Operating Rules

The Operating Rules for the Rugeley Model Boat Club (referred to as the Association) were adopted at the AGM meeting held on 24th January 2022 held at Manor Park Sailing Club (MPSC) and supersede the Operating Rules dated 17th May 2021.

2.1 Safety - General

a) Safety rules that are laid down by Manor Park Sailing Club (MPSC) will be obeyed at all times. Such additional safety rules as the Association lays down and specific to its activities will also be obeyed.

b) Disobedience of such rules will be a matter of disciplinary action by the Manor Park Sailing Club Main Club committee or the Association officers, as appropriate. Safety is paramount at all times. Operating rules are laid down for club members convenience.

c) No Association activities will take place unless at least two persons are present. This is a safety measure. If one person is taken ill, it is essential that another be present to render assistance.

d) When launching or recovering models Association members and Day members are required to wear buoyancy aids or lifejackets when on or near water. Self-inflating lifejackets are the preferred option. See also Recovery Boat 2.6 ( c) (iii).

e) Association members are reminded that MPSC facilities are used by other organisations throughout the year and that the Association does not have unrestricted use of the facilities. Commonsense and responsibility are expected from all members to ensure co-operation when operating adjacent to other users.

f) When bringing a visitor or visitors onto the site they should be signed in (book in clubhouse), and must at all times be under the direction of an Association member, and must not wander off unaccompanied. Where the visitor intends to operate a model boat on the water, the inviting Association member shall be responsible for the collection of the Day Member subscription. (Day sailing subscription set annually at RMBC AGM.)

g) No model may carry an animal, child or other person as a passenger, and members using a model sufficiently large to do so are responsible for seeing that this rule is enforced. Towing a proper passenger-carrying vehicle for demonstration purposes is permitted, but if the passenger carrying vehicle is a boat, the boat under tow and the persons in it must comply with the recovery boat rules.

h) In the case of events involving other visiting clubs these rules will be applied to all persons involved in the event.

i) An Officer of the Day (OOD) will be appointed by the committee to supervise organised events. He/she is responsible for ensuring that these rules are complied with. On minor occasions when no person has been appointed, the first club member to arrive will assume this role.

j) Fast electric boats are allowed on the lake with the approval of the OOD and may need to be restricted to certain areas of the lakes. When there are no scale boats, model yachts, SUPs, dinghies or canoes present, then fast electric boats may use the entire lake. Common sense and responsibility are expected from all members.

k) Sub micro helicopters with rotor blades less than 9" may be flown inside the main clubhouse at designated times under supervision and with prior approival of the OOD.

2.2 Safety - Action in event of accident

a) Should any person fall into the water or suffer a significant injury at the MPSC site, a person not involved in the rescue should be instructed to notify the appropriate authorities by mobile telephone. This might mean leaving the site to obtain a signal. There is no discretion in this matter. Note : an emergency mobile phone ( 07733 667 710) is left on charge in the MPSC club house.

b) The person carrying out the notification should then position themselves at the A513 road entrance to direct the authorities on arrival.

c) The emergency authorities will take charge and all persons present will act under their instructions. The notification procedure (See 2.2 d) ) will also be followed should any person suffer any significant physical injury, but care must be taken to ensure before moving them that it will not cause further injury. This is particularly important in cases of neck or back injuries.

d) All accidents and serious incidents shall be written in the accident Book in the Club house and reported to both the Association Officers and the MPSC Secretary.

2.3 Access to MPSC site and Club house

a) Access to the location is by a gated private roadway. Key holders are identified in the Association members list.

b) Cars may be brought along the gravel drives leading to the lake for loading and unloading, but must be returned to the car park as soon as is reasonably possible. With the exception of authorised disabled motor's, cars must not be parked adjacent to the lake, but must use only authorised parking areas.

c) The lake is available to Association Members on weekdays throughout the year although the Association does have a preferred regular weekly time allocated. Members may operate model boats at other times, but they must not interfere with the dinghy sailing, canoeing or Radio Sailing Club activities during the season. Weekends are usually reserved for either the MPSC or the MPRSC.

d) Access to the MPSC club house is by a numeric key pad. The security number is regularly changed by the MPSC and on joining the MPSC the current numeric code will be advised. The Intruder Alarm system uses the same numeric number and Association Members are kept informed about its use.

e) A key safe to front wall of Clubhouse uses the numeric code to access front door and contains a spare main gate key in an emergency.

f) It is a requirement of membership of the MPSC that individuals take responsibility for the use and maintenance of the clubhouse.

2.4 Leaving the MPSC Site and Clubhouse

a) When leaving the site and clubhouse, Association members must check that there are NO other cars or persons in the area or near the canoeing activities. People might be dinghy sailing in the second lake and not visible.

b) Only when satisfied, the Association member should set the intruder alarm system, before closing the Clubhouse. Firstly ensuring no food is left, no batteries left on mains charge, and importantly that there is nobody in the building, such as the showers, when finally returning the out building keys and locking the clubhouse.

c) Where no other cars or persons are observed, the last Association member leaving becomes responsible for ensuring that the TWO gates are closed on exit. Note: All fishermen have a key. They often park in the first car park..

2.5 Insurance

a) The site buildings are covered by insurance of the MPSC. The Association’s modelling activities involve additional hazards that are not covered by such insurance, particularly when modelling activities involve off-site displays, etc.

b) The Association therefore maintain recognized additional insurance appropriate to modelling activities for Manor Park Lake ONLY. This applies to all paid-up members, and is charged as part of the Association subscription.

c) The Association's insurance does not cover flying boats, seaplanes, pressure vessels (steam boilers) or gas containers. The owner of a steam vessel is responsible that they are fully certificated and insured by a qualified authority. Gas vessels which are not commercially supplied as replaceable or rechargeable vessel but are tailor-made to the modellers' requirements must also be fully certificated and separately insured by the owner. In the case of flying boats and seaplanes, the operating member should have the relevant British Model Flying associastion (BMFA) or LMA insurance and training requirements.

2.6 Recovery Boat

a) A recovery boat is provided for the recovery of model boats which have broken down, for laying out buoys, etc. and as a standby for assisting persons in difficulty in the water should the need arise.

b) It is provided for the use of members for these purposes only. It must be readily available at events and/or functions involving visitors to the Association.

c) Members must obey the following rules when using the boat:
i) There must be at least one responsible adult observer on the bank, who will hold the boat steady while it is being boarded or while somebody is alighting from the recovery boat
ii) It is recommended to have two persons in the recovery boat.
iii) Persons in the boat must wear either buoyancy aids or life jackets.
iv) Persons under the age of 16 shall not be allowed to operate the recovery boat or operate in the recovery boat In addition, persons using the boat in cold weather are strongly advised to wear clothing that will prevent them suffering exposure should they accidentally enter the water. Such clothing is not provided by the Association.
v) When rescuing a model boat containing high voltage batteries from the water, care should be taken if the boat is water­logged.
vi) Association equipment is to be returned to the storage area after use.

2.7 Radio Control Transmitters

a) All transmitters must comply with the current Wireless Telegraphy Act and regulations under that act.

b) Although most transmitters currently use 2.4GHz, when using either 27MHz or 40Mhz (35MHz for aircraft), it is athe user's responsibility to ensure that their frequency is not in use before switching on their transmitter.
(No C.B. set will be used within 200 metre of the club premises or a club facility.)

c) Models operated by internal combustion engine or steam must not use receivers whose servos are operated by alkaline or other disposable batteries, but will use rechargeable battery packs of at least 500 mAh capacity. These must be freshly charged. This is to avoid the possibility of such models going out of control due to battery failure.
Note: The remaining life in disposable batteries cannot be safely ascertained.

2.8 Use of Batteries

a) With the exception of solar powered trickle chargers and the MPSC emergency mobile telephone, NO 230v mains battery chargers shall be left on overnight, and when in use should not be left unattended for long periods.

b) Charging of lipo batteries: the manufactures instructions must be followed. A lipo bag must be used and must never be left unattended whilst the batteries are charging.

c) Members should be aware that, according to research by a government department, a person in water may find that they are unable to control their muscles in the proximity of batteries producing as little as twelve volts. Fast electrics packs producing up to 42 volts are therefore to be regarded as a hazard.

2.9 Use of Flying boats and Seaplanes

a) Electrically powered flying boats and seaplane models may be operated by RMBC club members who are also members of the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) or Large Model Association (LMA). T The pilot shall hold a minimum of a current BMFA ‘A’ certificate of competency to fly the model of the type in question. If the pilot does not hold a minimum of a BMFA “A” certificate they must be accompanied by a person with such a minimum qualification of competency during the whole period of the flight and preparation to fly. Note: the BMFA “B” certificate and LMA "Proficiency" are much higher qualifications and the latter cover the flying of large models at public displays.

b) Flying boats and seaplane models shall only be operated during RMBC club meeting times and with prior approval of the OOD on the day - any adjacent anglers shall be advised. It is an MPSC condition that no dinghy, canoe, powerboat, or SUP be on the lake at the time of flying the seaplane.

c) Flying must conform to the BMFA/LMA rules and the relevant Air-Navigation Order particularly applicable to flying over land observing the required clearances from buildings and occupied areas with public access not associated with the flying activity. Common sense with responsibility is expected from all members.

d) If a flying boat/seaplane model crashes, the incident must be reported by the pilot as outlined in the BMFA/LMA rules, to the secretary of one of these bodies depending on whose insurance the pilot is covered by, LMA or BMFA.

2.10 Use of Internal Combustion and Steam powered models

a) The use of either internal combustion or steam powered model boats remains at the discretion of the MPSC.

b) Internal combustion engine operators must refuel their model at a safe distance from other persons. Bulk fuel containers must be stored at a safe distance, and if there are several containers, they must be grouped together. Owners of i/c boats are responsible for ensuring that a suitable fire extinguisher be kept nearby, but not with the fuel.

d) All fuel, regardless of its flammability, will be treated in this manner. Nevertheless, fuels which are similar to diesel fuel are to be preferred because of their low flammability. It is recognised that the fuels commercially available for glow-plug engines may contain small quantities of accelerators, but are nevertheless of low flammability. Fuels containing enhanced amounts of accelerators such as nitro-methane or neat accelerators for mixing with fuel to obtain enhanced performance will not be brought onto the site. Maximum nitro/methane content 10%.

e) Steam operators using liquid fuel or pressurised gas firing will follow the same procedure with their fuels. In addition, spare gas cylinders will not be stored nearer than ten metres to liquid fuels or other potential source of fire.

f) Operators using flammable fuels are recommended to choose a refuelling point near the lake, as jumping in the water is a good way to minimise personal injury should their clothing be set alight in an accident

g) Steam is dangerous even on small models, as even small steam jets issuing from a safety valve can cause serious injuries, and boilers and fittings are at a temperature sufficient to cause burns. All modellers should be aware of this, even if they do not operate steam driven models.