## **Gairloch Boat Club Trustees’ Annual Report** 1 February 2024 – 31 January 2025 1 ## **Welcome** Gairloch Boat Club (GBC) trustees have pleasure in submitting their report on the operation of the club as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation for the period 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2025. ## **Contact Information** **Address: Gairloch Boat Club, Pier Road, Gairloch, IV21 2BQ** **Website** www.gairlochboatclub.org.uk **Facebook** Gairloch Boat Club | Facebook **E-mail** ## **Charity Trustees** ## **Advisors** Solicitors: Bank: Independent Examiner: Harper MacLeod Bank of Scotland ## **Governing Document** Gairloch Boat Club was registered as a SCIO on 11 September 2020 under the then proposed constitution. The constitution was updated in 2023 to make it more readable and have more consistent language. The organisation consists of charity trustees and members. ## **Appointment of Trustees** At each AGM, the members may elect any member (unless they are debarred from election under clause 67of the constitution) to the board. Office bearers are elected directly to a post by the members. The minimum number of trustees is three and the maximum is eight. 2023 saw the number of trustees increase to 6. 2 Charitable Purposes To benefit the Community of Gairloch as defined by Postcode districts IV21 and IV22 To advance public participation in water sports. with particular emphasis on aspects of safety To provide, support and promote leisure and recreational facilities. To organise regattas and other sporting events To follow the principles of sustainable development that meet the needs of the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Activities and Achievements The club achieved its main aims highlighted in last yearfs report. On 17106124 the club secured a 10-year lease for the boat park from Highland Council. The year started with a pre-season briefing by on various asperts of safety, including safety boats. risk assessments, and general health & safety. 18 members attended this. Later in the year organized two safety skills sessions for safety boat drivers and crew and two sailing skills sessions with fun activities for dinghy sailors. These sessions are always popular and were well attended. also ran a radio procedures training session that included topics such as legislation, care and maintenance and radio controls. Children sailing sessions. th We have been looking to attract young sailors to the club. so an initial se55ion was organised for 5 April 2024. However, a strong Easterly wind on the day, and with storm Kathleen approaching, the success of this first taster session was on a knife-edge. A campaign in the local schools resulted in five sailors lin the eight- to nine-year-old rangel turning up with an air of great expectations, so our Sl's plan was duly put into practice. A Wayfarer was rigged with the smallest jib we could find in the club, and the mainsail was cast aside as a liability. The boat would not be overpowered but would only be able to run downwind. The safety boat collected the first three prospective sailors - at the pontoon, then towed the Wayfarertowards Kerry Bay against the wind and the waves. There was much excitement and enthusiasm, not to mention Singing and shouting, in the Safety boat. At a suitable point, the Wayfarer was pulled alongside and the sailors transferred from the safety boat. Roger then turned the Wayfarer downwind and the serious business of the afternoon began. He was able to demonstrate the use of the tiller and the jib so that the youngsters could try their hand at controlling the sailboat. On reaching the harbour. the towrope was again attached, and the Wayfarer made two more trips upwind to Kerry to allow each sailor a turn at the two controls on the downwind leg. The fun at an end for this group, the Wayfarer was towed to the pontoon to disembark our new sailors and await the second crew. In the second group we had two sailors- Ashleigh and Charlie 2. So. with the same plan, the Wayfarer was towed towards Kerry, and they were able to try controlling it on the downwind leg. Two trips up to Kerry and back gave them a shot at each control before being towed to the slipway to get the Wayfarer back on shore. So. a successful day, big Smiles all round and the promise of the excitement being carried over into the next taster session. A comment by one local tour operator put the conditions and the achievement into perspective: "I've cancelled all my bookings for today due to the weather, and here are nine-year-olds out sailing." The next generation is coming through... The taster sessions in April and May were well received, resulting in all the young people joining the Club. When the taster sessions {up to three) were spent, continued with youth level training for our new members. In all, we held seven sessions over the season. managed to attend the majority of these and gained their GBC Stage l Dinghy Sailing certificates. End of year trophie5 were awarded to (Junior training), (Endeavor Shield), and￿ (Best Effortl. Adult Level I dinghy and 2 training, April & May 2024 Due to a lack of wind and tide the weekend began with a session about sailing theory led by . In the afternoon got the class kitted out and prepared to launch the two Wayfarers when the tide was high enough. The second Wayfarer was paddled to the pontoon so that both would be ready when arrived on Sunday. A gentle breeze was brewing, so we started with three in the Wayfarer and the two paddlers in the safety boat and then swapped. After a couple of hours practice, jumped into the safety boat and left the new sailors to it – no problem. They sailed as if the instructor was useless ballast (not true, I believe). On Sunday, did the theoretical bits. Points of sailing, i.e., where are you going and where is the wind? The five essentials, i.e., what do I change if I am going the wrong way… And a refresher on the bits of a Topper and how to tack or gybe. The class was divided into two and took the groups out to learn the actual difference between centre-sheeting and aft-sheeting. On Sunday, the wind was good, and we managed sailing before and after lunch. Everyone got lots of time helming and crewing time and the Wayfarers were both sailed triumphantly back to the slipway just as the regular Sunday sailors were gathering for the normal GBC weekly session. The new sailors were all pleased to receive their level one certificates. The level 2 course on the 10[th] – 11th May was equally successful with 5 adults attending this course. 5 Challenge Regatta. 15-16 June 2024 Unlike the last two years, when the small sail has been de rigeur, the Laser sailors had to make the decision on Saturday: big sail IRadial} or small sail14.71. With Sunday's forecast in mind, opted for the small sail. However, the wind on Saturday wa5 Still tricky for some folk, with mass confusion caused by a big shift at the start of Race 2. found himself throwing up his spinnaker on a different part of the course to Race l. So, for Race 3, we decided to hold the "Round thelsland" race in case it would not be possible on Sunday. The one constant was that￿, without the luxury of an alternative sail, helmed his Radial to three wins out of three. On Sunday, the conditions were as forecast: strong (for dinghy sailing). gusty and shifty. Only of necessity. stuck with his Radial in the Laser fleet. The two Wayfarers were well reefed, but could only use an old, heavy sail in mitigation of the inevitable. Before the committee boat called time, two races were possible, and￿ won them both. It was not suff icient to overhau as overall winner, but she stayed ahead 0f￿WhO was third. The "Round the Island" race was won by , with , a good and long-time friend from Loch Morlich, second, and our own in third place – the small sails did not feature well in this race. As is now traditional, Lochcarron sailed away with the Challenge Trophy. ## **Weekly Sunday sailings** The weekly Sunday sailing sessions are a mixture of social sailing and mini races. With a club membership of around 70, ranging in age from 10 – 80, the turn-out can vary dramatically depending on the time of year and the forecast. However, without club members volunteering to staff the safety boat, these sessions would not be possible. ## **Fundraising for new club boats** The majority of club Toppers are now approaching the end of their life. The training committee looked at replacements and after some investigation recommended that we fundraise to buy four RS Zest dinghies. The RS Zest can be sailed single- or double-handed by adults or can accommodate up to three youths. Youth or adult learners can easily rig it. Investigations into sources of funding will begin in earnest in the new financial year. ## **Community involvement** The club house is used by other community groups for meetings, including the Sitooterie team and the Gairloch Coastal Rowing Club. 7 ## **Thank you.** The Trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank the many members who have volunteered their time and skills in order to keep the club running and viable. The Trustees would also like to thank for running a coconut shy at the Gairloch Highland Gathering and raising a total of £162.50 for club funds. ## **Financial Review** As at financial year end (31/1/25) the overall income was £10857.42 with expenditure of £9949.24. ## **Notes to the accounts** - The £2977.63 income under donations was a combination of RNLI donations by members and a one-off donation towards legal expenses. Within expenses the donation of £1298 was a payment back to the RNLI and the £2337 fee was for sorting out the lease. - The hydro fee is higher than the previous year, but we are waiting for a review of our payments by SSE. - The training spend appears higher than the training income. In reality there is a profit from training courses. The apparent discrepancy is because the trainer submitted their 2023 training fee invoice in the 2024/25 financial year rather than the year they delivered the courses. - The Club opened a high interest savings account with instant access as agreed in the last report. 8 ## **Future Plans** To organise more beginner courses for adults and provide more after-school sessions for local school children. To raise funds to replace the ageing fleet of boats. To organise RIB safety boat skills sessions. To organise more sailing skills fun sessions for members. To encourage members to be more involved in the running of the Club. To review and implement the Development Plan. 9 Declaratlon Signed ofi behall ol the tfVStees.' C)esl8natlon C&tA( Date ?/z( 10 ## Appendix A – GBC Accounts Balance sheet for period 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2025 1 G•lrl¢xh ¥o•t aub Ac¢ounts 3297.(•) )2•XOO ?.alPA7 507.50 9f. 16Lts) fA 95 U37.￿* •J Ull.29 Tr• •A5 JX75 lun 721A5 7m 1$7. J251 ￿6￿5• li292.￿ IW ao85.36 iW7A2 fjA7Q.37 9J•*Z4 ## Appendix B – GBC Accounts OSCR format statements for receipts and payments accounts 1 ||Enter charity name below||Enter SC No.| |---|---|---|---| |**Gairloch Boat Club**|||~~l~~
**SC05456**| ||Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below|Enter charity name below||Enter SC No.
~~l~~|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Gairloch Boat Club**||||||||||||||~~l~~
**SC05456**|| ||**Receipts andpayments accounts**|||||||||||||||| ||**For the period**
**from**||Period start date|||||**to**|Period end date|||||||| ||||Day|Month|||Year||Day|Month|||Year|||| ||||1|February|||2024||31|January|||**2025**|||| |**Section A Statement of receipts and payments**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Expendable**
**endowment**
**funds**
**Permanent**
**endowment**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**current period**
**Total funds last**
**period**||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||| ||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|||**to nearest £**|||**to nearest £**|||**to nearest £**|||**to nearest £**|| |**A1 Receipts**||||||||||||||||| |Donations|**315**||**2,663**|||||||||**2,978**||||| |Legacies||||||||||||**-**||||| |Grants||||||||||||**-**||||| |Receipts from fundraisingactivities|**450**|||||||||||**450**||||| |Gross tradingreceipts|**4,365**|||||||||||**4,365**||||| |Income from investments other than
land and buildings|**78**|||||||||||**78**||||| |Rents from land & buildings|**2,987**|||||||||||**2,987**||||| |Gross receipts from other charitable
activities||||||||||||**-**||||| |||||||||||||**-**||||| |**_A1 Sub total_**|**8,194**||**2,663**|||**-**|||**-**|||**10,857**|||**-**|| |||||||||||||||||| |**A2 Receipts from asset &**
**investment sales**
~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|| |Proceeds from sale of fixed assets
~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|| |Proceeds from sale of investments
~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|| |**_A2 Sub total_**
~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~|| |~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|| |**_Total receipts_ **
~~——=-——=~~|**8,194**
~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|**2,663**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**10,857**
~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|**-**
~~——=-——=~~|| |~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~||~~——=-——=~~|~~——=-——=~~|| |**A3 Payments**||||||||||||||||| |Expenses for fundraising activities|**158**|||||||||||**158**||||| |Gross trading payments|**5,830**||**2,663**|||||||||**8,493**||||| |Investment management costs||||||||||||**-**||||| |Payments relating directly to
charitable activities||||||||||||**-**||||| |Grants and donations|**1,298**|||||||||||**1,298**||||| |Governance costs:||||||||||||**-**||||| |Audit / independent examination||||||||||||**-**||||| |Preparation of annual accounts||||||||||||**-**||||| |Legal costs||||||||||||**-**||||| |Other|Other|||||||||||**-**||||| |||||||||||||**-**||||| |**_A3 Sub total_ **|**7,286**||**2,663**|||**-**|||**-**|||**9,949**|||**-**|| |||||||||||||||||| |**A4 Payments relating to asset and**
**investment movements**
~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|| |Purchases of fixed assets
~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|| |Purchase of investments
~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|| |**_A4 Sub total_ **
~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~|| |~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|| |**_Totalpayments_ **
~~—_==—=—~~|**7,286**
~~—_==—=—~~|~~—_==—=—~~|**2,663**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**9,949**
~~—_==—=—~~||~~—_==—=—~~|**-**
~~—_==—=—~~|| |~~—_==—=—~~
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~~======~~|~~—_==—=—~~
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~~======~~||~~—_==—=—~~
~~======~~|~~—_==—=—~~
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~~======~~|~~—_==—=—~~
~~======~~|| |**_Net receipts / (payments)_**
~~======~~|**908**
~~======~~|~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**908**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~|| |~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~|| |**A5 Transfers to / (from) funds**
~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~|| |~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~|| |**_Surplus / (deficit) for year_**
~~======~~|**908**
~~======~~|~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**908**
~~======~~||~~======~~|**-**
~~======~~|| |~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~||~~======~~|~~======~~|| |||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||~~2~~| ~~2~~ É&OiX? SCO5456 SccliOlI B Slaloinoiil ol balances Ov¢Ji 31112 ## Appendix C – GBC Accounts Independent examiner’s report on the accounts 1 APPENIMX 3 OSCR Ind•p•nd•nt •xamin•rf8 r•port on the accounts Y•w 44111 Icl dtr• ki K*•W• **•trw nwi*A¥ ri•ro lo rryallwkn. *gned or boa) thtss