Covid-19 Bulletin: 10

Tue 12 May

A message from John
This is not an update to the email sent earlier today, but a trial of a new format for these bulletins.

Dear Members,

Thank you for your understanding and patience. We have all now heard the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday evening and the Commons Statement yesterday. HM Government has, yesterday afternoon, issued further details and clarifications.

Everyone’s overriding responsibility is the continuing safety and well-being of each other and ourselves.

Following the above and the beginning of the gradual process of relaxing restrictions, the first step includes, from Wednesday, encouragement to do more and unlimited outdoor exercise, even if not local to your home. This allows sitting in the sun in your local park and driving to other destinations. You can even play sports but only with members of your own household; the message is changed from “Stay at Home and Save Lives” to “Stay Alert and Save Lives”. Please continue to bear with us, as we slowly and carefully move forward and we take our first conditional steps towards reopening parts of our Club.

In that context I am pleased to announce that we can move to the next steps in the process of re-opening the Yard and Haven.

The Plan

Covid-19 Bulletin 8 sets out the sequence of steps we planned to take:

So Far

1. Contractors work in yard

2. Prepare to restart haul-out programme

3. Yard Staff begin to launch/haul out boats that are ready

From Tomorrow, Wed 13 May

4. Members allowed to work on their boats in the Yard from Wednesday 13th May to prepare for launch. Rules on social distancing must be followed and numbers within the Club controlled and monitored (see detailed process below).

5. Members visit their boats for checks from Wednesday 13th May for long enough to conduct checks on essential machinery and maintenance. Rules on social distancing must be followed and numbers within the Club controlled and monitored (see detailed process below).

Future Steps

6. Dinghies to the Dinghy Park, including YW Dayboats and other boats trailered to the Haven from Monday 18th May (subject to confirmation). Due to the need to stagger our restart including clearing the dinghy park and installing the YW Dayboat pontoons, trailered boats MAY be invited to start arriving from Monday 18th May. Obviously trailered boats (including YW Dayboats) will need to know they have a berth to go to in the Haven. Please do not bring your boat to the Club until you have received written advices from the Club that it is possible to do so. We only wish to ensure good process and safety.
We will issue further advices on this on Friday 15th May.

7. Remove the barrier protecting the Haven entrance. To allow boats to move to their swinging moorings and start recreational sailing. Date to be determined and announced.
We will issue further advices on this on Friday 15th May.

Steps 1-3 are already in progress and we can now start to take steps 4 and 5. The rules to ensure social distancing are the same for both step 4 (working on boat in yard) and step 5 (checking on boat in Haven).

When can you come to the Club

From Tomorrow, Wed 13 May, members may visit the Club to check on their boats and to work on boats in the yard.

Guidelines for returning to the Club

If you are feeling at all unwell, or have a fever or cough, please do not come to the Club
If you are in one of the vulnerable categories then please think very carefully about whether you should be leaving home and visiting the Club at all
Limit of 2 family members per car until further notice, but please, no children at this point in time.
Members to keep minimum 2m separation from all other members, staff and other persons on site.
Please do not rush along to the Club as soon as it is open. We will be introducing, at least initially, some form of way in which we control numbers coming through the gate (which will be manned). Gates will open 9.00 am from Wednesday 13th May.
Only members from the same household to work on a boat at a time.
Members are not to enter any buildings other than to use the available toilets, if any, and wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.
Members should be aware that the only toilets available may be the YARD TOILET, if at all. Should the changing rooms be open, they are only for access to the toilets / hand basins. Showering / changing etc. is not to take place. These facilities will be cleaned regularly.
Do not socialize with other members working on their boats.
General Committee or General Manager or other members of staff may suspend access during very busy periods (i.e. lock the IN gate)
People walking OFF the pontoons have right of way, members walking ONTO pontoons should step aside down the nearest finger to let them pass.
NO over-night staying on boats.
If contact with the Office is required, please use the telephone.
No members on site during the hours of darkness, other than those performing NIGHT WATCH duties. NIGHT WATCH shall be returned to normal operation as soon as possible. (General Committee and Flag Officers will be conducting additional patrols at their discretion.)
For your own safety and that of others, if you are not complying with the above, you may be requested to leave the premises.

The Future

We continue to refine plans for the staged restarting of organized activities on the water (e.g. training and racing) as well as re-opening the Clubhouse and catering side of life at the Club when the time is right.

Thank you!

We will continue to communicate to you to provide detail when it is possible to take each step. Thank you for your patience – it is due to your responsible behaviour throughout that we have been able to develop trust with the authorities to be able to take these tentative steps to get back to our Club.

But please remember, we may be beyond the peak but to manage the spread and possible resurgence of the virus we must take each of these steps with care. I again ask for your continuing understanding and patience as we start to open up parts of the Club.

We may need to start some operations at different times for practical or legal reasons, or because of conditions imposed upon us, and if this restricts any of our proposed actions we may need to communicate with you again, at any time.

Well this, at last, is a step in right direction, all be it “one small step…..” You have no idea how pleased I am, on behalf of the Covid-19 Group and your General Committee to be issuing this!

John

Commodore