Dear Member,

Twilight Incident - Committee of Inquiry

As many members will be aware, there was a serious incident between Zenith and Eleni following the twilight race on 4 Nov 2010.

A condition of the Club's Aquatic Licence is that all incidents between yachts taking part in an organised event are investigated by the Club under the applicable rules. Ordinarily a Protest Hearing meets that requirement and a hearing was held into this incident.

For more serious incidents the Club is also required to conduct an inquiry and provide its report to NSW Maritime. The Board has appointed a Committee of Inquiry comprising: Tony Bates, Phil Clinton, Julie Hodder, Brendan Rourke and Steve Tucker (Chair) and provided the Terms of Reference. NSW Maritime reserves the right to investigate all incidents but has advised that in this case it will rely on the inquiry conducted by the Club.

The Committee wishes to contact any member who witnessed the leadup to, the incident itself or the period immediately after the incident. The Committee will also accept written submissions from any member who wishes to comment on the conduct and management of twilight racing, particularly as it relates to the safety of competitors. The Committee may later invite selected respondents to provide a verbal submission.

Submissions should be provided by Friday 26th November and may be left at the office or emailed to Sailing-Administrator@mhyc.com.au.  A copy of the Terms of Reference will be made available on the Club's website. 

Regards

MHYC Race Committee