Contributor: Carefree Boat Club Of Southern CT
I would like to begin by thanking you for your continued support during the COVID-19 crisis. This is certainly uncharted territory for all of us and we appreciate your patience as we adjust during these rapidly changing times and as we tailor our services in-line with CDC and State regulations.
On March 22nd, Ned Lamont, Governor of CT, announced that marinas are an essential business and therefore can stay open. Below is an update on each marina.
Milford – Business as usual. Fresh water will be turned on once the cold snaps abate, which is expected prior to May 1st. The fuel dock at Milford Marina will not open for general public use until May 15th. However, we will have access to fuel on a weekly basis beginning May 1st.
Bridgeport – Water and fuel will both be available on May 1st.
Westport – Business as usual. Fresh water will be turned on once the cold snaps abate, which is expected prior to May 1st. The fuel dock will be opening on that same day.
Stamford – Business as usual. Fresh water will be turned on once the cold snaps abate, which is expected prior to May 1st. Fuel docks will be open by appointment.
Rye – Business as usual. Fresh water will be on by April 15th and the fuel docks will be open on May 1st.
As we stated in our March Member Newsletter, Carefree Boat Club – Southern CT/NY is preparing for a great summer of boating. We are moving forward with commissioning of the entire fleet and plan to splash the boats in early April. The month of April is traditionally earmarked for new member’s On the Water training, so we will begin to schedule private training sessions with our certified captains as soon as splash dates are confirmed.
This season we are committed to providing a stress free, and fun family activity that will keep our members and their loved ones away from large groups and heavily populated public areas.
The typical New England boating season kicks-off Memorial Day Weekend (May 25). Looking at our 2019 boating history, with 16 boats in the water in April of 2019, our membership went out just 2 times. For the period of May 1 to May 23, 2019 (Thursday before Memorial Day weekend) we experienced a usage of only 32% of the available Fleet.
I am fielding a few inquiries from members rightfully concerned about the COVID-19 affect on their ability to go boating. We will be monitoring COVID-19’s impact on CT and NY’s regulations as they relate to the boating industry, but we are hopeful that it will not effect the start of Carefree’s boating season on May 1, 2020.
Additionally, following last year’s schedule, boating sessions through May 18th will be one session (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), so you and your family will be able to board a clean and sanitized boat for the day. Once our two session per day begins, on May 19th, our Staff will continue the stringent cleaning procedure that has been put into place. We aim to keep our members and staff safe throughout the 2020 season.
As mentioned above we are positioning the Club to be open as we were in 2019. Without any governmental restrictions, we will have the Fleet available and sanitized daily (before each member usage) for you to enjoy. As a Carefree Boat Club member you will be the envy of those “non members” this summer.
We appreciate your continued support and ask that you stand by as we all wait out this period of anxiety. We all hope and pray for improvement in the near term — well before Memorial Day 2020. We are monitoring this situation daily and if we see a major change in governmental policy we will be in immediate contact with our membership. Our hope is to remain on track and open as planned for the 2020 season.
Thank you for your attention and continued support.
