COMMODORE’S REGATTA – SUNDAY 28th JUNE
Our first regatta of the year!! Three races back to back with the first starting promptly at 10am. Please arrive at 9am to help the race management team run the event within the current guidelines. There will be a sailors briefing outside the Clubhouse at 9:20am, current social distancing rules apply.
Please sign up here: https://webcollect.org.uk/scsc/event/commodores-regatta-2
After the success of last Thursdays test event, we are preparing for our first competitive series out on the water.
We are asking all members who wish to race this Sunday morning, 21 June, to sign up in advance so that we can manage numbers and ensure compliance with Government of Jersey COVID-19 guidelines.
Please ensure you have watched the presentation from our Commodore with the new procedures in place to ensure we can all enjoy safe and fun sailing. https://www.loom.com/share/f233b5fb57b1465eb55d2a6ce3b7b618
Club dinghies cannot be used at this time.
Please sign up here: Sunday sailing- Gala / Bel Val Series 1,2,3
Thank you for your support, it’s great to be back on the water again!
In preparation for your own return to St Catherine’s Sailing Club, please use the link below to view a presentation on the necessary precautions that need to be taken to be compliant with Government guidelines: View Presentation
Dear Members,
As you will be aware, at 12am this morning the Government moved the Island to Level 2 and a set of guidelines that offer us the opportunity to restart organised sailing events at St Catherine’s Sailing Club.
This is great news, however this will not be a straight forward return to our usual racing and open use of the Club facilities, as the 2m distancing rule and risks involved through surface contamination require us to plan for a considerate and conservative approach to any activities we undertake for the foreseeable future.
I can now share with you that our first return to sailing event will be on the evening of Thursday 18th June at 7pm, with this being run very much as a ‘Return to Sailing’ event. The race management team for this and future events will be communicated via an updated Dutyman calendar.
Amendments to the 2020 Sailing Calendar and Sailing Instructions can be found using the following links:
Revised Sailing Programme 2020
Revised Regatta Programme 2020
Sailing Instructions – Amendment 1
Sailing Instructions – Amendment 2
The General, Sailing and House Committees, together with a specially formed COVID team have been working hard on a planned return to sailing programme for the benefit of the members. My sincere thanks go to all the individuals involved in planning our return so far.
It will however, require everyone to play their part in making our return to sailing successful, whether club official, sailor, family member or supporters, I would encourage everyone to play a part in achieving this.
Tomorrow, I will post a presentation to communicate the necessary precautionary measures that we will all need to take throughout the activity from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave the site. Please take time to sit and view this presentation at some stage over the weekend, especially with our younger sailors, so that everyone is prepared prior to the forthcoming sailing events.
Some of you may have questions or may still have concerns over returning to the Club, if so please do not hesitate to contact a committee member for advice. Remember it is up to your discretion whether to attend a sailing event or not, particularly if you are concerned about your health. We would ask members who are feeling unwell, particularly with coughs and cold like symptoms to not to sail or visit the Club at this time.
Training activities through the Club continue to be suspended under the current guidelines, with the Tony Cavey Training Centre team working in collaboration with the RYA to plan a successful return. An announcement will be made by Centre Principal Justin Horton in due course.
It has been a long and frustrating 12 weeks and we are very much looking forward to seeing you at the Club and on the water.
Happy Sailing!
Dave Jones – Commodore
Dear Members,
Thank you for your patience over the last few months during which time St Catherine’s Sailing Club has been closed as a sailing centre due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
By adhering to the current Government guidelines we are still unable to offer any organised sailing activities as, along with all dinghy sailing clubs across the UK, the 2m distancing rule and risks involved through surface contamination continue to prevent us from returning at this time.
Your committee has, however, been working in collaboration with the RYA and Jersey Sport to plan a considerate and conservative return to sailing as soon as soon as we can.
This will not be a straightforward return to racing and training as we know it, but committee members and volunteers are all keen to provide some form of competitive activity at the Club and will be working hard to make this happen for the benefit of our members.
Please watch this space for updates over the coming weeks, as any return to sailing will be announced and the requirements for participating communicated to you.
In the meantime, please check your boats for seaworthiness and continue to enjoy your own private sailing sessions in a responsible manner (Ref. Website Post 4th May).
The Clubhouse facilities remain out of use until further notice.
Best regards
Dave Jones – Commodore
In the absence of our usual on the water activities, we are all set to run the following virtual racing events:
Summer Evening Series (every Thursday) – starts Thursday 21st May to Thursday 2nd July. 3 races will be held each evening starting at 7pm.
Jubilee Regatta – Sunday 31st May – 5 races back to back starting at 10 am.
There will be prizes for the winners of virtual racing events to be given at our Annual Prizegiving Dinner in November.
Race Officer of the day for each event will be your Commodore (Pseudonym ‘St Cath’s DJ’) who will be online for a pre-race chat via a Zoom call prior to the racing.
If you would like to join in with this racing, register for free on the Inshore area https://www.virtualregatta.com/en/inshore-game/
Race Entry – please register your intention to race by sending your name and ‘Pseudonym’ to Dave at drjonesjersey@gmail.com There are only 20 places so first come, first served. Get practising!
Congratulations to St Catherine’s Laser dinghy sailor Will Dengate, who has been awarded the 14th annual Jersey Clipper Bursary, worth £1,000, which will assist greatly in his attendance at offshore training events to realise his ambition of representing Great Britain in future European and World Championships.
Congratulations also to university student Lizzie Ellison who has been awarded £500 to help her gain an RYA Yachtmaster qualification. Lizzie, currently studying for a PhD in oceanography at Imperial College London, has been a keen dinghy sailor at St Catherine’s Sailing Club for many years.
Well done to you both!
Well done to all those who took part in the virtual regatta on Liberation Day. Once again, the Raimbault boys showed everyone a clean pair of heels until a certain 1980’s Fireball Maestro turned up and surprised everyone by winning the last two races!
Fast, frantic and good fun!
In the absence of the scheduled Liberation Regatta, we are all set to run three races back to back as a Virtual Regatta event on Saturday 9th May starting at 10:30 am. Virtual racing will take place in 49er’s in the Portsmouth bay area.
Whilst it would not be appropriate to award the actual trophies for this regatta series, it has been agreed by your committee that prizes will be given for the winners of each race at our Annual Prizegiving Dinner.
Race 1 ‘Virtual Vega’
Race 2 ‘Beagle Bit Coins’
Race 3 ‘Virtual Liberation’
Race Officer of the day will be your Commodore (Pseudonym ‘St Cath’s DJ’) who will be online for a pre-race chat via a Zoom call from 10am.
If you would like to join in with this racing, register for free on the Inshore area https://www.virtualregatta.com/en/inshore-game/
Race Entry – please register your intention to race by sending your name and ‘Pseudonym’ to Dave at drjonesjersey@gmail.com There are only 20 places so first come, first served. Get practising!
Whilst the good news is that Level 4 of the Government’s latest measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus gives us the opportunity to sail again, please be advised that the Clubhouse and facilities will remain closed until further notice to mitigate against the risk of infection through surface contamination and the gathering of groups larger than the GoJ guidelines.
Under the Level 4 guidance it is now possible to go sailing, with up to two other individuals in support, as long as physical distancing can be achieved throughout the activity.
Please also adopt a ‘Sail and Go’ approach to any planned sailing activity, arriving and going home dressed for sailing.
Please be aware of the safety factors involved and that it is your responsibility to take the necessary precautions without the benefits of the usual Club safety cover or equipment.
Check the weather forecast.
Be aware of the capabilities of every sailor and match this to the conditions in the Bay.
Wear your buoyancy aid.
If possible, have someone ashore in support.
Keep within the Bay whilst sailing.
Take a handheld VHF.
Jersey Coastguard are available for advice or information on VHF Channel 82 or by phoning 447705.
Don’t forget that the current stated time for activities away from home is 4 hours, including travel time.