Page 8 - Kwasind June 2020 issue

JUNE 2020 SAILING • 8
Sailing Office News
Tommy Wharton, Director of Sailing
Boats at North and South Island with Rainbow Bridge from 2016. Photo credit: Susan David
In my inaugural Kwasind Sailing Office update I spoke to the ability to see a silver lining through all this adversity as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 situation. I referenced how impressed I was that in my first few weeks in the job here at RCYC there was an “all hands on deck” approach to planning and brainstorming how to navigate the hurdles in front of us. The task we were facing was massive. The obstacles ranged from the complexities of attempting
to launch boats on an island, to activating a customized launch service, to setting up a city side facility, opening the City Clubhouse and properly (and legally) transitioning to a “return to sailing” strategy during a pandemic. It was overwhelming to say the least. Consulting a playbook
on how to do this and referencing “best practice” was a challenge because no playbook existed. It was a book with no table of contents. Scouring the internet and
seeing what other yacht clubs were doing was extremely helpful, and there was no shortage of blogs and web postings on how clubs were adapting. Without a doubt, the logistical challenges presented to RCYC were unique and unprecedented. The only additional curve ball we didn’t have thrown at us thankfully was massive flooding.
Here is where the silver lining comes into place and evidence to why RCYC is one of the premier yacht clubs
in the world. It’s about the people. The people are the Members and the Staff, they are the bricks and mortar foundations of any club. When crisis does hit, the great yacht clubs rise above it all. The great yacht clubs manage to show their strength and grit and their culture lifts them through the crisis. We are not all the way through it yet
by any means but our measured approach and solution- oriented thinking is driving us forward.
What I experienced from the Membership and Staff over the last few weeks was the pure definition of resilience. This came in many forms. Whether it was in my discussions with specific Members, or on various committees that had
COVID-19 at the top of their agendas, or in the emails that were sent my way every day in terms of ideas. From the Staff there was an equal sense of resolve. Our daily Zoom calls with the Senior Management Team were purely dedicated to dealing with the COVID-19 situation. Our Staff town halls as well. Our semi-weekly Sailing Office meetings were also focused on COVID-19 with creative thinking and a positive outlook being the tone taken by everyone involved. A major asset as well was the RCYC COVID-19 Task Force - to me,
this Committee was instrumental in addressing and tackling the situation in front of us. From the very beginning there was a clear sense of urgency and a strong commitment to figuring this out, while also being agile enough to adapt to the quickly changing Provincial landscape as it related to shifting guidelines and timelines.
Sailing Office May 2020. Photo credit: Jenny Farrand
When I was being interviewed for this position several months ago, I challenged the interview panel with a