Members of the Boston Station,

Although restrictions are slowly being eased, we are still in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis in our country.  I have no doubt that we have members who are personally affected by this terrible disease, and I hope you will join me in sending them our thoughts and prayers.  While all of us are itching to get out of our houses and onto our boats, we must be careful to only do so when we can ensure our own safety and the safety of those around us.  Therefore, after consultation with Sailing Committee co-Chairs Ray Cullum and Joe McDonough, we have made the reluctant decision to cancel our Spring Gam which was to be held in Marion and New Bedford over Memorial Day weekend.  Like so many other things, this is a casualty of near-term restrictions associated with coronavirus, but I am confident we will all be back on the water and together soon.

On that note, please know that as of now we are still planning to proceed with our station cruise at the end of July.  Of course, we must be mindful of developments this spring and early summer.  I encourage those of you who are planning to join to sign up here so that we can firm up attendance.  There is a large group of dedicated organizers that have been working on planning for this event for many months, and they will need to understand the numbers in order to continue with that planning.  We are fortunate that most of the venues we will be visiting do not require commitments until much closer to our arrival date, and therefore we will have latitude to alter our plans as necessary.  In those circumstances, I fully anticipate refunds will be available for any cancelled gatherings.

I am pleased that Entertainment Chair Victor Pinheiro has been able to reschedule our cancelled Spring Dinner at the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court for November 13th.  We will have further announcement regarding the details and registration later this summer.  We are also planning a wonderful visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in September as part of the Fall Gam.  Again, details will be forthcoming, but please save the date for October 2nd and 3rd.  While we hope many will join us by boat, plenty of space will be available for those who elect to come by car as well.

These unprecedented times of social isolation require unique solutions to keep us all connected.  Many thanks to Post Captain Dale Bruce who organized a virtual discussion for the Gulf of Maine Post led by member Gene Reil, a recently retired New York Harbor Pilot.  This event was so successful that it "sold out" within a matter of hours (it was free, but attendance was limited), and a second showing was hastily arranged.  I stand by for any other ideas like this which might allow us to connect socially in a virtual setting.

That is it for now.  I promise to stay in touch with all of you as circumstance dictate.  In the meantime, I can be reached at (508) 353-8963 and jphyfe@shmarinas.com.  I' love to hear from you.

All the best,

James