OnBoard Magazine - Issue XII - 2020 Season

all watersports activities while observing social distancing rules, Maryland’s list of essential activities specifically excluded kayaking and paddlesports, before they later reversed course and acknowledged that human-powered craft would be considered a means of exercise after all. Waterway Guide General Manager and Editor-in-Chief, Ed Tillett, offered his observations on the lack of continuity, “Municipalities are making their own rules based on their own ideas and perspectives. This is an unprecedented event in all of our lives so we should expect inconsistencies.” But he logically points out, “states that have limited recreational boating appear to not understand that boats practice a very large distancing protocol by virtue of the safety margins they normally practice.” States like North Carolina and Florida seemed to reach the same conclusion; boat traffic would be allowed, but gatherings on public beaches and parks would not. Rhode Island mounted a stronger response, discouraging interstate boaters, recreational fishing, and commercial fishermen from operation in state waters. Vessels coming in for yard work required a mandatory 14-day quarantine of captains and crew, policed by state sentinels. Importantly, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida (home to Bluewater’s network of service yards) took no such stance. In fact, those governments worked hard to keep shipyards open, declaring most service facilities as essential businesses. All of this stress and confusion is playing out again—but in reverse—as communities begin pounding the drum to lift restrictions. BUT WHERE TO? With such a variety of responses across local and state governments, it’s no surprise that private businesses are also struggling to apply consistent strategies. As they have done when other natural disasters strike, our friends and partners at Waterway Guide quickly set out to maintain one of the most comprehensive lists of marina closures, openings and operator announcements available. Updated 24/7 by participating destinations, perusing the full list can be a dizzying experience. Noticing this immediately, the Waterway Guide digital team added tools to drill down to specific states and areas. With a quick glance it’s easy to get a feel for the vast variety of responses by different facilities. While one marina may be completely battened down, another a quarter mile up the channel is open and happy to accept transients. One common denominator, regardless of state, appears to be that the marina facilities attached to larger resorts and hotels were almost all shuttered early on, presumably due to pressure to cancel hotel reservations and out of state air and ground travel. Amid all the chaos, we have found out just how valuable it can be to have a “guide.” 14 BLUEWATER