Flash Minutes of IDA AGM in St. Tropez

Odd-Erik Aks (Norway), Vasily Senatorov (IDA Chairman), Richard Franklin (Australia)

Flash Minutes
IDA Annual General Meeting 2017
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Saturday 21 October 2017

• AGM approved setting up of separate IDA Events Association to facilitate receipt of sponsorship, and provide the means for a more planned approach to marketing the class with a balanced media campaign. Arising from this initiative the UK NDA has offered to provide some seed investment to allow the development of a proactive social media programme. All NDAs will be encouraged to provide any local contacts they have with potential global sponsors to the IDA Officers
• Lowell Chang (Hong Kong) and Lotti Schmid (Switzerland) were honoured by the IDA for their contributions to the Dragon Class over many years. IDA Chairman Vasily Senatorov presented each with a Certificate of Honour and a specially commissioned gold pin
• Vasily Senatorov (Chairman) and Helmut Schmidt (Vice Chairman) were re-elected to serve a further two years as officers on the Executive Committee of the IDA. Both expressed their commitment to see through the many initiatives already begun and thanked their fellow officers and team for their support
  

• Accounts show a stable position with a very buoyant year for sail label receipts and new builds expected to exceed 25 in 2017. There will be no increase in Annual Fleet Subscriptions
• Decided to continue with the major championship format of up to 8 races for the Europeans, and up to 10 races for the Worlds – only one discard to apply
• Corinthian Cup will continue to have formal IDA recognition, but no IDA-recognised Corinthian only regatta will be held in 2018
• All rule changes proposed by the TC were approved. These were mainly tidying up of rule wording
• Class Rule CR 2.193 was amended to clarify what is mandatory by way of pumps. There shall be at least one manual bilge pump, and the suction point of any bilge pump shall be not more than 50mm above the deepest point of the bilge. If an electric pump is fitted, there shall only be one electric pump and the only means of control shall be an automatic integral or flotation switch. This rule change is intended to make it harder for Dragons to ship water ballast, which might be considered to be an infringement of RRS 51
• The TC plan to digitalise measurement forms, certificates and archive documents was completed in 2017
• The Officers have announced a new Grade 1 regatta circuit which is intended to satisfy the request for more variety in venues. While this obviously disappoints some venues, it will be constantly reviewed
• The Silver Cup has been incorporated into the rules of the Gold Cup
• The organisation of the 90th Anniversary Regatta in Cannes (which will be held in April 2019) will require the support of every Dragon nation. Each NDA will be asked to provide a 90th Anniversary Regatta 'Ambassador'
• Germany (Kuhlungsborn – end June, early July) elected venue for 2021 Worlds. Sweden (Marstrand – August) elected venue for 2021 Gold Cup.
• AGM 2018 will be held in London at the Royal Thames Yacht Club (to be confirmed) on Saturday 27 October
• Vice President Chris Dicker congratulated the Officers and IDA management team on handling the many challenges facing the Class, and for conducting an excellent meeting

Tim Pearson
Secretary
IDA
24 October 2017

Full minutes will be posted on the IDA website in due course.