By Commodore Russ Marcks
I hope everyone is doing well. Unfortunately, I write my first message to the membership with COVID19 hanging over our heads. I will follow this with a message from Jared Pavlik, our new GM. Neither message is the most auspicious greeting to a new boating season, but it is necessary. To that end, the three Commodores, along with Jared, have been discussing thissituation. Given the various moratoriums on public gatherings and given the fact Canada has closed their borders, we are taking the following actions:
• A recent website posting stated the Commodore’s Brunch is postponed. I hate to do this, after all, it’s my brunch this year and I get free food…don’t I? But we are cancelling the Commodore’s Brunch.
• The May potluck gettogether is also cancelled. Although this is not technically a clubsanctioned social, I know it is a favored event amongst the membership and of mine. Unfortunately, we believe this cancellation is necessary.
• With respect to future socials, your bridge will keep an eye on events and make decisions as necessary. There are no cancellations at this time of any social beyond the May potluck. However, this can easily change.
• As of today, cruises have been affected. The US / Canadian border is closed to nonessential travel. We will continue to monitor this situation, but it is quite likely we will be deciding upon alternate US destinations.
• Races are not affected at this time.
• The club will remain open with no restrictions. However, we are going to do the following:
o Janitorial service will be increased to five days per week: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. This will begin on 27 March. If necessary, we can increase to seven days. This will include a concentration on high traffic areas and all surface that are frequently touched.
o Irrespective of the frequent cleaning, we cannot rely completely upon increased janitorial services. It will be important for club members to be especially vigilant about cleaning up after themselves. I know everyone does so now…cleaning up messes in the kitchen, disposing of trash when necessary, cleaning the bathroom when necessary, etc. Everyone does so…right? I simply ask that ALL members maintain such procedures.
o We will be buying…but not hoarding…cleaning supplies such as Lysol spray, bleach, Purell, and anti-bacterial handwipes. When Darla is not there to clean, feel free to wipe down anything you touch. We will have supplies available for you to do so.
• For those thinking about filters in the HVAC units, these have been changed recently. However, please understand the typical HVAC filter cannot filter any virus. As a matter of fact, the typical HVAC filter does not protect us against anything, it protects equipment! That being said, COVID19 is a bit different. Although we do not know all mechanisms of transmission of COVID19, we do know a primary method of transmission is by becoming encased in respiratory droplets. As an HVAC professional and instructor, I do teach filtration. I also have friends involved in the surprisingly complex issue of filtration serving as guest lecturers in my classroom to help me teach the high-end application of this topic. There are filters that are effective against respiratory droplets, but it is highly unlikely such filters will work with our systems. Even if there is such a filter, chances are the gains in improved filtration are minimal at best and will come at a fairly high cost. None-the-less, I will be looking at this myself.
There are probably other considerations as well. Let the bridgeknow if you have other concerns. But I believe these are the primary issues. As stated, there are no plans to close the club or to limit occupancy. That should not be necessary if we observe basic hygiene and cleanliness procedures.
I know there are persons who are extremely concerned, I also know there are persons who are not. Irrespective of one’s belief, it is no secret senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions are especially at risk. So the stance this bridge is taking is the same as that of President Trump and a variety of medical professionals; those who are at low risk are those that especially need to practice a very high standard of hygiene and cleanliness so as to prevent transmission to the susceptible population. I think the items outlined above, plus the guidelines we all know (e.g.: cover your mouth when you sneeze, social distancing, wash your hands frequently, etc.), should allow us to continue to enjoy the club we love.
Corona [beer] with Lime [disease] is a funny tagline. I’ve used it myself. It becomes much less funny when a close friend or even oneself becomes infected. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen here. We don’t want to become San Francisco! As I said in my opening, not a fun first message for me to write, but it is necessary.
So…despite the overcast skies, let’s have fun. The sun will come out again. As I always say, and in the spirit of ‘Hill Street Blues’, let’s be careful out there!
Jared’s Message
I’d like to give all members a brief “marina update”. We are pretty much in the same boat (for lack of better words) as [HBYC] and probably a lot of other businesses. We are open for business as usual but have really stepped up our cleaning and sanitation schedules and have limited customer bathrooms down to one to ensure we can keep it as clean and sanitary as possible. We are also letting employees with childcare commitments work from home or take time off. We are hoping this doesn’t cause any customer service issues but we ask for everyone’s patience in this period of adaptation. We will continue to stay open and provide excellent service to our members until orders are passed down from the city, statehouse, or higher government authority. At this point we have not cancelled any marina activities scheduled for this summer but that may change as new guidance is issued. We are hoping that the marina can serve as a getaway from these turbulent times. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me, call me, or stop into my office for a CDC approved elbow bump.