News – 23rd August 2020

August 25, 2020 Off By Oban Sailing Club

Dear Members

I thought it would be a good time for a quick update on events, particularly on the keelboat side of things.

RYA Scotland issued new C-19 guidance on Friday with respect to further easing of restrictions coming into effect Monday 24th August.

https://www.rya.org.uk/scotland/representation/Pages/Return-to-Boating.aspx

One of the key changes is with respect to crewing of boats by mixed households. This has implications primarily for our keelboat fleet but also for safety boats. I attach the relevant document (see below). Even with this easing there is still a requirement for distancing where possible and PPE (primarily face coverings) and a requirement for these mixed households not to interact with other mixed households (i.e. other crews or other participants in an event such as dinghy sailors).

In practice, we have only a handful of weeks of the 2020 sailing season left. The general feeling within the committee is to maintain what we have been doing, with low-key sailing events, with the potential for keelboats to have additional crew on board within the guidance. It’s also worth noting one of the guiding principles from RYA Scotland which is to minimise risk by taking an extra conservative approach to our boating.  So, having said all of that, what events are coming up?

Today! 23 August – Round Kerrera Keelboat Event

In my last note I made you aware of two events that Eric Chapman has devised for keelboats. The first of these is this afternoon starting anytime between 1300 & 1430. Details attached.

Saturday 29th August – Oban>Croabh passage cruise

This passage to Croabh would normally have been a competitive race as part of the Round Shuna Weekend. This year we will just organise it in a similar fashion to the Round Kerrera event, with a ‘window’ start and boats can take their own timings for an informal event without trophies. The Round Shuna Race itself is organised by the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club for Sunday 30th August. Details are on their Facebook page. You may notice that they are advertising that Oban to Croabh is a ‘race’ – this is not the case.

Dinghies

We will continue with the dinghy sailing Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons. If they are being cancelled due to weather we’ll try and get something out on our social media. We hope to introduce some more competitive sailing on the Wednesday evening for those who wish – perhaps some short sprint races around some of the marks in the bay. It’s all low-key though – no prizes for winning.

Dungallan Park

There is a dedicated band of members who are gradually tidying up the park.  Those in and around the dinghy park area will notice that bags of refuse, old boats and decayed trolleys were gradually being piled up. Much this was removed yesterday thanks to support from Oban Skip Hire. We will continue to work through the park, meeting up on a Tuesday evening for anyone who wishes to lend a hand. At some point we’ll start sorting through the dinghy shed – this is where you can help if you have gear stored there. Please put it in a locker, take it home or put a label on it so we know who it belongs to. In the longer term we’re hoping to work with the Council to get a long term lease for that end of the park which will allow us to work with all the other users of the park to manage and upgrade the facilities there. Very much work in progress!

My thanks to everyone who has been volunteering and participating in our sailing events.

Finlo