Month: July 2020

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Summer Training Courses

Excellent news –   We can now announce 4 weeks of Junior sailing sessions at CSC for Summer 2020.  It will be available to book from next week, however payment for courses is to be made in cash on the first day of the weekly session.

Each week will provide excellent sailing sessions for pods of 10 Juniors with fully qualified instructors to ensure all attendees will gain experience on the water while adhering to government restrictions for Covid -19.

Our CSC instructors Andrew Penney, Jackson Smyth , Katie Nelson and Andrew Byres will be joined by our new instructor Ellen McCarlie.

Summer Training Courses
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CSC Outdoor Bar Opening Hours 11th and 12th July

Further to last week’s email, Carrickfergus Sailing Club is pleased to announce that its bar facilities will be open for members on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July, from 14:00 – 18:00. The clubhouse remains closed and only the bar staff, cleaning staff and committee members will have access. We had a successful calm and dry day last Saturday, followed by a wash out on Sunday, so fingers crossed for a good weekend!

Restrictions on social distancing remain and we all need to stay alert and safe to prevent further waves. While we want you to have fun meeting up with friends we need to be mindful that coronavirus has not gone away so please see reminders below for your safety:

•        Stay 2 metres away from those not within your social or family bubble

•        Use the hand sanitiser, disinfectant spray and blue roll 

•        Toilets available within changing rooms, accessible by side door

•        Order your drinks from the waiting staff on the balcony, do not queue on the stairs

•        Keep your tables tidy, dispose of empties in the bins provided

•        Contactless is the preferred method of payment

•        Your names will be recorded for tracing purposes, these records are kept for 3 weeks

•        Only drinks purchased from the bar allowed, feel free to bring your own picnic or snacks

•        Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times

•        Continue to close the main gate on arrival and departure

These are not normal times and as we slowly start to edge out of lockdown we ask you all for your co-operation, patience and support as the situation we find ourselves in is new to us all. The Committee are working hard to restore as many facilities as we can, always in line with Government and RYA guidelines. It is great to see our sailors are starting to get back on the water and we continue to plan for a return to club racing as soon as we can. 

Things are changing so quickly and advice can sometimes change on a daily basis but our priority is to ensure the health and wellbeing of our members and of our staff. We will review the provision of the bar facility weekly and if social distancing is not adhered to we will consider closing again, until such times as it is safe to open up.

Please direct any 2020 Membership queries to membership@carrickfergussc.org

The Commodore and committee look forward to welcoming you back at Carrickfergus Sailing Club in the very near future. 

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CSC Reopening of bar facility

Carrickfergus Sailing Club is pleased to announce that it is reopening the bar to members from Saturday 4th July. In line with the government guidelines, the only option at present (without serving food) is bar service in an outdoor area. We are lucky to have an extensive grass area with beautiful views and if the weather picks up again it will be a delightful area for our members to meet up, albeit socially distanced. The clubhouse remains closed and only the bar staff, cleaning staff and committee members will have access. Unfortunately, we are not yet in a position to offer catering, so for the time being we are only permitted to use an outside space to serve drinks. We hope to recommence catering soon.
Initially the opening hours will be 14:00 – 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays but this will be regularly reviewed. The temporary arrangements will only work if the weather is good so lets hope for a good summer…at least until further relaxation and government guidance.  Drinks cannot be ordered at the bar but members orders will be taken by the waiting staff at the balcony area. Drinks will be prepared by a member of bar staff and the waiting staff will serve at an agreed table.
Rather than presenting your bar card please advise the server of your number so discount can be applied. We have a new bluetooth card machine so contactless is the preferred method of payment.
We will naturally be observing all the government protocols on social distancing, hand hygiene and queues similar to how you see it in local shops and supermarkets. We will have hand sanitisers available for use and soap and water will be available within the toilets, as well as disinfectant spray and hand towels. The only toilets in use will be in the ladies and gents changing areas, accessible from the side door. There is limited capacity so you may have to queue.
There are picnic tables and other chairs available for use but please feel free to bring your own chairs or picnic rugs. Please bear in mind social distancing at all times, you should only be in groups from the same household or social bubble. Some members may be nervous about coming out again and we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable but more importantly, safe. Children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult at all times. 
Only drinks purchased from the bar will be permitted on the premises. While catering is not yet available members are free to bring some food and snacks on the premises but please take your litter home or use the bins provided.
The premises are open to members only at this time. Names of those on the premises during the opening hours will be kept in case of tracing requirements, for a period of 21 days. Please DO NOT come into the grounds if you, or anyone you have been on contact with, are showing signs of Covid-19. If you show symptoms within 2 weeks of being on the premises please advise a member of the Committee. 
Please continue to close the main gate on arrival and departure.
These are not normal times and as we slowly start to edge out of lockdown we ask you all for your understanding, patience and support as the situation we find ourselves in is new to us all. The Committee are working hard to restore as many facilities as we can, always in line with Government and RYA guidelines. Things are changing so quickly and advice can sometimes change on a daily basis but our priority is to ensure the health and wellbeing of our members and of our staff. It is great that our sailors are starting to get back on the water and we continue to plan for a return to club racing as soon as we can.

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Slipway open for recreational use

The slipway was finally opened this week for recreational sailing use by members and one of the first families to take advantage of the reopening and widened slip for the first time were the Calvin family.

Neil has been instrumental in the resurgence of dinghy sailing in the club after returning home from university and initially getting a fleet of Lasers on the water, which has progressed into the RS 400 fleet.
He has also been involved in assisting the Club obtain the vital planning permission for the widened slip.

As a junior sailor Neil was one of the team of junior sailors who completed the challenge  to sail an optimist dinghy across the North Channel to Scotland and actively sailed Mirror dinghies before progressing into Lasers. It was good therefore to see him along with his children, junior members Emily and Ollie take to the water not in the RS 400 but their newly acquired Pico recently purchased from the club fleet to make way for our new RS Qubas.

During the 1980’s Neil’s father and mother Ray and Maggie who were for many years responsible for junior training at the club, sailed a yellow Ruffian 23 called Bounder for a number of years before progressing to much larger yachts and many sailing adventures abroad.

Emily and Ollie have named their yellow Pico ” Little Bounder” in memory of their grand parents boat and took to the water wearing Ray and Maggie’s “Bounder”  caps from the original boat.

The Calvin’s were quickly followed on to the water on Saturday afternoon by the MacFarlane family who decided to wait until there was a full tide and a strong southerly wind head on to the slip. No balmy evenings for them!

Frank, like Neil started life as a junior sailor in the club and progressed through the junior training programme and various boats into Lasers and eventually his own RS400.

Frank has also been actively involved in assisting the Club achieve the slipway improvement and as an Environmental Engineer prepared the essential Environmental Management Plan for the works to support the planning application and importantly obtained the necessary Marine License to allow the works to proceed and has been invaluable in the slipway development.

Frank’s boat of choice for the first launch off the slip was not his RS400 but again the Pico and whilst he worked out his plan for tacking off the slip dispatched his children junior members Ana and Matthew to clear the seaweed for him!

Frank successfully completed a full tack out off the slip in a strong headwind something which would have been impossible off the original slip, particularly for the conditions encountered on Saturday. 

Frank, Ana and Matthew enjoyed a great sail in the harbour reminding us all of the benefit of this facility for training and sailing on those unfavorable days.

Hopefully as restrictions ease we will see not only the Calvin’s and MacFarlane’s but many other families and individuals take advantage of the improved slip and get on the water over the summer months while we all look forward to full activity returning and hopefully an official opening event.