Cemetery in New Shoreham, Block Island, RI

While cruising you hear it on the VHF radio several times a day.  So exclaims the sailboat captain, or the woman sitting on her porch on the ICW when a power boat goes careening past oblivious of the size of its passing wake and the damage and disruption it causes.  Of course there are also responsible power boaters who will throttle back and grant a slow pass by courtesy if not for the “no wake zone” requirements. 

However today there are several situations where your lack of responsibility can lead directly to your own wake and funeral.  Here is one example during our sailing voyage from the Florida West Coast back to our home waters of the Chesapeake: 

We were entering the Gulf and rounding the cape of Anna Maria Island.  We had just come out of Tampa Bay,  where a few hours before we passed St. Petersburg where the Indy Car Race had just been cancelled due to the Coronavirus.  While monitoring Channel 16, as all responsible boaters with radios must do, we heard a dispatch from the “U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg.” They announced a live-fire exercise taking place that morning, 3.79 nm off Longboat Key.  This was right on our outside route to Venice, Florida.  We switched to Channel 22A to hear the details. 

Unfortunately with the timing and the large exclusion or safety zone of 8 nm, we would have to slow down to avoid the danger. After a few hours of slow tacking in the light southern breezes we heard on the radio “Uhh, Coast Guard, we’re seeing men firing weapons, is this practice or is this real?” Some boater, obviously with a radio but without the sense to monitor it, had wandered directly into the firing zone.  Now when he said “practice” I’m not sure if he was asking if the bullets were dummies or if they were live ammo, but I think he acknowledged who the really dummy was.  He clearly would have been responsible for his own and his passengers’ wakes and funerals had any of the overshot or strays hit them. 

In a similar incident a middle-aged man who thought he might have the COVID19 Virus decided to take his scheduled JetBlue flight since he wasn’t really sure.  Well, when he landed he got a text confirming a positive test for the virus.  Was he thinking about the health and safety of all the other passengers on that flight?

But if you’re young and you don’t think an “old people’s disease” will strike you down, why not go out and party with your friends, ’cause you’re all home from school and what else is there to do? Florida has been trying to crack down on this through closing marinas and most recently restricting vessels to remain at least 50 feet from each other and to carry no more than ten passengers (which seems like an arbitrary number to me).

Now in the first case, there are established boating procedures and practices that require some simple education and a modicum of equipment and common sense.  For example, in another Coast Guard incident, the operator told the disabled boat – “we called the number you gave us, but no one answered.”  The response: “oh,  the phone has gone dead … lack of a charge.” 

In the second and third case, as we learn about: Social Distancing, Crowd Avoidance, Proper Hygiene – for yourself and others (ie. cleaning up after yourself), there may not yet be clear or agreed upon procedures or practices, but here common sense and courtesy trumps your self-interests.

And today, in dramatic contrast to the above, we were honored to witness one of our Ohio-class submarines depart the US Naval Submarine Base in King’s Bay for months at sea, serving as the base of our nuclear ‘scorched earth” deterrent.  We salute those Americans that serve our country either under the seas, or as doctors, nurses and support staff swimming in the contagion of our Coronavirus-infected hospitals and nursing homes.

I pray that we properly screen our sailors for the virus before sending them to sea, and hope that the needed personal protection equipment finds its way to our front-line health care professionals.

Supporting Information

What to do if you have the virus: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

Here is the original 15 Days to Slow the Spread – from the White House – issued on March 16, which has been expanded now to 45 days.  There may be some updates to this list so please check the CDC website for the latest information, but remember, you alone may be responsible for your own wake, and of those around you.

1. Listen to and follow the directions of your state and local authorities.
2. If you feel sick, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
3. If your children are sick, keep them at home. Contact your medical provider.
4. If someone in your household has tested positive for the Coronavirus, keep the entire household at home.
5. If you are an older American, stay home and away from other people.
6. If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition—such as a significant heart or lung problem—stay home and away from other people.

Today’s guidelines build on the CDC’s general recommendations to help prevent spread of the virus. Americans should continue practicing strict personal hygiene, including washing hands regularly for at least 20 seconds at a time and wiping down surfaces in the home often.

UPDATE: Here are the most recent guidelines issued by the White House:

Click to access 03.16.20_coronavirus-guidance_8.5x11_315PM.pdf