Updates from our Sailing & Windsurfing Programs
Update on Membership Renewals and Donations
As of 10:20am April 1
The CSC community has responded overwhelmingly in the last few days.
As of now, this is what we have received since the shutdown on March 16:
| Membership Renewals (other than Windsurf Lockers) | 132 renewals for $25,756 |
| Windsurf Locker Renewals | 18 renewals for $7,200 |
| Donations | $16,653 |
This is a total of $49,609. According to our Treasurer, this is enough to pay the insurance and other fixed costs for years even if we remain shut down, and should be plenty to help us get going again when we're allowed to re-open.
We have received a few more of each which have not been processed. We will continue to update you on this.
Thank you all for pulling together as a community. It shows how special CSC is.
CSC Members - You're Fantastic
(see the appeal below for member help to keep the Club open. This is a note from the Commodore afer less than one day).
Wow. Just wow.
We have never been prouder to be Cal Sailors than we are today. We asked for your help and you have blown us away with your support and love for the club. In an incredibly short time you have collectively made amazing progress toward our goals.
Please keep the love coming - as we are facing an uncertain year ahead. Look for daily updates as to our progress on the front page of the website.
Not many organizations could hope for a response like this.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! - from the very bottom of our (admittedly) crusty ex comm hearts! This proves for once and for all that this community really is something extraordinary!
Mary (Commodore) and the Cal Sailing Ex Comm Members
CSC Urgently Needs Your Help
March 23, 2020
To the Cal Sailing Community
Cal Sailing urgently needs your help. Without your immediate action the club may have to close permanently.
As you know, we are closed right now due to the “shelter in place” order as part of the COVID-19 outbreak. We realize it could be weeks or even months before we will be able to reopen.
This closure poses a financial crisis for Cal Sailing. We run on a very tight budget and are funded by your membership fees (75%) and an annual grant from the Department of Boating and Waterways (25%). Membership dues are primarily used for basic operating expenses like insurance, rent, paid dayleaders, etc and the DBW grant allocation is used to upgrade equipment and gear.
Right now we are very low on funds. This time of year is typically when we have many new and returning members signing up. Spring activity typically funds the bulk of our year. As you can imagine - this is not happening right now.
Our annual insurance payment (over $13,000) is due in less than a month. We were planning to use spring membership dues to pay it.
It has been very difficult to find an insurance company to agree to cover a club like ours. We cannot “afford” to let this insurance lapse as we are not in a position to find other insurance (trust me, Peter has tried). In fact, our insurance quote went up this year by $5,000. Additionally, we are legally required to always carry insurance and we could face other problems that could shutter the club if our insurance lapsed.
We currently have less than $5,000 in the bank. We need to have $20,000 by mid April in order to cover urgent expenses.
I am writing to you to ask for two things:
- Consider renewing your membership now. I know this request seems nonsensical but the fact is - we need your membership fees now to make it possible to reopen the club when the “shelter in place” is over.
Your membership will be a deferred membership. Your three months will begin when we reopen. We will reopen the club just as soon as we can do so both safely and legally.
All currently active members will have their subscriptions extended by the length of the shutdown when the club reopens.
You can renew by going to our website, logging in and following the instructions to renew your membership today.
Our goal is to have 200 renewals in the next two weeks. If 200 of you renew your membership at $120, we will have around $23,000 (minus banking fees) which would allow us to cover the major bills and rent for the next few months.
2. Consider making a donation. Given the current economic forecast, this year we will need to raise money in other ways to stay in operation. (Some of you work for companies that will do matching donations for 501(c)(3) organizations - which we are.) Please check if your company will match for us. Any donation to the club is tax deductible.
Our goal is to collect 50 donations of $250 in the next two weeks which would get us to $12,500. This combined with the membership goal would cover rent for the summer and offset the lack of activity for the spring season.
If you would like to donate, please do so by going to the Cal Sailing home page and click on the donate button in the upper right hand corner.
You - our members and former members - understand the value of a club as unique as Cal Sailing. We offer something truly special to the Bay Area and we need your help to keep this club going.
Thank you for your many hours of service and devotion to our club. We are all in this together.
Mary Lucus Flannery (Commodore) and the Cal Sailing Ex Comm
CSC Closed Until Further Notice
In compliance with Alameda County's "Shelter in Place" order, all CSC activities, the Clubhouse, the Club yard, and Club boats on J-Dock are closed until further notice. This is a note from Mary Lucus Flannery, CSC Commodore:
March 16, 2020
To the Cal Sailing Community:
Many of us have been closely watching the coronavirus outbreak as it has unfolded. Ex Comm has had many discussions of how to keep the club open yet keep it a safe place for members who want to continue to use our facilities.
The Bay Area is now under a “Shelter In Place” order which requires that all “non-essential” businesses close through May 3 (unless the order is rescinded or extended) and which particularly prohibits recreation that uses shared public equipment (that's us, we share our toys). This is a legal governmental order. https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Health_Human_Services/Public_Health/covid19/berkeley-shelter-in-place-order-2020-03-31.pdf
While this is a very sad decision to make, but it is essential that we prioritize safety over any individual’s wish to go sailing or windsurfing. Our larger community asks that we all do the selfless thing and stay home, regardless of our own “healthiness”, in order to minimize the risk to others.
As of today, March 16th, the club will be closed. All activities and classes will be discontinued until things change. All club equipment is included in the closure and should not be used.
Please be safe and take care of those around you.
Mary Lucus Flannery
Commodore
Cal Sailing Club
New Instructional Video on Rigging a Quest
Jack Chen produced this, and it covers inspecting, rigging and reefing a Quest, including putting the boat in the water with the hoist. You can also find it in our library of instructional videos at Lessons->Sailing->Videos.
Photos of Berkeley Reef at Ultra Low Tide Show Why to Keep a Safe Distance
Sheldon Coad took these photos with the help of Bobby Arthurs, and the club skiff. They circled the Reef and took photos in several directions. Pretty impressive when you see it, and pretty dangerous when you can't.
Windsurfing Rating Requirements Updated and How to Get to Senior
Click here for a more detailed description of the windsurfing rating requirements. We have also started something to help you get your Senior rating. To see how it works, click here.
Want to get a rating/sign-off but don't know who can do it?
Click here to see who can sign off on which ratings/tests/check-outs (e.g., the Day Leader can sign off on Novice Windsurfer written and self-rescue). If you are logged-in to the website, you will be able to see a list of members who have the qualification needed (e.g., a list of those signed-off on the Laser who can then sign-off others). This link is also visible when you look at your White Card on the website.
Sailing Lessons on Demand is Back
Can't make the normal Monday, Thursday, Saturday sailing lessons? Or just want some extra focused time in smaller groups? Then this is for you. A small number of instructors are making themselves available for lessons outside the normal sessions. To see the details and a list of instructors and what they teach, go to Lessons->Sailing->Lessons on Demand. You will have to login to the site to see the contact information for the instructors.
| $22,123 |
| $25,756 |