Hi, if you look closer at the options on the web site you might notice that there have been a few updates. We are still working on adding more information specifically about the new skiff. If you would like to see information displayed on the website, please contact us. (if you find that something is not working as expected, drop us an email)
Category Archives: important
New season, (re)new membership
Dear Members,
Following recent government announcements and guidance from RYA Scotland I am delighted to confirm that we expect Club sailing to resume at the beginning of April.
As you would expect there will be some restrictions in place and these will be communicated to all members. We know that these will need to be reviewed continually as the rules and guidance are revised, however we will keep you updated throughout the season.
We would like to invite you to rejoin the Club by completing your membership renewal using the online form and paying by BACS
https://forfarsailingclub.org.uk/membership/membership-form/
Membership runs from 1st April to 30th March.
Members are welcome to return their boats to Forfar Loch any time in the next few weeks in line with government travel guidelines.
There will soon be an opportunity for you to offer any further thoughts and suggestions of what you would like from your Club.
I look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks and enjoying some great sailing this season.
Helen Brown
FSC Commodore
Phase 3 Update
Good evening,
Following last Thursday’s announcement to move to phase 3, the committee have been working hard to complete our risk assessments and determine what measures need to be in place for us to be able to return to Club organised events and activities safely. This is now complete and a copy of the Club’s latest guidance, effective from tomorrow, is attached.
Please do take the time to read through the information, as you would expect we are not back to the way things were just yet. Access to the club buildings remains restricted and please do make sure that you wash/sanitise your hands before and after touching communal surfaces. Hardest of all, when another club member needs some help please stop for a moment to work out the best way to assist whilst keeping each other safe. Pulling a boat up the slipway together side by side for even a couple of minutes is likely to be a flag as far as contact tracing is concerned. However, with a bit of thought we can work as a team and still stay safe.
We are pleased to advise that Club racing will begin from this weekend and a revised program will be sent out soon. The planned windward-leeward series will run over the next four Sundays and a summer series will take place on Tuesday evenings. We have decided not to trial the Saturday race series as the radio sailors will be meeting every Saturday over the next few weeks, so please be aware of that if you plan to sail at the Club on a Saturday.
We also plan to run fun days for the younger members on Mon 27th and Tue 28th July. If your family would like to take part or assist please let me know.
Finally, if you still have a boat stored at the tattie shed, these should be collected before the end of July. (Email: forfar.sailing@gmail.com or phone Tony Walker to arrange access.) We are very grateful to Fraser for allowing us to store them longer than usual and rely on his goodwill each year.
A reminder also that membership renewals can be done online with payment by BACS.
We will continue to monitor the advice from the Scottish Government and RYA Scotland and will advise you of any changes to the arrangements over the coming weeks. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement at the club relating to covid-19 arrangements please get in touch with me or Tony.
I look forward to seeing you on the water.
All the best,
Helen Brown
FSC Commodore
From the commodore
I hope that you are well. I am sure that like me, you were all eager to hear what, if any, changes would be announced at the end of last week. Unfortunately, whilst England are taking the first steps in lifting restrictions, here in Scotland there has been no change.
As we wait for further announcements, we are continuing to monitor government advice and guidance from RYA Scotland. We are putting together a plan to restart sailing activity in a considerate and conservative way so that we are ready to return to sailing when it is permitted. Our primary consideration will be the health and safety of our members.
Meanwhile, we continue to do what we can and a number of you have been joining in with our virtual racing series. This has proved to be a pleasant distraction once a week, although I suspect that this lockdown will have to continue for some while yet before I consider that I have got the hang of it! Fortunately, some of our members have taken to it rather well and the radio sailors have demonstrated their skills very ably. My thanks to Erwin and Becci Oosterhoorn for setting up and running the sessions each week and also to Tony Walker, who has graciously kept me from finishing last! Plans to host an online quiz are also progressing and we hope to run that soon.
As you will understand, maintenance work at the Clubhouse has been unable to progress over recent weeks. However, with the dry weather that we have had over the last couple of months, the loch is at a very low level and it is an ideal time to carry out some necessary repairs to the pontoons. We have therefore ordered the required materials and plan to carry this work out in a few weeks’ time.
As the restrictions continue, we are all missing our usual activities and look forward to a return to sailing in some form in the near future. Meanwhile, we would love to hear your lockdown news, boat-related or otherwise, or any suggestions for online activities or training.
Stay safe and I hope to be able to see you soon.
Helen Brown
FSC Commodore
AUSC event cancelled
Dear members,
Just to inform you that AUSC has made the difficult decision to cancel/postpone their event next weekend due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Thank you to everyone involved in the preparation and all your offers of help, soup and bakes for the event.
AUSC Commodore, James Chapman, wanted to pass on his thanks from their whole club and the would-be-competitors, for our efforts in preparing to help us host the national championships, everyone was looking forward to the cooking that is remembered very well from the previous event.
Meanwhile, the Committee will continue to monitor the latest government advice and will let you know any further changes or plans relating to club events over the coming weeks due to the coronavirus.
All the best,
Helen
FSC Commodore
Welcome to the new season
Now we are coming out of what has been a remarkably mild winter, it’s time to think about getting boats back and looking forward to sailing again. This means it is time for memberships to be renewed and subs paid; you will find a link to the membership form further down this newsletter. We look forward to welcoming back current members and hopefully seeing some new faces as well.
Over the winter we have undertaken some
Not everyone stops sailing for the winter and Aberdeen University have made good use of the Loch for their training sessions. They planned to hold a couple of events there but in the only real cold snap of the season, the Loch froze and they had to relocate to Dundee. The radio sailors have also continued to meet over the winter and have helped with general upkeep of the grounds. They have a couple of events this year that they will host at Forfar so we look forward to seeing them in action.
As noted below the day for boats returning is Sunday 24th March and we will also hold our Half Yearly meeting that afternoon. We really hope to see as many members as possible at this to hear about the year ahead. We will also be voting in a new treasurer as Simon Brown leaves this role after two years. Thank you to Simon for keeping the accounts going, the tuck shop stocked and lots more.
The new sailing calendar is almost complete and will be emailed to everyone so you can put dates in your diary. We are returning to the system of OOD and safety boat helm on Sundays for the racing in the afternoon and to support the free sailing in the morning. We are updating the list of people who are able to use the safety boat. We think we have everyone on the list but please contact us if you see any inaccuracies. Everyone cleared to use the safety boat will be given roster dates and I thank you in advance for your support of the club. (current members will receive an email with the calendar, helm list and duty roster soon) We are also introducing a Sailing Ladder instead of the pursuit race on Thursday evenings. We hope this will encourage more people to try racing and gain the confidence to join other racing events at the club.
Finally, this year sees the club reach its 60th birthday which we plan to celebrate later in the year. Plans are still being developed and we will let you know what form this will take as soon as possible. If anyone has suggestions please contact a member of the committee.
For more details see the mail shot in full here : https://mailchi.mp/1d2148e33e86/our-sailing-season-starts-soon-read-all-about-it-here
You can also download a pdf version to print out:
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