Cruising Report

Spring has sprung and as we plan to re-enter summer (and our post-lockdown club) we will once again be operating in a ‘different’ way for a period to come. Thank you to all the members who have sent notes of support and also got involved in the various online activities we have been undertaking the past couple of months.

August was set to be one of the busier months of the year with our 150th Gala and AGM being just a couple of the large events planned. These events will still take place, albeit delayed and potentially changed a little depending on the health guidelines that we have to adapt to.

There have been moments of ‘here we go again’ as I am sure there has been with all of our members and their own businesses. However, we will be very much focused on a quick recovery and completely rely on you, our members, to help with this. Our goal is to provide a very safe and enjoyable environment and as part of this we have a number of enforced changes to how we have to operate. So, please bear with us as this transition takes place. While we have had a few practices with this over the past 18 months, there are also a few new items for us to deal with as well. Key things are: • Contact tracing is required for all yachts and your crew on board – through Top Yacht • All customer-facing staff will wear masks when serving you • You do not need to wear a mask when eating or drinking • You must check in when entering the premises • During Level 2, we may initially have some restrictions on numbers per dedicated venue in the building: 50 for indoor spaces (luckily we have several) and 100 per outdoor venue. This will no doubt change over time.

We will be once again promoting the private dining options for smaller groups as a good safe option to meet with your friends and family. We will also use video conferencing tools to allow normally larger groups to break into smaller ones for things like prizegivings and likely our AGM.

At the start of Level 3, our planting project at Kawau has been able to resume and this has now largely been completed by staff as opposed to volunteers, while the main building has been closed. Our chefs and Food and Beverage team have been great helping with this, as we needed to get these plants in before summer starts, so just in time!

We are also able to recommence work on the new deck at Lidgard House and a special thanks to members Rodney McVicar from Buildpro and Lyndon Urquhart from Harts Fasteners for supplying the timber and fixings at some great prices for the club.

Labour Weekend is opening weekend for Kawau Boating Club – they have a great weekend planned of racing and activities for those that aren’t doing the PIC Coastal Classic, or a great place to stop on the way home from that iconic race. We really encourage you to get involved where you can.

We conducted a Member Survey in July and overall some really positive feedback was received. Thank you to the 535 members who responded. Of the responses, 70% were from full and senior members, 80% were from men, and 20% from women; 75% were aged 55 and over. Your responses will help your Committee review the future direction of the club and address areas needing improvement, for the benefit of all our members.

Highlights of the survey: • You come to our club for lunches, dinners and social events, and to go yachting/boating • As a member, what you value most is a sense of belonging, pride and the community within the club, and the opportunity to socialise and meet up with family and friends • You are overwhelmingly happy with our people, our facilities, our sailing programmes and communication. You mentioned our

Food & Beverage offering as the key area needing improvement • 89% of you would recommend joining the club to friends and family • 88% bring non-members to the club, and 83% think we have the right mix of memberonly and all-hands events • 62% of you are in favour of a review of membership subscriptions

The results of the survey have been reviewed by your General Committee and your feedback will be an important input for the upcoming review of the club’s future strategy and direction, expected to be carried out over the next 12 months.

We will report back on actions taken as a result of this year’s survey results.

A reminder Food & Beverage also has some ongoing great value meals and beverage specials that give members some exceptional value. $5 rums post sailing and $9 pint of the month for members, to name a couple.

Supporting your club is very important right now, as we look to recover from essentially losing three months of trading. I have been really encouraged already by the contact from members on ‘how can we help?’ Some of these things might be: • Use the club – come to events (on and off the water) • Join your friends and crew – if you have regular crew, partners or guests that are not members, we really encourage that they join – there are a number of initiatives as well as benefits for them • Retail – check out the shop for some very good specials on clothing and merchandise at the moment • Support the Corporate Regatta and/or the

Gala – buy a ticket, or provide an auction item (dates to be confirmed, Covid willing) • Support the Kawau tree planting project • Join our volunteers • Go sailing!

We have a number of event date changes, so keep an eye out for these and make sure you book and get involved.

Thank you for your support in advance and for helping us keep our club on an even keel. We have certainly been hit hard again by a pretty rough gust, but with a great crew and members on board we will be able to once again ride this out.

Hayden Porter, CEO