A Guide for Covid-safe racing for ODs

This guide aims to document the differences between OD duties on a normal race day and those required to try and safe during Covid. We have attempted to write it in the order of a race day, please read it carefully before your duty and if you need any clarification please contact the Commodore or Vice Commodore for guidance.

  • Before arriving at the club. Your AODs have been assigned since the return to racing was announced, so should be aware of the Covid guidelines, but please check with them and ask them to read and understand this guide and ask them to download the club’s risk assessment, read it and bring a signed copy. Please read the guide to informal sailing which contains information about use of the club site to ensure Covid safety. Check the race series guidelines published on the club website. Please bring a mask.
  • Arriving at the club. Retrieve the signed risk assessments from the AODs and store them with your own signed risk assessment in the OD briefcase for collection by a member of the committee.
    Please put the visitors book on the bench by the club door for members to sign in upon arriving at the club (this is used for NHS Test and Trace which is a requirement). Please sign yourself into the book with today’s date and your contact details.
    Open the OD box and retrieve the OD equipment as per usual. Wipe down touch surfaces in the OD box with disinfectant. If you assign tasks such as flag hoisting, opening gates, etc. please give them to your AODs only to minimise contamination risks.
    Discuss with your AOD team about the rule of six, as you must all decide if you wish to form a group of six with other members. You must stay in this group of six throughout the day and stay out of contact with other club members.
  • Preparing the safety boat. Check that all the equipment is in the safety boat (this is documented in the OD duties guide). Place walkie talkies in plastic bags so they don’t have to disinfected. Ensure you and your AODs all have masks. Putting the safety boat onto the water with OD and two AODs is very difficult, so get assistance from strong sailors to minimise the number used and ask them to wash their hands before doing so and to wear masks as you are not socially distanced. Once the boat is in the water, disinfect the safety boat, cleaning all surfaces commonly touched.
  • Planning races. In very light winds or strong winds, sailors can get bored or tired if races are too long, so plan for a 40-minute race for the middle of the fleet or a 50-minute race if conditions suit. If there are ten or more boats racing then you should consider two starts, perhaps splitting the Lightnings out into a class start (or OKs if there aren’t many Lightnings). The course must be set so that the entire course is visible from the OD box. If wind conditions do not allow this, then consider setting up a remote OD box.

    These start times have been published to sailors, so start races no earlier than the published times, but you can start later if required.

    Race 1 – 11:15
    Lunch Break
    Race 2 – 13:15
    Tea Break
    Race 3 – 14:30

    If there is only one AOD, then ask any other members whether they could cover the timekeeping if you are required to carry out a rescue as both of you will need to crew the safety boat.
  • Race Briefing. Once you have planned the racing, call all the sailors together and brief them about the race formats, remind them about safe entry in and out of the water with a maximum of six sailors on the jetty at a time and how any potential rescue works.
  • Boat launching. Before launching, check the jetty area and ask members and non-members to clear the area to ensure a socially-distanced launching of dinghies. There should be no more than six sailors on the jetty with their boats at any one time, however, if there are eight or less dinghies there should be enough space for sailors to tie up their dinghy and leave the jetty area if they have launched a long time before race starts. This also applies between races.
  • Capsizes and Rescues. The safety of the capsized sailor comes first and their safety and wellbeing takes priority over any Covid risks. Assess the situation of a capsized dinghy as you leave the OD box and board the safety boat. The capsized sailor may be competent so they can easily right the boat, but you may not be certain about their current state, so launch unless you see they are back in their dinghy safely. Put your mask on when you get into the safety boat.
    Sailors have been told to stay with their dinghy. On approaching the capsized boat, ask the sailor if they are ok and if they need assistance. If required, provide advice to get their dinghy righted, it helps if the dinghy is pointing head to wind if there are strong winds and you can advise about the state of the dinghy (sail submerged, etc). Discuss with the sailor the options for assistance if they want it – you can turn their dinghy head to wind, get the sail and mast out of the water by walking it up, or in strong winds lower the main sail. If they ask for help, approach the dinghy carefully on the opposite side of the dinghy from the sailor and as you get very close ensure you are in neutral, or ideally kill the motor. Assess and use a paddle or the anchor to control the safety boat close to the capsized dinghy and use a retrieving line if needed. If the sailor is getting back into their dinghy it may help to steady and provide some counterweight to their dinghy when they haul them self into the boat.
    If the sailor decides they can’t get the dinghy upright or can’t get back in, discuss with them about hauling them into the safety boat. If they prefer, they can swim to shore if it is safe to do so and there is an easy exit out of the river. If so, shield them from any river traffic as they swim to shore being sure not to get close to them. Once they reach the shore, keep an eye on them to ensure they have exited the river and check that they are fit and well.
    Right the dinghy yourself, you may need to lower the sail and then take the dinghy back to shore, either towed (with a long painter) or with the crew holding the dinghy alongside. Tie up the dinghy on the jetty with clear space for other returning sailors and check that the sailor has returned to the clubhouse and is ok.
  • Between races. Clear the jetty area to allow sailors to return to the jetty and be socially distanced. Your AOD(s) can assist with tying boats up, get them to wear a mask if they do so.
    Don’t forget you and your AODs get a free cup of tea during the tea break!
  • Stowing and cleaning the safety boat. Get assistance from sailors to remove the safety boat from the water and disinfect the safety boat once it has been stowed.

Further Reading