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April 19 CLSA update

Pete Japikse | Published on 4/21/2020

April 19, 2020 CLSA Update

Dear CLSA friends,

Governor DeWine has announced that beginning in May we will start opening up the state. As he and other state officials continue to work on the details and safety precautions that we will need to follow, your CLSA board has been discussing how we can best reopen the club and get a start on the sailing season.

Even though we are eager to get started, we must exercise caution, and consider Governor Dewine’s quote of Winston Churchill: 

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

 

We are near the end of the stay-at-home order, and there are precautions we need to observe to continue to protect all our members from the continued exposure risk of COVID-19. The challenge is to observe these precautions while we  prepare our club and facilities for the start of racing activities.

In this communication, we address what is ready, what is being planned, and how we will implement our re-opening once government officials give us the green light.

CLSA Facilities:

  1. The clubhouse and shelter house are ready to support member activities. The water is turned on in both facilities, and picnic tables have been moved to a functional arrangement for club use. Please continue to observe appropriate social distancing to protect one another.
  2. The harbor and docks are ready for your boats. The pink lady and john boats are at their moorings and ready for use.
  3. Significant work has been completed on the paddle dock (formerly known as the sunfish dock). Portions of the dock have been rebuilt. The construction of the floating kayak launch dock will be completed as soon as warm weather returns. Most significantly, the dock has been pressure washed to remove the years of mold and mildew that made it slippery to walk on while wet.
  4. The mowing service has started servicing our property and the hillside.
  5. Garbage service active every other week.
  6. Cleaning service will be initiated as soon as we have a formal opening day.

Lift parties:

Once we receive word the green light from the state to open the club, we will schedule lift parties for the following weekend. Stay tuned to your email and watch the CLSA website for updates.

After careful deliberation, the CLSA board has decided to implement a new procedure to facilitate the rapid deployment of as many lifts as possible. The weekend of club opening will be designated as lift party weekend. While lift owners must be present to have their lift placed, the club will assign a leader as well as helpers to facilitate a smooth and efficient process. Members who are willing and able can work on these teams, and this will count as a club work party for participants.  However, you cannot get work party credit for a shift that installs your own lift.  Two-hour shifts will be designated for this lift party weekend. Lift owners must sign up for one of these shifts and help for the duration of that shift. Members that are concerned with their own health safety should ask someone else to stand in for them in the placement of their lift.

Racing program:

The club racing program will not start until the state releases the ban on special permits events. To be very clear, our racing is done in accordance with a special permit with ODNR. Without that permit, there can be no club supported racing on the water.

  • It is perfectly acceptable to launch your boats and sail. It is also acceptable if several sailors decide to test their sailing skills against each other on the water; however, no club resources (marks, john boats, flags) can be used. Once the special permits are authorized, CLSA will launch the race committee vessel and publish a racing calendar and most importantly – the racing duty assignments.
  • We are hopeful that CLSA will be able to hold our scheduled Memorial Day racing on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24. Without clear guidance regarding social distancing and what health precautions remain appropriate, it is possible that there will not be an organized picnic after the racing on Saturday – however we will make the final decision once we have more information.

CLSA is more than just a peaceful place at the lake – it is also a wonderful community of sailors that support the health and well-being of our facilities, but more importantly-each other. We are going to move through this, and shine bright on a wonderful new sailing season!

 

Dan Adams and Pete Japikse