Scotland - When do you plan to launch?

[CapPugwash]

No I don’t and clearly you have trouble with comprehension because New Zealand has not been mentioned once.

You are not the only one who wants to go sailing but it is hardly the SGs fault for that, by trying to control a pandemic.

MSP Mark Ruskell, who sits on the committee, said: "It is welcome that the first minister has moved away from talking about suppression of the virus and is now talking about eliminating it. The Scottish Greens support an elimination strategy, as pursued by countries like New Zealand, but to get there we need to see more ambition on testing and support to self-isolate."

Listen, I didn't mean to get you angry. The only point of this thread was to attempt to work out when restrictions may be relaxed enough to allow us to enjoy our beloved sport once more. Nicola doesn't give straight information and so I hoped, that by using our collective wisdom, we may determine her intentions. The article indicates, at least to me, that this relaxation will be later than I had originally expected.

No deaths, no debilitations , no drama.... just sailing.

 

[wully1]

So the mantra is keep the Scottish economy crippled longer than the rest of the UK to achieve something that is unachievable.

If the Scottish Gov discovered a cure for cancer you’d be whining that they were throwing nurses out of work.....

You really are strange.
BTW, since you’ve gone off topic - did you ever sell your house?

 

[dunedin]

The issue here is that the Scottish Government seem to think if we lock down longer we can avoid a third wave,

But if England opens up sooner they might have a third wave some time.

Anyone who thinks Scotland will avoid a third wave if there is one in England or Wales is living in cuckoo land unless they close the border to England and insist on a negative test or quarantine to keep the English third wave out.

Pushing sand up hill springs to mind.

So the mantra is keep the Scottish economy crippled longer than the rest of the UK to achieve something that is unachievable.

Sadly the one new occupant of Cuckoo land is Ms Sturgeon - a fast flowing border over to England and she thinks we should lock down till we “eliminate” Covid Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon objective 'to eliminate' virus

With thousands of people crossing the border every day, the only things she will eliminate is our economy, people’s mental health - and any buy in to any of the restrictions. And as many are sensible (face masks, social distancing etc), losing buy in to all of these measures through trying to have extra lockdown just to be different from England could result in much higher Covid

 

[ctva]

Not forgetting that her pie in the sky idea of elimination / eradication or whatever word they choose to use will mean:

No international travel so no foreign holidays ever as no country will be able to eradicate the virus. Except possibly N Korea.
Lock downs every winter, the viruses favourite time.
Masks permanently
Social distancing
No tourist industry
No economy

but we’ll all be alive, destitute but alive.

Oh dear...

 

[ProDave]

How many deaths/semi permanent debilitations would be an acceptable trade off for going sailing a month earlier?

None.

We are not asking to go to a football match, or a rock concert or a festival. Just a couple of us to play with a boat in the great outdoors.

 

[scruff]

How many deaths/semi permanent debilitations would be an acceptable trade off for going sailing a month earlier?

Overall I've been a supporter of NS through this last year, but sailing (as a household bubble) has got to be as low a risk as it's possible to get.

Remote communities I'd accept may be reticent to accept tourists, but we quite successfully had a 2 week cruise doing a loose lap of skye & outer hebrides last season being totally self sufficient and not visiting any villages/towns at all. If we have to do the same this season, so be it. We'd prefer to have the occasional meal ashore / trip to the pub mind you, but happy to wait till we're welcome

 

[Ink]

So I have just realised that the James Watt Marina is located within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde BBC Health Board Area along with Glasgow and a huge surrounding area. I am correct in rembering that the travel restrictions were by health board area? If so then I expect James Watt will do a roaring trade as soon as we go back to the tier system.
[/QU

 

[Quandary]

Recreational sailing is very much a minority activity even in Scotland and while it is accepted tht it is probably safer than most other activities, you might have trouble persuading the residents of some of the smaller islands of that.
Nicola is not persecuting you, she is ignoring you, health restictions are never going to be finely enough tuned to make an exception for one leisure activity practised by a few hundred people, no matter how important they may think they are. The Scottish government has enough experience by now of the behaviour of a substantial proportion of its younger population to know that expecting personal responsibility and common sense from the populace is futile, that means that they are forced to over regulate.

 

[TLouth7]

The question is: how many other people's boats am I willing to antifoul in order to ensure there are sufficient numbers who want to launch to make it worth the crane hire?

I can't tell if it is worse being close to the boat but knowing I might not get any sailing, or being far away with the possibility of not even being able to travel to do work on the boat in the nice weather.

 

[awol]

I've postponed my launch from 12th April, which was based on 7 days fettling after "Stay at Home" is relaxed, to 3 weeks later when variable levels may be resumed. My fear is that Edinburgh and Inverclyde do not both make Level 2. Whatever actually happens we will see, but I certainly don't subscribe to the warped concept that Nicola is ignoring the data and expert advice for her own political ends. Whatever her and the SG's other failings I would much rather have her and her advisers than the parcel of self-serving "incredibles"* of Westminster.
*When did "Incredible" stop meaning "Unbelievable"?

 

[ctva]

I've postponed my launch from 12th April, which was based on 7 days fettling after "Stay at Home" is relaxed, to 3 weeks later when variable levels may be resumed. My fear is that Edinburgh and Inverclyde do not both make Level 2. Whatever actually happens we will see, but I certainly don't subscribe to the warped concept that Nicola is ignoring the data and expert advice for her own political ends. Whatever her and the SG's other failings I would much rather have her and her advisers than the parcel of self-serving "incredibles"* of Westminster.
*When did "Incredible" stop meaning "Unbelievable"?

Unless I've picked it up incorrectly with all the conflicting info, but at the end of April NS said things will be relaxed to L3 regardless of the cases criteria. Remember L3 is still travel restrictions to your own council area.

 

[[2574]]

*When did "Incredible" stop meaning "Unbelievable"?

When people decided that "incredible" meant "amazing". I always think it odd that people continually insult others by expressing that their amazing story is not credible - i.e. not believable and therefore not true

 

[claymore]

I find it best not to think about it - in normal times, April is a tad early. The Chents cruise always ran on the first May Bank Holiday and it was always bloody cold. Despite global warming fears, it is likely that the pack ice will not have gone from Loch Melfort before May.
My agent - a fine fellow - Wullyum by name, will advise me when he has my dinghy ready for deployment....

 

[JumbleDuck]

Not forgetting that her pie in the sky idea of elimination / eradication or whatever word they choose to use will mean:

Elimination does seem like a rather ambitious target, but keeping things locked down pretty hard for a bit longer does seem to be supported by the science. I've just come across this:

COVID Vaccines Probably Prevent Spread

Basically - as I follow it - it appears that vaccines are showing that they can reduce spread as well as severity of illness, but for that to be of genuine benefit we need to get as many people vaccinated as possible and cases as low as possible. Those of use who have been vaccinated can, in theory, return to fairly normal life but the more of us there are the safer it is for everyone else. The conclusion of that article puts it clearly:

We may have a window of opportunity to prevent that if we get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, and maintain pandemic precautions until it is truly safe to relax them.[/quote]

Erm, something about sailing.​

 

[dunedin]

Unless I've picked it up incorrectly with all the conflicting info, but at the end of April NS said things will be relaxed to L3 regardless of the cases criteria. Remember L3 is still travel restrictions to your own council area.

That is indeed what she said (I checked carefully) and with 3 week reviews that meant the earliest date for travel within mainland Scotland extrapolated to mid to late May. And no indication at all was given in writing to reopening self catering, which is now seen as a proxy for being allowed to stay away from home on a boat (or anything else), though somebody suggested 21 June.

Clearly this is related to her aim to “eradicate” Covid from Scotland (whether this is feasible or a Lady Quixote tilting at her own windmill is a moot point), and she is coming under pressure from many of us lobbying MSPs to rethink her rhetoric at least, but don’t hold your breath for any material change (as she thought allowing a couple more people to meet outside who are fortunate to live in the same local authority enclave was a huge “easing of restrictions”).

We will see how the data progresses, particularly in England. But if the TV is full of other people who are free to enjoy a bit of the outdoors and trusted to be sensible, whilst Scots are not trusted by our Government, it might cause a worry for the Fm in the runup to elections.

 

[ProDave]

So she is saying that when eventually they decide to release us back to the tier system, we will all go into a high tier to start with regardless of figures and it will then be another 3 weeks before we drop down to the correct tier?

I predict the figures will say tier 1 by the time that happens. Let me also guess each 3 week review will only drop you down 1 tier from where you are so it could be even longer.

 

[ctva]

So she is saying that when eventually they decide to release us back to the tier system, we will all go into a high tier to start with regardless of figures and it will then be another 3 weeks before we drop down to the correct tier?

I predict the figures will say tier 1 by the time that happens. Let me also guess each 3 week review will only drop you down 1 tier from where you are so it could be even longer.

Depressing as a working person and restricted in the holidays I can take unlike the retired etc., who can wait and go sailing anytime later.

 

[yotter]

Indeed,
Should us working people book holidays early summer or later. Too early, we may be restricted, later on it may be more open, but if too late in the summer..................3rd wave? Tricky one, I have gone for early August, but hope to get some hols before then.

 

[claymore]

Depressing as a working person and restricted in the holidays I can take unlike the retired etc., who can wait and go sailing anytime later.

Might I respectfully point out we might not have later! Speaking rather grandly on behalf of "the retired" - don't wish your time away young man and never feel envy of those who are senior in years for 2 reasons.
1) You'll be here one day
2) Life as a workslave is not that bad - at least all your bits and pieces are probably still working well and your income still has opportunities to increase.

Seriously - if you could - would you swap?
I think not

 

[awol]

From NS's statement to the SG on 23/2/2021:

Firstly, it confirms that - if all goes according to plan - we will move fully back to a levels system from the last week in April.
At that stage, we hope that all parts of the country currently in level 4 - will be able to move out of level 4 and back initially to level 3 - possibly with some revision to the content of the levels - and afterwards to levels dependent on incidence and prevalence of the virus at that time.
The advantages of the levels system of course is that it will allow us to let some parts of the country move faster than others, if the data supports that.

Next update to the plan is next week.