Chichester Yacht Club Magazine April 2020 | Page 3

By Tony Mobbs, Commodore
I guess we are all familiar with the Chinese saying "may you live in interesting times". What you may not know is that it is
more of a curse than a saying. Well we are certainly now living in interesting times.
As you know by now, in compliance with the Government Guidance, we have temporarily suspended all
operations within the Clubhouse. It was a very difficult decision to make and one not faced by any other commodore
over the last 50 years as a sailing club. But the health and safety of, and risk to, our members and staff was of
paramount importance.
You will be pleased to know that all our staff are fit and well. Keith finally arrived back in the UK following his holiday
in Zimbabwe. We have now reduced the operational staff within the Club to an absolute minimum and we have
placed about half our staff in "furlough" to ensure they maintain a regular income.
Chichester Yacht Club has now become a virtual, on-line sailing club.
Manu, Tom, Lucy and Liz are all working from home and keeping the
Club ticking over and carrying out basic health and safety and
financial procedures. Also we are contacting our more vulnerable
members to ensure they are still ok and their needs are being met.
We held our first eSailing race, a quiz is planned and there are many
more activities coming.
I have been deeply touched over the last few weeks by the letters of
support from our loyal membership following the decisions we have
made, together with the many offers from members volunteering to
support the Club and our more vulnerable members. Thank you all.
Major Incident Committee
You may be wondering how the Club is operating during these difficult
times. From the outset of the crisis, the General Committee, in line with
our business continuity plans, set up a Major Incident Committee.
The main role of the Committee is to facilitate rapid decision making
during this period of flux and uncertainty and to provide leadership sup-
port to the operational staff of the Club.
The committee consists of myself, David Pearce (Club Secretary), Roger
Marshall (Club Treasurer), Philip Brown (Specialist), Manu Jenkin (Club
Pretty nasty, Covid-19
General Manager), Tom Dewey (Club Hospitality Manager) and Liz
Adlington (Club Accounts Manager). The
committee meets regularly either by telephone or video conferencing. The committee has had to make some very
difficult decisions but we had to ensure the safety of our members and staff alike, together with the long-term viability of
the Club. All major decisions are escalated to the General Committee for ratification.
I cannot express strongly enough my appreciation for the time and support this volunteer-led team has given to the
Club through this difficult time. I am sure you will support me in this.
At the time of writing, it is still unclear as to how much longer we will remain in our current state. But one thing is
certain - it will soon pass - and, with your on-going support, Chichester Yacht Club will be a strong, thriving Club once
again.
Please, keep safe and healthy
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