OFFICERS:  Phil Gavey (Chairman), Trevor Mellard (Secretary), Keith Stephens (Treasurer)

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:  Dean Gifford, Mark Thomas, Colin Albert,  Richie Pearce, Roy Evans

2                Apologies: John Elvins, Jon West, Tom Sheterline, Allan Walters 

3                Welcome

All the members present successfully joined the virtual venue (Skype) for the virtual meeting. The Chairman welcomed them to the meeting. Allan Walters was welcomed back onto the committee in his absence.

4                Minutes of previous meeting (27 July 2020):

These had been circulated to committee members before the meeting for any corrections and were now accepted as a record of the meeting. Report of the meeting to be put on the Club's website.

5                Matters arising

All covered by the agenda.

6                Correspondence

Received the correspondence from:

Norwest Marine concerning the renewal of the life-raft rentals for the Oystercat. Treasurer to pay the bill by BACS.

Porthcawl Insurance Agents notifying that the renewal of the policy for the Oystercat was due for payment. Treasurer to pay by BACS.

Swansea Marina for the payment of Belle and engine lift fees. The boat lift and first engine fees were paid by John Elvins and the engine lift in fees by Richie Pearce. Both had been repaid by the Treasurer. JE had expressed concern that he was not notified of the lift fees before he received the demand for payment, and the short time between the demands being paid. The Chairman had apologised to JE and hoped lessons had been learned.

7                Membership

Adult Membership Application Forms had been received and processed.

Steven Harris from Gowerton who had been proposed by Terry Pugh.

David Parker a marine biologist from the Uplands, proposed by Tom Sheterline. 

Adam-Owen Gilbert of the RNLI and from Mumbles, proposed by Tom Sheterline The committee approved the applicants for membership.

New member Andrew Beer had expressed an interest in becoming an Oystercat skipper. Agreed to get him on the boat as often as possible acting as trainee crew so an assessment could be made and then a training programme established.

8                Finance:

Finance report:

The Treasurer reported the current income and expenditure figures (available from the Treasurer).

The continued effect of the Covid-19 restriction on fishing trip donations reduced the income again. The investments in maintaining the boats, upgrading equipment and improvements to the chalet had been a considerable investment to the benefit of both.

The annual accounts had now been prepared by Janet Hurst and sent out for the committee's approval before being sent to the External Examiner. The accrual accounting method use by the Sage programme showed a much lower trading loss than that reported at the last committee meeting. The Treasurer expressed concern that the accounts did not show the full amount of the investment made in the Oystercat and the Chalet in 2019-20 financial year. He would explain this in his annual financial report to the AGM. The Chairman would also be writing an annual report for the accounts and AGM. A copy of the annual accounts to be taken by the Treasurer to the External Examiner EasyBooks for scrutiny

Once the annual accounts and signed reports have been approved by the AGM a copy has to be sent to the External Examiner.

Oystercat: On a recent trip down to the Oystercat Dean Gifford had discovered the toilet window had been broken by a stone. The incident had been reported to the marina office. R Pearce was looking into the work involved and a replacement window. It was thought the cost would be lower than the excess on the boat insurance policy.  DG had cleaned up the broken glass from down the toilet and on the floor. Toilet tested and no sign of any water leakage from the unit. On checking the bilges there was no water ingress. To be monitored after fishing trips.

Skipper Phil Hixson had asked if there was any subsidy for the two-man trips as they would be expensive. The boat had been out on 5 fishing trips with just skipper and crew and they had paid the full donations rates. So no subsidies had been used.

Mumbles Belle: Vic Lilygreen had been down to the marina again, fitted the charged batteries, cleaned and protected the terminals, got all the electrical systems working again. The engine had started first time when tried. He had fitted a tarpaulin over the front of the boat to stop rain getting in. applied preservative to the wooden seats and floor boards. He was looking for help to paint the wheelhouse. On a recent fishing trip the boat had performed well with no issues and the fishing was good.

Chalet:The bookings for June had now been cancelled, but more booking were expected in the school holidays in July/August. D Gifford asked if the letting rates could be increased to £100 per day during the peak season due to the provision of new decking and outdoor furniture. P Gavey agreed to looking into this and would implement if the market could stand it.

The chalet park would be issuing new coronavirus guidance/rules on lettings, use of the Park and safety. Airbnb had also issued a policy on lettings, hygiene, deep cleaning and minimum time between change overs.

Asun would no longer be available for chalet cleaning duties as a precaution against virus transmission to her family. P Gavey asked for help in finding a new cleaner as soon as possible. His wife would stand in if required but only temporary. D Gifford to make enquiries with his contacts. Finding a cleaner was urgent to get the chalet ready for a letting on 13 July.

Plastic railing waste still to be removed from the back of the chalet.  Mark Thomas offered the use a skip at his build site in Rhossili. P Gavey to contact RPearce and use the minibus to pick up the plastic.

P Gavey and Jon West to put preservative on the decking.

Letters received from the council delisting from domestic rates and putting the chalet on the business rate list. No information given on the costs involved other than a rateable value of £2,700. The council had taken the normal monthly rate payable.

10          Any Other Business

P Gavey thought the MRFC should give an extension to the 5-year period as compensation for not being able to use the rugby club during lockdown. TM to follow up with MRFC

T Mellard reported Webex were cutting back the free time for a meeting from 2 hours to 50mins from 1 July 2020. Agreed to find another host with longer free time. (found Skype online Meet Now has unlimited time for their free meetings. No app required).

Date of next meeting:

27 July 2020

Signed:

Date:

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

Held on 18 MAY 2020 at 7.30pm Webex Meeting

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

Held on 30 MARCH 2020 at 7.30pm Webex Meeting

Finance report:

The Treasurer reported the current income and expenditure figures (available from the Treasurer). Due to the lockdown fishing trip donations would be well down for the financial year and with the investments in new equipment for the Oystercat, and chalet decking. Along with the loss income from the boats and chalet there would be a large trading deficit in the year end accounts come June. The capital reserves were still healthy.

The Belle insurance and the minibus road tax had been paid.

Norway fishing trip: Due to the lockdown, the position with the fishing trip was not clear. As it currently stands, we have to assume the trip is still on until we hear otherwise from Sportsquest.  Meaning the any outstanding payments will have to be paid.  If it is still unclear at 60 days before departure date the payment date could be changed to 30 days before the trip date. A further problem is that all flights are being cancelled. Advised to continue with the planned payments into the Club’s Norway Fishing Account until we hear from Sportsquest.  If the trip cannot go ahead on the planned dates Sportsquest are likely to postpone the trip and offer alternative dates and the use of vouchers. Sportsquest are cover by the ATOL scheme and any money still in the Club’s Norway account is safe. (This information was given by Mark Thomas 2 days after the committee meeting).

T Mellard to communicate this information to the participants.

Gift Aid: No donations collected since last meeting.

Boat Committee reports:

Noted the marina was on lockdown with no access to the boats.

The Oystercat: New batteries had been purchased and would be fitted when the marina was open again. It was hoped when the fully charged new batteries were fitted there would be enough voltage for the cooker to work properly.  New hydrostatic release units had been bought for the life rafts.

Steve Absalom had proposed a species competition on the Oystercat between 5 Skewen members and 5 Mumbles members. This was on hold until we were back fishing. Dean Gifford to follow up with S Absalom.

John Elvins’ proposed summer fishing competition details were broadly welcomed but would have to wait until the outcome of the virus lockdown was known.

Mumbles Belle: The boat fills up with water during heavy rain. Vic Lilygreen and Allan Walters had planned to fit some tarpaulin to the front end of the boat to help stop water getting and causing damage. Unfortunately, the marina closed down before this could be done. J Elvins our marina contact had made representation to the marina to allow access to the Belle for 15 minutes to fit the tarpaulin. There had been no reply from the marina. Marina staff would be patrolling the marina and reporting any problems.

Shore Fishing

Keith Stephens reported no shore fishing had taken place since the last meeting and there would be none for the foreseeable future.

Chalet Report

Council Tax Reduction: P Gavey had at last received a response from the council. The chalet would be reclassified and treated as a business for council tax purposes. This should result in paying less tax.  The amount would have to wait until the council had carried out a reassessment. 

Electric Meter: The spike in electric bills was due to very low estimated reading being used over the summer months. We were now paying a higher monthly rate to catch up on the amount owed. P Gavey to ensure regular meter readings were sent to EON. With the chalet on lockdown the electric use will be very low and the amount owed will be paid off more quickly.

Decking: Agreed to buy table and chairs to complement the new decking. R Pearce had refitted and lock the old gate for safety and security reasons. He had also removed timber from the rear of the chalet. There were still some plastic boards to be removed. RP had previously reported ground at the rear of the chalet needed attention to smarten it up and compliment the new decking. P Gavey and J West volunteered to treat the new decking when preservative could be purchased.

Bookings:  for March and April had been cancelled due to the lockdown. The chalet was still being advertise on Airbnb in the hope of attracting booking when people can go on holiday again.

Club Events: None due to lockdown.

Club publicity: K Stephens had taken copies of the new poster and leaflets to Mainwarings tackle shop and given some to R Pearce for display in the minibus.  Not clear if the minibus could be parked down the marina (for PR purposes) as intended due to the new marina restrictions. Probably not the time to be recruiting new members who want to go fishing.

10           Any Other Business

Jon West: Recommended carrying out enhance hygiene on the boats when members go fishing again. Such as the availability of hand sanitisers, alcohol-based wipes and Nitrile gloves should members so wish to wear them on future trips.

Especially when handling food and drinks. Agreed to implement.

Date of next meeting:

27 April 2020

Signed:

Date

Mumbles Motorboat and Fishing Club

Shore fishing: None had taken place, mainly due to the adverse weather. Arrangements were in hand for future events and the setting up of league matches. It is hoped to re-establish a shore fishing team to get things moving. Anyone interested in getting involved should contact the secretary asap.

Chalet:  P Gavey still in conversation with ccs over a reduction in rates. The electric meter had been replaced and new readings taken amount payable to be reviewed. The new decking had been completed, some old wood needs taking away and consideration given to having outdoor furniture on the new decking. R Pearce had refitted the gate at the top of the old steps. RP to check if any areas need painting inside and treatment of the woodwork outside.  Bedding to be renewed. A number of booking had be made and the chalet would be made ready for the first guests of the new season.

Club Events: Arrangements has been made for Robert Gray of ABP to give a talk in the repairs being undertaken to repair the west pier sea wall and provision for fishing again from the pier. The talk will take place on 2 April 2020, starting at 8pm in the Mumbles Rugby Football Club, Mumbles.

To be more proactive in running the Spot the Fish raffle on a club night

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT

Meeting Date: 16 December 2019

The Committee considered, discussed and concluded the following issues.

Boat and crew minimum manning safety levels for fishing trip. Agreed the current practice for a two man skipper and crew fishing trip, due to no other demand from members was working satisfactorily.

A membership renewal evening notice had been sent out to members informing them of the date 19 December 2019 and a free curry supper would be provided.

No new applications for membership had been received since the last meeting. Several members had renewed their membership for 2020. The membership for 2020 stood at 34.

The Treasurer reported the current financial figures for income and expenditure. These were satisfactory.  Progress was being made on balancing the sums of money in the bank accounts to be within FSCA compensation scheme limits.

Oystercat was now 12 years old. The hull was in very good condition but the electronic were out of date and unreliable.   Maintenance and associated cost were increasing on a yearly basis. Maintenance would be carried out on the capstan system, toilet and cooker. When the boat is out of the water in February/March the hull coatings would be taken back to reduce thickness and new anti-fouling applied that lasts 5 years, the upper body would be cleaned and polished. Final arrangements were being made on the purchase and fitting of the new and replacement electronic navigation and steering equipment. A target installation date had been set for 10 February 2020.

Fishing trips and catches were down due to adverse weather conditions. A couple of shore fishing trips had been arranged but were poorly attended. The Club would like to see some 10 members get together to set up and run the shore fishing programme. And reinstate the Awards Evening. The minibus had just passed the MOT which was valid for another 12 months and available for shore fishing trips to various venues.

The chalet was now closed until March 2020, when again it would be open for lettings. Arrangements were being made for the inside to be repainted and extended decking to be fitted to the front. The surplus income would pay for this work.  The Airbnb website had already been set up to take bookings.

The 2020 Norway fishing trip was well in hand, the minibus had been booked for the airport run, but additional drivers had to be approved. The final payment from the members going on the trip can now be made to the Club.

Next meeting 27 January 2020

Trevor Mellard

Secretary

Committee Meeting held on 25 November 2019

Richie Pearce reported on his visit to Vic Lilygreen who was in hospital following a stroke of Friday night. He was out of intensive care and making slow progress. Feeling was coming back to both arms and legs and he could just about stand with the aid of a frame. His speech is now slurred rather than none at all. The committee wished him well for a good recovery and sent thier good wish to his family at this difficult time.

Another 2 new members had been signed up,.  The membership for 2019 was 211.  A number of members had renewed for 2020 making a total of 18 on the 2020 membership list. With membership coming to an end on 31 December 2019 it was decided to hold a membership renewal evening on Thursday 19 December along with a curry supper.   If you cannot make the renewal evening you can still renew your membership by BACS or cheque.

You need to renew your membership before you can continue to use the Club and its facilities in 2020.

Noted that the annual accounts had been approved at the AGM.  Accepted the draft minutes for the AGM were a correct record of the meeting. Treasurer Keith Stephens tabled the current income and expenditure for the boats, bus and chalet. Keith Stephens was also rationalising the bank accounts to keep within the FCS compensation limits.

Vic Lilygreen had done an excellent job in keeping the Belle seaworthy and a joy for fishing. Unfortunately, due to Vic’s stroke these trips would not take place for a while, as we have no ready replacement skipper for the Belle.  We have to decide whether to give a member of the Belle crew additional Belle handling experience to gain the competence to take the Belle out fishing. Or, take the boat out of the water now for its annual maintenance and repair of the engine oil leak rather than wait until March when the locks are closed for maintenance.

Keith Stephens reported on a shore fishing trip to Amroth, only 5 members attended. He was organising a shore fishing trip to Cold Knap on 28 November 2019. We considered possible reason why the Club’s fishing activities and meetings were not well support, the following were put forward: A number of members belonged to other fishing clubs and they organised their own long-established shore fishing programmes and they joined MMBFC to go boat fishing. Many of our members live outside the Mumbles and Swansea area and along with the carparking issue find it inconvenient to attend meetings in Mumbles. Having left the old meeting place down by Mumbles pier and moved to the Rugby Club we have lost the close community atmosphere of a family club. All the information members require can be found on the website including booking boat fishing trips. Members no longer report their fish catches and the awards evenings lost support. Many other were discussed. How times have changed. If you wish to make an input then use our FORUM page on the website.

The chalet is closed for the winter and steps are being taking to decorate the inside rooms and arrange for decking to be erected to the front of the chalet. These improvements would make the chalet more appealing on the letting market and attractive to people interested in purchasing the chalet. The letting charges for 2020 will be 10% more than in 2019. The chalet had a very good 6 month letting season in 2019.

There will be no Club nights on 26 December 2019 and 2 January 2020.