For Sail Training Events

Last updated: 14th Sept 2021

Our team at Somers Yacht Club are committed to the safety of our participants, our staff and the broader community. We support our community as well as local, state and federal governments in all playing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting negative health impacts. 

As the Victorian Government restrictions regularly change, we will be working under the current restrictions from the Government at the time of the training. This particularly relates to group numbers, face coverings and sailing/patrol boat numbers. 

This page outlines what you can expect from your experience with sailing training events, your responsibilities and the additional measures we are taking to ensure a COVID Safe environment for everyone. 

Health considerations

Staff training and cleaning protocols

What we'll be doing before your session

Before your session and when you arrive

Facility access

Personal hygiene

Physical distancing

Health considerations

Staff, volunteers, and participants should stay home and not attend if:

• you are feeling even a little unwell or have only mild cold/flu-like symptoms including:
  • Fever
  • Chills or sweats
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Runny nose
  • Loss of sense of smell
• you feel unwell, even if you have previously tested negative for coronavirus (COVID-19),
• you do not feel completely well and have had a fever in the last three days (72 hours).
• you have returned from overseas travel in the last 14 days;
• you have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is unwell in the last 14 days, including cough or mild cold/flu-like symptoms; or
• you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days;
• you do not feel comfortable, including being in an at-risk category.

Staff and volunteers are all fully vaccinated. Participants will be vaccinated if age appropriate.  

What happens to my booking if I am unable to attend due to any of the above reasons? 

We will reschedule your booking to the next available time should you be not able to attend or complete your booking due to any of the above reasons. We are a not-for-profit with the goal of introducing people to sailing.

Please give us as much notice as possible so that we can best plan and accommodate for the change. This should be in writing via email to sailing.school@somersyachtclub.com.au but please also call us on 0425 784 877. 

Staff training and cleaning protocols

All of our staff have completed basic training on COVID-19 and preventing its spread.

Our equipment and facility are rigorously cleaned in accordance with official DHHS advice to allow us to return to sailing safely.

All equipment including training boats and lifejackets as well as common touch areas are being cleaned before and after each session.

Double handling of equipment to be minimised at every opportunity and cleaned between handling where double handling is unavoidable. 

What we'll be doing before your session

1. Direct participants to this COVID-19 Information webpage upon registration.
2. Remind participants by email of important measures prior to the first session, and before subsequent sessions, if the situation changes.
3. Continuously remind participants of COVID Safe measures verbally as well as by email, posters and social media.
4. Limit course numbers to ensure safety and physical distancing in line with current government restrictions.
5. Monitor the weather, as always, to identify whether sessions are able to go ahead. Inclement weather will be managed in accordance with our inclement weather policy and, during this period of disruption caused by COVID-19 and the associated risk of groups of people indoors, increased consideration will be given to rescheduling or postponing sessions where activities cannot be conducted outdoors. 

Before your session and when you arrive

1. All participants must be pre-registered in a course via our website and attendance recorded by the instructor on the day.

2. Make sure you check here on this COVID-19 information webpage and your emails for the latest information. 

3. Don't attend if you meet any of the criteria set out in the "health considerations" section above. 

4. Your instructor will remind everyone of public health messaging, including not participating if unwell, personal hygiene and physical distancing as well as our usual sailing safety messages and overview of the day. 

5. Training boats and lifejackets will be allocated to participants. 

6. Equipment will be set out so that groups of people in any one area do not exceed public health order limits.

7. Equipment will be set out to enable physical distancing of 1.5m at all times while onshore and launching.

8. Rigging and de-rigging will be undertaken by the participant with close (physically distanced) guidance from your instructor. In the early stages of learning to sail, we would usually partially rig the training boats to maximise on-water time from the very beginning, however, the risks of COVID have to lead to this change. Don't worry though! All of our training boats are designed to be as simple as possible to rig and de-rig.

9. Weather will be monitored with a more cautious approach than usual to reduce the likelihood of on-water intervention being required. 

Anyone who is visibly unwell or displays symptoms at the start of the session or becomes unwell or develops symptoms during the session (including but not limited to staff, volunteers, and participants):

a. if under 18, will be removed from the activity and moved to the boatyard separate from all others, with parent/guardian or emergency contact notified with advice to seek medical advice.

b. if an adult will be directed to not participate and to seek medical advice.

Facility access

• Changing rooms remain closed except for toilet and medical access (everyone should arrive changed and be prepared to go home to change after the session).

Use of indoors once permitted

• While indoors, airflow should be maximised where practicable.
• Limits apply to the number of people permitted in each indoor space in accordance with current government advice, signage displayed. 

Yard and boat access

If you are not enrolled in the event and you want to access the yard or club, you need to register your presence via the QR code at entry points. 

Personal hygiene

Good hygiene is critical for slowing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Everyone should be taking the following hygiene actions:

Wash your hands

• Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, using soap and water or a hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol.
• Wash your hands when you get home, arrive at other people’s homes, or arrive at work.
• Wash your hands after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or using the toilet.
• Wash your hands regularly before, during and after a session. 
• Wash your hands before and after eating, and after going to the toilet. 

Other actions

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow. 
• Dispose of tissues properly. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid touching shared objects/surfaces except where necessary. 
• Do not share drink bottles, crockery, cutlery or towels. 
• Get vaccinated for flu (influenza). This will help reduce the demand on the healthcare system as it deals with coronavirus (COVID-19). Vaccines are now available from your GP and pharmacy.
• Clean and sanitise frequently used objects including mobiles, keys and wallets.

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  Physical distancing

  It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain social distancing requirements including staff, volunteers, participants and spectators.

• Groups will be split up for any onshore demonstrations where more than one instructor is allocated to the group.
• The physical distancing of 1.5m is maintained at all times while onshore. 
• No inside sessions or briefings. If the weather is inappropriate for the outdoors, we will reschedule, postpone or cancel. 
• Staff and volunteers should not be in close proximity to each other, or in close proximity to participants.
• All sailing will adhere to the social distancing requirements as outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services. 
• When spectating or attending a training session, ensure a distance of 1.5 metres is kept between yourself and others.
• If a person does not adhere to these rules or obey reasonable safety directions by an activity leader they will be asked to leave the activity.

Got a question not covered here? Please Email sailing.school@somersyachtclub.com.au