Message from the Commodore - Covid 19

Published 13:27 on 18 Mar 2020

Dear Members,

Covid-19 Update

After the Prime Ministers address of a couple of days ago the General Committee have decided on the following actions which are in line with the Governments' latest advice. We are also taking the latest view from the RYA into consideration.

Actions

1. Bourne End Week and Junior Bourne End Week have been cancelled
2. The Open Day has been cancelled
3. The Bar and Galley are now closed for business
4. Mothers Day Lunch has been cancelled
5. The Fitting Out Supper has been cancelled
6. The Sailing Programme has been suspended
7. All training programmes, including RYA courses have been suspended
8. All club meetings will be conducted remotely, there will be no face-to-face meetings or organised gatherings on club premises

The Upper Thames Sailing Club sits firmly within a community where our reputation as a responsible and diligent club has been built up over many years. Although it is very disappointing that we have to suspend our activities in such a robust manner, we are facing an unprecedented national crisis, and we must be resolute in protecting our members, the wider community and the reputation of our club. Informal sailing by individuals may still continue and boats can be launched off club premises however, organised groups, informal racing and using the club premises as a social meeting point by members, will not be supported as this is contrary to what we are attempting to achieve.

The club is a close, family orientated community within itself which has excellent communication systems either via SCM or the Yahoo group, I would encourage and support any member who needs help, whatever that may be, to use these systems to seek support.

We will be working closely with Thames Sailing Club and the Rater Association to re-schedule the Queens Cup Event for later on in the year. You will be notified of the new date as the plans develop over the coming weeks.

Some of you may be concerned of the impact this closure has on Kathryn and Darren; please be assured that the General Committee are well aware of this and are working to seek ways in which we can support them through this crisis.

Finally, the General Committee will continue to monitor and review the situation closely and you will be updated periodically or the moment anything changes. It is our intention to resume normal activities as soon as possible. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members of the General Committee for their advice, commitment and continuing hard work during this very difficult time.

Please stay safe and well and thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Nick Smith-James

Commodore

Last updated 23:01 on 16 February 2024