Registration for the 2020 Mariner National Rendezvous on August 7-9 is active on the Mariner Class Association’s webpage and will end this coming Wednesday, July 1st. This rain or shine event is meant to be a fun get-together for Mariner owners, sailing as a group from Niantic, Connecticut to New London. I’m thrilled that 13 boats have registered.
Sailors during the 2019 Rendezvous to Mystic Seaport.
I am certainly mindful of ongoing Coronavirus concerns, and this year’s event is designed for all participants to maintain a safe and healthy distance from each other while still enjoying the opportunity to sail together and have a fantastic time on the water. We’ll launch our boats at the state-owned, well-maintained Niantic River launch ramp in Waterford Friday morning and sail approximately 2 ½ hours to Bushy Point Beach in Groton for lunch and swimming. We’ll then sail up the Thames River in the afternoon to Crocker’s Boat Yard in New London where we’ll stay two nights. During the weekend, there will be plenty to see and do including an optional tour of nearby Fort Trumbull and an opportunity to sail all around the Thames River in our boats. On Saturday night, there will be the option to attend a group dinner at the nearby Thames Landing Oyster House before returning to Crocker’s. We’ll leave Crocker’s Sunday morning and head north, exploring near the USS Nautilus before turning around and heading back to Niantic.
Here in Connecticut, since May, sailors have been encouraged to sail with "household members only" and in groups no larger than five. However, as the state moves through its reopening phases with declining Coronavirus cases, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) updated their guidelines on June 17th for safe boating. These guidelines state: "All persons boating with non-family members should maintain a six-foot social distancing separation from non-family members. On vessels where this distance is not possible, face coverings should be worn." The same thing applies to boat launch facilities and docks. The documentation may be found here.
Obviously, everything can change if things start to head south. However, I’m hoping that we’ll stay on track and that we’ll be able to have a great weekend while remaining safe.