Big three open Marina's

Davidasailor26 · Apr 19, 2020

I’m hoping, but not optimistic, that Maryland will follow. State parks are open but MD DNR has not changed its position that recreational boating is prohibited. Neither going to a state park nor sailing strike me as inherently likely to reduce social distancing, though I guess I could see how any out of the house activity could lead to that if not done properly.

TomY · Apr 19, 2020

sailnoproblem said:
Well I read this morning that the Big three Gov's of NY, NJ, and Conn. are opening Marina's in there States. It still includes social distancing. I am a boater and am glad that people can go to there boats , but with the amount of people that use Marina's, I would have thought opening State Parks with trails would have made more sense. You still could use social distancing there too!
I mean what is the percentage of the population that own boats? I just don't get the thought process. I guess Cuomo has to get to his Yacht.
Any thoughts? I'm sure there will be a few.

Thanks for posting this, I'm surprised as this is the epicenter of infection right now (even if a hopeful plateau has been reached).

I would guess the decision is driven by the waterfront industry and businesses that include marinas and boatyard in general, as arteries. Marina's/boatyards are an entrance to the fishing industry and other working boats right now.

As to the public practicing safe 'distancing', I agree: an outdoor space like a park would be easier to adhere to the current rules than narrow docks.

We're going to see a lot of this push and pull of opening-closing, from now on.

D Swanson · Apr 19, 2020

Thank you for brightening my morning. There are also lots of marinas and boat launches Upstate that are a lot less crowded to begin with where physical separation (social distancing) is very manageable. Stay well and fair winds.

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

At least in NY most state parks are open for "passive recreation" at least as of the last time the website was updated. Not all activities are available and some capacity restrictions are in place.

New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation

Welcome to New York's award-winning state park system with 180 state parks and 35 historic sites! From campsites, beaches and golf courses to hiking trails, historic homes and nature centers, we have something for everyone. Escape from the grind, explore your natural environment, and experience...

parks.ny.gov

I am of mixed feelings about opening marinas, personally I'm glad to have access to my boat again and to get it in the water. I can just as easily be socially distant on my boat as I can my front porch. So there was no logical reason to prevent me from accessing my boat so long as I practiced social distancing and the marina closed common facilities, picnic areas, club houses, etc. Closed common facilities are not an issue for many of us, we can sleep, cook, and use sanitation facilities on our boats. I am concerned that there will be boaters who take this as permission to go about boating in ways that facilitate the viruses spread, rafting and partying in more isolated areas or offshore. I would have preferred a more gradual opening, allowing marinas to open for boats that meet the IRS's criteria as a second home, i.e., a boat with sleeping, cooking, and sanitation facilities.

Hawai'i just issued, what I think are very reasonable guide lines.

Boating Restrictions. No more than two persons are allowed in any boat on Hawaiʻi’s waters for recreational purposes unless they are part of a single residential or family unit sharing the same address. Both persons in the boat shall comply as reasonably possible with the social distancing requirements unless they are part of a single residential or family unit sharing the same address. All boats shall maintain a distance of 20 feet from other boats.

Full Text Of Governor's 5th COVID-19 Proclamation

HAWAIʻI - The latest supplementary proclamation signed by Governor David Ige enhances social distancing requirements and enacts an eviction moratorium.

www.bigislandvideonews.com

And speaking of Hawaii, their economy is being decimated. The Hawaiian economy is based on tourism and the military. In the past, 30K visitors a day came to Hawaii at this time of year, now that number is around 600 and mostly islanders returning home. If you want to help out, purchasing Kona coffee which is grown in the islands will help as will buying some chocolate. Check out Puna Chocolate. Makes a great Mother's Day gift. (I am only a satisfied customer who receives no financial benefit from sales of Puna Chocolate or Kona coffee.)

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punachocolate.com

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

TomY said:
Thanks for posting this, I'm surprised as this is the epicenter of infection right now (even if a hopeful plateau has been reached).

The press is a little misleading on the infection rates in NY as New York City and upstate are often combined. NYC metropolitan area is at the epicenter and the infection rates are quite high, the rest of the state is in much better shape, the virus is every where, but not as prevalent upstate. In the downstate metro area, infection rates are in the 200+ cases per 10K range. In my county, Onondaga, the infection rate is 13 cases per 10K people. In more rural counties, it is even lower.

This is another variation of a recurring problem for NY, what makes sense for upstate, does not always make sense for downstate. There are stark differences in the economies. With regards to NYC, the biggest problem is population density and mass transit. The average population density in NYC by census tract is 30K per square mile, with some tracts as high as 60K per square mile. It is hard to practice social distancing when you live in a building with 1000 other residents.

The map in the link below clearly shows the effect of population density. In upstate, the highest infection rates are in the counties with the 4 largest cities, from west to east: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany.

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

www.syracuse.com

smokey73 · Apr 19, 2020

South Carolina is implementing simliar rules to Hawaii

allowing recreational boating with no more than 2 persons per boat who are to practice social distancing. More are allowed if in the same residential family unit. In SC they require that all boats keep moving and ban anchoring (except to fish), rafting up, beaching boat, etc. Not sure how thay can enforce the anchoring ban for larger boats though since we are right on the ICW and it is the major thoroughfare. I hope they use common sense in enforcement and my experience down here is that the enforcement hasn't yet been heavy handed.

Kings Gambit · Apr 19, 2020

I question whether states or counties can legally impose restrictions on boaters using federal navigable waters. There, evidently, is a federal “right to anchor.” Recall, some FL municipalities’ fight with transient boaters. Inside COLREGS demarcation, perhaps in some places like a marina or a harbor; but, outside—I doubt it. The historical approach is to quarantine the vessel if near a town or harbor; not try to keep it from anchoring at all.

smokey73 · Apr 19, 2020

Agreed. I think that is why on the ICW they (SC DNR) are not heavy handed on anchoring and have not been prohibiting transiting boaters from moving through, fueling up, and never did close the marinas on a state wide basis. etc. They did prohibit launching boats at public boat ramps. The big problem here was small power boaters beaching their boats on sand bars as the tide went out and holding parties with many many people in close quarters. I don't think they are stoppoing boats and asking to see proof that people have the same address on their drivers license. They are more interested in stopping the raft ups and sandbar beach parties. By the way, I went sailing yesterday! Pics on posts about pictures or being banned - don't want that to happen.

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

Kings Gambit said:
I question whether states or counties can legally impose restrictions on boaters using federal navigable waters. There, evidently, is a federal “right to anchor.” Recall, some FL municipalities’ fight with transient boaters. Inside COLREGS demarcation, perhaps in some places like a marina or a harbor; but, outside—I doubt it. The historical approach is to quarantine the vessel if near a town or harbor; not try to keep it from anchoring at all.

Last year the State of Georgia implemented a law severely restricting anchoring, requiring log entries and proof of pumpouts among other restrictions. They actually made it a criminal offense. Needless to say there has been a lot of blowback from the boating community. Last I heard the state was reconsidering their policy.

rgranger · Apr 19, 2020

sailnoproblem said:
I guess Cuomo has to get to his Yacht.

And people who own boats are more likely to make campaign contributions....

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

sailnoproblem said:
I guess Cuomo has to get to his Yacht.

Cuomo is actually into muscle cars. He has several of them.

rgranger said:
And people who own boats are more likely to make campaign contributions....

In the Thousand Island Region of the St. Lawrence River there are many "camps" that are only accessible by water. Keeping marinas closed, makes them inaccessible. Given the value of these camps, I doubt many of them are Cuomo supporters.

Kings Gambit · Apr 19, 2020

I

dlochner said:
Last year the State of Georgia implemented a law severely restricting anchoring, requiring log entries and proof of pumpouts among other restrictions. They actually made it a criminal offense. Needless to say there has been a lot of blowback from the boating community. Last I heard the state was reconsidering their policy.

I can see where a state might cite a vessel for dumping sewage as that is, in itself, against federal law. But, I don’t see how it can legally keep vessels from anchoring, or severely restricting it, on federal waterways beyond “don’t anchor on top of underwater cables or pipes”, etc.

jssailem · Apr 19, 2020

smokey73 said:
2 persons per boat who are to practice social distancing

Can some one tell me how to do that in a V-berth.

Kings Gambit · Apr 19, 2020

If on my boat, the other person would have to stand in the companionway to be 6’ away with me at the helm, etc. That would be a long day.

rgranger · Apr 19, 2020

Kings Gambit said:
I can see where a state might cite a vessel for dumping sewage as that is, in itself, against federal law.

Yeah! I've thought about this a lot. On the lake I sail, the marina I call home base tolerates us sailors but they sell, service and stack-store pontoon boats. That is their bread & butter. NONE of those boats even have a port-a-potty on them, yet.... they go out around 11:00 packed full of people, beer, burgers etc. and don't come back until dusk. I guess you can't get charged with illegally dumping your holding tank if you don't have one. This same marina does not have a pump-out station either... but I"m told they used to. So, I'm guessing a calculation was made when they decided to get rid of the pump-out station.

I anchor out all the time.... but I have a head on my boat.

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

rgranger said:
I guess you can't get charged with illegally dumping your holding tank if you don't have one.

Correct. The law reads more or less that you can't discharge sewage from the boat. However, until it is in a container, it is not sewage. Just like with your paycheck and tax return, direct deposit works.

smokey73 · Apr 19, 2020

jssailem said:
Can some one tell me how to do that in a V-berth.

Maybe I wasn't clear. The 2 people per boat with social distancing is for people who are not of the same family household residing together. On a 16 foot boat fishing it would be easy to practice social distancing and in fact most people probably do most of the time just to keep from getting hooked by your fishing buddy. On as sailboat, even a big one, the cockpit is pretty small so its hard to do. If you're in the same family household residing together you can have as many as the boat will hold. I don't see them stopping a boat with a few obviously in a family unit but I could see them stopping a boatload of 15 people of about the same age and saying WTF folks. ' Maybe even some sort of ticket in the latter case.

Kings Gambit · Apr 19, 2020

dlochner said:
Correct. The law reads more or less that you can't discharge sewage from the boat. However, until it is in a container, it is not sewage. Just like with your paycheck and tax return, direct deposit works.

Which means, if you hang it over the side and then let go into the water, it’s not sewage; not illegal. Imagine a law that says it’s illegal to whiz over the side of your boat.

The crew of a vessel anchored in a quiet place could keep that up for quite a while. Just rig a potty ring outboard of the transom; never be in violation.

dlochner · Apr 19, 2020

smokey73 said:
Maybe I wasn't clear. The 2 people per boat with social distancing is for people who are not of the same family household residing together. On a 16 foot boat fishing it would be easy to practice social distancing and in fact most people probably do most of the time just to keep from getting hooked by your fishing buddy. On as sailboat, even a big one, the cockpit is pretty small so its hard to do. If you're in the same family household residing together you can have as many as the boat will hold. I don't see them stopping a boat with a few obviously in a family unit but I could see them stopping a boatload of 15 people of about the same age and saying WTF folks. ' Maybe even some sort of ticket in the latter case.

With 15 people on a boat partying I suspect there are any number of violations, lets start with PFDs, safety equipment, violation of an Executive Order, and BWI? Impound the boat and throw in the hoosegow! That'll learn 'em.

Realistically, if these kind of violations occur, local authorities need to make an example of them to slow others down.