Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

Tel: 01702 587 563

Hi all I hope you are all keeping safe and well and have enjoyed our safe and fantastic club since reopening on the 4th July. Who would believe it has only been 2 ½ months that we have been reopened it seems much longer to me!

The support and encouragement to myself the general committee and staff has been amazing and as always shows the strength, character and quality of the members of our club.

Most of you will be aware that I took the difficult decision to close the club yesterday evening. To allay any fears, I would like to let you all know my decision process for this.

It was brought to my attention yesterday afternoon that one of our staff had been asked to isolate, as another person in contact with them had been found to be Covid positive (not a TBYC Member) , all be it very remotely.

At this time I was unsure, as it was a member of staff at what point we should further isolate other staff. So as a precautionary measure I instructed the club to close for the evening.

Personally, and as a committee, we pride ourselves in being cautious and yesterday’s actions whilst some may consider to be a knee jerk reaction. I personally would much rather be criticised for shutting when not necessary than not shutting if necessary.

To explain, I have checked Track and trace which works in this way

· If any person has a positive test, then NHS Track and trace contacts people they have been in immediate contact with and ask them as a precautionary measure to self-isolate for up to 14 days.

· The people who have then isolated from above then notify others they have been in contact with, that they are isolating

· The people who have then been notified by the person who is now isolating need do no more unless symptoms arise then they must get a test.

So, in our case yesterday everything was done correctly the person asked to isolate did so, then contacted James to advise the isolation. At that point we could have continued. However as mentioned above and to be cautious. I paused the club for the evening just to ensure safety for all.

This morning I have had a meeting with the key people involved, to assess our decision and the latest HM Government advice. And to more robustly interrogate the rules of track and trace.

As a result, I am pleased to announce we are open again from lunch time today.

As a further precaution, I have brought in staff earlier, to perform a deep clean and sanitise of the kitchen, bar and all surfaces around the club. More for comfort than necessity.

Further to recent HM Government changes from the 22ndSeptember, clarified most recently on their web site (https://www.gov.uk/…/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you…)

We must now tweak the way that we operate to ensure we remain on the safe side. The key changes are:

· Face coverings must be worn when visiting the club. How does this affect you? Please ensure you always have a face mask when visiting and wear this around the club unless seated.

· The club must also be table service only now. How does this affect you? Please enter the club then immediately proceed to a table then order via text, your drinks or food will be delivered to you. Do not order from the bar. Our staff know most of you and if you are having difficulties ordering, they may come to you and take your order. I would ask you to be patient with this process.

· Tables are restricted to a maximum of 6 people.

How does this affect you? HM government have put a very ambiguous guidance note for this point which says:

“Venues following COVID-19 Secure guidelines can host more than 6 people in total, but no one should visit in a group of greater than 6 (unless you are all from the same household or support bubble). When you visit one of these places, such as a pub, shop, leisure venue, restaurant or place of worship you should: follow the limits on the number of other people you should meet with as a group (it will be illegal to be in a group of more than six from outside of your household or support bubble). If your household and/or support bubble is larger than 6 people, this is your largest permitted group and you cannot meet as a group with any additional people.”

We at TBYC find this impossible to police. So, to ensure both the safety of our staff and members, we must insist that tables and chairs are no longer rearranged, and people stay to a maximum of six people regardless of family or bubble size.

We have strived to keep the current layout as socially interactive as possible with screens and table positioning. But we need your help to keep us open and safe, as none of us really know all 1100 members and where they live or if they are in a bubble.

· Our times have changed and are as follows:

Bar Opening: Lunch Evening

· Tuesday – Thursday 11.00 – 15.00 18.00 – 22.00

· Friday 11.00 – 22.00

· Saturday 11.00 – 22.00

· Sunday 11.00 – 21.00

Kitchen Opening:

· Tuesday – Wednesday 11.30 – 14.30 18.00 – 20.00

· Thursday 11.30 – 14.30

· Friday 11.30 – 14.30 17.30 – 20.00

· Saturday – Sunday 11.30 – 14.30

We are continuing with our signing in book at present, as this covers our legal requirements to record visits for NHS track and trace and eliminates the possibility of confusion, as to which way you should record your visit. Please complete this fully and individually for each visit. However, I would encourage all members to download and use the NHS COVID-19 app as this will help all combat this disease.

Finally in closing, I personally along with the general committee and staff will continue do all we can to keep TBYC the safe premier club that we all enjoy.

Steve Hopper Commodore