6/11/20

 Dear members,
 Thank you all for your patience since my last email. I know this is coming a bit later than you had hoped and you aren’t alone. We still have a few things that we are trying to fine-tune, and some of this email won't be as clear cut as I would like it to be but we are taking things one day at a time to keep everyone safe and make sure we aren’t skipping any steps on our way to re-opening. With that said, our most exciting development is this:  We will be opening our doors for R19 sailing at the end of next week!
 
It looks like our opening day could be Thursday or Friday but the official announcement will be made early next week following some test runs with our staff. Therefore, please hold off on contacting us to make reservations just yet, unfortunately, we won’t be able to accept them.
 
This week I have spent most of my time at the boathouse and my biggest take away has been this; It’s not summer without Courageous and I’m more energized than ever to get back out on the water with you! I’ve been meeting with staff, walking through the “new look” of the front desk, and working on placing final orders for PPE. Early next week, staff will be coming down for more training around cleaning procedures and help to make any final adjustments before we are officially open to members. As I mentioned in my last email, as excited as we are to go sailing, our priority has been to focus on making Courageous a place that makes you feel safe and welcome.  
 
In addition to a clear "go ahead" on opening our doors, the phase 2 guidelines released by the Mayor on Saturday have lifted the restrictions on sailing with members of your household only. With the lifted restriction comes two main  questions for Courageous, it's students, and members:
  1. Can we host lessons? We aren't sure, at least not while adhering to 6' of distance.  While we were hopeful this lifted restriction translated directly to sailing lessons, we don't have enough clarity on how it relates to the recommendation around 6 feet. With that said, the phase 3 guidelines are set to be released on June 29 and we are hopeful that they will remove any doubt that we can move forward. Until then, we have been been working on our zoom skills and will be adding remote lessons to the curriculum for all of our courses. The zoom lessons will be in conjunction with the time on the water we expect everyone to get come July and a direct replacement to some of the "chalk talk" lessons that are already a key part of our courses. Each of you will be hearing from Sara and Nikki our student coordinators around how to join a scheduled zoom and officially get your course time on the books. 
  2. Can members bring guests from outside their household? As of right now, no. We would like to start the season cautiously and allow for time to make adjustments. Following our slow open we expect to make updates around welcomed guests

By early next week you can expect 3 big things from us.
  1. An official opening day announcement
  2. A link to our new waiver
  3. A membership packet loaded with information including;  Hours of Operation,  Covid-19 Policies, Standard Policies, How to make a reservation, What changes to expect this summer, A review on Flag ratings and how to achieve them, A review on what to do in an emergency, And so much more!
 
We know its been hard to be away from friends, family, and let's just say it… sailing! Finally getting out on the water is going to be the long-awaited reprieve from the stressors surrounding us these past few months and your anticipation isn’t lost on us. We have worked hard to make Courageous a safe place for you to return to. We’ve been keeping our  COVID-19 Response  page updated and our  Courageous at Home  page will be adding in new videos on single-handed sailing throughout next week. Make sure to check them out!
 
For those of you who have been emailing and calling, I am receiving them, am doing my best to respond but am hoping this email and the ones that are soon to follow answer most of your questions. Thank you all so much for your continued understanding and flexibility. Please know that I want nothing more than to have all of you back together with us on the pier and out on the water. As they say, saltwater heals, and I know I’m not alone when I say we could all use a bit of healing right now. I’m leaving you with a beautiful piece of calligraphy from Jens mother and artist, Trix Bodde that expresses this sentiment well. 

Looking forward to saltier days,
Caitlyn