Please see the important notice below from NSC’s Commodore, regarding member use of the Bar & Galley services, in relation to COVID-19 regulations.
Your Board of Directors have worked very hard this season to open your club in phases in accordance with the multiple levels of government guidelines and directives to bring you as many boating programs as possible in a safe manner. We are pleased to report that the harbour and trailer launch slips are fully occupied and there has been good participation in week night and weekend time trials (Covid version of racing) and uptick in cruising activity. And we had a very successful (although limited enrollment) sessions for our sailing school.
By far the trickiest part of this year’s operation has been the bar and galley on the deck. This is because we are a club – by definition we come down to NSC to enjoy our boats, see our friends and share stories. Unfortunately the social aspect of our club has been curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic and in order to comply with government regs and provide a safe environment for all members and staff we must drastically change our behavior while frequenting the galley.
Recently we were visited by Ottawa bylaw officers and although NSC was found to be completely compliant (in fact we were commended for the detail of our plan and Covid code of conduct) the officer did witness some members moving from table to table chatting less than 2m apart – undoubtedly catching up with friends – which is not permitted in a restaurant environment. We did receive a warning that this kind of behavior can lead to fines (they have issued plenty at other bars) to members (not the club). This is difficult and most unnatural for us as members of the club but I’m afraid it’s part of our new reality.
Please take this as a gentle reminder that our use of the galley is much different and that we must continue to be vigilant.
On behalf of the Board and all of our staff, thank you for your continued support and enjoy the reminder of your boating season.
Michael Hoffman
NSC Commodore
