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It might not have been the freedom we enjoyed under alert level 1, and I know many in the Auckland area will be disappointed, but it is still worth celebrating that we can all go sailing and boating again from next Monday and that events, if managed well, can go ahead.
The Prime Minister this afternoon announced that Auckland will be dropping back to level 2 at 11.59pm on Sunday and the rest of the country will remain at level 2.
Gatherings will be limited to 10 people in the Auckland region and will remain at 100 for the rest of New Zealand. These settings will be reassessed by cabinet on September 6.
We have been here before and it was manageable back in May the first time we dropped from level 3 to level 2. For those in Auckland, it would be worth reminding yourselves of what it all means in this Q&A we prepared.
The guidelines mean both dinghy sailing with more than 10 boats on a start line and keelboat racing with crews of no more than 10 can be done safely in the Auckland region as long as safety protocols are followed. That means clubs having a detailed health and safety plan in place and meeting the recommended guidelines around social distancing, hygiene, wearing of masks and contact tracing.
Clubs should assess what they need to do to reopen safely and shouldn’t rush to recommence activity until they are ready. It is now mandatory, for instance, for all providers (including clubs) to display the official New Zealand Covid tracer QR code in a place at or near the main entrance. This will help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in New Zealand by supporting faster contact tracing.
Find out how to create your official NZ Covid tracer QR code here.
Many clubs will now be considering opening for the new season and it would be useful to take a look at the updated recommendations (Aug 24) we have put together on how to operate safely at level 2.
One of the main areas to consider is the care taken at communal points. For our sport, considerations could include spacing out rigging areas, parents and coaches assisting only sailors who need help rigging, avoiding gathering at entry and exit points including carparks and marina gates and staggering launching and retrieval. These are particularly important in the Auckland region where gatherings are limited to 10 people.
Our race management sub-committee has also put together some guidance clubs could adopt for racing. These can be used in any notice of race or sailing instructions.
Yachting New Zealand's offices will be open again from next week, although with restrictions on the number of people in the office at any one time. We also plan to run various programmes in the coming weeks, including Aon youth clinics and October's youth championships, and our Auckland-based high performance teams will also return to the water.
One thing this virus has shown is that it's difficult to overcome so we must remain vigilant. None of us want to return to level 3, or worse, so we all need to keep following the government guidelines, particularly around social distancing, hygiene and contact tracing.
Kia kaha
David Abercrombie
Yachting New Zealand chief executive
- Photo: Live Sail Die.
