Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

Tel: 01702 587 563

TBYC Roadmap 2021

Positive News. TBYC Road Map as it appears currently and subject to the Government not moving backwards or forwards on their own road map and also taking into account current RYA guidelines updated on the 25/2/21.

Mon March 8th. Access lifted to dinghy park to allow members to get access to their own personal equipment only, to go sailing in line with Government guidelines. The Club slipway CANNOT  be used to launch and recover members personal boats as this would breach Government rules and RYA legal advice. Club work continues to be permitted on site and also paid work on members boats but access to members to work on their own boats is not permitted before the 29th March. The Government advice remains STAY AT HOME AND EXERCISE LOCALLY.

Mon 29th March. Outdoor sporting facilities open. Access to dinghy park and Club slipway for all members and sailing and racing can resume. The toilets will be open but the changing rooms will remain shut.

Thurs 1st April. lift in for support boats and any Cruisers or Sandhoppers that are ready and in a position to be lifted in.

Fri 2nd April. Dinghy boats can return to the dingy park although some may not go into their allotted slot until 2nd Lift in is sorted. Full Easter racing calendar will commence.

Mon 12th April. Club changing rooms will open. Alcohol can be served outdoors.We MAY decide to open the Club Bar a few days for limited hours during good weather if the demand is there.

Fri 16th April. Lift in for ALL remaining Sandhoppers and Cruisers. this gives all owners nearly 3 weeks, 2 weekends including Easter bank holiday weekend to sort their boats since access was allowed to all from the 29th March.

Tues 18th May. Club house reopens

Mon 21st June. National restrictions lifted no restrictions at the club.

Mon 9th -13th Aug. Planning for Cadet week is now actively underway.

Sat 4th Sept Summer Ball (Revised date).

As we progress throughout the year relevant Social distancing rules applicable to members attending the Club at that time will be updated and notified to all members.

If anybody needs to discuss then please phone me but it is worth looking at the RYA guidance first as this is what we have used to issue our road map as it currently stands and has been agreed by the General Committee.

Adrian Bunting

Commodore TBYC.

 

TBYC Notice to Members No. 9
Hi All

With more information being issued by the HM Government, our regulating body the RYA and the PLA, you will be pleased to know your committee will stand by its decision that the dinghy park and sailing without club involvement still stands.

However, it would be remiss of your committee not to share the latest details from each body, so you can make your own choices. With that in mind and taking into account our last notice number 8, further guidance and advice can be found:

HM Government. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae#history

RYA. https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/new-national-restrictions.aspx

PLA. https://server1.pla.co.uk/assets/14of2020-sportrecreationonthethames-covid-19update6thnovember2020.pdf

We would seriously urge you all to read the guidance and regulations

Kind Regards

Steve Hopper Commodore

TBYC Notice to Members No. 8
Following the recent HMG guidelines enforced from the 5^th November and the RYA Interpretation of these regulations can be viewed here –  https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/coronavirus-advice-and-information-for-recreational-boaters.aspx

Coming to the dinghy park and going sailing is associated with risks. It is your choice, your decision, your responsibility at your own risk. The General Committee requests that you follow the rules below to ensure safety to all members.

The Committee has therefore decided, at this point in time, that whilst the club house and changing rooms will need to close, the dinghy park can be accessed, and free sailing is still possible. The toilets will remain open. These regulations will be reviewed regularly and further amendments to these guidelines may be issued.

General Rules and Guidance for Dinghy Park & Water Activities

• Please observe social distancing at all times. Do not go within 2 metres of other people
• Please avoid touching common surfaces and regularly wash your hands
• Please cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing
• Please proceed around the dinghy park, car park, beach and slipway with caution and consideration to others
• Do not be afraid to ask another member ‘to keep their distance’, but always do so politely and with consideration so they will not be offended
• If the number of people becomes a risk, then restrictions may apply. This will only be introduced if absolutely necessary and only to protect our members
• If you or anyone from your household or anyone you have had contact with are showing symptoms of Covid 19 do not come to the club or dinghy park but follow Government guidelines, self-isolating for 14 days
• Whilst we will have installed areas to wash your hands to assist you in keeping safe, we remind you that you are at your own risk entirely and further recommend you carry your own PPE and hygiene supplies
• Do not share water or fill from the hoses or sinks to further reduce the risk of transmission

Movement and use specifically of the car park and dinghy park

• Please refer to the diagram along with this information for signage and safety equipment
• We have provided knee operated hand washing facilities as detailed on the diagram
• When setting up and rigging your boats please do so in the grass car park to enable better distancing
• When walking and travelling around the dinghy park and passing others please ensure social distancing is observed at all times. If needed wait and let others pass

On the Water Guidance

• Please be mindful of any actions you may take that could result in the requirement of emergency services
• Supervised and any organised activities are not possible at this point, so you go afloat entirely at your own risk
• All applicable TBYC rules still apply
• Check your equipment to ensure it is fit to go afloat
• Check tide times and go afloat on the incoming tide in preference
• Check a weather forecast just before going afloat this can be found on the club website https://www.tbyc.org/weather-station/
• Consider the wind direction. Northerly winds are more dangerous as its not so obvious to gauge the wind strength and when in trouble you will be blown away from the shore. Also consider the strength. Do not go if the conditions are above your ability.
• Let someone know you are going afloat and when you have returned
• If you are going afloat during a quiet time i.e. early mornings / early evenings or during the week, try and buddy up with other members around
• Always wear a buoyancy aid
• Take a paddle
• Have at least a 10m painter attached to the bow of your boat
• Take a method of communication with you. Ship to shore radio if you have one or your mobile phone. Making sure there is sufficient battery life on your device for the time afloat. Take both if you have them.

TBYC on water limited activity and current status

• The usual sailing programme is suspended. However, it is being reviewed on a weekly basis and will resume when it is possible to do so
• The Dutyman system is also suspended at this time and we will operate strictly on a volunteer basis

Please note that there will be no safety boat cover during the lockdown period.

The club house and changing rooms remain closed until further notice.

 

TBYC Notice to Members No. 7 – Forthcoming Lockdown

As always during these ever-changing times your committee are once again working hard to navigate the club through the latest announcement from HM Government.

We had another extra ordinary committee meeting last night to discuss what we know at the moment and the impact and initial actions we must take.

It is with much frustration and sadness that once again we must close the club house. Due to these regulations the club will close initially from Wednesday evening at 22.00hrs at least until the 2nd December or until such times that HM Government allow us to open.

We have far more knowledge and experience of how we may operate safely for each element of our club and see the elements in 5 specific categories:

Club House, Bar & Restaurant
On the Water Activities
Dinghy Park Access
Toilet Access
Changing Room Access
As always with these announcements the devil is in the detail and as a committee, we have postponed any decision on items 2 – 5 until that detail is clearly defined or by tomorrow evening 4th November.

Our promise to the members is that if we can retain any element of the club this time we will do. However as always this will only be done after careful consideration to the safety of all staff and members.

Further advice to follow

In the meantime, keep safe
Kind Regards
Steve Hopper, Commodore

TBYC Notice to Members No. 6

Hi All

Once again, we have yet another consideration to guide our club through. On the 12^th of October, to be implemented on the 17^th October, the government announced yet another version of how the country must try to fight the virus. This, as I’m sure you are aware, brought in different measures in different locations. The government refer to this as a tier system, but is also known as Medium (Tier 1), High (Tier 2) and Very High (Tier 3) levels of alert – restrictions.

The guidance to this which was published just recently,  gives us as a club a further dilemma. Our members are generally local but also come from areas in different Tiers. See at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-levels-what-you-need-to-know

You can also find out which Tier you are in at : https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions

The club is still in Tier 1 so we are not affected as far as opening is concerned at this point.

However again, this does affect how we as a club must operate.

In short:

If you are in Tier 1 then you can continue to enjoy the club under its current restrictions

If you are in a Tier 2 area you may only sit at a table with people from your household or one person living alone who you have exclusively formed a single bubble with.

If you are in Tier 3 then you may not visit the club at present.

This for the club is almost impossible for us to police so we have to ask you to be aware of which Tier your home address is in and abide by the rules accordingly to ensure all are safe when visiting our club. We would also respectfully ask that you add which tier you are in when signing in please.

This I know is far from ideal and all I can say is your committee will work swiftly and diligently to amend any rules as soon as we are able to do so.

In the meantime, keep safe
Kind Regards
Steve Hopper Commodore

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