OnBoard Magazine - Issue XII - 2020 Season

beaches quickly became the poster children for irresponsible social gatherings. Tactless interactions extended well up the social ladder, seeing billionaire David Geffen roundly criticized for posting Instagram photos of his “self-isolation” aboard his 454-foot superyacht in the Grenadines. These stories illustrate the social tight rope individuals and businesses are forced to walk in this hypersensitive atmosphere—call it a “Politically Correct No Wake Zone.” Boating’s largest brands and sales chains quickly kicked their social distancing marketing campaigns into high gear, and for the most part, it has seemed to resonate with consumers. At Bluewater, our team of professionals are leveraging the years of experience and groundwork developing our websites, social marketing and heavy investments in customer relationship applications and other technology. The Bluewater team is confident boating will continue to be a terrific, and largely safe, escape from reality, but are careful to measure our words. For those businesses trying to sell you a boat as the “ultimate staycation,” we must ask ourselves, “at what point or size is your boat truly capable of being a quarantine vessel that can sustain captain and crew for two weeks?” For many a boater who’s typical cruising plan includes being plugged into electric each night and eating many meals ashore, those clever marketing slogans may ring hollow. At the very least, that level of independence will require some above average preparation on the part of the owners and captain. For smaller day boaters and runabouts, the freedom is important and encouraged, but with some caveats. Operators should understand and plan for the variety of limitations imposed by social distancing not just at typical destinations like beaches, parks, and restaurants, but also the fuel docks, storage facilities, parts stores, and other supporting infrastructure their trips require. ESSENTIAL RECREATION Easily one of the most difficult aspects to follow in this morass has been the vast array of responses from state and local governments. Many states, such as Florida, originally struggled to find a stance, as did countless local governments, before eventually issuing stay-at-home orders. One of the knee-jerk reactions to those initially overcrowded beaches was the closure of state parks, public boat ramps and launches. Local authorities have been reacting in near real-time in the hopes of reducing crowds, and hopefully keeping the rest of their jurisdiction open. Local guides, charter captains and commercial fishermen have of course been adversely impacted by those decisions. The initial glut of beach-goers and joy-riders rushing to freedom nearly ruined access for many others that depend on the water for a living. Most experienced mariners were already familiar with the yellow quarantine flag, but for the first time in our lifetimes, it’s becomemore than just a customs and paperwork formality. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued additional federal guidance for incoming vessels which included self- isolating anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Other local authorities implemented mandatory quarantines for all marine travelers, regardless of presenting symptoms or not. At some Caribbean destinations stiff lockdowns occurred, such as Antigua and Barbuda barring incoming vessels entirely in mid-April. True to past form on communicating new policies, the Bahamas had to reiterate and clarify their statements multiple times to get their plans across. Their government ministries shut down all services for a week around Easter and closed their borders to tourism while establishing a network of “safe passage” marinas on each major island. Back stateside, the inconsistencies have been overwhelming to process. Almost all East Coast states opted to allow recreational boating and fishing to a degree, with one exception—Maryland— where all recreational boating was shut down, even for residents. Early on, the confusion set in and changed by the day or hour. Case in point, while nearby Delaware and Virginia continued to allow 13 2020 SEASON