Fellow Members,
I hope this email finds you in good health and spirits.
The first rays of light are now visible at the end of the tunnel. As of today’s date all travel restrictions in Wales are lifted allowing second-home owners to return to their houses, and caravan parks, self-contained rented accommodation and hotels and B&Bs are expected to open this weekend. Barring any unpleasant surprises from the First Minister later this week, bars and restaurants will be permitted to offer an al fresco service as from next Monday, 13th July, subject to distancing and other Covid-related requirements.
These relaxations mean that we are now taking the first steps towards a resumption of, albeit severely compromised, operations and I thought it would be helpful to pull together the strands of the various communications on the resumption of operations and protocols to summarise where we are up to.
This is unfamiliar territory for all of us. Contradictions and lack of clarity abound in the official rules but we are doing our best to devise procedures and protocols that meet the requirements whilst keeping inconvenience to a minimum for you. None-the-less there are bound to be teething problems and we ask for your patience and understanding as we get to grips with testing conditions.
Access to Club
The conditions under which we must operate mean that the capacity to accommodate people on the Club’s premises is reduced significantly. Clearly, members should have priority and members must not be prevented from using the Club due to the presence of non-members. For the time being, access to the Club’s premises and facilities will therefore be restricted strictly to members only. We seek your cooperation in not bringing guests to the Club.
The gates will be locked at all times so please ensure that you have your card to hand when you visit the Club.
Launch service
As advised by Steve in his email last week, a restricted launch service resumed today. Full details of the procedure and protocol were detailed in his email.
Bar
Barring any unpleasant surprises, the bar will re-open offering an al fresco service next Monday, 13th July. Mike will provide full details later in the week, but the key features will be:
Table-service only Payment by membership card only – no cash. Drinks orders by phone app or calling bar phone. We had planned to develop our own world-beating app but have decided to use an existing and proven version that is already available. Details will follow.
Cove
Plans to offer a catering service are, as yet, inchoate. Whilst food service is restricted to al fresco dining, it is simply not viable commercially to open and staff the kitchen and restaurant for the limited amount of custom that is likely. However, Dave and Owen plan to fire up the barbeque as and when weather conditions are conducive, and hope that restrictions will be eased further allowing them to offer indoor evening dining in August.
Sailing programme
The continuing ban on large gatherings rules out the hosting of any larger events and distancing rules pose serious challenges to any formal Club racing programme. A particular difficulty is the logistics of ferrying crews to and from moored boats in a timely and covid-compliant fashion. We remain hopeful, however, of being able to organise some form of racing activity in August.
I hope that the above helps to clarify the situation as it stands, and we all look forward to welcoming you back to the Club over the coming days and weeks.
With best wishes
Nick
COMMODORE
