DIY
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2024 has been a very busy year for the DIY Team. Most of our work goes on behind the scenes and on non-sailing /event days so as not to disturb the smooth running of the club and convenience of the members.
Above and beyond the general maintenance/ repair and upkeep jobs that we tackle as and when issues arise; The team have delivered a few significant upgrades to the club.
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1/ Men's changing rooms; In the Spring we undertook the job of refurbishing the mens changing rooms and Toilet facilities with a short deadline to ensure that the facility was ready by Easter. This was an arduous task starting with the partial demolition and clean out of the old space prior to the contractors starting their specialist work. The most dirty and time consuming, but very rewarding, was the stripping out and refurbishment of the hardwood benches . Thanks to all non core DIY team members who assisted Alex, Ian and Jim. and Special thanks to John King who completely renovated the double sided bench, built the new table trolleys and boxed in all the new pipework in the cleaners cupboard.
2/ Sail storage; The next most significant project was to provide secure and weatherproof storage for member's sails. This was a difficult task, given the physical length of the larger racing sails, and the severe shortage of space available. After much deliberation (and a dose of reality for the moaners and dreamers) we were able to extend the hard floor surface of the enclosure to allow more compact storage of the refuse bins. This freed up the necessary build space. Then, just like that, we now have sufficient sail storage. As an added bonus we were able to accommodate extra paddle storage. Thanks to Sean Mullet, John King and Graham Harris. Also thanks to David Holter and Andy Watts of the fleet management team who assisted with the build.
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3/ Overhaul and update of the club's entire electrical system; This activity is required by law and our insurance and safety depends upon it. Again members of the DIY team did most of the dirty work and enabling works to ensure that the Certified testing electricians had an unimpeded run at the job of testing and checking every single circuit. Final result was 100% sign off for the next 5 years. Special mention to Steve Yearsly whose electrical skills are invaluable on this and every other job we undertake.
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4/ Ladies changing room upgrades; So far; Graham Harris has fitted a new electric shower unit and Rod Green fitted security bars on the windows. We have specified and designed an extraction ventilation fan system to be installed into the ceiling to reduce condensation. This work should be complete by the time you read this. Finally; The refurbishment of the ladies changing room benches was done entirely by Alan Cook - mostly in his garage at home; they are now good as new.
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We look forward to the return of Fred Jones to the team in the new year after his medical repairs heal and to testing the skills of our new member Ricky Mills.
Best regards
Tony Hill - DIY/maintenance team leader
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