Sailing Club
Clubhouse (01636) 830065
NG14 7JX
|
Duties | Nottinghamshire
County Sailing Club Clubhouse (01636) 830065 NG14 7JX |
NCSC Sailing Duties (Notes Nov 06)
Thank you to everyone who fulfilled their duties at the Club this season. Special thanks to those who have stood in on days when there were absentees and the volunteers who do extra turns, particularly at events like the Regatta. Your support means we can take to the water secure in the knowledge that rescue boats will be on hand if anyone is in difficulties. Those of us who race should also appreciate the work involved in laying marks, setting courses and administering the races.
The Sailing Committee are concerned about the number of days this year when members have not attended, leaving the Safety boats undermanned or the Race Officer unassisted. At best this makes the job harder for the rest of the team, at worst it could jeopardise the safety of those on the water. With this in mind I have written these notes to explain how the duty system operates.
1) I start preparing the Duties List for the whole season in the first 2 months each year, with the aim of publishing the complete schedule by April.
2) The List can be found on the Club website and is published in full in the Handbook. I also display it on the Duties notice board inside the Clubroom next to the doors from the corridor.
3) On the reverse side of the Membership renewal is the duty preferences form which should be completed as a condition of Ordinary or Family membership. I particularly need to know which members of your family sail regularly and should do their share of duties. " I assign dates & duties taking account the preferences members put on the form if possible. I do this on a first come, first served basis. To this end the Membership Secretary (John Marshall) sends me your forms within a few days of receiving renewals. Those who return their membership renewal forms late are likely to get the less attractive dates!
4) Please update the your contact details, notably telephone numbers & email addresses (this is a requirement of membership). I also update if you have successfully attended the Club Safety Drivers or Race Officers course
5) The whole Duties List is administered on a Database (using Microsoft "Access"). This enables me to see how many duties each member has and to check they are assigned as fairly as possible.
6) I use the Database to send reminders
to everyone on the Duties List 4 weeks in advance of the duty date. The database
automatically generates emails for members who have an email address and prints
letters for those without. The emails are sent with an attachment which gives
contact details for the rest of the team, notably the Race Officer.
It gives the date and which series event is on that day.
The suggested arrival time is also shown.
Race Officers, Safety Officers & Race Clerks receive additional attachments
which are instructions to assist with their particular tasks.
Race Officers are asked to contact their team between 1 & 2 weeks in advance.
They do this by phone where possible to make certain contact is made and that
everyone will attend.
If you can't attend it is your responsibility to arrange a swap or replacement
for that duty and to inform the Race Officer who that is. As Duty Secretary,
I will provide, on request, an updated list with contact details of members
doing the same type of duty for the rest of the season. I can email this as
an Excel spreadsheet attachment or post it in printed form. I am unable to arrange
swaps for you as I need the time to do my day job!
7) On racing days, the Race Officer is in overall charge and will conduct the race organisation. The nominated Safety Officer is responsible for co-ordinating the Safety boats and ensuring the safety of everyone afloat. In extreme circumstances the Safety Officer can insist that sailing stops if the rescue team cannot cope. On Tuesday & Wednesday evenings the Safety Officer is in overall charge.
8) Safety Drivers must have attended
& passed the 1 day course provided by the Club Bosun (Ian Pilkington). These
are run on Saturdays in March.
Safety Officers have no special training, but I try to nominate members who
have had some experience on Safety duties previously.
A course for Race Clerks is provided at the start of the year but attendance
is not a pre-requisite for this duty. Clerks are responsible for recording finish
times & positions in each race under the direction of the Race Officer.
I will update the Database with information you give me during the season.
I particularly welcome email addresses
& telephone numbers which have changed as this enables us to maintain contact.
I will also put in swaps which you have arranged.
At present my contact details are:- Email: JohnL.Sears@btopenworld.com Tel. 0115 983 1561 John Sears Duty Secretary. RS 400 1131
