Dear Members, Guests, Friends, and Family,
We miss you all tremendously and look forward to seeing you at our yard and on your boats very soon. These are unsettling times for us all and, like many of you, we’ve been working during these past several weeks to try to understand the current state of affairs and how we might return to getting you back on the water. With so many highs and lows in these past weeks, I’m happy to share this cherished high where we get to welcome you back into our yard and marina!
On April 27, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs released their boating guidance (copy attached). This letter provides guidelines for boating and various other marine and inland waterway-related activities during the duration of Governor Baker’s stay-at-home advisory and essential services order.
We are grateful for your unwavering support and understanding since our closure and reopening for “techs only” to return on property to get your boats ready for you. We are also grateful for all your calls and emails sharing how important boating is to you and your families. After weeks of planning and successfully having our team on property safely at work, we are confident we can keep our team and our customers safe as we welcome in the boating season. We ask that you join us in following our protocols:
- Your safety and the safety of our team remain our number one priority. Please follow Massachusetts’ Boating Guidelines along with CDC and WHO guidance.
- Only slip & dinghy members and their immediate family are allowed on property without an appointment. Our property will remain closed to the general public through May 18, per the Governor’s recent advisory.
- Please social distance when on our property and docks, and please do not approach our technicians as they are working, moving around the yard, etc.
- Please have your face covering on hand and ready to be worn should social distancing of at least six feet not be practical.
- Please do not loiter. Go directly to and from your boat and your vehicle.
- Parking will remain fluid to allow for work and safety. Please look for and follow signage accordingly. The inside yard will remain closed as usual during working hours, from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., but will be open for customer parking on the weekend. As boats launch, we will undoubtedly be looking to open up parking for you. Parking on the wharf remains reserved for South Wharf slip members (A and B docks) and employees only.
- All our buildings will remain closed to the public (entrance by employees and authorized personnel only).
- We will have limited dock team on-site starting this weekend to assist with your dock lines provided social distancing can be followed. Please do not enter the Dock Office.
- The Captain’s House (shower and laundry facility) will remain closed.
- We will continue to provide free wipe down aboard for the start and end of our work. If you board your boat for any reason prior to our work being completed, there will be additional cleaning charges prior to our techs reboarding.
At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that we ARE open! Our digital door is wide open, and we welcome you inside to engage with us. We will continue to use the following tools to safely engage with you during this time:
- All on-site visits are by appointment only unless you are going directly to your boat. Please schedule an appointment with our team prior to visiting our property for any other reason.
- Our customer advocates are hosting virtual commissioning and service meetings using GoToMeeting along with live FaceTime walkthroughs.
- Our sales team are creating custom video walkthroughs as well as scheduling live FaceTime walkthroughs on the boats.
- New boats are open and cleaned regularly to allow prospective customers to schedule a visit and walk through the boat on their own.
- We are traveling to owners’ boats to do valuations and produce brokerage listings online to market your boats for sale.
- For our active listings, our brokers are reaching out to each of you. We also encourage you to reach out to our sales team through call, text, or email.
In appreciation and gratitude to our local community’s essential workers on the frontlines, our boat club will be giving away several powerboat, kayak, and paddleboard rentals in hopes that a little time on the water will be as restorative to their minds, bodies, and souls as we all know boating is for us. Please look for our program on social media and nominate essential workers you believe this program would spread a little joy to. Please think of people who we’ve relied upon, from our healthcare professionals to our grocery store clerks and everyone in between.
We appreciate your help and patience during this challenging time. While COVID-19 and the weather have set us back, we do plan on being back on schedule very soon. If you need anything, please contact us via our digital channels. If you have concerns or questions, we invite you to reach out to our team. We are only a phone call or email away, and we encourage you to continue keeping the lines of communications open.
See you all soon!
To Our Good Health,
Dave Nolan, President
Cape Yachts / South Wharf Yacht Yard
