Howth Yacht Club has made clear its current provisions for members under phase two of the roadmap to recovery which began this past Monday 8 June.
Boat owners and members can now access the hard and marina to work on boats or go sailing from 8am to 9pm seven days a week.
Guests must be accompanied by a member and their email and phone contact details emailed in advance, which will avoid delays, or entered in the log at the entrance.
Some nearby harbours and marinas are accepting visitors now but members are advised to check in advance.
From 29 June, HYC will welcome visiting local boats (Irish-based boats only). Members will be able to overnight onboard as showers and hospitality facilities will be reopened and 24-hour access switched on.
However, international crews arriving by sea will not be welcome until at least later in the season as they will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Find more details in Rear Commodore Neil Murphy’s Return to Sailing Plan, which includes the Aqua Double Handed Race planned for 18 July.
HYC also reminds that normal charges now apply for mooring and berth holders, dinghies on the hard and winter visitors in the marina that overstayed due to coronavirus restrictions.
It’s important that all boats on the hard, apart from those for which dry-sailing arrangements are in place, are removed or launched to free up the space needed for normal summertime sailing activities to get underway.
Junior sailing adapts
While plans for the 2020 Quest Howth Training Programme were scuppered by coronavirus restrictions, Howth’s junior section is running coaching sessions in single-handed dinghies for sailors who have successfully achieved Irish Sailing’s Basic Skills standard.
To maximise opportunity to get back on the water, training will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Supervised sailing is also offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for any members who would prefer less structured sailing.
With junior sailing at Howth facing a problem of success with oversubscription, the club insists that anybody who booked a course prior to the lockdown will be given priority on rescheduled courses.
The revised schedule for bookings will be available from tomorrow, Thursday 11 June from 10am through the office. Full details of what is available can be found on the Quest website HERE.
Sadly the club is not currently permitted to run summer courses for primary school children, but its hoped the restrictions will ease to allow for sailing for younger and less experienced sailors before the planned return to school in the autumn.
In the meantime, Howth YC will run an adventure course in single-handed dinghies or double-handed dinghies with two sailors from the same household. Kites and wires will also run if there is a sufficient numbers of sailors from the same households to train in the club’s three Fevas/420s.
Dining options
The countdown to the reopening of the clubhouse restaurant and bar on 29 June has started, with plans to make the most of the spacious facilities for comfortable social distancing.
To help with your on board entertaining, ice will be available to berth holders on request.
And next Sunday 14 June there will be a takeaway barbecue and beverage service to members from 12.30pm until 6pm (depending on weather and demand). Members can pre-book for this through the club office or at the marina office.
