Maryland Bans Recreational Boating for the Duration

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Montanan

This is a harsh twist.

Annapolis seasonal increase in marina fees impacting winter season liveaboards that have not been able to move to a different location due to Covid-19 lockdown before the summer slip fee rates escalation arose on April 1.

https://www.capitalgazette.com/coron...cbu-story.html

As the summer season kicks off on April 1, at Annapolis City Dock, some boaters have decried an eightfold increase in slip rentals prices, arguing they can’t leave and have nowhere else to go during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Larry Hogan, a group of live-aboards were unable to leave the dock.
Lowering the rates could put the city at risk of losing millions of dollars as a federal grant that funds the City dock prohibits competitive slip fees during the summer season. Annually, the city offers reduced rent at City Dock slips from November through March, but on April 1 each year, it begins to charge summer rental rates. The winter rate is $8 per foot per month plus an additional fee for electric hook up. In the summer, the rate jumps to $2.25 per foot per day. Therefore, a 25-foot boat would pay about $200 per month in the winter. In the summer, rent would be close to $1,700. Typically winter boaters leave their City Dock slips to sail elsewhere or move to another marina, but the pandemic has prevented them from doing so. . . . the pandemic has caused many marinas to close while others aren’t accepting new boats or don’t allow live-aboards all together.

Exactly why I had to go move my boat April 1st. They were putting high season rates on my boat which were even more than these above.

It was part of the reason we decided to go use the Gulfstar monohull for self isolating this spring/summer.

Boat owners are being financially compelled to break stay at home orders all over the place.

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

I would call my contacts but my phone quite literally blew up and I'm waiting for the replacement. It should show up tonight. Fingers crossed. I leave tomorrow morning on delivery and will try to call DNRP from the car if I have a phone.

Don't worry. My email gave a full description of my plans. I will await a response.

Meanwhile, I have heard of multiple marinas on the eastern shore reaching out to out-of-state slipholders today to indicate that they are welcome to visit and enjoy their boats. This empirical evidence is sufficient for now, since I have another week for the dust to settle while I complete spring pre-launch commissioning. For the next week, this is others' business and I'm not going to interfere. I'll worry about me when the time comes.

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Montanan

One can read into or out of the executive order so as to attempt to find a loophole; when one attempts to pass through a loophole one in essence is breaking the social trust doctrine for the pandemic protocols...

I don't need scolding from you or anyone else. I am making a good faith effort to find the applicable regulation. With over $4000 in prepaid non-refundable slip fees in a Maryland marina, as well as my boat's sales tax and registration fees all paid to Maryland, I make no apologies for looking for a way to use my boat legally in Maryland.

As always, it is a changing situation. Here is the latest thing that I found this evening. Take this with a grain of salt, since I am not an attorney.

Here's a complete list of Hogan's Executive Orders:

https://governor.maryland.gov/covid-...-and-guidance/

Notably:

Superseded Orders (not in effect)
Gatherings, Senior Centers (March 12; superseded by Order dated March 16)
Gatherings, Senior Centers, Restaurants/Bars, etc. (March 16; superseded by Order dated March 19)
Gatherings, Senior Centers, Restaurants/Bars, etc. (March 19; superseded by Order dated March 23)
Gatherings, Restaurants/Bars, Non-Essential Businesses (March 23; superseded by Order dated March 30)
Authorizing Reimbursement for Telehealth (March 20, superseded by Order dated April 1)
Evictions (March 16, superseded by Order dated April 3)
Utility Shut-offs and Late Fees (March 16, superseded by Order dated April 29)
Authorizing Actions for Nursing Homes (April 5, superseded by Order dated April 29)
Gatherings, Stay at Home Order (March 30; superseded by Order dated May 6)

The March 30 Stay at Home Order (and the corresponding Interpretive Guidance COVID19-08) implemented the 14 day self-quarantine requirement for many who came into the state of Maryland (including Maryland residents who went golfing out of state and returned to Maryland). The website explicitly says that order is no longer in effect, having been superseded by the May 6 executive order. The May 6 executive order says nothing about a 14-day self-quarantine. So unless something changes (such as a new Interpretive Guidance that re-institutes the quarantine requirement), Maryland imposes no self-quarantine requirement for out-of-state boaters who are not otherwise required to quarantine under CDC or MDH requirements.

This may explain why all the local marinas are inviting out-of-state boaters to use their boats without requiring a quarantine.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Annapolis seasonal increase in marina fees impacting winter season liveaboards that have not been able to move to a different location due to Covid-19 lockdown before the summer slip fee rates escalation arose on April 1.

I've spent a couple of winters on City Dock. The reduced winter rates are meant to keep boats at the dock for winter tourists to look at. The rate change is no surprise to anyone. It's in the contract you sign before you move in. In right after the Fall Boat Shows and out on or before April 1. Anyone who didn't have plans for a place to go after the winter is delusional. We've (big we) been doing this for decades.

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

Meanwhile, I have heard of multiple marinas on the eastern shore reaching out to out-of-state slipholders today to indicate that they are welcome to visit and enjoy their boats.

Excellent.

I will point out that there is a difference between doing what is required and doing what makes sense.

I'm leaving later today for a delivery. When I get home I won't be required to do anything special. I'm still planning to move into our guest room, take my temp twice a day (part of my daily routine for a couple of months now), and pretty well confine myself to the guest room and my basement lab. We'll do an internal quarantine for a week and a hard quarantine for two. I think that's responsible.

My suggestion to you with all respect is that if it's legal to visit your boat and even use it, pack in all your food, tools, parts. Work with the yard for package delivery (Amazon, West Marine, Defender, et al) to minimize contact. Masks. You don't want to get sick, if you are you don't want to bring it to the yard, and if you can avoid exposure you won't take it home.

I am not telling you what to do. I'm suggesting a perspective to all do our bit to stay safe and healthy until the world gets a grip on this crisis. We haven't yet.

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

...My suggestion to you with all respect is that if it's legal to visit your boat and even use it, pack in all your food, tools, parts. Work with the yard for package delivery (Amazon, West Marine, Defender, et al) to minimize contact. Masks. You don't want to get sick, if you are you don't want to bring it to the yard, and if you can avoid exposure you won't take it home...

Thanks, Dave. Safe travels on your delivery. I realize that you may not see this post for awhile.

The boat right now is in PA at a private boat club about 12 minutes from my home. While there I touch nothing other than my boat, my electric cord, and the water tap (disinfecting my hands afterwards). I don't even use the bathroom - I hold it until I get home. There often are outdoor partiers who sometimes show poor practices (usually toward the end of the day when they've had too much), but they are on the lawn at least 100 feet away from those of us working on our boats. Typically there are only 2-3 of us at a time working on our boats, spread out all over the yard.

We are very concerned about our marina's practices once we get our boat there next week. There is a group who often sits in lawn chairs on the dock, and we need to "run the gauntlet" getting between our boat and short. I have already written to the marina owner to remind him that this must stop this year, as it violates Maryland's marina best practices - see "No congregating on pier, in the parking lot or launch ramp" in this link:

https://governor.maryland.gov/wp-con...ager-May-5.pdf

We do not want to use the marina bathroom facilities at all, so our holding tank will get a much larger workout than normal, and we will be making a lot more trips to the pumpout dock than we have in the past. Unfortunately, there is no portable pumpout facility that I am aware of in our harbor.

[Auspicious]

@RhythmDoctor - Americans in general seem poorly behaved with regard to best practices in the COVID-19 era. It may take some pressure to get marina management to enforce social distancing.

Inside on ICW this trip. 83 miles first day, 85 miles yesterday. Only about 55 miles to the Chesapeake so if all goes well we won't stop at all tonight and be in Solomons Tuesday before noon.

For those running short on entertainment see https://maps.findmespot.com/s/D97H