Queensferry Rowing Club

Club secretary Lorna writes: Below please find the Calling Notice for Queensferry Rowing Club’s AGM. It is being sent out slightly earlier than normal this year, due to the unusual way that we will be conducting the meeting (via Zoom), and the possible need to involve a postal voting system.  More information will be sent out on this later, should it be required.  Please read the notice carefully as there are a lot of important dates to remember. If you have any questions regarding the notice, please contact myself, or any other committee member.

The Annual General Meeting of Queensferry Rowing Club will be held on Thursday the 29^th of October 2020 at 7.30pm, via Zoom.

A draft agenda and minutes of the previous AGM will be sent via email or letter to members at the start of October. It will also be posted on the Club website. Any additions to the agenda should be made known to Lorna Bark, Secretary, secretary@queensferryrowing.org by 15^th October 2020.

Nominations for any position in the committee should be notified to the Secretary by 5pm on Thursday the 24^th of September 2020 with Proposers and Seconders (Please remember to propose or second next to the nominations). In the event that there are more nominations than the required four Office Bearers and not more than seven members, a postal vote will be held and the deadline for this will be Thursday the 22^nd of October. Any current Committee member who decides not to stand for re-election should inform the Secretary by the 24^th of September, along with the other nominations.

The current Committee are:
Anne Purcell, Captain
Dónal Ferrie, Vice Captain
Marion McDowall, Treasurer
Lorna Bark, Secretary
Members:
John Howell
Alan Sutherland
Marianne Sandison
Mike Breewood
Stephanie Durning
Stevie Leask
Tansy Lee Moir

Due to the pandemic this year, a sheet will NOT be posted in the Shed for the nominations.

Club captain Anne P writes: I just wanted to give you a quick update regards progress with our return to rowing.

As you are aware, our first successful launch with our new Covid protocols took place earlier this week. Following feedback from the crew some adjustments have been made. Our second crew of skippers will take to the water this evening and again feedback will be gathered as we refine our procedures. A new tab has been created on the website where the relevant documents and links can be found. We would recommend that you familiarise yourself with these as we move towards members returning to rowing.

At the committee meeting last week we agreed that we need to gather the views of members in preparation for putting crews together. As our membership ranges from those who are and have been working with the public throughout, to those who have been shielding, there may be some matching required to ensure that everyone who wants to row is comfortable with the options available.

A survey is being prepared for club members to be able to share any particular requests regards their comfort level and needs when rowing with a particular crew and skipper. A similar survey has already taken place for skippers. We are also exploring the best option for gathering a crew and booking a boat. It is important to us that everyone who wants to row, has the opportunity and that we manage this in as inclusive and equitable a way as possible.

Further updates will continue as we proceed and in the meantime feel free to raise any questions with any member of the return to rowing subgroup i.e. John Howell, Maria Van Dalen, Marianne Sandison, Anne Flannery and myself.

Nearly there!

In other news, Mark reports that Ferry Lass received a coat of varnish this morning and will be ready to row next Monday. He gave a big vote of thanks to Douglas for keel band bending and fixing with Alistair, as well as to the boat turners, plus Mike B and the RTR team for access permits. 

Club captain Anne P writes: Yesterday saw an important landmark in our return to rowing – the first RPs, Mark, Stevie L and Peter, tried out our new return to rowing protocol with Anne F and Marianne (as club Covid Officer).  We’d like to thank Peter, Mark and Stevie L for engaging so positively and enthusiastically.

The RTR Group have been working very hard behind the scenes to get to put this protocol together.   Live testing it, it proved robust, practical and what we need to do to get back on the water, while complying with SCRA and Scottish Government rules.  There was only one tweak (thanks, Peter!), so I am now able to share it with the Club.  Click here to view or download a PDF of the document. The Committee and RPs have already had sight.

While it may at first look daunting, this is what we will all need to do, without exception, to keep us rowing.  It is for our own safety as individuals, as a Club, as a community, and as part of the Scottish coastal rowing family.

The protocol might best be summed up as:

1.  Sanitise the boat and equipment
2. Row!
3. Wash the boat and equipment.

It’s not a barrier to rowing, but something that will ENABLE us to do the thing we all love.

We hope to have more RPs out as soon as possible, so if you spot a boat out, as some of you with eagle eyes did, that’s what’s happening.  

We are a community club and we want to ensure that everyone who wants to has an opportunity to row, so the Committee are also looking at a booking system to make this happen.

While some smaller clubs are out, many clubs are moving at a similar pace to QRC.  It’s important we get this right, so please be patient for a little longer.

And once again, thanks to Peter, Stevie L and Mark for stepping up and supporting the process!

Club vice-captain Dónal writes: Click below for Legs 11 and 12 of the Virtual RowAround:

Dalgety Bay to South Queensferry – Section 11 | Day 8

South Queensferry to Granton – Section 11 | Day 9