on our Facebook page. However we should also remind members that the Govt restrictions that apply re single households etc. which will make it very difficult at this time to increase numbers.

Discussion on the future of our “Fleet”: Mark Thomas raised the subject of the long term future of our boats and in particular the expected lifespan and usage of The Belle. He suggested that we look into purchasing another boat that may eventually replace The Belle. The Committee were very wary of a further investment in another boat as it was felt by some that we cannot fill the current spaces available on the two boats. It was pointed out that The Belle has been out of commission for some time due to engine issues which will have contributed to the problems of availability of spaces for Members. We have had some complaints from Members of the boats taking the same people out but no reasons were put forward. It was also felt that our main issue is one of NOT having ENOUGH SKIPPERS. The Belle was initially purchased as a stepping stone for new Skippers to become confident with boat handling and then moving onto the Oystercat. However this has not been the story. It was very strongly debated but finally agreed by all members that we should ask Mark to start a project to look into the feasibility of such a proposition. He has been given an initial 2 months to investigate the options including all financial commitments of acquiring another boat. It was stipulated that no absolute decision would be made on this matter by the committee but that any proposal would be put in detail to the members for their approval or otherwise.

Trevor Mellard Trophy: Colin Albert proposed that we should set up a new competition to remember our recently deceased Secretary Trevor Mellard. Trevor did so much for the Club and he feels that we should create a memory of him for all Members. A full set of rules were drafted by Colin and presented to the committee. The matter was unanimously supported by the committee. Colin will announce the rules of the comp on the website and through email. It was agreed that in this the Club would support an inaugural prize of £100 and would review its success and continued level of prize money.

Trevor Mellard Memorial Trophy
For many years Trevor was key to the functioning of MMBFC. I think it would be good to remember his commitment to the club by setting up an annual competition and trophy in his memory. We are not a competitive angling club, with the majority of anglers fishing for the pot rather than fishing matches, so I suggest that we have an award for the longest bass, to be awarded each year.

Why Bass?

Bass can be caught for most of the year around Swansea & the Gower, and are keenly sought by both specimen anglers and those who fish for food.
Large bass can be caught from both boat and shore, so boat anglers are not at any particular advantage over shore anglers.

Why Length?

Length can be easily measured either by a tape or measuring board.
Length does not have the issue of calibration that weighing scales can have, and a tape measure can be obtained for little cost.
Length is less harmful if the fish is being released.
Length can be easily verified by photographs

The rules should be simple to encourage members to enter. I suggest the following rules:

The competition is open to all MMBFC members, whether adult or junior members.
The competition is for the longest bass measured in centimeters to the nearest 0.5cm (rounded down). Length measured from the snout to the tip of the tail.
The competition will run for 12 months from 1st October to 30th September each year.
Fish should be photographed against the measuring ruler / tape, showing the whole fish and its length to the nearest 0.5cm rounded down, and date of capture.
Fish can be returned or retained, provided the current regulations on bass fishing are followed.
Bass entered can be shore or boat caught.
All fish must be caught by rod & line, using fair angling methods - bait, lure, feathers or fly are all permitted.
Foul-hooked fish are not eligible.
Fish caught whilst commercial fishing are not eligible.
The competition will respect any closed seasons and minimum sizes that may apply.
The entries & photographs should be submitted to competitions@mmbfc.co.uk and will be posted on the club website so members can see the current entries.
There is no limit on the number of entries an angler can submit.
In the event of a tie, the award will be shared.
The award will be presented on the same night as the AGM.

10. Any other business

Colin Albert suggests that we create specific contact emails on our website to direct all enquiries appropriately.
Emails for admin, Treasurer, Commodore, Membership, Boat Bookings, chalet and Secretary.
Roy Evans asked that all skippers get training on using the new electronics.
Janet asked that all Skippers adopt a common practise of using a common form for returning trip reports to the Treasurer and to Janet for Gift Aid. Agreed.
Richie asked to move all 4 bookings for the Skewen Club from October to November due to Covid restrictions.
We were reminded by Colin that we must publish all Minutes on our website.
John West advised that Ralph Bettany wishes to re-join.
Keith advised that he has moved the handling of our boat insurances to him.

There was no other business and the meeting closed.
Signed: P Gavey Dated: 30th September 2020

Minutes of earlier committee meetings are available here

admin@mmbfc.co.uk

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 26th October 2020 at 7.30pm Skype Meeting

November 2020

October 2020

September 2020

1. Participants:
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman), Phil Bowen (Secretary Elect), Janet Hurst (Membership Secretary)
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Jonathan West, Roy Evans, Paul Eaton

2. Apologies: Keith Stephens (Treasurer), John Elvins, Tom Sheterline,

3. Welcome
All members successfully joined the meeting (Skype). The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting and in particular Paul Eaton who was attending his first committee meeting. Paul had been proposed by Colin Albert and Seconded by Dean Gifford. The Chairman looked forward to his contributions to the meetings

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (26th October 2020)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be posted on the website once agreed by all Committee. We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters arising There were no matters arising.

6. Correspondence

The Chairman had received an email from Phil Hixson outlining concerns he had about the state of the Oystercat. Each committee member had received a copy of the email prior to the meeting. There followed a detailed discussion of the issues raised with committees responses to each point being led by Dean Gifford and Richie Pearce. Both are skippers and have been carrying out many of the maintenance issues themselves. We will now commence a programme of work to rectify, improve or replace the equipment mentioned.

£500 allocated to purchase new cooker.

Fire extinguishers to be checked re servicing

Chairman felt that it would be good way forward that all recognised skippers of both boats could meet physically or virtually to discuss the state of the boats. This would mean that issues could be dealt with as and when they arose rather than deal with a list. They would then fill the role of a “boat committee”.

7. Membership

The revised membership forms have been issued to all new members.

One person has applied for membership of the club since the last meeting.

8. Finance

Janet informed the meeting that the end of year audit was completed and copies forwarded to members of the committee. The accounts would be ratified and signed by the Chairman prior to the AGM.

9. Secretary's Update

Constitution Changes - Phil went through the changes that were proposed for the revised constitution to be presented at the forthcoming AGM. All committee members had received a copy of the revisions. Many of the changes had come about because of the restrictions placed on people by the Welsh Assembly, in its attempt to control Covid 19. All changes and additions were unanimously agreed.The up dated constitution will be sent to each committee member and will be available to club individuals on request

CASC - Future Needs A draft notice was sent to each committee member before the meeting regarding future needs of club members to satisfy new regulations brought in by CASC.

Phil pointed out that the main change was that members need to inform him when they go fishing other than a club event

The notice was agreed by all members present and will be issued to all club members before the end of the year.

Colin suggested that the amount of money saved by the club’s membership of CASC should be included. Chairman estimated the saving to be around £6,000, so this will be included in the final notice.

10. Business items

Boat Reports:

Dean reported that in general there were no issues with Oystercat.
Some routine maintenance was carried out last Saturday by him and Richie.
A problem had occurred with the fuel filter following a refuel, the situation was being monitored.
Toilet door window fitting was to be completed in the near future.

Chalet Report:

The Chairman informed the meeting that the chalet was shut as normal for this time of year and AirB&B were not taking any bookings. Janet gave an update on the roof of the chalet, following an inspection by the roofer. The roof was found to be in a poor state and needed to be replaced. A price of £4,500 was given to carry out this work and following a full discussion Janet was asked to ask the roofer to start work. As a result of the leaks there was water damage to the decor of the chalet and therefore, it would need some redecoration
The Chairman also pointed out that there was a requirement that the outside of the Chalet needed to be decorated every two years. He thought that this had not been done for at least 3 years so it would need to be completed in the new year.
It had been brought the Chairman’s attention that several other owners had applied to the Council to extend their opening by two months. This application had been successful and he suggested the the club pursue the same as it would increase our revenue. Its agreed following a brief discussion that the Chairman would investigate further and coordinate the club’s application to extend the letting period.

Thursday Evening Club Night.

Roy explained that around 6 members regularly attended these meetings. Four were allowed around one table and that the tables were well spaced out so reducing capacity. The Chairman pointed out that it had been our intention to advertise these meetings to club members again, but now felt that it would best to proceed with that in the new year. This was agreed by all present.

10. Any other business

Janet had emailed the Chairman regarding an issue with booking fishing trips. A club member had had difficulty getting on trips because he didn’t have a computer nor mobile phone. He therefore, was unable to find out when trips were organised.

There followed a long discussion about how booking trips was managed currently and noted that the social distancing rules meant a reduced access to trips by members was inevitable. It was pointed out that skippers could allocate places on their trips to anglers who they knew were available.

The Chairman was going to contact the individuals concerned to try to find a mutually agreeable solution.

Allan reported that there was a oil leak on the Belle and that Vic was currently trying to remedy it
Mark pointed out that there were still 4 places on the Norway trip next year. He needed to fill these places to secure a discount on the trip. However, he hoped that the company would not ask members already booked to pay more if the places weren’t filled. In the new year a notice would be sent out to all club members reminding them of the trip

Colin explained that the old web site was now out of date, the php forms on the website cannot be edited as the editing software provided by Krystal does not support editing php forms. (php is a scripting language used on web pages)
The old website can be edited, the issue is with the php forms that are used for the membership & booking forms which we cannot updated on the old site. He did point out that if members accessed the old site he put in a link re-directing them to the new. It was agreed that this was the best way to proceed.
The Chairman reminded everyone that the next meeting would be the AGM on Thursday 10th Dec, so the next committee meeting would be at a date to be decided in the new year. He reminded everyone that we needed 15 members to attend virtually for the AGM to be quorate. So encouraged members to ask other members they know to sign in as at present we only have one additional member.

He thanked everyone for their contributions to the meeting and we closed at 9.35pm.

Due to the lack of activity because of the lockdown since December 20th, the committee meeting for January 2021 has been cancelled.
No committee meeting was held in December, as is normal.

February 2021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 22nd February 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (23rd November 2020)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be posted on the website once agreed by all Committee. We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters arising There were no matters arising.

6. Correspondence

Fire extinguishers to be checked re servicing.

7. Membership

The revised membership forms have been issued to all new members.

One person has applied for membership of the club since the last meeting.

8. Finance

CASC - Future Needs A draft notice was sent to each committee member before the meeting regarding future needs of club members to satisfy new regulations brought in by CASC.

Phil pointed out that the main change was that members need to inform him when they go fishing other than a club event

The notice was agreed by all members present and will be issued to all club members before the end of the year.

Colin suggested that the amount of money saved by the club’s membership of CASC should be included. Chairman estimated the saving to be around £6,000, so this will be included in the final notice.

10. Business items

Boat Reports:

Dean reported that in general there were no issues with Oystercat.
Some routine maintenance was carried out last Saturday by him and Richie.
A problem had occurred with the fuel filter following a refuel, the situation was being monitored.
Toilet door window fitting was to be completed in the near future.

Chalet Report:

The Chairman informed the meeting that the chalet was shut as normal for this time of year and AirB&B were not taking any bookings. Janet gave an update on the roof of the chalet, following an inspection by the roofer. The roof was found to be in a poor state and needed to be replaced. A price was given to carry out this work and following a full discussion Janet was asked to ask the roofer to start work. As a result of the leaks there was water damage to the decor of the chalet and therefore, it would need some redecoration
The Chairman also pointed out that there was a requirement that the outside of the Chalet needed to be decorated every two years. He thought that this had not been done for at least 3 years so it would need to be completed in the new year.
It had been brought the Chairman’s attention that several other owners had applied to the Council to extend their opening by two months. This application had been successful and he suggested the the club pursue the same as it would increase our revenue. Its agreed following a brief discussion that the Chairman would investigate further and coordinate the club’s application to extend the letting period.

Thursday Evening Club Night.

Roy explained that around 6 members regularly attended these meetings. Four were allowed around one table and that the tables were well spaced out so reducing capacity. The Chairman pointed out that it had been our intention to advertise these meetings to club members again, but now felt that it would best to proceed with that in the new year. This was agreed by all present.

10. Any other business

Janet had emailed the Chairman regarding an issue with booking fishing trips. A club member had had difficulty getting on trips because he didn’t have a computer nor mobile phone. He therefore, was unable to find out when trips were organised.

There followed a long discussion about how booking trips was managed currently and noted that the social distancing rules meant a reduced access to trips by members was inevitable. It was pointed out that skippers could allocate places on their trips to anglers who they knew were available.

The Chairman was going to contact the individuals concerned to try to find a mutually agreeable solution.

Allan reported that there was a oil leak on the Belle and that Vic was currently trying to remedy it
Mark pointed out that there were still 4 places on the Norway trip next year. He needed to fill these places to secure a discount on the trip. However, he hoped that the company would not ask members already booked to pay more if the places weren’t filled. In the new year a notice would be sent out to all club members reminding them of the trip

Colin explained that the old web site was now out of date, the php forms on the website cannot be edited as the editing software provided by Krystal does not support editing php forms. (php is a scripting language used on web pages)
The old website can be edited, the issue is with the php forms that are used for the membership & booking forms which we cannot updated on the old site. He did point out that if members accessed the old site he put in a link re-directing them to the new. It was agreed that this was the best way to proceed.
The Chairman reminded everyone that the next meeting would be the AGM on Thursday 10th Dec, so the next committee meeting would be at a date to be decided in the new year. He reminded everyone that we needed 15 members to attend virtually for the AGM to be quorate. So encouraged members to ask other members they know to sign in as at present we only have one additional member.

He thanked everyone for their contributions to the meeting and we closed at 9.35pm.

January 2021

April 2021

1. Participants:
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman), Phil Bowen (Hon. Secretary), Janet Hurst (Membership Secretary), Keith Stephens (Treasurer
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Jonathan West, Paul Eaton

2. Apologies: John Elvins, Roy Evans, Allan Walters

3. Welcome
All members successfully joined the meeting (Skype). The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting. The Chairman explained that Roy
was well on the road to recovery and would be joining us as soon he feels up to it

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (22nd February 2021)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be posted on the website once agreed by all Committee. We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters arising There were no matters arising.

6. Correspondence

Phil B informed the meeting that as instructed he had contacted Mumbles Rugby Club to see if they would agree to allowing the club to meet in the clubhouse up until November, a period of a two month extension as we have been unable to meet since lockdown. He also informed them that our Patron Membership ended in May this year, so they needed to give some thought on our future relationship.

Simon Evans, Chair of the Rugby Club replied allowing the club to use the rugby clubhouse up until December without any further charge. His offer was gratefully accepted but was also told that the Rugby Club needs to give thought to the terms and conditions of our future together. Equally the club itself needs to debate their future relationship with the Rugby Club, in fact whether it’s needed.
All agreed that this would be a placed on the agenda of a future meeting.

Janet informed the meeting that she had seen some communications between members on Facebook and wondered if it was a matter of concern for the committee. But following information from other committee members it felt the issues were being resolved.
Janet then told committee that she had received a call from a young man asking if he could purchase the Oystercat. His enquiry was
passed to the Chair who will deal with the matter.

7. Membership

Janet has had a flurry of membership renewals and applications to join the club following the issuing of the Spring Newsletter. This has raised several issues for her.

Firstly she wanted clarification about the rules regarding senior membership. Was a person entitled to get senior membership reductions if they had not kept up three years continuous membership? It was agreed that they were not entitled to the reduced rate and you must have the three years continuous membership to get this benefit.
Secondly members were using the renewal form on the website which wasn’t giving her the up to date information she and others needed.
Colin pointed out that he was limitedly by what he could do on the website because of its structure. He did feel that the website should
be a stepping stone for people to go on and get further information elsewhere.
It was agreed that Colin and Janet work out a system between them that satisfies both needs.
Janet added that she would send out renewal forms to members whose email addresses she had to further help the situation in the coming weeks.
Janet did wonder whether people felt we might be able to organise a renewal meeting in June/July. Keith stated that these had been very
successful in the past. But it was felt that it very unlikely that this would be allowed under the current situation.

8. Finance

Keith reported that our income to date is less than our expenditure giving us a deficit.
Keith informed us that he had spent more money than this but those figures would be part of next years budget.
Recent expenses include parking permits, Belle insurance, Minibus tax and items for the chalet. However, income was coming in from the Oystercat trips and the chalet. He had received the Council Tax form from the council which is purely a paper exercise as we do not pay council tax on the chalet. Our thanks go to Janet for kindly donating a double mattress to replace the one that was in the chalet.

If members require further details on the finances, please contact the Treasurer.

9. Secretary's Update

Covid 19 Update:
A member had asked Dean "if you had been vaccinated against the virus did this mean more members could use the boat?".

Following some research it was found that being vaccinated made no difference to the current situation and would not help increase the numbers using the boat. This was followed by a detailed discussion about the club’s procedures for when the boats could be used by more members.

At present only 6 people from 2 households could use the boat so generally limiting this to two people. There was going to a be change in the guidance on April 26 where up to 30 people could meet outside in an organised event. After consulting with Government, Angling Trust and the Professional Boatsman Association guidelines it was decided that the maximum number on the Oystercat would be 6 and the Belle 4 both including the skipper from April 26th. These numbers should not be exceeded. It was felt that under certain conditions more could fish but the issue
is that the club must ensure the safety of its anglers during the boat travelling to, between and from fishing spots. As the cabin is now out of bounds for all except the skipper and to comply with social distancing rules numbers had to be limited.
The system worked well last year and members were becoming used to these procedures. An email would be sent to Phil Hixson and to all club members informing them of our decision and the reasoning behind it.

10. Business items

Boat Reports:

Belle: (Via email)

There are electrical problems with Mumbles Belle mainly because it was wired by DIY electricians & the cable has started corroding internally. It has an oil leak because the gaskets got wet when it was flooded (twice) & they cracked when they dried. The bilge pumps work (1 properly & the other "Heath Robinson"). Electronically we have a working VHF plus I have a personal hand held, Chart Plotter, & a vintage fishfinder which is adequate. I personally have a Tablet with Navionics & Vexilar Sonar Phone Apps on it. We are "oversubscribed" with lifejackets, & I have purchased an unused (& untested) 5 man life raft. Mumbles Belle is as safe as any other boat in the marina (if it wasn't I wouldn't take it out) & it serves a useful service to a limited number of club members, but if you want to buy us another boat, or pay to have this one overhauled & rewired we wont stand in your way.
Victor Lilygreen

Oystercat:

Dean informed the meeting that he had been out in the boat a few times and by and large it was running well. He had had few niggles but had managed to sort them out.
With regard to the cooker this was still work in progress as it’s been difficult to source because of the heavy demand for them. Dean said he has located 2 in Plymouth, one new and one slightly damaged. Unfortunately, the dealer will not send the cooker to Swansea incase of damage in transit so it needs to be collected. He has found a couple in Cardiff which he is finding further details about. When asked where it will fit in the Oystercat Dean replied that it will sit where the old one was. He envisaged that there would be no difficulty in changing them over and the old one would remain on board. The new one would come with all the fittings making sure it complies with all the safety measures. He hoped to complete the purchase by the next meeting.
The old chart plotter screen went a bit blurred last time out but the bumpy ride seems to have sorted that issue, so hopefully it will not develop into a problem.
A major concern is the boat needs to be lifted out of the water (for the hull) to be cleaned and possibly re-painted, unfortunately it could take months to book a slot in the marina. Dean is going to contact them tomorrow to find out time scales. Paul mentioned that Monkstons have been providing a similar service to boats from Porthcawl and he offered to carry out some enquiries to see if they could fit us in.
With the boat out of the water it would provide an opportunity to carry out further maintenance works that needed to be done. However, this would be better done later in the year. As a minimum it needed to be jet washed and cleaned to make it run more efficiently.
Richie added that he would be going down to carry out a few checks on the Oystercat and that he had a bill that he would forward to Keith for engine oil.

Chalet Report:

The Chairman told the meeting that the chalet has began to be used from the 30th March and that bookings were coming in for May, June and July , which was good news.
The roofer was called back to re fit a length of plastic trim to be fitted to the fascia and soffits at the rear of the chalet and that was done very quickly.

10. Any other business

Norway Trip - 7th July 2021
Mark explained that the Norwegian Government are hoping to open their borders on June 1st, however , the offices Mark is working with
feel it could be much earlier. At the moment it’s difficult to predict what colour Norway will be under the traffic light system but most
expect it to be green. This means that you will not have to self isolate on returning to the UK. So at the present time the trip is still on.
Mark added further that he was still actively looking for a boat that would in the long term replace the Belle. He had found one that ticked all our boxes and after several attempts to contact the seller by a variety methods there was no response. Mark assumed it had been sold but he is still looking. Paul was asked if he could help as he is an experienced sailor.
This was followed by a detailed discussion on the future of the boats and concern was expressed from various members about the condition of the Belle at present. It was felt that as the club was responsible for the Belle and all who use her that it might be prudent to have the boat checked by a third party and the result of this safety check would determine what action needed to be carried out. Paul would make some enquiries about who could carry out this work for us. Meanwhile, Vic would be asked to email us a report on its current condition and his concerns for the future (see Belle Report above)

The chairman thanked everyone for their contributions to the meeting and we closed at 9.35pm.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 12th April 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting