May June 2020 Marina World

CRISIS MANAGEMENT
The day after
How is the marina industry going to handle going back to business after this
scary, almost science-fiction COVID-19 medical and social experience? Oscar
Siches shares his thoughts
Most of us live in countries that
have already started to ease strong
confinement measures, and an
educated guess that many people
will be able to use their boats with
minimal restrictions by mid-June is
not at all daring. Most governments
forget about the singularities of marine
recreational activities and place the
whole group of users under “maritime”
or “transport” or, at best, “fishing”. This
confirms the need for us to create
a strong relationship with the state
administration. If we inform them it will
help ensure the continuity of our sport
without big hiccups.
Many associations big and small are
issuing guidelines for yacht harbour
behaviour on and after the re-opening
of facilities. Invariably, 80% of the
papers enumerate procedures for
personal cleaning, social distancing,
mask wearing, glove availability, i.e.
information that everybody has listened
to over the past weeks, when TV and
social media saturated us to exhaustion
with such messages. There’s no merit
in repeating all of this information.
Some organisations went a step
further and created a protocol for the
use of the facilities. They organised
way-in and way-out paths, time slots for
bathroom and shower use, circulation on
piers and pontoons and right of way in
gangways; procedures that are easy to
understand and follow. Booking offices
helped by sending out crew/passenger
lists and ETAs ahead of schedule, and
outlining procedures for check-in and
check-out for charter boats, all of which
helped to reduce the risk of catching the
disease. And one very important thing
has not changed. Once you embark on a
boat and cast off, the oceans are yours,
and the limits are the ones you set
between the boat and the universe.
There is, however, another very
important thing, which I feel is missing
in all the ‘guidance’: the human element.
The people who have received an extra
blow by losing family or friends, losing
their jobs, their income, the stability
they’ve gained after years of doing their
best in life. People like this are also
part of the marina industry. They are
self-employed mechanics, sail repair
craftsmen, electricians, metal workers,
chefs and waiters in marina restaurants.
With the recent relaxation of isolation
rules and partial opening of many
marinas and yacht harbours, the
guidelines for user behaviour developed
by various associations in many
countries and especially those put
forward by the International Council of
Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA)
are being put into practice. But there
is scant attention given to the small
service companies trying to keep their
employees but facing very low demand
as users are encouraged to go directly
to their boats, and when coming back,
to move boat-to-car nonstop. We should
not view them as new pariahs and lock
them away in an emotional safe where
everything unpleasant or inconvenient
is stored until it fades away. They are
part of the industry. They are less lucky
than us (of course we are suffering
too) but they should not be forgotten or
abandoned.
The nautical industry in general and
the yacht harbour/marina industry
in particular share something very
specific: we are bound by the sea, its
freedom and its dangers. A marine
engine technician will share tacitly with
a dockhand or a yacht owner more
feeling of belonging to things nautical
than a vacuum-cleaner assembler will
share with a home owner, or a factory
car wheel fitter to a car dealer.
That’s why I cannot understand that
we are leaving people of our own to
be left on their own during and after
these extremely demanding times.
Such behaviour does not belong to
the nautical spirit. Of course, a human
being’s instinctive reaction is to save
him/herself first, followed by taking care
of closest members (family). Thereafter,
The Port of Palma, especially during the
popular Palma Boat Show, has long been a
vibrant meeting place throughout the year
for boats and visitors enjoying a quality
waterfront experience.
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