20 Oct Sailing Newsletter – October 2021 #2
COVID Safe Sailing Update
Great news !! Australian Sailing has issued an update that effectively says subject to some restrictions that fully vaccinated people can now return to racing.
Clubs can run racing, training, coaching and learn to sail activities with the following limits
- A club can have up to 50 people gathering without a COVID-19 Safety Plan
- A club can have up to 200 people with a COVID-19 Safety Plan
- If a club wants to hold an event with more than 200 people, the club will need to apply for an exemption.
- All participants and staff aged 16+ must be fully vaccinated
- Everyone attending the club must sign in using the NSW Government QR Code and show their proof of vaccination
- Currently the NSW Government is stating that the limit on numbers will be removed from 1 December.
It has been recommended clubs have an up to date COVID-19 Safety Plan even if they are not having more than 50 people gathering. Our Covid Safety Plan is currently being updated, and it will be re-issued later this week.
If you would like to view the full update, then follow this link.
2021/22 Season
We will recommence racing on Wednesday 27 October, and Twilights will resume on Friday 29 October, and Saturday racing will commence on 30 October. We have started safety audits for fully vaccinated auditors and boat owners, but to enable boats to get back racing, the Cat 7 safety checks that expired on 30 September will be extended until 31 October. Safety Audits will be conducted over the next two weekends, and a communication regarding timing will be sent out later this week. Our sailing program will be as follows –
- Wednesday 27/10 – we will recommence Wednesday racing for double vaccinated people only.
- Friday 29/10 – we will start Twilights for double vaccinated people only.
- Saturday 30/10 – we will start Saturday racing per the current sailing program for double vaccinated people only. The races will be non-point score sweepstake races with daily prizemoney in the form of club vouchers.
- Saturday 6/11 – we have a Combined Pulbah race with RMYC and RMYC, and this race be a non-point score sweepstake race for LMYC boats.
- Saturday 13/11 – RMYC 30 Miler is on, and there is no racing at LMYC. We would encourage LMYC boats to participate.
- Sunday 14/11 – She Sails race to be rescheduled to 17 January 2022.
- Saturday 20/11 – Bay race will be a non-point score sweepstake race.
- Saturday 27/11 – an RKR race is scheduled. This will be a non-point score sweepstake race for LMYC boats.
- Wednesday 1/12 – Wednesday racing for all people regardless of vaccination status can commence
- Friday 3/12 – Twilight racing for all people regardless of vaccination status can commence
- Saturday 4/12 – The new season will officially commence with racing open to all people. Point scores will start. We will have the annual the sail past and have our traditional roast meat rolls after sailing if covid rules allow.
We will only have an annual point score for the 20221/22 season. The Bay and Pursuit series will not be awarded this year however, the combined series (RKR, Pulbah and W/L) will be. If the government changes its roadmap, then we will be can adjust our program accordingly.
For the last few years, Ross and the Handicap team have worked hard with the other clubs to have a common course handicap for each club and that the clubs would use these starting handicaps in their respective point scores. The 2021/22 Handicap has been based on the common course RKR and the whole of the Lake fleet (LMYC, RMYC, WASC) has been handicapped on this basis. This information has been advised to the other clubs, and all have supported this.
The handicappers also look at the relative BCH, AHC and CHC in the previous season. This sanity check helps us assess if the handicaps based on the common course are fair and reasonable. I want to thank the Handicap committee headed by Phil Blanch, Mick Schoevers, Ross Ahrens and the Sailing Committee for their diligent work preparing the TCF’s and Divisional Allocations this year. These people volunteer their time year on year so we can have fair and competitive sailing at LMYC. The process that Phil has developed with Ross and previous handicappers is exhaustive and fact-based. The close results in all Divisions last year are clear evidence that the handicapping process we have in place works.
In previous years there has been a clear gap between the slowest boat in one division and the fastest boat in the division below. There was a clear gap around 0.800, so the split between Division 2 and 3 was fairly clear. However, there is no clear natural gap between Division 1 and Division 2, so where we chose to draw the line where it has been for the last three years at 0.900. This means three boats have moved from Division 2 to Division 1, and given we have a shortened season we hope that the impacted boats embrace this challenge and show the larger boats in Division 1 how to race.
Saturday Race fees will be refunded on a pro-rata basis in December. The refund will be based on the number of races the boat does not compete in up to 1 December ie: if a boat doesn’t compete in any races up to 1 December then the refund will be 12/26 of the annual fee, if a boat competes in all of the Saturday races from 30 October to 1 December, then the refund will be 8/26 of the annual fee.
Thanks To Our Sponsors
I would like to make special mention of our sponsors for the upcoming season. These people support sailing, and if you can support them as well, that would be appreciated.
- Marmong Point Marina (Wednesday Series/Corporate Sponsor)
- Buy’a’Boat (Bay Series)
- Crusoe’s on the Lake (Pursuit Series)
- Stephen Pearson Electrical (Twilight Series)
- Hillier’s Advisors (She Sails Series)
- Fever Tree (She Sails Series)
- Lake Macquarie Moorings (Winter Series)
- JR Marine (RKR Series)
- Whitworths (RKR Series)
- Newcastle Skin Check (Pulbah Series)
- Coastal Shipwright Services (Combined Windward Leeward Series)
- Gerry Wubbel’s Automatics (Club Supporter)
- Bella Group Services (Club Supporter)
- Adam’s Family Meats (Club Supporter)
- Sticky Digital (Club Supporter)
- Cutcher & Neale (Club Supporter)
All the best and please stay safe,
Steven Ford
Rear Commodore LMYC