Maryland Boaters Petition Governor: Let us Back on the Water
Recreational boaters in Maryland have been responding to the restrictions placed on recreational boating by Governor Larry Hogan and the state department of natural resources. Many have turned to grassroots efforts like petitioning in the hopes of having the rules changed. Craig Ligibel, 72, is a powerboater and sailor who lives on South River. He wrote a letter to the governor this week saying the ban on recreational boating “does not treat all who enjoy Maryland’s waterways equally.”
Ligibel explained to the Capital Gazette, “First of all, this is a grassroots effort by a sailor who has no affiliation with a yacht club or an organization. I’m just a guy who has spent hundreds of days on the water in the past seven years since we moved here. My sense was whoever drew up the regulations with the ‘stay at home’ order as it pertains to recreational boating didn’t treat sailors with the same depth of knowledge as he might have with respect to the fishermen.”
Not Looking For Special Privileges
He continued that he didn’t want to leave the impression that Ligibel represents a “bunch of elitists” that want to go out sailing while other people are under stress. Instead, he explained that he just wants the same rights that a paddleboarder or kayaker has. “Why shouldn’t someone be able to walk down his dock, get in his boat and go sailing by himself or with his daughter or with his grandson,” asked Ligibel.
In his letter to Governor Hogan, Ligibel wrote, “A sailor on a small boat with a crew of his/her family of no more than four people is less likely to transmit the Corona virus than someone who is standing in line at a local hardware store to buy tomato plans and/or an individual who is picking up a case of wine at a liquor store. These activities are permitted. Sailing is not.”
Be Like Florida.
Another petition is being circulated by Mike Ferrari of Island Watersports in Ocean City, Md., which had nearly 2,700 signatures as of 6 p.m. Saturday. The petition details how Florida is handling the coronavirus crisis and the guidelines that the Sunshine State has established to allow safe boating down there.
Included in the Florida guidelines are a limit of 10 people on a vessel and boats must maintain a distance of 50 feet between each other. “The main thing we were trying to accomplish was to get notice to Governor Hogan, as well as the officials at the DNR, that social distancing and following the CDC and Maryland Department of Health guidelines can all be achieved while still using a boat recreationally with your family,” said Ferrari.
One inconsistency in the Maryland law that Ferrari noticed is that charters are allowed to go out with less than 10 people on board including the captain and mate. “Most fishing charters that I’ve been on aren’t family,” said Ferrari. “They’re usually friends. So, if you have a group of unrelated friends, you’ve actually got more exposure than a family going out to enjoy a boat ride together on a nice day.”
Keep Your Distance
A third petition started by Scott Karg of Essex County, Md., had about 14,000 signatures. It proposes that the governor amend the order “as long as a minimum of 50 feet are maintained between vessels and household members only are on board.” Karg said that many sports anglers fit the category of “fishing for food” which is permitted under the current order.
According to Maryland DNR media relations manager Gregg Boltz, the organization understands that people want to use third boats, but the governor’s order remains in place.
In a statement, Bortz said, “This is a serious global health crisis and the number of confirmed cases and deaths in Maryland rises every day. Risking unnecessary exposure is not just a hazard for you — it puts law enforcement, emergency responders, seniors and vulnerable populations in danger. We will save lives by doing the right thing and simply staying home.”
For more information on the petition campaigns, click here.