UPDATED ON May 23, 2020
ACCESS: We rent from Gary Pellisier a storage shed in which we store
boats owned by us and our club. Current restrictions (23 April 2020) do
not prohibit access to items in storage facilities. Moreover, we have
confirmed with Gary that he consents to our using the boathouse carefully
once the rowing season begins. Guidelines for self-distancing or avoiding
congregation can be accommodated at our boathouse: you are there briefly
to retrieve or stow your boat.
PROTECT OTHERS. Be considerate of your fellow rowers by reducing contamination,
taking steps consistent with the state’s guidelines. Specific actions are
listed below.
PROTECT YOURSELF: You are responsible for your own protection. Treat the
boathouse as a possibly infected zone, just like a grocery store. As a
precaution in case you touch your face while rowing, you might disinfect
your hands, oar handles, and cockpit area after you have your boat in the
water (in case you touched any infected surface in the process of launching
the boat). Then after you return your boat and leave the boathouse,
disinfect or wash your hands before entering virus-free areas, such as
your car or your house.
The club will provide:
paper towels for wiping down
liquid soap in bathrooms
alcohol in pump sprayers for disinfecting: spray and wipe
RELEVANT MASSACHUSETTS GUIDELINES FOR RECREATIONAL BOATING
(as of 5/25/20), with Yankee Rowing Club adaptations:
If you are feeling ill or test positive for the virus, do not come to the
boathouse. If you have used the boathouse in the previous 3 weeks, please
inform a club officer.
Disinfect shared equipment (oars, shells) after each use; washing generously
with soap and water should suffice.
As you leave the boathouse, disinfect any surfaces you touched (garage
door handle, combination lock,…). . If you use a bathroom, disinfect any
surfaces you touch.
Bringing a full water bottle from home may avoid having to use a bathroom.
Only persons from the same household should be together on a boat at one time.
[Users] should wear gloves as appropriate and when touching shared equipment.
Masks or face-coverings should be worn in accordance with the
Department of Public Health’s advisory when social distancing is not possible.
No gathering or groups of persons from multiple households will be permitted on
boat ramps, docks, piers etc., and all users shall practice strict social distancing.
All recreational crafts shall remain a safe distance apart. Tying boats or
other crafts together is prohibited.
Users should ensure they are ready to depart quickly from the ramp or dock as
soon as their boat is put into the water. Users not actively launching their boat
should clear the launch area.
Upon return to ramp, users should load their boat as quickly as safely possible
and then clear the launch area.
All recreational boating is subject to the discretion of local officials,
harbormasters, and law enforcement..
All local rules, regulations, laws and Coast Guard requirements still apply.
POINTERS to 5/18/20 guides:
Mandatory safety for workplaces: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/reopening-mandatory-safety-standards-for-workplaces
Control plan: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-reopening-control-plan-template/download
Compliance attestation poster: https://www.mass.gov/doc/compliance-attestation/download
Outdoor recreation guidance: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/executive-office-of-energy-and-environmental-affairs-eea-covid-19-guidance-documents
Boating guidelines: https://www.mass.gov/doc/recreational-boating-and-other-waterway-related-activities-5-18-20/download
and https://www.mass.gov/doc/recreational-boating-application-of-guidelines-5-18-20/download