Maryland Bans Recreational Boating for the Duration

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

From Maryland DNR...

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/0...at-home-order/

Interesting, although they dodged a blunt answer it sure sounds like marinas with lifts should be able to use them unrestricted by the state.

That is very good news.

[Bill O]

The lower Chesapeake is Virginia and its still ok to go "boating" there. From someone working on their bottom today, the marina where they are at its still "business as usual". Obviously, this could change at anytime.

As soon as rockfish season starts, I'm going sailing and will have my trolling rods out. The main thing is to have social distancing.

Here's a link to some FAQs about the ban https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/0...at-home-order/

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Another blanket statement without an ounce of support or explanation.

Never swing at a pitch in the dirt. I'd just leave it alone.

[thinwater]

A few weeks ago it was nice and cold. I sail all winter, and Since about December 1st, I never saw more the 1-4 boats out in a day (Herring Bay, which has some of the largest marinas on the Chesapeake). Certainly no partyers, only committed sailors and a few fishermen. Now that it's getting warm, they're expecting hordes of board people to swamp launch ramps and start rafting up. They've seen it other places and it scares them.



Would boaters have been able to self discipline and follow guidelines? The Florida party crew has convinced them we are not disciplined, we're just a partying rabble. I believe sailors could have followed the rules, but we are a tiny part of the boating universe. I also feel sorry for many serious fisherman and power boaters who would have followed the rules. But we all got painted with the party animal brush.

[Dsanduril]

What utter BS. The same order that says that I can't take my family sailing on my boat says:

Can charter boats work next month since they technically fall under the recreational quota from a fisheries standpoint?

As part of the food supply chain, charter boats can continue operating but must abide by social distancing guidelines and the prohibition on gatherings of more than 10 people. Charter boats and head boats should NOT have more than 10 individuals on the vessel at any time.

So a charter boat can bring together 10 completely unrelated individuals, break all kinds of basic rules about quarantine, and is completely "legal" but taking a group of people that have been isolated together onto a boat where they don't come into contact with anyone else is "illegal"?

[Peter1949]

Sailor an Ed
757 547 3311 is the phone # for the lock
Opens March 31
Call as rules are changing to flatten the curve
Good luck

[daviddiscenza]

Worton Creek Marina in Chestertown, MD, where I keep my boat, is closed. The yard is open for those who wish to work on their boats. They will not be launching any boats until after the closure is lifted.

This is from the Maryland State Dept. of Natural Resources:
Recreational boating is prohibited until the governor lifts the executive order or until the State of Emergency has ended. However, if an individual is boating to seek food for them or their family, boating is permitted. Boats used to transport essential employees or goods as defined in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce are also permitted.

I don't agree that we have lost the season yet. Data suggests that physical isolation is reducing the number of people with fevers. We are still far from the peak of infections but, if people will stay home, we will see the number of cases decrease sooner rather than later.

[Argyle38]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

What utter BS. The same order that says that I can't take my family sailing on my boat says:

So a charter boat can bring together 10 completely unrelated individuals, break all kinds of basic rules about quarantine, and is completely "legal" but taking a group of people that have been isolated together onto a boat where they don't come into contact with anyone else is "illegal"?

Exactly! This is terrible government and it's this kind of exception that will ensure that it is for the most part, ignored.

It also sounds like anyone who wants to go boating can simply drop a line in the water and still be legal.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Paul L

If you were a cruiser escaping the upcoming hurricane season in tbe south you should be OK to head to tne Chesapeake:
I live on my sailboat – can I still be in my boat slip or moored out?

If your boat serves as your residence, you can remain on the vessel.

Are marinas an essential business now that boating is not allowed? Commercial vessels and commercial support services are essential, recreational services are non-essential. Annapolis shutdown it pump out stations a couple of weeks ago because the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be transmitted from human wastes. Without a pumpout station one would need to go three miles out to sea to discharge your black water. They were implementing enhanced monitoring of discharges of boats in the bay due to shutting down the pumpout stations. There is nothing essential about a yacht.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) defines certain marine trades and marine services as essential.

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/0...at-home-order/

see above.

STAY AT HOME order. If your boat is your home then you should stay on it. If it is not your primary residence then you should not be on it. All rather straightforward.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Another blanket statement without an ounce of support or explanation.

When I go to marinas I see people hanging around together. On Wednesday nights, I see boaters still doing their racing. At the local hangout spots, I see boats with 10 people on them. Because, you know, they're the exceptions and none of them have a virus. And even if they caught it, they're in a low risk category. So they're not worried.

Have you been monitoring the number of cases in Florida? I have. DeSantis will put in a stay at home order for the state at some point. More people will die because he didn't act sooner on this. It's a matter of priorities.

So when I point out I don't think some people are taking this seriously enough and you call me names, I'm OK with it. Now I know what you're going to say. "Hey, I'm not hurting anyone. I'm socially distanced!" Eh, to some degree. But we do need to restrict interactions and movement. Because people just aren't as perfect as they think. And no matter what rule you put in place, people are going to rationalize that they're the exception. Our best tool, short of massive testing and tracing, is social distancing and restriction of movement.

I was in a similar conversation about Italy last month. Someone was asking where the best place to cruise was going to be. Haven't heard from him in a while.

While we were having that conversation, the first confirmed case of COVID 19 in New York was on March 1. Florida had zero. That was four weeks ago. Now New York is fighting for survival, and Florida has 6700 cases, and has had 81 deaths, with those numbers increasing daily. Correction: While I was writing this post the official Florida numbers changed as follows: 6955 cases, and 87 deaths.

All I'm saying is that these restrictions are necessary and should be followed. Be safe, and good luck.

[altinr]

As long as you are fishing for food, you can use your boat.
The relevant orders from the State of Maryland are below.

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/03/30/dnr-issues-guidance-on-governor-hogans-stay-at-home-order/

“Under the executive order, no Marylander should leave their home except for an essential reason. Therefore, recreational boating is not allowed. Subsistence hunting and fishing — limited hunting and limited recreational fishing and crabbing for sustenance — can continue, however social distancing must be adhered to strictly.“
Limit your group to ten people or fewer, and stay at least six feet apart.”


https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/03/31/frequently-asked-questions-about-governor-hogans-stay-at-home-order/

”Recreational boating is prohibited until the governor lifts the executive order or until the State of Emergency has ended. However, if an individual is boating to seek food for them or their family, boating is permitted.“

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Agreed, stay home if you are home. Many cruisers are a long way from their home base. We are 8,000 miles from homeport. My post was for cruisers who have arrived in Fla (and are not from Fla) and now need to deal with the up coming hurricane season. Heading to tbe Chesapeake is still an option.

Paul, et. al.,

The Stay At Home order is just that. The intent would be to not permit transiting. Options are simple, moor the boat, and return to your residence in Bellingham. One should not be traveling from port to port.

The word quarantine is of Italian origin, it means 40 days as that was the length of time for ships to remain isolated before they were allowed to moor to land and proceed to disembark cargo, crew or passengers.

The rules and definitions of the ad hoc orders for essential travel are rather consistent across the various jurisdictions and are well established. Relocating a non-essential asset to a different location is not included in the list of essential travel activities. The non-essential boat can stay where it is; no matter how one tries to worm through a loophole of logic, its transport is non-essential from a societal perspective.

[Boatguy30]

Lot of folks over 70 are non essential also so.....

Some reason needs to be applied to all this. Someone needing to return to Maine or Nova Scotia should have innocent passage thru all these states. Be able to shop ashore for supplies in compliance with whatever the current local hysteria demands

[bailsout]

Like rust, stupidity never sleeps. With human overpopulation being the source of most of the destruction on this planet, why such a fuss over the value of human life? If you value yours, take the necessary precautions and stop putting a government of questionable intelligence take away your personal freedom.

[Dsanduril]

The executive order specifically allows outdoor activity for exercise:

Engaging in outdoor exercise activities, such as walking, hiking, running, or biking, but only in compliance with paragraph III below and applicable social distancing guidance published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and the Maryland Department of Health (“MDH”);

Paragraph III simply says no more than 10 people gathered together.

The DNR FAQ specifically allows kayaking and paddleboarding as exercise. Sailing (as opposed to motor boating) includes an exercise component (some more, some less). But any boating can be conducted in a manner that has a group isolated together remaining isolated together without any risk of breaking that isolation greater than the risk of allowing outdoor walking/running/hiking/kayaking/paddleboarding. There is a mental health component that comes with being able to get out of the house and do something "enjoyable" that may make the isolation more tolerable, and therefore more effective.