Commodore Memorandum

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Good morning,

I would like to share with you SCOW’s COVID-19 update. Simply put, the DMV is staying closed, according to Mayor Bowser, Governor Northam and Governor Hogan, and we must respect their official orders.

(Washington, DC) – May 13, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued Mayor’s Order 2020-066 to extend the District’s public emergency and public health emergency and continue to require individuals to stay home through June 8, 2020.

(Richmond, VA) — Gov. Ralph Northam says he’s officially allowing most of Virginia to go to “phase 1” of reopening this Friday, May 15.

The move will not include Northern Virginia, which is delaying reopening to at least May 29, because of a high rate of COVID-19 cases compared to the rest of the state. It’s using a regional approach because the area is so interconnected, area leaders say. Northern Virginia has one-third of the state’s population, but more than 50% of Virginia’s cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, officials say.

(Annapolis, MD) - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced a partial reopening of the state starting Friday evening, but said local officials can opt out if they don’t believe their jurisdictions are ready.

Leaders of populous counties, including Montgomery and Prince George’s (National Harbor) , have said there are still too many cases within their boundaries for them to ease restrictions. Officials in many other localities are still deciding whether to join the part of Hogan’s reopening plan he has dubbed “phase one.”

A few weeks back your Board of Directors created the SCOW COVID-19 Task Force to discuss our options for getting back to sailing. The Task Force is comprised of several Board members, a medical professional and legal counsel. Our role is to get SCOW back on the water as quickly and as safely as possible.

In light of the new guidance from local jurisdictions, the Task Force has determined that we will continue to have our boats out of service till June 8th. If there are changes in the policies and direction of local jurisdictions, that would allow sailing sooner than the 8th, we will make that happen. The Task Force is currently planning SCOW’s Phase I, to enable the Club to get back to sailing. They include guidelines for cleaning our boats, limitations to crew size and composition, as well as updates to skipper agreements and sailing logs..

Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated. None of us want to be landlocked during this time of year. Our jobs right now are to stay well, keep our families safe and help to reduce and eliminate the infection rate.

My best to you and your family!

Richard Kaiser,
Commodore