Canadian Coast Guard asks B.C. mariners to stay home to prevent spread of COVID-19

[jackdale]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...d-19-1.5545405

[BugzyCan]

But what if you need to get out on the boat because your kids are going insane? Doesn't that qualify as an emergency?

[BenBowSirocco]

Well his point according to the article is that a lot of inexperienced folks are out on (poorly maintained/questionable) boats right now making mistakes and causing his guys risk and tax payers money. I doubt he is speaking to the regular mariners and experienced boaters- but asking the weekend warriors stay home as they are messing with the program.

"So far this year, the coast guard has responded to a "greater number" of search and rescue calls compared to the same time last year, he said. "

[desodave]

Actually the CG says to "stay close to home" and to"avoid non-essential trips", and also talks about avoiding smaller communities. It ends with "keeping an eye out to being on the water and not impacting others".

Boating BC has an earlier piece that appears quite pragmatic;
https://www.boatingbc.ca/articles/ma...-boating-in-bc
The Medical Health Officer has not said "No Boating". I understand why we should not be traveling to communities up and down the coast - Cormorant Island has an outbreak and effectively no on-island resources.

On the other hand, none of us plan on using RCM-SAR when we leave the dock - crap happens sometimes.
The language is wishy washy imo and open to some interpretation.

Why don't they say "stay off the water" to recreational boaters, if that's what they actually mean?

[Rex Delay]

Spoke to B.C. Parks after they announced the closure. No, they cannot stop you from anchoring just about anywhere but they can and will charge you if you go ashore, even to relieve the dog. Bottom line is the locals do not want you there! Day sail until sanity returns.

[fugue137]

Mmmmph. BugzyCan: you may think you're joking, but they may be making a common error by fixating on just a single risk, ignoring all the rest. Sometimes that's appropriate, but keeping an eye on the measures makes sense.

To reduce the basic reproduction number of a disease, you need to reduce contacts * susceptibility. To reduce contacts, social isolation works great! As for susceptibility, you need a healthy happy populace---people who are stressed, aren't exercising, aren't leaving the house, etc., are compromising their immune systems. For a few weeks the effect is dwarfed by the reduction in contact rate, but eventually it's important to consider the unintended risks of isolation, and figure out how to stay all-causes healthy.

Too much isolation and lack of exercise and fresh air means you're not just increasing your susceptibility to covid19---and I'd guess to worse complications thereof?---but to a host of other illnesses, chronic stress, mental illnesses of which depression is just the beginning, heart disease, relationship stress with cohabitants, possibly domestic violence, etc. (Irrelevant to sailing, but perhaps interesting from the unintended-consequences perspective: in various countries, especially in the third world and the USA, the wealth gap is such that shutting down the economy is likely to throw a large proportion of the population into catastrophic poverty, and your chances of surviving that are worse than your chances of surviving covid19. I'm skeptical of anyone who claims to know exactly how to balance these two opposing risks.)

Sailing is one of the most socially distant ways to get some sunlight and exercise and relief from various forms of stress and pollution, and basically improve health and reduce susceptibility.

As long as you don't come close to other people (e.g. don't need rescuing), and don't do anything that hurts people (e.g. run a motor within earshot or noseshot of anyone), anyone who goes sailing probably improves public health.

[desodave]

..

Originally Posted by Rex Delay

Spoke to B.C. Parks after they announced the closure. No, they cannot stop you from anchoring just about anywhere but they can and will charge you if you go ashore, even to relieve the dog. Bottom line is the locals do not want you there! Day sail until sanity returns.

Hmmm !! Local Power Squadron contacted the local Regional Director responsible for the marine parks, and were told differently. Local MLA's office has also said "no anchoring". But the website for the individual marine parks makes no mention of anchoring - everything refers to shoreside activities, and NOT using beaches, docks or mooring balls. The Province won a court case years ago and it ruled ownership of the seabed belonged to the Province

[Rex Delay]

I beg to differ. B.C. ends at the high tide mark, sea bed is Canada. Remember when BC tried to impose fees to anchor? One call from the feds made it clear that it is not BC. That is why you do not pay PST on your moorage, it is not in BC.

[desodave]

Originally Posted by Rex Delay

I beg to differ. B.C. ends at the high tide mark, sea bed is Canada. Remember when BC tried to impose fees to anchor? One call from the feds made it clear that it is not BC. That is why you do not pay PST on your moorage, it is not in BC.

Check out this DFO page - I thought the same as you until the case was pointed out to me by a retired BC Parks employee a few days ago
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/pub...-eng.html#sec2

[Rex Delay]

Interesting.

[desodave]

I'm not a constitutional lawyer but the Maritime provinces were part of the initial formation of Canada. As the DFO says, the agreement for BC joining Canada had particular terms and conditions - and Newfoundland and Labrador would have had it's own agreement as well. So we could have different seabed rights in 3 areas of Canada I suppose, never mind the Arctic ( Manitoba bordering Hudson's Bay).

[rbk]

I hate the term fake news but as this is a written article and not an official response by the coast guard, you have to read through the bias. If you piece it together it says don’t go coastal cruising from town to town and don’t go anywhere outside your house if you’re sick.

“Girouard said those who choose to travel to coastal communities may not have access to fuel and other supplies when they arrive.
He is asking anyone who is sick or has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 to resist the temptation to get on a boat.”

That’s what I take away from it anyways.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by desodave

I'm not a constitutional lawyer but the Maritime provinces were part of the initial formation of Canada. As the DFO says, the agreement for BC joining Canada had particular terms and conditions - and Newfoundland and Labrador would have had it's own agreement as well. So we could have different seabed rights in 3 areas of Canada I suppose, never mind the Arctic ( Manitoba bordering Hudson's Bay).

So basically DFO has no jurisdiction in BC waters whether coastal or fresh and you can tell them to stuff it when they try and ask you for a fishing license...

[desodave]

Originally Posted by rbk

So basically DFO has no jurisdiction in BC waters whether coastal or fresh and you can tell them to stuff it when they try and ask you for a fishing license...

I'm not sure I want to go there - could be expensive. Rights under the water don't mean rights in the water. I think you're bang on re the CG statement.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by rbk

I hate the term fake news but as this is a written article and not an official response by the coast guard, you have to read through the bias. If you piece it together it says don’t go coastal cruising from town to town and don’t go anywhere outside your house if you’re sick.

“Girouard said those who choose to travel to coastal communities may not have access to fuel and other supplies when they arrive.
He is asking anyone who is sick or has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 to resist the temptation to get on a boat.”

That’s what I take away from it anyways.

Th text of the letter

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic..._Columbia.html

https://www.baylinerownersclub.org/f...g-the-pandemic