Updates from our Sailing & Windsurfing Programs

General Membership Zoomeeting

7PM August 23, 2020 on Zoom -- check your email inbox or the announcements list for the zoomy stuff like phone numbers and passwords etc.  Treasurer's report is here.

Latest Updates (as of August 9)

• The Club is now open every day as we're increased Day Leader staff to cover. Weekdays noon to 7:30pm and weekends 9am to 7:30pm. Always check here to check for closures due to low tide. 
• You can now reserve windsurf boards and dinghies after the reservation lottery ends if there are unused slots. You can do this up until the Club opens on the reservation day. Details here.
• If you are unable to make your confirmed reservation, PLEASE cancel on the day of by noon so others may get the opportunity to enjoy the water. 
• Novice Fast Track is being offered for members with dinghy sailing experience on some Saturdays. This will be a combined rigging test, on-the-water practices session, and practical test. Sessions will be announced here and on the Club announce list.

• Socially-distant-on-the-water NOVICE WINDSURF LESSONS resume! Reservations required. To gain access to the reservation form you must be a member & complete re-opening test. Kids should sign up for the youth lesson, not the regular novice lessons. Lessons Offered Saturday and Sunday morning at 11AM. Sign up here.

• A limited number of sit-on-top kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are now available for member use. Details here. You must have a reservation, as described in the details. No rating is required, but Day Leader approval is. This is a lower-wind activity, so the Day Leader may restrict use to the Novice Area or not allow it at all.
• Kids windsurfing lessons are now Friday noon to 2pm and Saturday 9am to 11am. Contact Sofi for details.
• Starting Monday, July 13, we are increasing the number of windsurf boards per day to 15.
• Dinghy Ground School is offered for a limited number of students every Saturday from 10am to noon. Reservations required. Details here. (You must be logged-in to use this link).
• New video on reefing a dinghy main sail here. By Saul Schumsky and Jack Chen, it couldn't be more timely. See how to do it correctly to get better boat control and not damage the sail.
• Dayleaders can require a wetsuit pending wind conditions to protect you from hypothermia
• Day Leader/VDL Instructions are here.

Club Operating Hours

Because of limited Day Leader availability, Club hours are now noon to 7:30pm on weekdays and noon to 7:30pm weekends. Low tides may affect this. You can check operating hours for a given date here.

Limited Reopening

With the approval of the Berkeley Health Dept, CSC is reopening on a limited basis. Access to equipment will be limited on a reservation basis, and members will need to comply with Health Dept directives on social distancing, masks, etc. Here's what you need to know:

• Only members with a confirmed reservation  for a dinghy, windsurf, kayak, or SUP are allowed to be at Cal Sailing Club at all times. 

• You must wear a mask at all times while at CSC when not on the water.

• Please wash and sanitize your hands frequently and maintain social distancing (6ft) whenever possible.

• Member information for use of the club. Dinghy and Windsurf information is here. Keelboat information is here. Kayak and SUP information is here. NOTE: Club common areas are closed. Please do not hang out at the Club.
• You need to pass an online test on procedures during the reopen period in order to reserve equipment. You can read the test here and take it here (you need to be logged in to see these)
• Reservation system for Dinghies and Windsurf boards described here.  Reservations for kayaks and SUPs are described here.Do not come to the Club if you do not have a reservation. You can access the reservation system by clicking here.
• There limited Windsurfing lessons and Dinghy Ground School lessons. Look at the latest updates above to see the information on these.
• NOTE: Due to limited Day Leader availability, the Club will be operating on a limited schedule. We will not be open some days, and we will have reduced hours on others. Check here for current Club schedule.

We are working hard to open the Club more as regulations allow us to do that. We will update membership here and on the announcement list. Thanks for your support and your patience. We all want to get on the water as soon as possible. In the interim, we will be offering video sessions (announced on the Club Announcement List described here), so check it out.

Membership Extensions

Because of the Club close time, we have adjusted membership subscriptions as follows:

• Subscriptions for all currently active members have been extended by 100 days (86 days of shutdown plus a bonus of 2 weeks to compensate for the limited opening)
• Subscriptions which expired during the time the Club was closed have been reactivated with the expiry date extended by 100 days
• This does not apply to Windsurf Locker subscriptions, which will be handled as usual, as members have had access to their lockers when the Club was closed

Ourr membership software doesn't handle what was described above, so we've had to do it ourselves. Please check your subscription by logging into the website and going to Memberships->My White Card to see your subscription status and expiry date. Report any problems to webmaster@cal-sailing.org.

New Windsurfing Videos

Will Spargur, former Rear Commodore for Windsurf Instruction, has produced a set of videos on learning windsurfing that you can see here.

New Instructional Video on Rigging a Quest