Author: Barbara Agnew

QRC Covid officer Marianne writes: You’ll all be aware that the First Minister has announced some further restrictions as Covid infection rates rise.  These restrictions apply to specific health board areas, including Lothian, where most of our members live, and where of course the Club is.

Unfortunately the announcement included the suspension of organised contact sport for over-18s.  Rowing is considered a contact sport for the purposes of Covid because of the proximity of rowers (see SCRA guidance for a full explanation).  This means that from midnight on Friday 09 Oct until midnight on Sunday 25 October, rowing is OFF once again.  

You can read the SCRA’s Covid update – there may be more to come, but I’ll let you all know.

All the crews currently booked in on Thursday and Friday can go out.  Thanks to you all for making the back to rowing protocol and booking system work so well.  We will be back on the water, all things being well, in a couple of weeks.  This time we will be poised and ready to go!

Mike B writes: I am very pleased to be able to advise you all that the Committee has authorised the resumption of Midweek Rowing!

The mechanism for booking a boat is as it was before lockdown – place an entry in the Google calendar for either Ferry Lass or Ferry Maid. (You should be able to access these from this website. Any problems, contact Barbara.) If you already have a crew, please put details of the RP and crew members in the calendar record description box. If you don’t have a crew, but want to organise a row, just send out a call for crew members to the queensferry-rowing-club email address (and then put the details into the calendar record). You should also, of course, make a note of the crew members in the book at the shed. Please bring your own pen!

All the restrictions that apply to our social rowing at the moment will still apply in midweek rowing – for example crew members should arrive at the shed ready to row – there is no changing permitted in the shed and only two persons to be in the shed at any one time.

Please also ensure that when you return from rowing that the crew members disperse from the area of the shed immediately the cleaning work on the boat is complete and the boat is safely back in the shed. We have to ensure that there is no possibility for different crews to interact so please do check in the calendars to make sure the other boat is not also being used. If it is, then your rowing slot should begin at least 1 hour after the other boat commenced its slot, or finished its slot.

I know that the lack of socialising before and after rowing is a bit of a blow to members – but if you do want to have a coffee, some cake and a bit of a chat, why not do it when you are out in the boat rowing…that should be acceptable I think, as you will be in a defined bubble during your row.

Have a great time everyone.

Mike B writes: As of this weekend, we are back on the water.

Some weeks ago a survey was carried out to ask how members categorised the COVID risk level they were prepared to accept when rowing – the results of that survey allowed us to create three categories of rowers from whom to draw crew members when scheduling rowing slots. If you missed the survey, or preferred not to reply to it, but would now like to take part in rowing once more, please could you email me directly on mikebreewood@gmail.com to confirm which category of rower you would like to row with.

The three categories of rower are:

1. General rowers (rowers who are happy to go out and about in the community and have no especial COVID risk factors to consider)
2. Limited Exposure rowers (rowers who have been limiting their exposure to the wider community)
3. Shielding rowers (rowers who have been in shielding or in a defined bubble and wish only to row with others who have been shielding or bubbling)

As rowing slots are scheduled, we will ensure that slots are available for each category of rower in proportion to the numbers of members in each category. The RPs have been separately surveyed and grouped in the same way, so as to ensure that the entire crew fits into the same category for each row.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

For more photos from the weekend, click here.

Click on the links below to view a copy of the nominations for the QRC Committee for 2020/2021.  Postal voting slips with a self-addressed envelope will be sent out on Wednesday the 30th of September for members to return to the Secretary by Thursday, the 22nd of October.

Please note that there have been no nominations for the  position of
Treasurer, so please let me know if anyone would like to stand for this
position (with a proposer and seconder). Please also note that any unfilled committee spaces can be nominated on the night – a maximum of 7 committee members and 4 office-bearers.

Nominations for office-bearers
Nominations for committee members

On 24th Sept 2010 we formally took possession of the empty retail unit next to Scotmid for £10 per month. I have attached the Journal and Gazette picture. John Brodie, CEO of Scotmid, who lives and sails in Queensferry, was as pleased as we were for the publicity. A couple of weeks before this official handover we had organised a reception to launch the project with our guest of honour, Tommy Wemyss, Queensferry’s stroke rower in the 50s.

Having procured the kit, Peter, with Mike and Graham finalised the ‘Awards for All’ grant application to pay for the rest of the boat timber, a trailer, oars and a cover while the rest of the committee contacted various people to organise more fund-raising events which would include coffee mornings, music nights, ceilidhs and various competitions to name the boat and decide it’s colours. (The first idea was a top strake of Queensferry tartan!)

The build, in the rear loading bay area at the back of the unit, had already started with the hull formers supplied by Alec Jordan sitting, on the build frame, all squared off and levelled with string lines.