Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

Tel: 01702 587 563

The Bar and Kitchen will open on Thursday 3rd December in line with Tier 2 restrictions.

Initially the opening times will be as follows, but this will be constantly reviewed to take into account any changing government guidelines and whether the anticipated demand from members is there.  We have to keep the Kitchen and Bar open together as any members attending need to have a substantial meal in order to be served alcohol.  I’m sure there will be further guidance on what a substantial meal is and again we  need to be flexible to respond to those guidelines.

In the short term the club will be closed on Monday and Tuesday but will be open the rest of the week.

James will circulate a varied menu which includes 3 course options, and on Saturday and Sunday this week, in line with the recommencement of racing, there will be a meal deal of Bangers and Mash and a standard lager or ale or medium house wine for £6 inclusive.  Reservations for table bookings will be taken as normal.

Unless there is a further change in advice the changing rooms will open on 5th December for scheduled club sailing days only. The showers will not be in use and there will be limited numbers allowed in the changing rooms at any given time. I ask that this is adhered to otherwise we will need to close them again. No kit will be allowed to be left when you are not in the changing rooms and we ask that if possible you come to the club ready to sail as there may be delays if everybody tries to use the changing rooms just before start times.

As sailors will need to take their kit with them when exiting the changing rooms to sail  the front car park of the club will also be open to all those sailing during scheduled race days only and allocated bays will not be in operation.

Risk assessments regarding Club opening, return to racing and opening the changing rooms will be updated and displayed for all members.

I ask members, if you feel able, to come to support the kitchen and bar and hopefully I will see many of you out on the water next weekend as the forecast is not looking too bad.

Bar and Kitchen opening times as follows:

Adrian Bunting
Commodore

Following the Government placing our area in Tier 2 from the 3rd December the General committee is pleased to re-open the club from the 3rd and recommence racing from Sat 5th.

Club daily opening times and any applicable guidance will be posted prior to the 3rd but these need to take into account all Tier 2 rules including no household mixing indoors and that alcohol can only be served with substantial meals.

Racing will commence but as normal this relies on sufficient volunteers to do Race Officer and support boat duties.

We are also looking into having the changing rooms opened, in some format, for scheduled sailing days only and again, only if it is possible within the guidelines.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the club and out on the water
Adrian Bunting
Commodore

To All Members,

Following todays government announcement the General Committee is hopeful that we shall be able to resume Winter Racing after the 3rd Dec and also Open the Bar and Catering Facilities to our members from the same day.

We do however still need to wait to make a decision. This is to see which Tier Southend/Essex is placed in on Thursday which will be on a Regional basis rather than a local basis and to see what restrictions may need to be in place to allow this to happen.

The Government have also announced that the Tier system will be reviewed every 14 days until March.

There is every chance therefore that we will not always remain in the same Tier but as we have done all year we will ensure we keep all members upto date with how any changes will affect Sailing and the Club.

Please be assured your Committee and Club Staff are ready to open as soon as we are allowed both off the water and for Winter Racing. Any relevant updates will be posted using the club website,email and Facebook.

I look forward to announcing positive news in the next few days.

Kind regards
Adrian Bunting
Commodore

Dear Members

I just wanted to quickly introduce myself as this year Cadet Representative.  My name is Lindsay and as many of you may know I have been an active member of the Cadet Committee for some years. I have 3 daughters who all loving being out on the water and participate regularly in both cadet and club sailing!  I have spent many hours in the water launching and recovering boats!!

I would like to thank Jeremy for all his hard work over the past years and sorry we could not mark his last year in a more memorable way due to the pandemic.  I am really looking forward to supporting the Cadets in getting the most out of the club developing skills and confidence on the water with the support of the parents.

Cadet Rep is not a job for one person and I am grateful to have received many offers of support but I will be seeking more over the year. Please keep an eye out for emails, website and Facebook updates!

I am very lucky to have Andras Gal, Nick Alston and Peter Quinten ready to provide a jammed pack Cadet sail training programme when restrictions allow for Cadets who are able to sail a basic course.   All the dates and times will be published in the club programme.

Conrad Stevenson has been able to arrange some Feva training for the older cadets (with their own boat) and we hope that this is something that can be developed in the future to enhance the fleet.  If you or older cadets would like to be added to the WhatsApp group please email Janet with your details and she will forward them appropriately.  We do have access to one club Feva but that will need to be allocated in advance to avoid disappointment (details to be confirmed).

Unfortunately, due to restrictions of some sort remaining in December the Cadet Christmas party will not be possible this year but I will endeavour to provide future events as soon as possible.

Look forward to seeing you all soon.

Lindsay Rainbow

07769720577

My name is Lesley Dye and I run the ‘Ladies That Launch’ sailing section at TBYC. This group is aimed to provide opportunities for our lady members to build confidence, knowledge and enjoyment on the water together with other ladies. It also provides a fantastic opportunity to meet other members and socialise while sailing and in the club. I am also seeking to support this with some basic sailing theory for those who might like a refresher!

Albeit this has been a very challenging year for everyone, we really hope that 2021 will see us all gradually returning to normality and being able to enjoy more sailing and socialising again.

Next year I have arranged monthly weekend dates for sailing together between March and October. I hope to be able to utilise club dinghies and a variety of other boats with member support!  We also hope to enjoy monthly social evenings on the 3rd Thursday of each month…Covid permitting! I hope we will be able to have fun sailing with a catchup in the club afterwards! Easter and Christmas meals are also planned.

Going forwards I will be looking to include a Ladies that Launch area within the TBYC website to keep everyone updated. We also have a Whatsapp chat group to share information and keep in contact with each other. If you would like further information or to be included in this chat group please let me know. It would be wonderful to welcome new ladies to the group. Contact [email protected]

Kind regards
Lesley

In a recent post about sailing during Lockdown, it was said:

“Check a weather forecast just before going afloat this can be found on the club website https://www.tbyc.org/weather-station/ ”

Our weather station can sometimes have its errors and the RNLI Weather is no longer available from our website, why we get errors and how to get the RNLI Weather data can be found by reading https://www.tbyc.org/weather-station-notes/

I posted this several years ago but the system has changed, we are now bored in Lockdown and Yachts and Yachting (now included in Sailing Today) is also now free.

This is your chance to read Yachts and Yachting  free every month (there is also loads more sailing and non sailing magazines on offer, several 1000’s). Essex and Southend Libraries have a scheme where you can check out these magazines which you can then read on an RBDigital App either on PC or Mobile, all free of charge. You of course have to have a Essex/Southend library ticket with a valid barcode.

For more information view this link Essex Libraries e-Magazines

From the same libraries site you can also get access to Press Reader, this also has many free sailing magazines but also access to Daily Newspapers.

THORPE BAY YACHT CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2020 – 10 AM

(details on how to attend the AGM will follow)

Election of General Committee for 2020/2021

Nominations are invited for the following:

The closing date for nominations is 18^th November 2020

Nominations should be sent to [email protected]

As a mark of respect, the Role of Rear Commodore (Cruising) will remain suspended until such time as a worthy successor can be appointed.