Boat Launching Resumes at Ardfern

BOAT LAUNCHING RESUMES AT ARDFERN & CHANDLERY HARDWARE SALES AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION  
4th June 2020

Restarting boat launching at Ardfern Yacht Centre

BOAT launching has now resumed at Ardfern in line with the Scottish Government’s guidelines to move to ‘phase 1’ of the easing of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

We are very pleased to say that the ‘phase 1’ guidelines in Scotland now enable us to resume ‘outdoor working’ and as such our boatyard launching and marina operations restarted on Monday 1st June, with the additional relevant risk assessments now in place to cover working at a safe social distance.

There is obviously a considerable backlog to the launch and lifting schedule, but rest assured we will be pressing on to get all boats that need launching ready and in the water for when their owners can resume boating. If you require any additional boatyard services please contact the office.

At the same time we also welcomed the confirmation from RYA Scotland that the extension to the daily exercise guidelines included in ‘phase 1’ does specifically include sailing and the use of motorboats, which allows local boat owners to return to the water. However, customers are reminded of the following guidelines that still apply under the ‘phase 1’ conditions in Scotland regarding water activities:-

1) You are currently advised to stay in your local area near to your primary 

     residence when partaking in leisure activities.

2) You should not stay overnight on your boat at this stage, so only day trips 

     are currently permitted.

3) All boating must only take place with members of your immediate 

    household at the moment.

4) If you or anyone in your household are displaying coronavirus symptoms 

    do not travel to Ardfern and isolate at home as per Government guidelines. 

For those local customers able to return to their vessels we urge you to check all on board machinery and fuel systems along with safety gear before venturing out for the day, especially now that it has been quite a while since many boats have been moved.

The chandlery at Ardfern is available for hardware sales only on a ‘call and collect’ basis if you do need anything. Please either call in at the office in person or ring us on 01852 500247 if you would like to order any items for collection, which we can then place outside for you.

In the office/chandlery reception area, protective screens have been installed around the counters, 2-metre floor markings are now in place and a hand sanitiser is available at the door.

Diesel and gas will also be available. Please contact the office if either services are required, wear disposable gloves when handling the diesel nozzle or gas bottles and please remember to keep 2-metres apart from staff members serving you.

The facilities block will be open between 9am and 5pm only and will be limited to one male and one female toilet only, with the showers and laundry facilities remaining closed for the time being. An extra outdoor sink has also been installed next to the laundry building to provide an additional hand washing facility.

On the pontoons we ask customers to use the finger pontoons when passing others in order to adhere to the 2-metre distancing rules and to give priority to people leaving the pontoons. Please also wait on the pier if others are on the pontoon bridge.

We have increased cleaning procedures across the site and ask all customers to adhere to the social distancing guidelines and our AYC Covid-19 Customer Protocol at all times.

We thank all of our valued customers for their patience and understanding of the current situation and we very much hope that it won’t be too long until we are welcoming our customers from further afield back to Ardfern to enjoy their boats and the beautiful waters of Argyll once further restrictions are lifted in Scotland.

Andrew and Joanna Ashton and all the team at Ardfern.