| Dear Members and Racers, The Sailing Committee has been working hard over the past few weeks in the effort to re-start club racing. Following a successful dress rehearsal last Sunday (12th July) of launching and recovering the rescue boat, while maintaining a safe distance, it has been decided to recommence club racing from Sunday 19th July. The format of 2 club races back-to-back starting at 1100 will be familiar, but we have had to make some changes to ensure we stay safe, which are described below. There are also some specific areas we would ask for your co-operation and they are also listed below. New measures: 1. The patrol boat will be manned by household teams and while the first few weeks are covered, we will be seeking volunteers for this duty. 2. In the event of a rescue, the patrol boat team will don PPE, and once the rescuee is in the RIB they will be required to put on a face-covering as well (masks will be carried in the patrol boat) 3. There will be a 15 kt wind limit (to reduce the probability of rescue) 4. There will be a Safety Officer/ Beach Master who will be responsible for judging whether the 15 kt limit has been breached. The Safety Officer will also be responsible for overseeing the safe launch and recovery of the patrol boat and ensuring the slipway/ beach area does not become over congested 5. There will be screens in the race office to separate the race team 6. Signing on will be done by telling the safety officer you are racing – they will do the rest. What we would request of all sailors is: – Please wear or carry a face covering of some sort which you can put on in the event of a rescue or just to help with the launch/ recovery of the patrol boat. A ‘buff-style’ snood is ideal – Please respect others’ social distance. – Please be patient when launching/ recovering – Please co-operate with the Safety Officer. If there are genuine delays in launching, we will ensure there is a short postponement to allow everyone to get on the water safely – Check your boat and ensure it is sea-worthy, especially if it is some time since you last sailed – If you can launch early please do so and get practised and warmed up for the race while reducing congestion on the beach – Be honest about your abilities, if you feel it is too windy, then it probably is. Wait for a lighter day – they will come. – Change in the compound, unfortunately, we are still unable to open up changing room and showers. After the first Sunday, the sailing committee will review the measures and adjust as required. At this stage, it is only Sunday racing that will recommence, but if this is successful the ambition will be to extend this to Wednesday evenings in due course. The Sunday racing will count towards the Summer Series which will complete at the end of August. Dan Vincent Sailing Secretary |
Club Racing Re-Starts
