As we go into 2021, the Sailing Committee are making plans for sailing this year, mindful that it is likely to be several months before we can get back to anything like normal.

• The 2021 programme covering the period from April to December will be published on the website next week. It has all the events scheduled, but no duties have been allocated yet. We will start allocating duties for April and May in early February.
• The new version of the Racing Rules of Sailing (2021-2024) is available for use from the 1st January. There are relatively few changes this time; though a renumbering of the rules and some overlap with SYC Sailing Instructions means that we need to update our documents and also make a few small changes to raceManager. This needs to be done carefully and will take a little time. The Sailing Committee have therefore agreed to postpone the adoption of the new RRS until the first race of the Spring Series. We will post a summary of the changes to the RRS when the new Sailing Instructions are released.
• Finally the Sailing Committee has been pleased by the growth of numbers in the Slow Handicap fleet. Based on feedback from some fleet members we are making a proposal to move some classes from the Slow Handicap to the Fast Handicap fleet, starting in the Spring Series. Before finalising the change we would like to get the views of all competitors so please take a look at the proposed changes in the forum topic "Fleet Moves 2021" and let us know your views.

The current national lockdown ends at midnight on December 2nd.
Devon will enter Tier 2 restrictions along with other South West areas.
The General Committee consider that we are able to reopen the Yacht Club for individual free sailing activity on December 3rd and return to the racing programme on December 6th. Entries will open for racing on Monday November 30th.
Please respect the regulations relating to social distancing and group gatherings. Mark Elkington will update the COVID rules accordingly.

Just before the national lockdown started on November 5th, the men’s changing room was divided into six sections for the purpose of changing from sailing gear into dry clothes after sailing. The women’s changing room is available as previously.
Note: Entry doors have had their locks removed and swing to after entry. Please do not jam doors open. This is to preserve warm air inside.
As before, sailors are asked to arrive in their sailing gear. No kit bags or clothing are to be left in the changing area. Please leave the areas as quickly as possible so that others can use the facility. The on-demand heating is operating but there are no showers or warm water supplies. Windows are to be left open for adequate ventilation.
Please respect these conditions of use. The virus is still with us and we should not relax our vigilance.

A limited galley service serving hot food and drinks is available on race days.
However, the Clubhouse is still off-limits to non-galley-duty members.

In case of emergencies, the room to the left of the boat shed has been temporarily fitted out for the treatment of hypothermia. The door is not locked and full instructions are posted inside.

For everybody’s safety, the changing areas and toilet facilities are disinfected with a fogging spray on Fridays and Mondays. Tracy, our cleaner, dons her green hazard suit to spray the areas. Please respect her activity if you meet her on those days.

Enjoy your sailing!

Starcross YC COVID-19 Secure Policy

(See updated Starcross YC COVID-19 Secure Policy)

I'm not sure what I have done to deserve the penance of trying to make sense of the government's COVID regulations and the RYA's COVID guidelines, but that seems to be my life at the moment. Changes made by both organisations mean that we need to make some changes to our COVID procedures if we want to remain on the right side of the law. Please read the following carefully as it applies to ALL members.

The club is required to keep contact details of EVERY visitor to the club premises. For participants in the racing we can use the sign on details you give us through the online system when you enter the race. For free sailors and those who leisure sail during the week we have introduced a similar online system that allows you to register your visits. For members doing club duties (OOD, safety boat, galley) we can use the dutyman records. These systems will cover the majority of visits to the club but there is still a significant minority of visits not covered - for example, family members watching the racing or freesailing, boat bimblers, contractors etc. For these visits we offer a couple of options for you - either complete one of the paper slips that are available from the Members' Room porch and post it in the box provided, OR if you have downloaded the government's contact tracing app, scan the club's QR code which you can find displayed at various points on the club premises.

On Saturday 10th October, Tesni King and Izzy Smith went down to Windsport International in Falmouth for a coaching session with ex Olympian Tom Phipps.

We spent time at the beginning of the day discussing and identifying our aims; since we both race regularly on Hurricane’s we were both interested in developing our sailing techniques and being able to apply them to racing to ultimately make us go faster and win!

After agreeing on focusing first on gaining speed upwind and downwind, we rigged and got out onto the water. We were sailing a Topaz 16 which is a small catamaran, ideal for us in the strong wind and gusty conditions that we had.  Once on the water we did a bit of follow the leader, where we followed Tom, on the rib, and tried to get as close as possible without hitting him, adjusting boat speed by playing the sails as well as swerving where necessary.

Next we focused on upwind sailing, practising sailing close to the wind and controlling the boat during gusts (by letting the main sail out and heading up slightly). During this exercise we began to work as a team really well, quickly learning how much each of us would react to the gusts; for example, Izzy knew how much Tesni would head up and therefore how much main to let out and vice versa.  We also worked on our tacking and how to get in off the wire and back out on the other side efficiently, remembering to shorten our trapeze wires to come in and lengthen them again once we get going to provide more leverage. Throughout the course of the day we improved massively and by the end our tacks had got a lot quicker.

We are legally required to keep a record of all visitors to the SYC site. (See also Starcross YC COVID-19 Secure Policy.)
If you haven't signed on for racing, Free Sailing or individual sailing, or entered your name in the sign-on book (see end of article), you can register your presence using the NHS App instead.

• Download and install the correct App
  (Android or iOS) 

• At SYC, open the App and select 'Venue check-in'

• Point your phone at the poster (several placed around the Club) from about 2 ft away. Within seconds…

As we make the approach to colder weather and lower water temperatures, we should be aware of the effects of exposure to them. A state known as hypothermia is where the human body core temperature is reduced and needs assistance to recover. Old methods of a hot bath or shower are no longer acceptable as they could induce more serious conditions leading to cardiac arrest in severe cases. 

The following document has been put together by Peter Schranz  and edited by Sarah Peat (both healthcare professionals) to help us better understand the symptoms of and the treatment for hypothermia.

Within the next week, the space we are developing as a facility for disabled persons will be used over the winter months for the treatment of potential hypothermia. Please take the time to read through and familiarise yourselves with this treatment.

Starcross Yacht Club is no longer going to be part of those sales for non-reusable water bottles.
From now on we do not stock water in bottles.

Many of you will already have your own favourite water container. The Club now stocks a few re-usable water containers with an easy-to-use, single-handed “twist and sip” operation so you can keep one hand on the tiller. Capacity is 600 ml. They are dishwasher safe.

The containers are made from recyclable Polyolefin, a food grade material, and contain no Phthalate or BPA. They are pliable to enable “squeeze drinking” and cannot break if dropped.
Available from the galley service window, they cost £4.00 each. Fresh drinking water is available from the tap between galley and race box. Full cleaning instructions are available from sistema Twist ’N” Sip products.

The work party today cleared a large amount of debris, and parked trolleys and trailers in a more orderly manner to free up parking spaces.

There is now plenty of room to park at a slight angle to the fence line - like this:

Please think of others and do not park parallel to the fence. Thank you.