Club treasurer Anne P writes: Thank you to those who have sent their updated membership details and new subscriptions.
We hope to have everyone’s subscription and an up to date membership list by the end of May.
Click here to download the membership form. It has been updated to take account of associate members (£20) and add the fee for junior rowers who are on an individual membership (£20). Thanks to the eagle eyed members who spotted the omission. We’d be grateful if Honorary members could also complete the update form. Please use the email address treasurer@queensferryrowing.org.
If you’ve already sent in your form, there’s no need to send it again.
(Barbara also thanks the eagle eyed members who spotted that the form on the website was already populated! All fixed and updated now.)
Club treasurer Anne P writes: With the prospect of rowing almost upon us, the committee have agreed that it’s now the right time to renew subscriptions.
Along with subscriptions we are asking that members complete an updated member information sheet for the season ahead.
Please click here to download the form (it’s in an editable Word format). Return it, along with fees, either electronically or by snail mail as you prefer. Details are in the document.
If you are renewing your membership, please aim to do this by the end of May. If you decide not to renew your membership and would like to tell us why, the committee would find this helpful for future planning.
Marianne and Dónal write: The possibility of rowing is now becoming imminent, with a likely return date of Monday, 17 May. The Committee, Return to Rowing subgroup and Mike Breewood have met to discuss what processes should be followed for those who wish to row.
Peter, Lois, Oisín, Aaron and videographer Alexander on a recent row. It was part of Oisín’s Higher PE practical assessment.
The Committee has decided to continue with the processes used last summer, when we had a brief period of rowing. This includes the hygiene protocol we used before, during and after rowing. There will continue to be no access to the Shed.
Mike has kindly agreed to continue to help us organise rowing. Mike will contact all members to ask you to confirm which of three Groupings you wish to be part of. These are
Direct contact with public
More limited public contact/working from home
Shielding
Social rowing slots will be offered for these groupings (depending upon the tides on any given day) and members in each group will be offered the opportunity to put their name down for a particular slot – with crews being filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Committee has decided that social rowing will be offered on three evenings during each week (whilst we have the long, light evenings) as follows, subject to tides:
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Saturdays between 09:00 to 13:00
Sundays – 13:00 to 17:00
Sunday mornings from 09:00 to 12:00 will be reserved for the Youth Team rowing. Youth members can row at all other club times too of course.
Covid-safe coxing last year
Outwith these social rowing times, the boats will be available to book by self-selecting groups, for the slots available during each week day and on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Sessions will continue to be separated by half an hour.
As we’ve said, the Committee has asked Mike Breewood to manage the booking process on their behalf. He will be contacting the membership to confirm the grouping that they would wish to be part of (for social rowing) and will advise each grouping of the slots available during the social rowing times. Members should then contact Mike directly to put their name down for any particular slot. He will post the crew list for each boat/slot in the relevant Google Calendars. Please do not try to insert details into the Ferry Lass and Ferry Maid calendars directly – you won’t be able to!
A representative of each self-selecting group should contact Mike directly if they wish to book a slot during week-days or week-day evenings outwith Social Rowing evenings.
These plans, as always, remain subject to change. The Covid situation continues to evolve and we need you to continue to be patient while we process further Scottish Government and SCRA advice as it comes out. It does, however, look as if rowing is something we’ll be able to enjoy very soon!
Tansy, on behalf of the club secretary, writes: As agreed at our 2019 AGM, the committee have made some amendments to the club constitution. The new constitution is attached to this email and you will find the changes highlighted in green.
As you will appreciate, the usual governance processes for the club are complicated by the fact that we cannot as yet meet in person. The committee have explored the alternatives and decided that this vote and the following meeting to formalise the result should be done with a Survey Monkey poll and a Zoom meeting.
The links for both the survey and the Zoom meeting have been sent via email.
QRC “virtual shed” back in April. Thanks to Val, these meetings are still happening, 10am on Saturdays
As the constitution requires for this kind of change, there will be an Extraordinary General Meeting on Thursday 27th August 7.30pm via Zoom. We ask all our members who are able, to attend this short meeting to present the result of the poll.
We recognise that this move to digital proceedings might exclude some club members who do not have internet access, so if you know of any members who would require a postal vote instead, please let myself or another member of the committee know. Also, if anyone is unfamiliar with Zoom or worried about the technical aspect, please let us know – we are here to help each other.
We hope that lots of you will be able to attend the EGM on the 27th August, as it will provide a ‘rehearsal’ opportunity for the AGM on 27th October. It will also be nice to see everyone’s faces!
The as-it-happened story of how our club was born, ten years ago.
Mike McD writes: Eleven people* came along to the advertised meeting in Queensferry Boat Club and after introductions and a short discussion ‘The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project – Queensferry’ was born.
‘Funding’ and ‘Building’ were the main topics, with ‘Crewing’ ‘to be discussed later’! Peter L had already looked at ways of raising the necessary £5,000 (an agreed overall budget figure), so he agreed to lead the fundraising, Several people had declared an interest in the build operation, so ‘an experienced boat builder’ would be approached to act as advisor. There remained the question of where it could be built. It was agreed those present would form the Steering Group but that ultimately a decision on how the boat would be managed (ie a Rowing Club), would be required. I was elected Chair, Graham Leith, Secretary, and Peter, Treasurer..
It was agreed that the boat should be complete by 31 March 2011 and that we would invite Anstruther to bring their boat over to Queensferry for the Lifeboat Open day on 20th June.
There would be a further 16 meeting of the Steering Group.
* Mike McD (Vice Commodore QBC), Peter L (himself), Graham Leith and Stuart Ridge (Rotary), Sheena and Ranald Mackay, and John Howell (QBC), Mathew Foster (RNLI & Q High School), Greg Wilson (RNLI), Alan Meldrum (former rower) and Stuart Mitchell (sailor, architect, etc).
