AT THE HELM WITH OUR GM

FROM THE HELM

Well, what a historical time we have endured since the publication of the March edition of Groundswell. The end of summer and commencement of the Autumn period of 2020 will be etched in our memories as the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected us all on many levels both individually and collectively. At the time of writing there are signs on an almost daily basis of normality returning as the Government starts to ease restrictions. Those of us with families and friends all over the world who have been in constant contact throughout this time would be truly grateful the way South Australia has navigated its way through this difficult situation. The same can be said for our Club and its members who have been instrumental in adhering to the ever-changing goal posts created by the pandemic. I would personally like to thank you all for your continued patience and support and to my staff who have been instrumental in keeping the Club operational under very stressful conditions. The most recent easing of restrictions allows the service of up to 80 persons throughout the venue albeit equally distributed between four areas. This will see the Club return to an almost normal trading pattern but with one key difference; we need to know you are coming and we need to know when you are here. Bookings are the only way we can ensure we are adhering to regulations relating to patronage numbers and cleaning etc. Therefore it is ESSENTIAL you book for any clubhouse or BBQ area usage, even if it is just for a catch up with a fellow member or a quick drink or a full dinner booking, we will only be able to service those who book. Your berths and boats however are regarded as ‘off premise’ and all current legislation in these areas remains the responsibility of the owners. Our takeaway and home delivery food and beverage offer will be continuing due to its fantastic success. The recent Mother’s Day week saw food and beverage takings on par to normal trading so thank you so much for your support of that initiative. Members hospitality credits will be extended over the next few months to compensate for the time we have had restrictions in place. We encourage those members with remaining credit to try out the offers available. The break from normal trading gave us the opportunity to freshen up the hospitality areas as well as a general tidy up throughout the entire Club. Walls have been painted, storage areas cleaned and re-organised and furniture and flooring fully cleaned. We have also added some heating to the patio area to ensure a cosy spot during the cooler months and create a usable area for a further 20 persons. Even with the recent easing of restrictions the current industry feedback is that it will take some time for normality to return as general confidence needs to be restored. This in turn could severely impact events such as the Quiz/Italian Nights, Commodore’s Dinner, Opening Day and the Annual General Meeting. We will continue to inform the members of any developments regarding these events. The Commodore’s Dinner has been tentatively earmarked for Saturday 12 September and tickets for this may be highly sought after should any type of restriction remain. Goodness knows we could all do with a good night out! We welcome to the Club a new training vessel for the Marine Academy. We hoped to showcase Southern Investigator but the current situation has prevented us from unveiling it in the manner we would have liked. A test run has been organised for ‘SI’, the Beneteau Cyclades 43.3 formally known as Benneta, where all the key contributors to this project can test the improvements and additions

we have made in order to make the boat a formidable training vessel of the highest quality. Major contributors to this vessel have been Peter Sheridan and Silas Nolan from Elecmarine who added a fair amount of electrical componentry, Tim Cowan from Doyle Sails has provided rigging and a mainsail and Luke Burrow from Bravo Sails has expertly upgraded the upholstery. Other contributors through this process have been TazMarine for engine work, North Haven Marine for all the on board inventory, Daytona Signs for the very smart decals, O’Brien Plumbing for gas works, Danair for refrigeration, AJ Marine for antifouling and other related works and Port River Marine for the pre purchase survey report and quality Highfield inflatable. It certainly was a collaboration of our generous sponsors coupled with Club associated contractors. Thank you to all involved. More good news filtering through is the commencement of some racing with the two-handed series and winter series getting us back into some ‘on water’ action. It will be great to see the sporting side of the Club up and at it again and hopefully the isolation we have endured leads to an increase in participation. I would like to take the opportunity to remind our members of the continual support of our sponsors, a couple of which have done it tough recently with Hospitality and Travel shutdown. Please consider Phil Hoffmann Travel as borders both domestically and internationally start to reopen. Likewise, with Yalumba Wines and their vast array of labels, we can arrange half and full dozens of any of these delivered to your door so feel free to contact us for any assistance. Let us hope we remain on course for a full return to normality. In the meantime, please follow the extensive signage around the Club, keep using the sanitizers provided and observe the social distancing rules as recommended by the Government and once again, please remember to book. Keep safe, and we all very much look forward to seeing you back at our Club.

Adam Hays General Manager

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Over the last three months the following people have joined the Club. Please make them welcome.

Michael Burvill, Cameron Davis, Alexander Dryden, Nick Frangos, Paulina Glass, Matthew Halls, Adam Henry, Garry Hopkins, Jan Klan, Lauren Klan, Tim Lillie, Stuart Martin, Mark Moore, Van Nguyen, Robert Paglia, Keith Richards, Jennifer Richardson, Colin Shearing, Martin Staat