Dear sailor,

Per Governor Hogan's announcement today, May 6th, recreational boating in Maryland will be allowed beginning tomorrow, May 7th.

I am thrilled, and I know you are, too. But we must continue to exercise good judgment and common sense. The coronavirus is still a major threat to our local area, and we must continue to do our civic duty and continue to flatten the curve by practicing physical distancing and using good safety practices to protect ourselves and others. 

Because of this, The DSC will be reopening for private reservations beginning on Monday, May 11th and not tomorrow. 

I know that is not the fun decision, but it is the correct course to take. My team and I are working on a plan to reopen as quickly as possible, but we must be safe and we must be reasonable. A few boats may go out on a case-by-case basis over the next four days to test our action plan, but we want to be sure to ease back into operations in a methodical manner. This is not a decision I take lightly. I care about the safety of our sailors and while I want to be out there with you right this very minute, I know doing so is not the best course of action.

When we do reopen to our general membership, which we will do on Monday, May 11th, we will do so in a calm, practiced manner with a gradual reopening and a gradual return to normalcy. It will not be instantaneous, but we will get there together.

I truly appreciate your patience and I know first hand how difficult it is to wait. For the good of our community, I thank you for waiting through the weekend. The DNR will thank you, too.

At the time of this writing, our team continues to ramp up to make it possible for reopening in a safe and deliberate manner that will enable us to serve our sailing community, not just tomorrow, but over the long road ahead.

Thank you for believing in The DSC and doing your part to keep us moving forward during these times. More information will be delivered through our Wild Apricot system to members tomorrow and Friday. Again, let me express that we would not be where we are today without your support these past two months. Thank you.

Sincerely, and with much gratitude and heartfelt appreciation,

-Stuart