A message from the DIYC Commodore:

DIYC Members,

 After careful planning and much deliberation across the DIYC COVID-19 Committee, DIYC Officer Group, DIYC BOG and DIYCA BOG, a consensus has been reached to move forward with the DIYC Phase 2 Re-Opening plan. Included in this plan is the following:

• To begin Racing effective 6/24
• Initiation of our Cruising Plan
• Opening of the condo bathrooms

 The goal of our work has been the safety of all members and their respective guests while utilizing the club and participating in activities the club hosts. With that in mind we have implemented a variety of rules and protocols which must be followed, please note the following: 

·        Racing - Waivers must be signed by both skippers and crew members who want to race at DIYC

o   Available through online registration process at Yachtscoring.com for each series

o   It will be mandatory for all skippers and crew to keep this updated throughout the season, or risk not being scored for a race.

o   Waivers will include abiding by club rules – see attached

·        Condo Bathrooms

o   Will be opened for all members and guests during DIYC events

o   DIYC events include Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night racing events

o   Club Steward will open/close bathrooms after each event

o   1 person in the bathroom at a time

o   Bathrooms will be cleaned prior to racing

o   A spray bottle and paper towels with be in each bathroom, please spray/clean surfaces you touch after use

o   Bathroom Rules will be posted

·        DIYC Clubhouse building will remain closed at this time, we do not have the staff required to follow the state guidelines required to open the entire building

·        Club Rules – please read the document carefully  

 Overall, we believe it takes each one of us to keep each other in check. If you see someone not following the rules, please try and speak to the person to politely remind them of the club rules. As always, your DIYC Officer team is available with any questions or concerns.

 Look forward to getting racing and cruising going, and seeing you all out there!

 Mark McCarthy

DIYC Commodore 2019-20

POSTED 05/22/20

A message from the DIYC Commodore:

As the warmer weather progresses, I know many people are getting their boats ready and looking forward the beautiful season in front of us. While this boating season may be much different than normal, be assured we are actively looking at all alternatives to opening up the club and continuing club activities, realizing we need to keep our members safe.  

With that in mind, I formed a DIYC COVID-19 Committee composed of key members and the officers, with the objective of drawing in specific talent within our community. We had our first meeting this past Wednesday Night on 5/22, focusing on medical input, insurance liability, and legal options for mitigating risk. So you can further understand, the committee is evaluating: 

• The state currently has Private Clubs closed until further notice
• Marina’s and related grounds are allowed to be open for use, with social distancing/safe measure in place
• We are evaluating our insurance policies for virus liability
• Creating Waivers for each owner and crew member to sign before racing, following the DEEP rule of ‘Boat Mates must be Housemates’

 At this point, we are delaying all racing activities until after 6/20 CT Phase II Reopening. We will be meeting again on 6/11 to further assess the situation and will provide further guidance at that point.

We continue to welcome all members to use the grounds and porch with the following guidelines:

• Please assume no surfaces at DIYC have been cleaned
• Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on maintaining 6-foot social distancing from others must be followed at all times. 
• When possible, leave an empty parking space between your vehicle and others in the lot.
• Boat occupants should be limited to cohabitating family members only, and groups of no more than five.
• Do not raft or tie-up your vessel with other vessels.

Be Safe and take care!

Mark McCarthy

DIYC Commodore 2019-2020

POSTED 04/10/20

A message from the DIYC Commodore:

I hope this communication finds you and your family healthy and safe. The DIYC Flag Officers and I continue to work virtually to put on a 2020 season full of amazing activities for club members. Obviously, COVID-19 has forced your leadership team to rethink our start of the season and put contingency measures in place, as the safety of our members is our top priority. With that in mind, we wanted to give the entire community an update on our discussions and how we will approach the upcoming season.

We have made the decision to delay the start of our season until June 1^st, 2020 and plan to re-evaluate this new start date at the end of April. Our decision is based on Governor Lamont’s mandate that all private clubs must be officially closed until further notice. We expect that this new date will allow enough time for everyone to get their boats ready in a reasonable fashion. Our hope is that we should have a better sense of the CDC and CT Government guidelines for private clubs and social gatherings by the end of April. We will provide another formal update by May 1^st, 2020. Please note and respect that our clubhouse will remain closed to all members at this time.

In looking at our schedule for the season, here is a tentative plan based on a tentative 6/1 start date:

• Winter/Spring Social at the Nauber’s – Previously Cancelled
• Spring DIYC Work Party – 4/25 Scheduled – Delayed until further notice
• TGIF and Raft Ups in May – Cancelled until further notice
• Tuesday Night Shirley Hall Series to start on 5/5 – will be delayed until 6/2
• Wednesday Night Spring Series to start on 5/6 – will be delayed until 6/3
• Memorial Day Cruise 5/23-5/25 – TBD, update to be provided by 5/1
• DIYC Commissioning Day TGIF – remains on plan for Friday, 6/5
• ECSA Spring Regatta – remains on plan for Saturday, 6/6

Your leadership team continues to evaluate the news of the pandemic by closely following the Governors updates, monitoring other clubs for their notices, and the impacts to surrounding marinas. We have already seen many events in May and June get cancelled or rescheduled (Leukemia Cup, Off Soundings, Bermuda, etc..).

I never thought I would ever have to write a note like this to all of our members, but these are unprecedented times which require our community to remain resolute. While the news is disappointing, our officer team and I remain optimistic the club will be up and running in short order for this season. Thank you for continued support of DIYC and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Stay Healthy, Stay Safe.

Sincerely,

Mark McCarthy

DIYC Commodore 2019-2020 

Hello Duckies,

A reminder that DIYC is now an MVP Club with US Sailing. This new status allows DIYC members to join or renew US Sailing membership at discounted rates as well as receiving a 25% discounts on purchases at US Sailing online store. And for every Duck that signs up the club earns points which can be used for the Club to purchase items from US Sailing such as Educational Books for the club library, Race Committee Gear and Training Material, including seminars. See the attached letter from your Commodore. There is a link to sign up or renew in Mark's letter as well as on our club site. Anyone with questions can reach out to me directly. It's a good day to be a duck!  More Info: DIYC MVP Program

Brendan Coyne

Director of Publicity, DIYC

Friends of Duck Island Yacht Club

The Officers of DIYC are continuing the "Friends of Duck Island" emailing list. We don't want your crew or any other friends to be in the dark on some of the fun happenings at DIYC. This new emailing list will keep them informed about our biggest events happening through the season.

We are asking members to ask their friends, and skippers to ask their crew if we may have their emails to add to the "Friends" list. The list will be used to inform "Friends" about DIYC events only, hence there will be only a few emails per year. The email addresses will not be used for any other purpose than the Friends of Duck Island list. One can unsubscribe at any time. You can send the email addresses of interested crew or other friends, or they can send the request themselves, to diyc.pub@gmail.com.  Any interested party can sign up. You don't have to wait for an invitation from your skipper or a club member.

Regards,
Brendan Coyne
DIYC Director of Publicity