Cal Sailing Club to Reopen After Success with Remote Instruction
When shelter-in-place orders were declared in six Bay Area counties to slow the spread of COVID-19, sailing clubs, along with all non-essential businesses, had to suspend their activities. The Berkeley-based Cal Sailing Club was no exception. Even though CSC has not been able to bring members onto the water for 86 days, creative volunteers have come up with ways to keep the community engaged, via remote gatherings, for instance. In return, the community has answered the call when the nonprofit’s survival was jeopardized by the situation. Recently, a team of volunteers has been testing safe protocols to bring members back onto the water.
CSC is planning a limited reopening today.
“Cal Sailing shut down on March 16. We didn’t know how long this would last, but it became clear quickly that when we did reopen, we would be operating under considerable restrictions,” said John Bongiovanni, rear commodore of CSC, who’s in charge of sailing instruction. Online instruction appeared as a natural way to maintain an advanced, typically classroom-based study group that CSC holds annually. Video lessons and an online discussion group fostered the exchanges between students and instructors beyond expectations.
This success led John to expand online instruction to the club’s general membership. “This would keep up interest and momentum while we were closed and allow members to continue to learn about sailing even though they couldn’t get on the water.” So far, five sessions have been offered, bringing together an average of 30 Cal Sailors over Zoom. “We’re realizing that the video lessons have been much more than something we could offer when we couldn’t do anything else,” John commented. He sees remote learning as an excellent complement to the on-water sessions that the club generally prioritizes. In addition, John noted that “some work could serve as a library available to members to supplement what they are learning on the water,” such as the sessions about community racing, which are available on YouTube.
But running a sailing club involves fixed costs — even if the club is closed — like rent and boat insurance. At CSC, the beginning of the sailing season usually goes with a wave of new memberships that fund the bulk of the club’s basic operating costs. No activity meant no money for insurance or rent, threatening the very existence of the volunteer-run nonprofit.
On March 23, CSC members received a call for help that was overwhelmingly heard: In less than two days, the community had contributed annual memberships and donations to cover the $25,000 missing in the club’s treasury. Paul Dominis, one of the donors, explained, “I donated simply because I love the club and its people so much. It is the quintessential supportive community and provides a unique, affordable and very comprehensive way to develop outstanding sailing skills. There was no way I could stand by and let the jewel of the Bay sink into the muck and disappear.”
Nelz Carpentier, another donor said “I feel like a CSC membership is one of the best values in the entire Bay Area, and I could not let CSC face an existential threat without lending a helping hand.” Along with them, more than 80 members bought annual memberships to be activated when the club can function again.
Regarding CSC’s limited reopening today, Mariya Ryazantseva, a member of the reopening team and nurse practitioner by profession, stressed that safety is the priority of the club. “We have no reason to reopen too soon as we are a nonprofit and we are not a necessity. CSC is supposed to be a relaxing environment, and we want to make it as safe as possible so people can enjoy themselves when they come.”
The protocol strictly limits the days on which the club is open, as well as the number of members that can sail on these days. In addition, every sailor and windsurfer will have to pass an awareness test about COVID symptoms and club protocols to use the facility. “I’m incredibly proud of the work the ExComm members have done to forge a plan that gets folks out on the water while taking reasonable precautions for reducing transmission risks,” said Carpentier. Speaking online, nearly every member sounded eager to get back on the water.
I hope the CSC will re open soon and safety ɉݵ