Hands, Face, Space

Published 14:11 on 11 Sep 2020

As you will all be aware, the worrying increase in the number of Covid-19 cases has resulted in new and more stringent restrictions being introduced by the government from this coming Monday 13 September.

The RYA has this morning (Friday 11 September) issued a statement clarifying the implications for sailing and whilst the good news is that on water activities can continue provided we respect social distancing, there will need to be some changes to how we behave on shore. Specifically the RYA statement reads:

Members will need to ensure they only gather in groups of 6 or less and that these groups do not interact with each other (from Monday this will become law, whereas up until then we have been advised to do so in the form of Government guidance).

Over the summer we have been very lucky to have a generally low incidence rate in this area and that has given us the luxury of being able to relax a little. But with the incidence on the increase and new laws with significant fines in prospect for those who do not comply, its time for us to sharpen up and do our bit to keep our club and community safe.

First up are the basics we all need to follow:

Hands - The club provides plenty of hand sanitiser, wipes and the toilet wash basin so please use these regularly and please supervise younger children to do the same.

Face - wear a mask when you are inside the club and when you need to be closer than 2m to others even outside or on the water.

Space - please stay 2m apart from others and remember not to gather in groups of more than 6. Remain within your group and do not interact with other groups.

Launching & Recovery Discipline

Please can we also remind all sailors, paddle boarders and kayakers that it is essential to observe good social distancing during launching and recovery.

Please respect and obey requests from the Duty Officer, OOD or Patrol Boats who are doing all they can to keep you safe.

Everyone is reminded that you should make all your preparations in the boat park and only come to the ramp/beach when you are fully ready to launch.

Once on the ramp/beach please complete your rigging and launch as quickly as possible to allow others to follow behind you. Do not leave your boat unattended on the beach and do not loiter.

Keep left on the ramp when passing others coming in the opposite direction.

For Competitive Racing there are rules that dictate when each fleet may launch. Please remind yourself of these (see Class Starts & Groups 2020 V2 on the club website).

For Independent and Supported Sailing please keep 2m from others and if there are already half a dozen boats on the ramp wait until some have cleared before you set off to launch.

On returning to shore if you can see 6 or more boats already on the ramp please don't just barge in, hold off the ramp for a few minutes until the numbers have reduced.

Get onto your trolley, up the ramp and into the boat park as quickly as possible.

Please don't stop at any time on the ramp or prom to chat with friends or fiddle with your boat.

And please remember that the beach and promenade are public areas and we must respect social distancing with members of the public too.

With autumn now on the way we hope that the number of visitors on the prom and beach will begin to reduce, but its going to be a lovely weekend so its likely to be busy and we all need to work together to keep our vulnerable loved ones safe.

Last updated 12:28 on 4 March 2024