Dear DSBC and DUC members

As expected, the club office has been inundated today with phone calls from members with queries regarding the effects of the revised Level 3 Lockdown Regulations on the club and it’s members.

The club will be open under level 3 with the following adjustments to operations as well as some reminders:

• No alcohol sales
• Club opening hours are now 7am to 4pm ( print the attachment to add to your fridge door notice board)
• Club parking will be available during club opening times
• Coffee served as soon as possible from 7am
• Breakfast will be served from 8am to 11am
• Lunch will be served from 11.30 am to 3pm
• No dinners will be served until further notice
• The menu items will be limited and changed daily to accommodate logistics and demand.
• Member and staff numbers are restricted to 50 maximum inside the clubhouse. Please respond positively to staff requests to move outside or to not enter the club.
• Members are encouraged to make use of the outside areas where up to a maximum of 100 members can be accommodated
• Members MUST wear a mask while inside the clubhouse which can only be removed to drink or eat
• Social distancing and regular sanitizing protocols must be followed

A reminder that the club will be closed on the public holiday Jan 1st

Member support required

We appeal to members to continue to support the club over this period by making use of the club facilities as a base to shake off the cabin fever by making use of the promenade for a walk, run or cycle. Also, to use the club as an excuse for a Lockdown outing for the immediate family and a change of scenery. With no expectation of further government financial support for businesses and staff, your continued support of the club will mean that our staff will at least be able to continue to earn over this period.

The more member support we get the more we will be able to offer in terms of service and menu offerings as these have currently been scaled down in line with expected reduced member support with the beaches being closed. The club Level 3 operational plans will be adjusted if required to meet the demand of the members but please understand that we are finding our way with limited previous experience of level 3 conditions under different circumstances to draw upon.

If you find that our service levels do not meet your expectations, please make this known to club management at the time ( not via Facebook or an email 3 days later) so that we can adjust our operational planning to accommodate your requirements.

The Beach!

Access to the Vetch’s beach is banned for everyone except for a person in possession of a fishing licence. If you have a valid, in date fishing licence then you can sit on the beach with a fishing rod ( close to the water!). If you want your family to join you on the beach, then every family member must have a fishing licence as well ( and a rod!).

If you have been on the moon for last 24 hrs, then you will also be disappointed to know that swimming in the sea is banned everywhere in SA except in the Northern Cape and there is a very good reason why not many people swim in the sea there!

Launch Site

At present the Vetch’s beach launch site is closed only because access to the beach for vehicles is currently not permitted and not because of any fishing restrictions. The club committee is working urgently and tirelessly on getting permission for the club tractors to access the beach per the previous Level 3 restrictions so that the members can at least access the beach to launch and go fishing.

Members can still launch and head to sea via the public slipway in the harbour but there are requirements that need to be adhered to such as being specially certified by the Port Captain to use the harbour entrance channel and the radio procedures with Port Control. For more information on these requirements please send an email to Alan: alang@cmh.co.za ( he doesn’t have much else to do now as business is slow – ask him what he does for a living).

If you would like to be kept up to date with the Club Operational boating circumstances, in the same email ask Alan to add you to the Skippers operational Whatsapp group. Please note that this is not a general fishing chat group to boast about your catches but rather to be kept up to date with the club launching operations and boat safety ( Hint, hint to those who took part in the comp this past Monday!)

So far the club has been a relatively untouched by Covid with no cases being detected amongst the staff to date. However, the club has lost a number of members to Covid and the dangerous reality of Covid infection are being bought closer to home than never before. We would like to wish the PWC Chairman and Commodore of the DSBC, Bruce Jackson, a speedy and successful recovery from his recent positive Covid diagnosis.

Please practice safe Covid protocols and we hope to see you at the club soon.

The PWC Team