Coronavirus Update (2020-03-18)

I hope that you are all well and that you and your families are safe in these uncertain times. The Executive Committee has had to take some difficult decisions to safeguard the health and welfare of all members and employees, and the future of WLYC. The situation is fluid and, by the time you read this, may well have changed, so please always refer to the current guidance from the government when deciding what to do.

I’ll give you the highlights first so that you can be clear about the position of the Club.

• Sailing is a healthy activity and members are encouraged to continue sailing. The Club is still open to all members, so use your key, come down to the Club and sail your boat. Please be mindful of the dangers of associating in groups, and of your responsibility to others.

• We’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend all Bar and Galley activities and postpone our Social Events and private hire bookings, for health and safety reasons, from Monday 23rd March until the end of April. We will review this situation in late April. Sadly, this period includes our Fitting Out Race Supper and our Open Day (which we’re postponing until later in the season).

• We are looking at ways to continue a sailing programme throughout the year, including the Fitting Out Race, although this race will be not be the formal occasion that we know and love. Indeed, it may be that this season will become a set of ‘Mates Races’ rather than our formal programme.

• Similarly, we are looking at providing a Junior and Adult Training programme, but we are awaiting further developments and guidance before deciding when they can be run.

Finally, I’d like to express a more personal message. WLYC is more than a Club .... it’s a family … and we must all look out for each other. Please know that you are all part of a social network and that help from a fellow member is never far away.

We will let you know if the situation changes (as it will). Look at the website and Mail Chimp for communications and use our Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups to stay in touch with each other. Please pass messages on to those who may not have access to social media.

Stay safe
Dr Richard Stubbs
Commodore WLYC
(2020-03-18)