MMBFC Committee

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, Paul Eaton, Allan Walters, Nigel Davies (co-opted)

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

May 2021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 17th May 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting

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, Paul Eaton, Nigel Davies, Roy Evans

2. Apologies: John Elvins, Allan Walters, Jon West. Tom Shetterline (Absent, no apology)

3. Welcome
All members successfully joined the Zoom meeting. The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting. The Chairman gave a special welcome to Nigel Davies who has been co-opted onto the committee following a nomination by Phil Bowen and seconded by Dean Gifford.

Nigel will remain a co-opted member until the next AGM and we are looking forward to his contributions.

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (12 April 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.

5. Matters arising There were no matters arising.

6. Correspondence

Phil B explained that an email had been received from Huw Jones re the tide times on the old site having not been up dated. Colin had responded prior to the meeting explaining that the old site could no longer be maintained, so members need to use the new site for all current information including tide times. Colin suggested that whenever possible members needed to be reminded about the new website links. These links would be placed on all communications to the full membership

7. Membership

Janet reported that to date 44 members had paid up which was a pleasing figure because there was still six weeks still to go before final joining date. People were still not giving her all the information she needed despite her sending follow up emails.

8. Finance

Keith reported that money was now beginning to come into the club. The chalet income to date was healthy. The Oystercat was almost breaking even. While both the bus and Belle had larger deficits. Keith explained that he had not needed to move money around as the income was covering recent expenditure. Overall the club assets stood at a healthy amount.

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

9. Secretary's Update

Phil B informed the meeting that he had written to Paul Apajee regarding the spreading of his father’s ashes but to date had received
no response. He would endeavour to contact the family regarding this matter to find out if they still wanted to proceed.

10. Business items

Boat Reports:

Oystercat:

Dean informed the meeting that overall the boat was running well.
Dean and Richie had been to Cardiff and collected the new cooker. This needed to be connected to the gas by a recognised filter because of the requirements of the insurance. Dean thought that perhaps committee members might know of a suitable person. Phil B was asked to contact the Marina office to see if they had a member of staff able to carry out the work or perhaps they could recommend such a person.
The boat was due to be lifted out in the next two to three weeks, hopefully before the next meeting.
Dean has purchased the anti-fouling paint, however, it could be twice what we need due to an administrative error. What would not be used this time would be stored to be used in the future.
Dean was going to check to see if we had the scrapers needed and then we would need volunteers to go down to the yard to carry out the work.
Phil B has emailed the Marina and they forwarded a name and phone number for a gas fitter. This was then given to Dean who would coordinate the fitting.(A)

Chalet Report:

Phil G. reported that the income to date was good and future booking look providing a good addition to club funds.
Please contact the Treasurer if you require further details of the club finances.
Phil G also stated that he would need some help shortly to re-paint the balustrades.

Belle:

Victor Lilygreen joined the meeting for this item.

Concern had been expressed in an earlier committee meeting about the condition of the Belle and this had increased following reports from Vic following his recent use of the boat.
Vic had stated that there was an ongoing problem with an oil loss, which he thought was leaking from gaskets rather than using the oil. This oil was leaking into the bilge and was subsequently going into the Marina. Vic himself had tried various ways of stopping the leak but had not solved the issue to date. This has meant that he is keeping the engine revs down to 1500rpm so restricting his speed and limiting how far he
could travel in one trip. Certain fishing areas are subsequently out of reach for the Belle.
Following an in depth discussion it was unanimously decided that the Belle should be lifted out of the water as soon as possible and that it should not be used for fishing while waiting for this to be completed.
Paul Eaton explained that he might be able to help by arranging with Monkstone’s to lift the boat out there.
Once the boat was taken out of the water the engine would be removed and a full examination carried out to ascertain what would
need to be done to bring the Belle up to standard, this would include up dating the electrics.
The total cost of the work would be brought back to the committee for the to decide the future of the Belle
N.B. Email from Commodore
Paul has already began this action.
He has followed up on our agreements made during the last Meeting and now arranged lift out at Monkstone. The cost will be around £300 and for that we will also get about 5 weeks in the yard if needed . At Swansea Marina we would get much less time. I have asked Paul to proceed with the arrangements. The lift out needs to be done asap. The season has started and we do not want The Belle out of action for longer than needed if the repairs are to be approved.
Once in the yard we shall then lift the engine and get it inspected. From that inspection a decision on repairs will be taken.
We do need some assistance getting the boat to Monkstone.
Paul and Vic will coordinate the transfer and yard lifting.
Further update from Paul and Vic (21/05/21)
Just a quick update on the belle. We’re putting a temp hold on lifting the belle. Vic found a video showing the rebuild sequence of a SABB SL2, which is in the belle. From the video we can see that certain task for rebuilding the engine require specialist tools and therefor making job quite complex. Me and Vic are going to go down marina tomorrow and try and find the source of the leak as it will then give us a good idea of the exact work / labour needed to repair it.
There are not many places it can leak from but if it did turn out to be the front / flywheel crank seal then the whole cams would need to be locked and the camshaft removed. This we both agreed would be beyond us and would therefore need the engine to be worked on by a professional. If it’s not this then we would consider the work ourselves. I’ve spoken to the Monkstone and explained the situation regarding putting a hold on the requested lift and storage, they are fine with this.
I will send you a mail as soon as I have more information.

Victor Lilygreen left the meeting following this item

10. Any other business

Booking Charts:
Phil B reported that he had collected club stuff from Jenny, Trevor’s widow and amongst them were a quantity of boat booking charts. As much of the boat bookings were now done on line he wondered if they could be disposed of. However, it was felt that they should be kept as at sometime in the future we could return to using a meeting place.
On line Payments:
Jon West had suggested that as many people were uncomfortable handling cash could we set up a system to use online banking as an alternative way of paying for the fishing trips. However, the skippers felt that they were quite happy with the current system as it gave them flexibility to deal with the money in the best way that suited them. Keith made a point that he felt it might be difficult for him to track which trip the payments were being made for. As Jon was unable to attend the meeting it was felt that a fuller discussion would be held at the next meeting.
Norway Trip - 7th July 2021
Mark reported that there was a strong probability that this trip would go ahead. He hoped to go to Norway on the 1st July and he would be better informed to offer guidance to the trip members following it. At present they were contacting each other via a Whats App group and Colin wondered if Mark could add the groups surnames as he wasn’t sure who was who. Mark offered to do this in future.

The Chairman closed the meeting by thanking all for their valuable contributions and continued hard work in support of the club.
The meeting closed 9.10pm.

Date Of Next Meeting Monday 14th June 2021 at 7.30pm

June 2021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 14th June 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting

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, Paul Eaton, Nigel Davies, Roy Evans, Allan Walters and Jon West

2. Apologies: John Elvins

3. Welcome
All members successfully joined the Zoom meeting. The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting. The Chairman informed the meeting that Tom Sheterline had emailed him to tell him that he was resigning from the committee due to the pressure of work. The Chairman has sent an email, thanking Tom for his contributions during his two year service on the committee.

4. Minutes of the previous meeting (17 May 2021)
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and they were accepted as a true record of that meeting. Proposed by Colin Albert and seconded by Richie Pearce. All agreed that were present. 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

Janet pointed out that she has had more forms back from Virgin which are to do with the bank accounts.

7. Membership

Janet reported that to date 83 members had paid up so far. Rejoining and new members should be signed up by July 1st. Janet was allowing 14 days grace, so membership for the start of 2021/22 would be complete by 14th July. Of course this still means that additions to the numbers could occur at any time during that year.

Colin mentioned that when people put in a request for a trip he had no way of knowing if they were paid up members. Dean and Mark were in the same position. Janet agreed to forward a list of paid up members to them, so that they could check the details.

Colin also asked if as the club was open would we be having a membership meeting? Janet and Keith had been present at the two meetings so far and had taken renewals and new memberships. It was felt we would for the moment be continuing to take membership fees on a weekly basis.

8. Finance

Keith reported the income to date income and expenditure to date for the Cat this year with income slightly lagging expenditure. For the Belle income is below expenditure. Minibus has only incurred expenditure with no income. The chalet income is well above expenditure. This means that overall for the year we have a small deficit. Keith pointed out that the final figures will be a little different taking into account depreciation , some skippers still had monies and money from gift aid to process. Overall the picture was pretty good.

Dean pointed out that he did have bills that were from the Cat which were quite a bit of money. Keith just asked if possible he would like them before the end of the month.

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

9. Secretary's Update

Phil B pointed out that all of his business would be dealt with under AOB

10. Business items

Boat Reports:

Oystercat:

Dean informed the meeting that overall the boat was running well. But at the moment it was out of the water for routine maintenance.
The boat has been cleaned and the anti-fouling painting was almost complete.
Chris Roberts, Gas Engineer, called down to carry out an inspection to see that all was in order to fit the cooker. He had to check the cupboard holding the gas bottles and make sure that it met the required standards. Otherwise he would not be able to write it off for insurance purposes, but everything met the required standard. Dean did feel the cost seemed expensive but most members felt it was a reasonable price for the work done. All agreed that the work be carried as soon as was possible. However, the old cooker needed to be moved by us which Dean felt was not going to be a problem. We do need to consider how we are going to use or dispose of the old cooker, but this is not something we need do just yet.
The prop was pitted on every blade, but it was felt that it didn’t need to be replaced at the present time as Colin’s repair to the anode bonding had solved the problem. But it did need to be monitored to see if there was any degeneration in the future.
Polishing was continuing and making the boat look very smart. Toilet had been repaired but does need testing. The deck was ready for repainting. The nut holding the prop has been broken and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
The Chairman suggested we get an update out to members and a thank-you to all the volunteers who have worked on the boat.
It was hoped to get the Cat back in the water by early next week, all being well

Belle:

Paul explained that he had replaced the seal and that there was no more oil leaking. Vic has taken the boat out and the engine is running well so he’s happy. The electrics are a mess but at the moment everything that needs to be working is working. Paul will be looking to change the bilge pump so that it works more efficiently and stops the bilge filling with water.

Chalet Report:

Chairman reported that the bookings were coming in with it full now for the rest of the summer
There is at the moment an application to extend the letting period by two months. However, certain committee members are against this extension . There is at this moment a vote taking place with all chalet owners to amend a covenant to allow this to happen. The Chairman has had no information about where they are with this at the moment
An outside chair had been broken by a visitor but the Chairman, appropriately named, put it back together and hopefully it will last till the end of this season.
Painting of the balustrades will now have to wait till the end of the season.

10. Any other business

Numbers on Boats - Colin
Colin felt that as there was a general relaxing of the restrictions, plus many members have been vaccinated and with the better weather allowing us to be outside more, would it be time to increase the numbers on the boats. Following a lengthy and lively debate it was decided unanimously that there would be no changes to the number of members using the Belle. As space is limited on the boat a maximum of 4 would still apply that is Skipper, crew and two members. However, it was agreed that numbers on the Oystercat would be decided by the skipper of the trip which was always the case. He would have two options he could stay with the current situation, that is a maximum of 6, Skipper, crew and 4 members. OR he could go with a maximum of 8, Skipper, crew and 6 members. The Skipper will put on the boat booking calendar the number required for each trip.
However, because it is difficult to comply fully with the social distancing requirement when travelling to and from the fishing location, we recommend that members wear a mask. It is the responsibility of the member to supply the mask not the the clubs. There are no issues with social distancing when actually fishing. We hope this will give more members the opportunity to enjoy a trip on the Oystercat. The situation will be closely monitored by the skippers and if the system proves difficult to manage then changes will be made to ensure members fish safely.
Thursday Night Social - Phil G.
Phil just wanted to make every one aware that the Thursday Night Socials had started again. Last week just over 20 members attended with groups of six gathered around the tables. There was a general buzz around the room and all had a very pleasant time. There was bar service which worked well despite a written notice stating only table service !!! Phil hoped that more would attend these evenings and they needed to be promoted.
Colin agreed to up date the web site with Thursday Night Social being added to the calendar .
Phil asked if the Monday night committee meeting should return to the club. However, the general feeling was that for the moment we stick with the Zoom meetings.
On line Payments - Jon West
Jon West had suggested that as many people were uncomfortable handling cash could we set up a system to use online banking as an alternative way of paying for the fishing trips. A variety of scenarios were presented by committee members but each proved to have failings or created more work for skippers and or officers. So the general feeling was to continue with the current practice, but the facility to pay by bank transfer was already available with some skippers. The situation would be monitored to see what the take up would be over the next six months of this method of payment.
Membership Cards
Keith informed the meeting that a member had told him that on buying tackle in a local shop he had been asked for his membership card, but he didn’t have a current card on him only one from last year. It seems that the tackle shop expected him to have his picture on a current card. However, the new membership cards do not have a picture on them, but they do have details of his name, membership number and expiry date. Mark suggested we contact local tackle shops to inform them of the new system and that current cards are blue in colour. Phil B to email local tackle shops with these details.

Norway Trip - 7th July 2021 Mark reported that he would have more up to date information about this trip in the next few weeks - The trip has since been postponed to July 2022.
Boat Calendar Mark raised an issue on behalf of a member who had put his name down for a trip first but had missed the trip as the skipper had missed his name and not included it on the list. It appears to have happened as a result of the person’s name being entered into the Monday slot with the weeks dates in brackets. So when the skipper looked in the daily slot to book his trip there was no name in there already. This is obviously an oversight by the skipper and all skippers need to be more vigilant to avoid this happening again. Perhaps it would be helpful to all skippers that if a person says they are available all week then that person’s name goes in each days slots. This means when a skipper looks at a day the name is quite clearly there.

The Chairman closed the meeting by thanking all for their valuable contributions and continued hard work in support of the club.
The meeting closed 9.25pm.
Date Of Next Meeting Monday 19th July 2021 at 7.30pm

July 2021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 26th July 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting

1. Participants
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman), Keith Stephens (Treasurer), Janet Hurst (Membership Secretary) Phil Bowen (Secretary )
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Mark Thomas, Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Paul Eaton, Roy Evans, Nigel Davies and John Elvins (Joined Late)
2. Apologies:
Dean Gifford, Jon West, and Allan Walters
3. Welcome:
All members successfully joined the Zoom meeting. The Chairman welcomed them all to the meeting.

4. Minutes of previous meeting (14th June 2021):
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and they were accepted as a true record of that meeting. Proposed by Roy Evans and seconded by Mark Thomas.
All agreed that were present. Minutes of the meeting would be posted on the club website.
We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters Arising:
Janet raised the issue of the Thursday night social evenings as the attendance had dropped off markedly. Members pointed out that parking at this time of year was extremely difficult and may have contributed to the poor attendance. It was felt that towards the end of August or early in September would be a good time to hold a special evening with food and drink available to try to boost attendance at the social evening. Perhaps a change of evening say Friday was also suggested. The Chairman and Secretary would meet shortly to discuss
possible venues and format for that night.

6 Correspondence: None to date

7. Membership:
Janet reported that to date 138 members had paid up so far. This breaks down into 69 senior and life members, 55 full members and 3
family members. We have 12 members who are without emails so are contacted by post.

Janet did express some concerns about the participation clause as we are required to have at least 50% of our members committing to
arranging at least 12 club based activities to maintain our CASC status. A few members indicated that they won’t be able to achieve this
total. Colin felt that in the current covid climate we needed not to concerned about this level of commitment. Phil B pointed out that he
intends to produce an article in the summer newsletter highlighting the levels of participation over the last two years.
Hopefully we give it a push after that and Janet would follow this up by contacting those members who hadn’t signed up to do so.

On the point of temporary membership it was agreed that there would a suspension of temporary memberships until we returned to our
normal operating levels.

The Chairman drew our attention to the fact that our membership was down by 51. It was felt that maybe the club was not providing what
these members wanted.The Covid situation had caused a reduction in spaces on the boats and the boats had both been out of the water for
some time. It is something we need to keep a weather eye on as a committee

8. Finance:
Keith was unable to access the accounts due to technical issue with his computer so Janet presented the financial report.
She informed the meeting that the accounts had been sent off to the auditors and over the last year the club had a defecit which
equated with what we would have taken in subs in a normal year. We only collected a small amount in subs last year. Overall the Oystercat ran at a defecit as did the minibus & Belle. This is then offset by a surplus from the chalet, which does provide much needed income. This is the situation up to the end of June. So far in July we do have income from this years subs which will be a big help.
Its now up to the Chairman and Keith to get together to finalise an over view of our financial position.

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

9. Secretary:
Phil informed the meeting that Allan Walters had raised an issue about first aid training for Skippers and Crew. This followed him hearing over the radio of an angler off Ilfracombe suffering a heart attack and the skipper required to administer CPR until they reached the harbour. So I issued a simple survey to find out the state of play with our skippers and crew. 5 replies came from 7 skippers and 3 replies from 7 crew. The general consensus was that they were trained and could administer CPR but felt that they could do with a refresher course.

Phil had contacted the Council Water Safety Team who would provide a 6 hour course over two sessions to 6 persons at a cost of £60 per
head. The skipper’s present felt that a course of this type was what they needed but wondered if there were other providers and what
could they offer. Phil was to look in to other providers and present this to skipper’s for their approval.

10. Business Items:
Boat Reports:
Oystercat
The report is taken from an email from Dean

Cooker - still on going, let down by plumber a couple of times. Mark has a plumber he knows who regular fits gas appliances to caravans but is not certified to work on boats. Following a detailed debate regarding using this plumber it was agreed that the insurance company would be informed that our diesel cooker would be supplemented with a Calor gas one. Once this has been done and any recommendations from them noted then a decision would be made on who fits the cooker.
Steering - we are getting some air in somewhere in the steering system, engaged Jason from Euro - Hydraulics, he said he’d be able to help diagnose/resolve but has a backlog due to staff being off with Covid so going to re-engage with him later this week to try and get a date.
Starboard engine temp - On the Lundy trip last week I saw the engine got warmer than normal (90+) when running@2100rpm <2000rpm the temp remains normal. Looked at the water coming out of the exhaust and the starboard was substantially less than the port.

Potential causes

raw water filter cap pulling in air - non perfect seal
raw water impeller needs replacing which Paul has raised as an issue
Pump on its way out.

Dean would diagnose and sort fixing

Belle The report was taken from an entry on the boat calendar
“Trouble with the steering, anchor winch, VHF, fish finder, oil warning light, and engine cut off. The Belle would not be going out until these
were corrected.”

Richie reported that Vic was in poor health at the moment Richie and Phil Carroll had been down to the Belle on Tuesday and an arm was off
the steering and the electrics started on the button, both not really sure what has happened.
The Chairman would email Vic to find out about his health and then ask for an update on the Belle

Chalet:
The Chairman reported that there were no issues with the chalet which is now fully booked. He did point out that the expenses were rising
because extra cleaning and laundry requirement with the short lets so he was asking for 7 day bookings only to be taken to reduce this
expenditure next year during the peak season. Bookings for next year are already coming in.

11. A.O.B
Keith - AGM Could we pencil in a date for the AGM. It was decided to go with the last Thursday in October being 28th

Colin and Nigel - Numbers on Boats - Colin pointed out that current advice from Wales GOV is:
From Saturday 17 July (Alert Level 1) there are no longer any restrictions in place on numbers when gathering anywhere outdoors, including in private gardens, public parks and beaches, outdoor areas of regulated premises or for outdoor activities and events.
Following a lively debate the committee unanimously agreed to remove the limit on numbers fishing on the Oystercat and Belle.
However, as was the norm in the past the numbers fishing on each trip will be at the discretion of of the skipper. This would also apply to
numbers in the wheel house.

Phil G - Future committee meetings
It was decided that as there was still some uncertainty about the situation regarding Covid regulations that the August meeting would be
on Zoom. But the September meeting would be on a Thursday night during our social evening with the actual room being decided nearer the
time but probably downstairs. Refreshments would be provided by the club

Mark - Skippers
Mark feels that we should be trying to recruit more skippers. He believed that the drop in membership could be attributed to us not providing what club members wanted. He felt anglers are now looking for different challenges and at present we are unable to offer that. Paul agreed with Mark feeling that the club should try to offer different trips.

This naturally moved on to debate about a third boat. It was felt by at least two committee members if a smaller boat was acquired they would
put their names forward to be trained as skippers. The Chairman felt that this item re a third boat should be debated properly as an agenda
item not as AOB. It will be placed on a future agenda so that people can think carefully about the implications for the club. Would a third boat
increase number of skippers, encourage more new members and offer new challenges? Food for Thought.

Phil B would include an “advert” for skippers in the summer newsletter

The Chairman closed the meeting by thanking all for their valuable contributions and continued hard work in support of the club.

The meeting closed 9.10pm
Date Of Next Meeting - Monday 23rd August 2021 at 7.30pm

August 2021

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Held on 31st August 2021 at 7.30pm Zoom Meeting

1. Participants
OFFICERS: Phil Gavey (Chairman), Keith Stephens (Treasurer), Phil Bowen (Secretary )
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Colin Albert, Richie Pearce, Roy Evans, Nigel Davies John Elvins, Jon West, Allan Walters, Dean Gifford (Joined Late)
2. Apologies:
Janet Hurst, Mark Thomas. Paul Eaton did not attend
3. Welcome:
All members successfully joined the Zoom meeting. The Chairman welcomed them all to the meeting.

4. Minutes of previous meeting (26th July 2021):
These had been circulated to the committee members before the meeting for any corrections and they were accepted as a true record of that meeting. Proposed by Keith Stephens and seconded by Jon West.
All agreed that were present. Minutes of the meeting would be posted on the club website.
We also progressed actions from the previous meeting to ensure completion either now or in the near future.

5. Matters Arising: None to date

6. Correspondence: None to date

7. Membership:
As Janet was unable to make the meeting there was no update on memberships. Janet would be contacted to ask for an update to be included in the minutes.

“We now have 144 members, 69 senior, 57 adult, 3 Family partner/spouse members, 7 family juniors, 1 junior, 6 life, 1 complimentary (John Golding). I have added a few names to participation as know they do even if they haven't told me! We now have 77 members participating at least 12 times a year. “ via email from Janet

John Elvins raised the point that lately boats were going out under subscribed and that we needed to review our stance on temporary membership. Following a lively discussion the Chairman proposed that we lift the ban on temporary membership, but monitor the situation for the month. This was seconded by John E. and all present agreed. Jon West did point out that greater use could be made of the What’s App. group to advertise trips.

8. Finance:

Keith reported that there has been an improvement in our finances up to July 1st. Which means we are in profit, which is very pleasing.

Keith did say that he has had the insurance renewal notice for the Cat, but for an small extra cost we could add Marine Legal Expenses Cover. John E. proposed that we do add this cover, seconded by Colin and all agreed.

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

9. Secretary:

Phil reported that after further contact with the Red Cross, he had arranged for a trainer to come to the club on a Thursday night. The Red Cross had given him a date for September but they required to see a Risk assessment for the club and how it’s dealing with Covid. So he contacted them to point out that would be difficult to organise on their timescale. So he is going to contact them with 2 dates in Oct 14th or 21st and go from there. The course chosen is Save a Life which takes just 2 hours and includes dealing with an adult who is unresponsive and breathing, unresponsive and not breathing and choking. The course is up to 12 people so all skippers and regular crew members will be offered a place and if there is any space left it will be offered to the membership. The participants will get a certificate valid for 3 years. The cost of the courses will be just over £430.00.

He informed the meeting that there had been an issue regarding a trip being postponed rather than cancelled reported to him by a skipper.

He met with the chairman and they formulated a response which went out to all members, saying that if a trip was called off for whatever reason it would be deemed cancelled. After a brief discussion it was agreed that this was the fairest way to proceed.

Following the advert in the newsletter for members to become skippers Phil informed the meeting that 2 members had expressed an interest in becoming a skipper. He is currently gathering information about training providers and will present options and costings to the committee for their approval at the next meeting. Hopefully the training will take place during November/December.

10. Business Items:
Boat Reports:
Oystercat

Steering - there is still a problem with the steering and Dean was hoping to get the person who fitted the system to come and look at the issues and hopefully solve the problem. The earlier inspection had revealed a crack on the nut which was replaced but this did not resolve the issue. So it’s an ongoing situation. But John E and Dean will get together to look into what options we have to fix it. Richie felt that there could well be an olive missing from the pipe so contributing to the problem, Further investigation was needed.
Starboard engine temp - still being an issue but Dean is unable to deal with this at present so would welcome someone else taking on this problem
Cooker - Phil to contact the insurance company re the cooker and the action regarding fitting would be dictated by their response.

Belle

Vic had not responded to the email from the Chair re the state of play on the Belle.

Phil Carroll has sent an email with an update

“Windlass area 75% fibre glassed, will get 2 part filler to fill the loads of unwanted holes, then tomorrow will complete fibre glassing.
Then new spindle holes and mounting bolt holes will then be drilled.and Windlass mounted
Once fitted, I will pick up the 9mm 110 Amp cable on Wednesday .
A full day wiring on Wednesday and Windlass will be completed.
All other equipment has been re wired and labelled.
So with no unwanted obstacles the Belle will be fully completed by Wednesday.
Total re wiring £48.
9mm cable (approx £96) if I remember correctly
Winch paid by John a little under £700.
Fibre Glass ( paid by Vic not sure what it cost)
2 part filler will purchase from Halfords but less than £20.
Total spend to get everything working properly probably about £900 but loads of man hours

Richie confirmed that the fibre glassing had been completed, winch was installed but they are just waiting fora specialised cable to come to complete the work.

Further update from Phil C.

We are now on the final leg of the Belles- refit.
All instruments, VHF, Plotter, USB, etc etc all re-wired. Old winch ripped out ( including yards of redundant cable)
Bow fibre-glassed, re drilled including holes for drum shaft and gypsy. New Windlass mounted New cables laid ( first fix), Control box fitted and hole drilled for foot switch. Tomorrow all cable lugs will be hydraulically crimped and heat shrunk.
Other low voltage cables will be connected ( foot switch's, control box high & low).
Hopefully there will be no further improvements needed ( However would recommend 2 new batteries before winter)

Chalet:
The Chairman reported that the chalet was fully booked throughout the summer and there were some bookings in September. However, a few weeks ago a guest decided to have a BBQ on the decking using a disposable BBQ standing on pebbles this resulted in at least 5 planks being damaged!! These will be replaced at a cost of £180.00 and this cost will be paid for by the guest. They do not want to encourage BBQ’s at the park because of the fire as this incident highlighted the risk is very real.

11. A.O.B

Nigel reported that on two occasions recently the plastic chairs on board the Cat had collapsed causing members to fall to the floor. Luckily neither suffered injuries but it did highlight an issue that could have been a lot worse. Following a long discussion and bearing in mind we needed access to the gas cupboard which does restrict our options it was decided to get rid of the chairs immediately and replace them with a tackle box and storage chest supplied by Richie. The situation would be monitored during the next month to see if this a permanent way forward. Proposed by Chair and seconded by Keith, all agreed.

Social Event: A Beer and Curry

Phil is organising the above event for Thursday 30th September, at present he has to work with the rugby club to finalise arrangements.
Once this has been completed he will inform members and hopefully we have a good turnout.

He is also looking to see if we could use the downstairs room on a Thursday for our committee meetings in the future.

The Chairman closed the meeting by thanking all for their valuable contributions and continued hard work in support of the club.

The meeting closed 9.10pm

Date Of Next Meeting - Monday 4th October 2021 at 7.30pm at Mumbles Rugby Club

Mumbles Motor Boat and Fishing Club

Executive Committee Meeting Reports

MMBFC Committee