Covid -19 Bulletin:28
Dear fellow members
What does this lockdown mean for us at the Club?
Following Monday’s announcement of a 7 week nationwide lockdown with the central message “Stay At Home”, we have been working on interpreting and clarifying the Rules and Guidelines as they affect our Club.
The aim is to strike a careful balance between keeping you, our members, our staff colleagues and Club reputation safe and yet keeping as much activity going as is allowed and reasonable in the face of this raging pandemic.
Boating for exercise
With golf courses and tennis clubs instructed to close and exercise limited to once per day and in your local area, we have concluded, with regret, that recreational boating is not a reasonable justification for essential travel, so we request that you do not visit the club to take your boat out of the Haven.
Exercise should be taken local to your village, town or part of the city you live in, so driving to the club does not fit that.
However, should you live close enough, and feel that an outing is critical for your mental health and wellbeing, then please consider the justification carefully.
In the event that you are challenged on the water, you must recognise that any consequences will be your responsibility.
Checking your boat
The yard will not be locked and yard staff will be working including on haul-out and re-launch if required.
In line with government guidance to stay at home, we do not consider winter maintenance by a member to be essential in these circumstances – it can always wait.
If you wish to delay your boat's haul-out until a later date when you will be able to work on it yourself then please call the office.
Equally we request that you confirm if your haul-out should go ahead as planned.
To support small local businesses, approved contractors are permitted to work on your boat (as allowed under the current lockdown laws).
You may contact the office [01202 672687] to book a time to visit the club to check your boat or do essential maintenance, such as battery checks, running the engine, emptying dehumidifiers. We do not consider antifouling during this time to be essential.
Night Watch Volunteers
If you have signed up for Night Watch you will still be able to carry out your duty. Mike Jones [Nightwatch@pooleyc.co.uk] will be in touch to confirm arrangements. Please contact him if you would like to join the night watch team.
Clubhouse
The Clubhouse is closed to all members. Office staff are generally working from home and there will just be a skeleton presence in the office during working hours.
Contact with the office is by phone or email.
The changing rooms and toilets will be closed – no-one should be in the club premises long enough to need to use the toilets.
Summary
The only people who should be present in the Club are: employees, approved contractors, members doing night watch duties, members making essential checks on their boats (after contacting the office).
As always we will keep all these decisions under regular review as authorities adjust their guidance. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can see our way to relaxing back towards greater freedom as the infection rates start to come under control as a result of everyone’s adherence to the lockdown rules.
Remember, the prime instruction to get us through to the point where the vaccine starts to help is STAY AT HOME.
I do very much understand how so many parts of our lives are being put under strain during this pandemic and I send to you my very best wishes and, as always, I am happy to receive any comments and questions, at any time.
I, like you, long for the time to return when we can meet up, sail, race or just have a cuppa and a natter again….those times will return.
Please stay safe
Regards
