Update for Members

Dear Members,

I am writing to invite you to renew your membership with Parkdale Yacht Club.  Due to Covid and the delays it has caused to our building program, we are offering a 50% discount on all fees for the 2020/21 season and envisage that sailing will commence from our newly completed clubhouse from around February 2021, with the season concluding after Easter.

Prior to completion of our new clubhouse, we intend to run a series of short course races with the race management in the rescue boat.  This will be off-the-beach, in front of the club, albeit without amenities, from 22^ndNovember, 2020.  The races will not earn points towards trophies.  To launch your dinghies and catamarans there is a path immediately south of the Club which the Council is clearing and should accommodate Minnows, Lasers and Pacers.  Larger boats can launch via Mordialloc.  Please contact Darren Sherriff if you need any advice on launching your boat.

We have also arranged reciprocal rights at Chelsea Yacht Club and Mordialloc Sailing Club on a Saturday and Beaumaris Yacht Club on a Sunday whilst our new clubhouse is being completed.

Renewing your membership will require you to access our membership page on our website:

https://www.parkdaleyc.com/registration/. 

To obtain the 50% discount please enter the code: 2020/21SEASON where requested.  Upon renewal, can I please request that you enter your Working-With-Children details.  Council, and our Lease, require that all Adult members have a Working With Children Check.  If you do not have one, please complete an application at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ .  It is free to obtain for volunteers.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

Throughout the Covid lockdown, your Committee has been working on the reopening of a rejuvenated PYC.  Key activities include

• Bob Ford, has been liaising with the builder and council and regularly visits the site;
• Ongoing discussions between myself, Bob and Council regarding the car park;
• Finalising a new 21 (7x7x7) year lease with Council;
• Revitalising our “brand”, including operational methods, club logos and the possibility of a revitalised club Burgee, that embodies our existing club burgee.  Changes to the Burgee would be subject to a vote at a general meeting.

Once we move into the new building, some things will remain similar.

• Top-level racing encompassing all our current classes;
• Our commitment to junior training, with Chris Hewitt, Darren Hawkless, Jim Kariotis and Darren Sherriff leading this most important activity.  They will be calling for help from volunteers to continue PYC’s success with this program; and
• Our status as a leading windsurfing club in Australia will continue, including training and teaching led by Paul Grimshaw and team.  We have also pencilled in the 2021 Windsurfing Australian Championships for Easter.

However, the new building will require some changes, such as sharing with the Girl Guides on each Monday night, and the volunteer beach cleaners being welcomed into our fold.  We will also have an electronic key system, which will determine access rights to different areas of the building.  We are also investigating a Covid-safe system, which will comply with regulations and help with contact tracing.

I have had a tour through the new club building, and I am very excited about the future of Parkdale Yacht Club, and I look forward to sharing the new PYC with you in 2021.

Peter Monkhouse

Commodore

Parkdale Yacht Club