Following the latest guidance from the government, we are pleased to announce that we are now able to take the first step towards opening the sailing club. Please read this article fully, it contains very important information that everyone must be aware of.

In order to allow sailing to recommence it was necessary for us to conduct a risk assessment and it is very important that you read this risk assessment in full prior to visiting the club. The risk assessment can be found by CLICKING HERE or via the menu on the left hand side of the screen. Please take the time to read it fully, it contains important information and it is essential that you are aware of the entire contents of the document.

• From Saturday 16th May it will be possible for members to access the club in order to sail their boats.
• Please note that in order to help reduce the number of people on site it is not currently possible to bring guests to the club.
• ​It is important that everyone understands that they are using the club at their own risk. Please consider other members and be aware that any surface you touch is potentially contaminated, it is your responsibility to take adequate precautions.
• At this stage it will not be possible for us to provide safety cover, therefore any sailing will be entirely at your own risk and you should consider the weather conditions and your ability before going afloat.
• Also, please ensure that your boat is fully seaworthy, there will be nobody there to rescue you if anything breaks.
• We are currently unable to allow members to use club boats but we are considering how we will be able to make this possible in the near future. Normally club boats can only be used during organised activities, when there is a duty officer or instructor present. Currently there will be no organised activities and any sailing is in accordance with chapter 4 of our Health and Safety Manual. This can be found on the website in the "About" section or by CLICKING HERE

Furthermore:

• In order to allow as many of our members as possible to sail, we must minimise the number of people on the shore at any time. We are therefore asking you not to bring picnics to the club at this stage. In addition to providing a safer environment for everyone, this will also minimise the number of people on the shore and hopefully remove the need for us to consider any restrictions in the future to limit the number of people on the shore.
• We have suspended refuse collections so please don't leave any rubbish on site.
• The clubhouse will not be open, however anyone who has a key will be able to gain access to the toilets.  It is important that only one person uses the toilets at a time, they are simply not designed for social distancing and the only alternative would be to close them completely. There will be instructions on the doors explaining how to ensure that nobody is already using the toilets.
• We are asking people at this time not to use the changing rooms, they are not being cleaned and if they are used it will compound the hygiene problems we are currently trying to overcome.
• We are also asking people not to use the showers, they were put into a decommissioned state when the club was closed and they will need to be recommissioned before they can be used again. The boilers have also been turned off.
• When on the site, either in the launching area, the dinghy park or in the car park, please ensure at all times that government social distancing guidelines are followed. This basically means that you should always give other people at least 2 metres of space.
• Please avoid spending time rigging boats close to the launching area, this could prevent other people from launching. If possible please do as much rigging in your berth before moving your boat.

Finally, please enjoy your sailing and remember that this is only the first step, any subsequent steps we take will be determined not only by any changes to government guidelines, they will also be dependent upon how successful this step is. We are relying on everyone to cooperate.