Boating and COVID-19: How Maine Charters and Boat Clubs Responded

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic after it had spread to more than 100 countries. In the United States, the outbreak was already affecting hundreds of people across dozens of states, with several dozen deaths reported at that time.

For Larrain Slaymaker, owner of NorthPoint Yacht Charters in Rockland, Maine, the early stage of the pandemic brought a mixture of concern and cautious optimism. With a son living in China, she had been following the virus since the start of the year. But in mid-March she felt fortunate to be based in Maine, which at that moment had few or no confirmed cases.

“We’ve been monitoring this since January,” Slaymaker said. “Maine’s leadership was proactive, and for now we hadn’t seen local cases. That gives us time to prepare and keep things in perspective.”

Owners and operators of charter companies and boat clubs had to make quick decisions about whether to keep businesses running as national events were canceled and travel patterns shifted. Major festivals were postponed, universities moved to online instruction, and airline schedules changed dramatically as public health officials recommended reducing large gatherings. The U.S. State Department also advised Americans to avoid cruise ships, prompting prospective customers to ask whether smaller boat trips would still be available and safe.

“We were getting a lot of inquiries about local boating options,” Slaymaker said. “Charters for families continued to book. People see getting out on the water near Maine as a controlled environment: fewer crowds, fewer people, and less time in airports.”

Freedom Boat Club, which operates a franchise network that lets members access boats at multiple locations, received similar questions from travelers, according to Louis Chemi, vice president of franchise systems. Many members travel seasonally between northern states and Florida and wanted reassurance about local restrictions and safety measures.

Freedom Boat Club emphasized strict cleaning protocols and reminded members they could use their own disinfectants on board if they preferred. Despite broad coverage of the pandemic, Chemi said members were still interested in boating, noting that boating generally involves limited contact with people outside one’s group.

“Coronavirus transmission is driven by close contact between people, not by being on the ocean,” he said. “When you’re on a boat with your family or household, you control your environment and reduce exposure.”

Public health guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the time indicated that the virus spreads mainly from person to person. The CDC noted that individuals who have recovered are no longer considered contagious when they have been fever-free without fever-reducing medication, their respiratory symptoms have improved, and they have tested negative on at least two consecutive respiratory specimens collected at least 24 hours apart.

The CDC also indicated that coronaviruses generally have limited survivability on surfaces, suggesting low risk of transmission from food products or packaging shipped over days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures. There was no evidence that imported products were a source of novel coronavirus spread.

Research emerging from China at the time suggested the virus could remain airborne for a short period and travel several feet from an infected person, and that survival on surfaces could vary with temperature and material. Those findings contributed to increased attention to cleaning and distancing practices, including on boats and in marinas.

Some infectious disease experts hoped the virus’s spread might slow during warmer months the way seasonal influenza sometimes does, but the CDC cautioned that there was no certainty this pattern would apply to the novel coronavirus. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, warned in mid-March that the virus is capable of sustained person-to-person spread and that much of the population had no immunity.

At Maine Windjammer Cruises—operator of the National Landmark schooners Grace Bailey and Mercantile, each licensed for 29 passengers, and the smaller schooner Mistress, which carries six passengers—business remained steady in mid-March. Margaret Jones, executive assistant to the company owner, said reservations were being accepted and boats were beginning to fill.

“We’re watching the situation closely but not panicking,” Jones said. “These are smaller, open-air departures, not large cruise ships. If conditions change, we’ll act to protect passengers and crew.”

Jones noted that some larger cruise lines were altering itineraries to avoid higher-risk ports and that Maine’s rural coastline and islands make it easier to maintain distance from large population centers. Many Windjammer guests drive to embark, so mass transit is not a major factor for those travelers, and the region’s numerous uninhabited islands offer space for safe, outdoor recreation.

“You can bring your own car,” Jones said. “We have an archipelago of about a thousand islands to explore, and accommodations here are small by design—few large hotels or mass gatherings.”

Chemi shared impressions from a recent trip to the Bassmaster Classic in Alabama, where anglers and industry attendees varied in their response to the outbreak. Some people adopted non-contact greetings such as fist bumps or elbow bumps, while many others continued handshakes and emphasized regular handwashing as a practical precaution.

Slaymaker encourages similar commonsense measures among her charter clients: maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise, eat well, and practice frequent hand hygiene. “Boating is healthy,” she said. “Get outside, get fresh air, and wash your hands often.”

For operators like Maine Windjammer Cruises, the approach was to remain calm, follow evolving guidance, and continue to operate as long as doing so posed no risk to passengers or crew. Managers pledged to take necessary steps if the public health situation changed, prioritizing safety without assuming unnecessary restrictions.

This article originally appeared in the May 2020 issue.