Covid-19 and the parameters of recreational boating

STATEWIDE—It’s now October. The Covid-19 pandemic is approaching its eighth month. No one can predict when the pandemic will come to end. The hope of this “new normal” being a temporary measure until we can resume our pre-pandemic life might or might not be lost, but the effects of the pandemic has certainly been felt across the board. Southern California’s recreational boating community hasn’t been immune. Many local boaters have maintained boating is the ultimate social distancing activity. Has the state, however, provided boaters with enough guidance to ensure all boating activities are safely pursued? The Recreational Boaters of California (RBOC) certainly believes more can be done, in terms of streamlined guidelines and parameters for boaters. RBOC has issued a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, requestion his office to provide “clear and reasonable” guidelines for the boating community to follow during the Covid-19 pandemic. “As we all endeavor to protect public health and safety and defeat this pandemic, RBOC urges you and your capable executive team to establish clear and reasonable parameters regarding recreational boating on our state’s waterways that provide the opportunity for Californians to act responsibly and to get out on the water,” RBOC President Cleve Hardaker wrote in his...