News from the Flag Officers – 8/1/21 (29)

Introduction and News

 Traditionally, at this time of the year, we look back at the highlights of the past twelve months before ringing in the New Year and looking forward with great hope and anticipation for what the new year will bring.

I’m sure that nobody needs reminding that 2020 has been the most remarkable year that any of us could possibly have imagined. We have seen restrictions to our movements and lifestyles, been separated for months from our friends and families and many people have lost loved ones to this deadly virus. Our first thought should be for those people who were taken from us and with the families they leave behind.

Despite being the worst year that most of us can remember there have been moments of inspiration which we must also never forget. We will never forget the nation going out of their front doors at 8pm every Thursday night and “clapping for the NHS”, the thousands of rainbows painted by children and proudly displayed in windows and gardens up and down the country and of course, who could ever forget the exploits of Captain Tom Moore -  the World War II veteran who in his 99^th year decided to walk laps of his garden with a goal of raising £1,000 before his hundredth birthday. His exploits touched all our hearts and at the last count his efforts had raised in excess of £32 million for NHS charities.

As 2020 came to an end, the short period that we were promised over Christmas to meet with friends and family was cruelly taken away from us due to a sudden increase in the infection rate as a new strain of the virus began to circulate.

As we were approaching the new year however, we were given a ray of hope as the MHRA approved the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the UK.

This week has seen the NHS begin its immunisation programme and also the announcement of further extended lock-downs in England and Scotland. We must all do our bit to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed and hopefully by the Spring we may see some signs of improvements and a gradual return to normality.

May I take this opportunity on behalf of The Flag Officers and Management Committee of CHPSC, to wish you a very Happy New Year. I am confident that if we all continue to comply stringently to Government guidelines, we will beat this pandemic and look forward to a great summer both on and off the water.

Gerallt Williams – Commodore CHPSC.

Welsh Government Restrictions (announced 18th December) and RYA Cymru Wales interpretation.

 Alert Level 4  was applied at Midnight December 19th - Level 4 has no end date and will be reviewed every three weeks;

• Outdoor individual exercise and professional, elite and designated sports and training permitted- if you have access to water local to you.
• Essential travel into and within Tier 4 only- this has implications for clubs and centres.
• Organised outdoor activities not allowed; this has implications for Club and Centre activities.
• Organised indoor activities not allowed (limited to specific public and voluntary services)
• Organisations delivering either workplace learning or adult learning should continue with online learning. RYA Training Centre seeking guidance on running virtual learning should read relevant section Current guidance for RYA Training Centres in Wales
• Community facilities, sports courts, golf courses, enclosed pitches to be closed; this includes Clubs and RYA Training Centres.

Alert Level 4 restrictions apply from midnight on the 19 December. Level 4 has no end date and will be reviewed every three weeks. Therefore recreational boating activities will have to cease. 

BREXIT - RYA  Guidance

2021 Membership renewal process

Last week a bespoke membership renewal email was sent out, which we hope simplifies the renewal process, with much of the user data populated when logging onto the members area. This process also includes an option to collect the new and fantastic club calendar, or for a small fee we can post it out to you. The calendars have arrived and the  collection times for local members when a  Flag Officer will be in attendance at Plas Heli are published below- We will be using the external door of the middle ground floor  training room (to the right of the main entrance)  - this will be signposted as the main doors and internal facilities will be closed. Please don't make a special journey, but we recognise many local members pass by as part of their exercise so an opportunity exists to collect the calendar.

  2021 Membership Rates

Membership of CHPSC for 2021 

The membership year is from 1st January to 31st December.

2021 Fee Structure 

Primary Member - £65

Joint Membership - £115

Racing Skipper - £125

Joint Racing Skipper  - £180

Associate Member - £75

Student Member - £30

Youth Member - £20

Dinghy Storage

Small (Optimist/Topper) £55 (£48 early payment)

Medium (Laser) £65 £55 early payment)

Large (Merlin Rocket) £85 (£75 early payment)

Multi Hulls (Dart etc) £95 (£83 early payment)

The centre is closed in line with Welsh Government Alert Level  4 restrictions. New opening hours will be posted  as soon as  restrictions are eased, and our bar and catering partner's have assessed what they can offer. 

In order that the club and centre can open re-promptly, there is some essential maintenance work being undertaken on the infrastructure and equipment by the Directors and Flag Officers, in line with Welsh Government Regulations. When restrictions are eased a little we will be looking for additional volunteers, more about this in subsequent newsletters.

New codes on all gates - please don’t pass on these numbers. Anyone with a genuine need to access the pontoons, compounds or other gated areas will be provided with the code, combination or key. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details, or talk to one of your Flag Officers. The Plas Heli event car park on the quay is also available for members parking, should the main Plas Heli car park fill up - for a parking permit see instructions below.

Track and Trace is a Government requirement, please record your details on the sheet provided at the entrance to the  bar, or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It is a Welsh Government recommendation that you also use the NHS app, via the QR code below. 

Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Event Centre, has been awarded the venue rights for the 'IRC Welsh National Championships' for 2021 and 2022.  The Championship is hosted by Plas Heli, and organised/managed by CHPSC and the RDYC.

We now are recruiting volunteers for event planning purposes and if you would like to contribute, or have any suggestions to enhance the event, please reply to this newsletter. Its intended to have the first planning meeting in January to agree the Notice of Race and proposed format of racing.  This meeting will be open to all potential entrants   and volunteers, and will be held using Zoom. Further details next month.

Thought for  the Day:

"the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

 For more information, membership links and the latest weather and webcam

go to:
www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk

Plas Heli Quayside Parking

The parking area on the Plas Heli Quayside is available for paid up CHPSC members and to authorised pontoon users.

The parking area is accessed through the gate adjacent to the old club building

The code to the gate is changed regularly and can be obtained through the plasheli.org website  > Facilities> Parking.  For convenience follow this shortcut link here

Fill in the details – put a tick in the box to confirm that you are a CHPSC member (have your 2021 membership number ready)

Then in the payment bit – use ‘I am a paid up CHPSC member and request permit for parking’ - Then Submit

You will then get a return e-mail with instructions

Please make sure the gate is closed and locked at all times and that the padlock is never left open or with the code left on the dial