Barefoot Beachcombers Club (BBC)
Email Address: bbc32162@gmail.com

BBC POLICIES
Updated July 2023

Membership currently CLOSED

club policies

The Barefoot Beachcombers Club (BBC) was officially chartered by Don and Joan Deakin on February 4, 2013, at its first organizational meeting held at SeaBreeze Regional Recreation Center.

BBC Membership:
1) All residents of The Villages, whether permanent or snowbirds, are eligible to become members of the BBC during open enrollment. To become a member of the BBC, a resident needs to provide his/her name and e-mail address by sending a request to the BBC mailbox (bbc32162 @gmail.com).
2) Trips are open only to residents of The Villages who are members of the BBC club.
3) All club members must sign and turn in a Liability Waiver (one time only -- not annually), which will be kept on file with the BBC.
4) No membership dues will be charged.
5) To remain a current member in the BBC, a member must have taken a beach trip within the past 12 months. Membership is reviewed every January and if a member has not taken a beach trip with us within the past 12 months, his/her membership will be deleted. The Executive Committee is not required to notify members who have been deleted from the club.

BBC Meetings
1) Quarterly club meetings will resume in August 2023. However, the meetings will be conducted for new member orientation only. Members that are new to the BBC will receive an invitation to attend and will need to RSVP to attend.
2) Meetings will be held on the first Thursday at 7pm in the Colony Regional Recreation Center in the following months: August, November, February, and May. The meetings are not open to the membership at large.

3) In lieu of open meetings for the membership at large, all contact with Club Members will be made via email.

BBC Executive Committee:
1) An Executive Committee will manage and operate the BBC and its activities.
2) The Committee will determine its own organizational structure.
3) Executive Committee meetings will be held as deemed necessary by members of the Executive Committee.

BBC Web Site:
A website is available at www.bbc32162.com. A calendar of trips is published, as well as current beach invitations and club policies. Content of the website is determined and managed by the Executive Committee.

Trip Scheduling:
1) One trip per month will be planned and members can make a reservation for only the currently scheduled trip. Beach trips will take place on the third Monday of each month.
2) An email announcing that the newest beach invitation has been posted to the web will be sent to the entire club membership in the third week of every month prior to the month of the trip. The invitation will give a description of the beach and location, how to sign up, and will contain other information about the beach/location that may be of interest to the membership.

Length of Trips:
1) Day trips will typically last about 10-12 hours.
2) Trips lasting two (2) or more days will require overnight stays at a hotel selected by the BBC Executive Committee, and additional costs for hotels, food, etc., will be the responsibility of each club member.

Reservations:
1) Reservations must be sent by US postal mail to the Club Treasurer (address announced in the beach invitation). Alternatively, envelopes addresses to the BBC #110 may be dropped at Safe Ship (Colony Plaza) and requested that they be placed in our box.
2) The trip cost is $30 per person, payable by cash or a check made out to the BBC. This amount is subject to change based upon cost (i.e., time and distance of trip, bus and fuel costs, parking or entrance fees, etc.).

3) Bus seats are filled by a lottery system and you will be notified by email if your reservation was drawn shortly after the date the lottery was conducted. Bus assignments and trip details are emailed to all confirmed passengers four (4) days before trip begins.

Waitlist:
1) A waitlist for each beach trip will be established when all bus seats are sold. Waitlisted members must have paid the trip fee to be on the waitlist. If a cancellation is received, waitlisted members will be moved to the confirmed reservation list in the order they are received.
2) If the waitlisted members do not get a confirmed seat on the bus for the current trip, their check will be shredded by the BBC Club Treasurer.

Cancellation Policy:
1) A request for a cancellation may be made up to four (4) days prior to current trip date. This means we must receive your request to cancel by Thursday evening prior to Monday, the day of the beach trip. The cancellation request must be sent by email to our inbox (bbc32162@gmail.com). A cancellation credit will be given:

a) If we are able to fill your seats with someone on our waitlist. The cancelling party will get a credit of the trip fee which may be used towards a future trip. No cash refund will be made.
b) OR, if we have no one on our waitlist, the cancelling party has the option of finding someone to take his/her place. The cancelling party must notify the Club Secretary by email (bbc32162@gmail.com) who the replacement will be. In this case, the trip fee already paid will be used for the replacement’s reservation. It is up to the two parties involved to settle the trip fee between them. No credit will be given when a replacement is made, nor will a cash refund be made.
2) If the bus does not receive enough paid reservations to fill the bus, or if a replacement is not named by the cancelling club member, the trip fee will be forfeited.
3) Cancellations received within four (4) days of the trip date (after Thursday evening) will not be credited for a future trip.
4) No shows will not be issued a credit, nor a refund.

Cancellation Policy for Trips Lasting Longer Than One Day:
1) A cancellation for an overnight trip will be accepted if it is received by email to the Club Secretary at least four (4) days prior to the beginning date of the trip and a replacement can be arranged.
2) The replacement will come from the waitlist first. If no waitlist exists for the multi-day trip, the cancelling club member can provide replacements (replacements do not have to be club members.) When a replacement is arranged and confirmed, a refund check will be sent to the cancelling club member.
3) If a cancellation is not able to be filled, either from the waitlist or substituted by the cancelling member, the trip transportation fee will be forfeited. Any money charged for additional activities paid in advance will be refunded.
4) Hotel deposits and cancellations are not the responsibility of the BBC and must be handled separately and solely by the club member.
5) The cancellation will not be accepted if it is received within four (4) days of the beginning of the trip, whether or not a replacement can be found, and the cancelling club member will forfeit their entire trip transportation fee.

Extreme Weather/Beach Condition Cancellation Policy:
1) If the BBC Executive Committee feels certain that the planned trip may be affected by bad weather being forecast or by adverse beach conditions, they may change the location to another safer and more favorable beach locale for that day. An email will be sent to all confirmed members as soon as the decision to change locations has been made.
2) Weather or beach conditions may also dictate the need to end a beach trip earlier than planned. The decision to leave the beach early will be made by the Executive Committee members present that day on the beach and all members must comply with the decision to leave the beach earlier than planned.
3) In rare cases, a beach trip might need to be cancelled entirely due to bad weather. In that case, all confirmed members on that particular trip will be notified by email and given a credit towards a future trip.
4) No cash refund will be made.

Charter Bus Policies:
1) Passengers are requested to use the same seat for the entire trip.
2) Bus accommodations and amenities may differ, but usually will include:
          ~ AC and heat
          ~ Overhead seat lights
          ~ Onboard bathroom
          ~ DVD player and video system
          ~ AC outlets for phones and I-pads (bring your own adaptors)
          ~ Overhead storage
          ~ Basement storage
3) Passengers may bring:
          ~ I-pads
          ~ Coolers (large ones will be stored in the basement; small ones may be carried on)
          ~ Food (no ice cream, pizza, nuts with shells, popcorn, or chewing gum permitted on board the bus)
          ~ Beverages (NO cans, glass or open containers; plastic containers with screw-top lids are required for all       beverages; alcohol is permitted onboard the bus)
          ~ Beach chairs and umbrellas
          ~ Blankets and towels
          ~ Pillows
          ~ Travel bag or backpack

Other Policies:
1) Common sense and courtesy to others is expected at all times.
2) For the comfort of our BBC members and guests, NO SMOKING will be permitted within 100 feet of the group at any time.
3) Although moderate consumption of alcohol will be permitted, drunkenness will not be tolerated.

4) Beach trips can involve walking from a large parking lot or navigating a distance on a sandy beach. While we make every effort to minimize the distances involved, if you need assistance navigating the beach, managing your beach gear, or use an assistive device (cane, walker, wheelchair), you must bring along a companion on the trip who will provide that assistance to you. The Club and its members cannot provide that level of assistance on a beach trip. The companion must be identified on your trip reservation form and the appropriate trip fee paid.

5) Other “BBC Policies” may be adopted as our experiences indicate are necessary.

Liability:
The Barefoot Beachcombers Club and its Executive Committee members accept no liability whatsoever in the operation or management of BBC or its road trips.

Suggestions for additions or modifications to any of the above policies from any members will be welcome and carefully considered by the Executive Committee.