Buddy Boating Rules & Guidelines
Definition:
Buddy Boating is the system of rules which allows club members to participate in watersports activity on Grassholme Reservoir when a club safety boat is not operating. The Buddy System is ONLY available to members of Teesdale Sailing & Watersports Club. No guests or visitors are allowed to use the buddy system.
Application:
The phrase 'Buddy Boating' is used to encompass the use of all types of recreational watercraft on Grassholme Reservoir. It includes sailing dinghies, windsurfers, kayaks, canoes and stand up paddleboards.
Buddy Boating specifically excludes the safety boats and the tender used to access them.
Adult club members who are competent sailors may Buddy Boat at any time during the hours of daylight, between the start and end dates of the season as advertised on the club website. Buddy boating during the closed season is not permitted.
Personal Responsibility:
If you wish to partake in any water activity using the buddy system, you agree to abide by all rules of the buddy system included in this policy. Accessing the water using the buddy system is done entirely at the member's own risk.
Rules:
- For Buddy Boating to take place there must be at least TWO SIMILAR CRAFT on the water.
- For example, two appropriately manned dinghies could buddy boat together. One dinghy and one SUP could not buddy boat together.
- Each (of two) craft must contain at least one competent adult who can assist the person/s in the other craft if they get into difficulties. These will be the RESPONSIBLE ADULTS.
- Additional craft (up to a maximum of three) are permitted not to have an adult aboard; e.g. a single handed junior boat.
- Any additional craft must be directly supervised by the RESPONSIBLE ADULTS.
- It is not enough to know other people are at the club/on the water. Please make personal contact with another individual. Talk through your plans, concerns, where you intend to sail and for how long.
- Craft MUST stay within hailing distance of one another.
- All buddy boaters MUST wear buoyancy aids and carry a whistle to attract attention, In April and May they should wear dry suits, or full wetsuits. Water temperatures are very low at the start of the season.
- Buddy Boating is not permitted in strong winds. This relies on judgement and the interpretation of 'strong winds' by the RESPONSIBLE ADULTS, but should generally be taken to mean winds of Force 4 (18 mph) and above. The limit for SUPs and sit on kayaks is F3 (12mph).
- RESPONSIBLE ADULTS undertaking dinghy sailing MUST carry a safety knife in order to deal with an entrapment should one arise.
Guidelines:
- It is best practice for buddy boaters attending the club when other members are not around to notify someone of the activity they are undertaking and when they expect to get back. This could be a friend/relative/neighbour/etc. Alternatively placing a message on the relevant Club WhatsApp Group can be used to the same effect.
- Out of club hours, it is also polite to call in at the fishing office to notify the Northumbrian Water Warden that you are club members and will be going out on the water buddy boating.
- Mast head floats are advised to be fitted to all dinghies.
- Preparing a safety boat and leaving it ashore 'ready to go' should be considered.
- When an Officer of the Day is on duty, they may choose to fly a green and yellow pennant in place of the blue safety boat flag to indicate that the safety boat is not operating but that Buddy Boating can continue. For example, this might be the case at lunch time on a Sunday.
