These notes arte intended as a guide to your duties as
Officer of the Day. This may be the first time you have done this duty but the
notes below will assist you and hopefully give you an insight to the running of
the club. Although you are the appointed representative of the committee you
will generally have lots of support if you need it and above all we hope you
enjoy the day.
Your primary duty is to ensure the smooth running of the
lake and that the dayÕs activities take place within the guidance of the clubÕs
Rules and Byelaws, copies of which are available in the Control Room at the
club. A fuller manual of rules, procedures, boat hire documentation, and technical
guides for equipment is in preparation and will be in the top drawer of the
control room filing cabinet.
Your main tasks are to ensure your team turn up and to
act as a focal point for the dayÕs activities. You have the backing of the
committee many of whom may be present on the day. Please read these notes
carefully, even if you have been OOD before, and feel free to contact any
committee member if anything is unclear or if you have any comments.
Contact your team at least one week prior to your duty. Check for changes on the website or club notice board. There will be at least one safety boat skipper and crew to assist you and on Sundays and on special events you will have an Assistant (AOD), a Race Officer (RO) and Assistant Race Officer (ARO). You should involve your assistant in sharing your duties as they may be picked for OOD next time. They should run the bar as needed and keep an eye on off-water activities (car park etc.).
If in doubt on any point seek advice from any Flag Officer, Committee member or Race Officer present, particularly about the suitability of the weather conditions for sailing or racing. A list of flag officers and committee members together with their phone numbers will be displayed in the OOD's office or in the OOD's folder and is in the fixture list.
Please try to be the first at the club and be prepared to be the last out at the end of the day.
Normal opening times are:
May to Sept - 9:15am
till 6pm,
Oct to April –
10am - Sats and 9am - Sundays till dusk.
In addition, if there is a special event such as an open meeting or training course on your duty day, you should contact the event organiser(s) for any further requirements e.g. boat & car parking arrangements, briefing times, etc. Be aware that the event organiser(s) should have already decided the allocation of extra safety craft.
Access to the main gate is by a combination lock on the main gate and to the club with a set of keys kept in the external key-box. Contact the Vice Commodore or Clubhouse Secretary if you donÕt know the current code numbers, the location of the club keys or how to immobilise or reset the alarm. The club key set contains a front door key, a magnetic fob to immobilise the alarm and a key to the internal key-box.
The main gate can remain open during the official opening hours. It must be closed and locked at all other times.
Open the clubhouse and go to the control room where you will find the radios and other equipment.
Put on the OOD's hi-vis jacket. Prepare a new log sheet for the OOD folder and complete it as far as possible. (Click the shortcut on the computer desktop if you need to print a new copy.) Read previous log sheets to see if there are any matters requiring attention.
Check that everyone has turned up for duty, record any absentees in the log and notify the Duties Secretary by phone or mail when you get home.
The Control room radio (Bough Beech Control) is powered by a small unit on the shelf by the window. This also powers the Tannoy if you need it. The portables are in the tall cupboard and should be left on their charging bases till needed. All radios are normally locked on to M, M1 or Ch37 low power but make sure. Toggle the 1/25 button to change 1W transmit power. Pick up a portable set from the tall cupboard and keep it on and with you at all times. Carry out a radio check between your portable (OOD), the base station, all safety boats and the Race Officer. Please keep radio traffic on this network to a minimum and observe correct radio protocol where possible. At the end of the day make sure all radios and the Tannoy are switched off and all portables back on their charging cradles.
In order to successfully deal with emergencies it is
crucially important that you maintain a constant lookout over the lake and a
permanent radio link to the safety boat.
If you get distracted on other tasks make sure you deputise this
role.
Emergencies should be managed from the control room. Call for external assistance where necessary to the clubÕs address on the control room notice board, the galley and the front of the fixture list. Decide quickly who is in overall management control of the emergency and act on that decision. Use the radio network and if necessary quickly contact external rescue services from the phone in the control room or galley using 999. There is a stretcher in the entrance hall, a full first aid kit in the galley and a defibrillator in the small white box near the galley hatch. All safety boat skippers have first aid qualifications and most have been trained in the use of the defibrillator.
Your safety boat skipper will prepare the safety boat(s). Establish a line of command between you, the skipper, the RO and any special event organiser. Consider preparing additional safety boats to be on standby in consultation with your team.
At least one safety boat needs to be manned and ready to respond at all times, including lunch time. Cover must be maintained throughout the period of scheduled sailing. Safety boat cover may not be withdrawn without your authorisation. When moored to the jetty on standby, at least one person must remain with the boat.
Safety boats should not operate at high speed except in an emergency. Insist that the powerboat skippers respect the fishermen and their fishing gear by keeping well clear and by driving at a low speed.
Hours of sailing for summer and winter seasons are determined by the General Committee and set out in the Fixture List. They are indicated by the position of the club burgee on the flagpole as shown below:-
á Fully hoisted - full safety boat cover
á Half mast - sailing allowed but no safety cover
Other permitted sailing times will be published on the Club Notice Board.
You are responsible for deciding whether to issue special instructions concerning the conduct of Ôon the waterÕ activities during your period of duty. You will have the full support of the club's Officers and Committee in making these decisions. Take advice from the race officer or any club official. Examples would include, but are not limited to:-
á Deployment of more safety boats.
á Limiting the sailing area.
á
Postponing or abandoning sailing.
á
The wearing of wet suits/dry suits.
á Management of emergencies
You are entitled to bar from sailing any boat that you consider unsafe or any crews inadequately dressed or without effective buoyancy aids. Be aware that the club concedes that competent windsurfers, who will often sail in conditions too severe for dinghies, can sail without full buoyancy as its use would constitute a hazard to them.
As stated in Emergency
procedures above you must ensure that you maintain a constant observation of
the lake, preferably from the clubhouse.
If your duty calls you away for any reason, appoint someone with a
separate radio to do this for you until you are back on station.
Ensure for yourself that your safety team is aware of potential problems on the
lake. This might include young or inexperienced sailors, unattended capsizes or
crews separated from their boat.
Keep a general lookout for boats sailing too near the nature reserve or within
50mtrs of any fishermen. Send a
warning by safety boat if necessary.
Record any incidents or near misses on your log sheet. If safety is involved, complete a
safety incident report for the Rear Commodore (Sailing).
If weather conditions deteriorate during the day, consult your team or any flag officer or committee member present and consider launching extra safety cover using competent volunteers. It may be necessary to limit sailing.
Check that all boats bear a current club sticker.
Deal with any hire of club craft and record in the register currently held by the club caterer. Also record the daily total of any hire in your log.
Arrange help with boat parking on special event days (use your assistant).
Record any authorised visitors with permission to sail their own boat (see rule 10 – trial sailing).
Answer visitorsÕ queries as far as possible. (Most documentation is on the computer desktop).
Arrange help to dispose of clubroom and galley waste where possible.
Be prepared to open the bar on a Saturday. Most members can be trusted to put money for their drinks in the bar till.
There is a full set of club Rules and Byelaws in the control room filing cabinet. Try to ensure that members and their visitors comply with these, most of which are imposed by the water company. The most relevant ones are:-
á
Unattended young children must keep off the lower
slipway and jetty unless they are sailing
á
Dinghy road trailers must not be used for launching.
á
Deliberate capsizing is not permitted except on
training courses.
á
No swimming or paddling is permitted.
á
Boats must keep out of the nature reserve at the north
end of the lake and must not land anywhere but the slip and adjacent beach
unless in emergency
á
No animals are allowed on the club premises at all, not
even in locked cars.
á
Cars must be parked in the car parks provided.
á
An adequate personal buoyancy aid of at least 50
newtons must be worn at all times when afloat or on the jetty (except competent
windsurfers).
At the end of the dayÕs sailing run through the list
below:-
Check the skipper(s) have secured the safety boats and gear and the boathouse is locked.
Lock the club compound and sea container(s)
Check all radios are off and on their charging cradles.
Lock all outer doors and windows in the clubroom and changing rooms
Turn the club computer and base station power supply off
Close and lock the control room door from inside.
Turn off all lights, check the club is clear, arm the alarm system and lock the front door.
Put the club keys in their box and scramble the code
Check the boat park is clear before locking the gate
Robert Abraham – Vice Commodore
Revised - October 2007