Australian Sailing has been closely following the developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, an issue which will no doubt have an impact on Australia’s sailing community. 

The priority for Australian Sailing and our affiliated clubs at this time should be the health and safety of our communities. This is a rapidly evolving issue, so we are advising clubs to closely monitor State and Federal Department of Health webpages for the most up-to-date and relevant information regarding the outbreak.

Last week we published two public statements regarding the outbreak on our website which can be found here.

Sailing clubs around the country are already being affected by the situation, with the number of members and guests visiting clubs due to decrease in the current climate.

For club regattas and events, we recommend clubs review the advice from the relevant sources to help shape your decision on whether to proceed or not. We recognise every club has its own unique circumstances to consider and if clubs are looking for further advice or counsel we urge you to contact your Regional Manager in the first instance.

Australian Sailing remains open for business, but has taken several precautions which include:

-    All Australian Sailing staff will be working from home for at least the next fortnight. It will be business as usual, with scheduled face-to-face meetings to be conducted digitally; and office phones diverted to mobile phones.
-    A cancellation of all non-essential travel (including interstate)
-    All staff and athletes who are returning from overseas will be self-quarantining as per the Government guidelines

We have also cancelled several of our regattas and events, including:

• SA – School Team Racing – Metro Championships – March 29
• SA – Combined Clubs and Classes Meeting – March 17
• SA – Secondary School Team Racing - State Championships – April 15
• VIC – School Teams Sailing Championships – March 20 (Postponed)
• NT – Regional Instructor Conference – March 21
• SA – SheSails Coaching Clinic – March 21
• NSW – Combined Clubs Meetings:
  • Botany Bay – 24 March
  • Lake Illawarra – 31 March
• TAS – Hobart Schools Team Sailing Series – March 25
• VIC – State Youth Championships and Clinic – April 2
• TAS – Teams Racing State Championships – April 4

This list will continue to evolve. Australian Sailing will contact all registered participants regarding alternative arrangements in due course. The Instructor, Coach and Officiating courses that are cancelled will be rescheduled to a date later in the year.

We are encouraging Clubs to communicate updates as regularly as required with members; and those who are hosting members and guests should urge them to follow good hygiene guidelines.

Good hygiene includes:

-    Covering your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue
-    Disposing of tissues properly
-    Washing your hands often with soap and water, including before and after eating and after going to the toilet
-    Using alcohol-based hand sanitisers
-    Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces
-    If you are sick, avoiding contact with others and staying more than 1.5 metres away from people

High performance athletes should monitor the AIS website, here they will find the most relevant information regarding COVID-19: https://ais.gov.au/health-wellbeing/covid-19.

Ensuring the health and safety of our sailing community will be our priority over the coming weeks and months. 

Kind regards,

Ben Houston
CEO
Australian Sailing