On Thursday 3 December at 7pm following the Twilight race we will be christening our six new Opti's.  These dinghies, which are an important part of our recently introduced Try Sailing program, were purchased through the support of our members who made  donations to the MYC Foundation Opti Appeal.  Try Sailing has got off to a great start with the first four week course being over subscribed.  Further courses are scheduled throughout the summer and the expectation is that the programs will lead to new juniors and their families joining the Club and revitalising junior sailing which is the future of our Club.  Our Training and Development Committee is to be congratulated on the successful launch of Try Sailing.
 
This should be a great occasion given the recent lifting of restrictions and we look forward to as many members as possible being there.

Australian Sailing has advised:

1. Organised club racing and training for all members (adults and youth) can resume. This includes double handed dinghies and all forms of fully crewed keel boats, trailables and sports boats.
   
2.  Masks and social distancing are no longer required while sailing.  
   
3. There is no limit on the number of boats on the water for racing or training.
4. Group sizes limited to 50 people (subject to a density quotient of 1 per 4sqm) in rigging area, keeping 1.5m social distancing unless wearing masks. Multiple groups of 50 are to be separated by a clear and reasonable gap.
   

 
MYC Sailing Committee now advises:

1. The restricted number of crew in relation to boat length will no longer apply.
   
2. The use of spinnakers will now be allowed for all Saturday races.  
   
3. Normal series racing will resume as follows:
   

• Twilight Series 2 will commence on Thursday 3rd December 2020 
  
• Long Distance Race Series will commence with the Copel Sound Race on Saturday 5th December 2020.
  
• Saturday Series Races will commence on the 2nd January 2021.
  

     4. Twilight and Saturday Standalone Races will continue until the New Year as follows:

•  Twilight Standalone Race - Thursday 26th November 2020
  
• Saturday Standalone Races - 28th November 2020, 12th & 19th December 2020

     5. Sunday Optimist and OTB races will continue as per the published program.

Further information: contact the Race Office raceadmin@morningtonyc.net.au
                                    or phone the Race Administrator on 0407 834 634
 
Bill Bennett                                                                                 
Rear Commodore

With keel boat slipping occurring on Saturday 14th November (weather permitting) this is to advise that trailables, flying fifteens and etchells that have paid for summer storage can start coming into the yard from 18:00 Sunday 15th November.
 
Club Captain, Laurie White has produced a yard plan for the boats - see below links
Click here to view yard plan map
Click here to view yard plan boat listing
The plan will also be posted in the usual spot on the notice board on Ritchie’s Shed.   Please try to follow the plan, if there are any problems we can fine tune over the next few weeks.  

Please ensure you follow all club COVID protocols when entering the yard and rigging your boats. These protocols are in place to protect us all.   For more information please refer to the MYC COVID Plan and the MYC Keelboat and TS Sailing Advice.
 
Just a heads up to those that are thinking of heading down earlier on Sunday,  OTB racing is now scheduled during Sunday afternoon and the yard will be busy with boats rigging and unrigging, so maybe best to avoid an arrival before 16:00 at the earliest.
 
Hope to see you in the yard soon, and more importantly on the water sailing!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the office, or Laurie White.

Slipping / Crane Day this year will be conducted under the clubs COVID-19 policy, please go to our website or click here to view.

We intend to have the crane and slipping running concurrently.  Can we please have the first boat crews and volunteers at the yard at 7.30am to set up and launch a duck.

The franna crane will be onsite at 8.00am with a half hour set up so we can expect the first lift at approx. 8.30am.

CRANING
Please estimate 20 minutes per lift to calculate your time.
The order of the craning will be:

1. Joanna (to temporary storage whilst waiting for cradle)
2. Misbehavin
3. Orlando
4. Easterly
5. Buccaneer
6. Jensminc
7. Athena
8. Sundara
9. Apache
10. Allure
11. Morning Light
12. Lincoln Rose
13. Clockwise
14. Retriever (onto trailer)

SLIPPING

• All backstays are to be off in preparation for crane lift
• All hard stands are to be dismantled and out of the yard by 12pm Sunday
• Hard stand sites are to be swept and rubbish removed

Please estimate 30 mins per slip to calculate your time.
The order of slipping will be:

1. Jesse
2. Trim
3. Windsong
4. Arabelle
5. Sarda
6. Hunter
7. One for One
8. Phoenix
9. Seduction (to other side of pit)
10. Obsession (at high tide)
11. Anna (big crane onto cradle for high tide launch)

High tide is just before 2pm
A reminder that all rear cradle lines are to be released before the boat floats.
Ideally the crew is put onto the boat once it has gone down the slip.

Tillers and wheels are to be tied off to stop rudder movement when splashing into the water.
Crane operations will take priority over slipping operations.
Can crews then please remove the breast bars and braces from their cradle in preparation for pack up.

Thank you for your co-operation,

Bill Bennett
Rear Commodore

​Come  join Hugo, Iggy and  Boobie on their Animal Adventures for kids 2-9, and not only help contribute to the conservation of the worlds amazing animals and their environments, but also contribute towards the Mornington Yatch Clubs Opti Appeal, with a $1 from each book sold going towards each of these great causes.

Explore the different regions of the world and the the animals that live there, with 28 pages of finding Hugo, clever word play, fantastic illustrations, and educational fun facts about the regions, and their animals, all for under $14.70ea.

Samples of the books can be viewed in the club office, or visit www.thehugonauts.com to purchase and ensure you get your copies before Christmas. 

A change has been made to the Notice of Race.
Please click here to view the Amendment No2 to the schedule of Races

For those of you that have been to the club recently, you will  have noticed all the QR code scanning that we ask you to do for signing in, this is a more streamlined way for us to monitor entries to the club & contact tracing.....If you had some trouble with this here are some helpful tips....
https://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/social-media-marketing/how-to-scan-a-qr-code/https://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/social-media-marketing/how-to-scan-a-qr-code/

We are extremely excited to announce that the club will be re-opening from Friday night....(yes tomorrow!!). 

If you live within 25kms you can come down for a drink tomorrow night or a meal over the weekend - yey!  The Rocks have a new special menu for you too  - look out for it on the MYC app later today!

FRIDAY NIGHT
Come for drinks & chips tomorrow from 5.30pm, bookings are essential due to the maximum numbers allowed in each area (see below).  To book please call the office 5975 7001 or email admin@morningtonyc.net.au  prior to 1.00pm tomorrow, Friday 30th.

This SATURDAY / SUNDAY & then Wednesday to Sunday until further notice, there will be 2 sittings:
Lunch - 12.30pm to 2.00pm and 2.30pm to 4.00pm
Dinner - 6.30pm to 8.00pm and 8.30pm to 10.00pm
Please order at the bar then be seated for delivery of food and beverages.
Up to 10 people are allowed to sit together and there will be a minimum of 1.5m spacing between tables.
To book please call the MYC office 5975 7001 or email admin@morningtonyc.net.au  prior to 1.00pm tomorrow and after 1.00pm on Friday please call the Rocks on 5973 5599 (their office will be manned between 10am to 3.00pm on Saturday).

When coming to the club, please remember to social distance, use the hand sanitiser provided and wear your face masks until food and drink arrive to your table as per the government guidelines.

MAXIMUM NUMBERS:
Numbers currently permitted will be based on the current restrictions which are:
10 in the members bar, 10 in the function room and if weather permitting, 20 outside on the front deck.

BOOKINGS
At the moment bookings are essential (please see above on how to book).  Once our maximum numbers in each area are reached, we'll start a waiting list.

CONTACT TRACING
Everyone, including members are required to provide names and a phone number for contact tracing.  This will be by the form of a scanned QR code which is on the member bar entrance doors and at your table.  It is very easy to use, just use your camera on your smartphone to scan the code then follow the prompts (see instructions below) - have a practice now if you wish and call the office if you have any problems!

(You will also be able to sign in via paper on the day too, if you don't have a smartphone).

FACE MASKS are mandatory
All patrons must wear a face mask as per the DHHS directives which state "face masks must be worn until seated with food and drink, and must be worn at all other times, including coming to pay for meals, to use the facilities or step outside to take a call etc."

Thank you in advance for you patience .....& we look forward to seeing you down at the club very soon!

With Covid restrictions now relaxed to allow access to the yard and preparations for our 14th November slipping day we now draw your attention to racing with current Covid restrictions.


SAFETY

• All members and visitors are to familiarise themselves with and follow club Covid procedures (on club web site).
• Everyone is to use hand sanitiser which will be placed at gates and entry points to club.
• Masks are to be worn at all times in the yard, club, deck, ribs, tenders, Retriever and yachts.
• Social distancing (1.5 metres) must be observed at all times, this includes yachts, tenders, ribs and club boats.
• Qr codes with operating instructions will be placed at each entry point to the club, on arrival every member must scan this which will take them to a web page in which they will fill the details on the page.  By using this the club can track who is in the club.
• All members must strictly observe the mandated number limits in club rooms, bar and deck.

CLUB RACING

• Our Thursday action group is currently working hard to get the racing marks painted and tackle checked for positioning on the course. Once the marks are in position, we can commence racing.
• Racing will commence on the first Thursday or Saturday after the marks are laid.
• All races until January will be standalone races and not part of a series.
• Sign on with crew names needs to occur at least 15 minutes before scheduled race start time.
• A skipper or crew from each boat must attend the race office and verbally give the boat and crew details to the duty personnel in the office, who will record it. or use the QR Scanner code (info to follow later on that).
• There is a maximum of 2 people allowed in the race office, so do not enter if it is already occupied, please wait with social distancing in mind.
• There is a maximum of 2 people allowed in the race tower, this will create a big work load for volunteers during race starts and finishes so please be patient on the radio.
• Race sign off will be as previously with the club observing finishing boats at the finish line.
• All races till January will be white sail only (no spinnakers), exception is Capel Sound distance race on Saturday 5ht December. This is to allow for disparity in crew numbers allowed on boats.
• All Saturday races until January will be tower light starts and around fixed marks.  This negates the use of course boats and associated COVID compliance and allows duty crews to sail.
• For social distancing requirements the maximum crew (including skipper) allowed on each boat is:

Less than 30ft     3 crew (incl skipper)
30 to34 ft              4 crew (incl skipper)
34 to 38 ft             5 crew (incl skipper)
38 to 41 ft             6 crew (incl skipper)

• Australian sailing has stated that Etchells can have a maximum 2 crew and Flying 15s can only sail if the adult crew is from the same family.
• Australian Sailing recommends all crew must socially distance on the boat 90% of the time.  This means the crew must spread out 1.5 metres apart, but can come together temporarily for tacking/manoeuvres and then separate again.
• The club reminds all skippers and crew that particularly when the boat is in the harbour or near the pier  that it is in full view of the observing public.
• Social distancing must be strictly observed whilst transiting to and from yachts in tenders and ducks.  Many privately owned tenders are too small to have even 2 people on them 1.5 metres apart.  Owners will have to carefully measure their duck and calculate how many people it can carry on one journey.  This could entail lots of trips, and Lachie Weber has generously volunteered to run Wally as a taxi on Saturday afternoons.
• The club would suggest that everyone set out for their yacht earlier than normal due to the limitations on tender capacity.
• Some owners might find it beneficial to come to the pier to pick up and drop off crew.
• As racing will commence before slipping day (we have 7 boats coming back from wintering elsewhere) the club encourages any keel boats on cradles which are ready to splash go down the slip asap to join the racing and clear yard.
• As the Navigators race, our most popular distance race is scheduled when all our boats are not on the water, the night race on 29/01 will be dropped and the navigators moved to the 30/01.
• Due to numbers allowed in the bar and deck no prizes will be awarded for races until January. Race results will be published on the website.

The sailing committee will be meeting in December to discuss the challenges and changes required to get us back to some normality in January, restrictions allowing.


The club understands this is not ideal racing being presented, but think it suitable for the COVID environment and restrictions we are currently in.


Please monitor the club website, app and emails for any changes which can occur if restrictions change.


Hope to see you all out on the water soon!


Thank you for your understanding and patience,
Rear Commodore
Bill Bennett

For those that would like to learn how to win ocean races, the ORCV has 2 new courses plus a Masterclass with Will Oxley.  These courses concentrate of using Expedition Software starting with the very basics and building your knowledge.   
In the basic course you will learn how to: set and manage marks and routes, creating race notes, uploading and working with charts, boat polars and sail charts with Expedition. 

The second course, “You’ve got the basics. What’s next?”, builds your knowledge further in:  how to work with weather routing, weather routes, wave polars and wave gribs, anaylsis of wind, current and MSLP and moves onto georeferencing weather images. 

Will Oxley, is then running a Masterclass and discusses race planning, tactical boat positioning, how to evaluate GRIB data, communications and shares how he prepares and manages onboard whilst racing.   

All courses run online and can be booked individually.   

• Expedition, Learn the basics starts October 29 at 6 - 9 pm. 
  
• Expedition, You’ve got the basics, what’s next? Is November 5, at 7 – 9 pm 
  
• Masterclass with Will Oxley, starts Monday, November 9, 6.30 -9 pm and runs for 3 nights. 
  

Book your course here https://www.orcv.org.au/training/navigation 

It is with great sadness that we record the passing of Peter Carroll on 25 September 2020 aged 69 years.  Peter sailed keel boats at Mornington as a very active member during the 1970s and 80s.  He was an unmistakeable figure with long hair and a bushy beard – looking a bit like he had stepped off the stage of “Jesus Christ – Superstar”... please click here to read full Vale in tattler

Our much loved wine sponsor Scotchmans Hill have another great offer for just for you! To order please complete the form below and send to: admin@morningtonyc.net.au

Click here to view their portfolio
Click here for members order form and wine list