Are we allowed to sail

This comment is not strictly subject to sailing, however, l think you have to think about it...
All you guys got a huge disadvantage, namely, you'we never ever lived in a communist country, which I did.

There is very little one can do about the virus, so stop being clever and stop being a hero, go with the floow and enjoy the sunshine while you can and try to stay under the radar. (To isolate on your boat becoming illegal is beyond belief...?!!)
It is going to pass and we are going to laugh about it in a year or two, but we are going to suffer for it for at least the next decade or more. They are going to make us pay for their wrongdoing! Down to the last penny and more!

They - whoever 'THEY' are - going to use this hysteria to their advantage in the full. The average people are going to be disadvantaged greatly, the very rich is going to get much richer while the poor are going to get much, much poorer.

The mismanagements of 1914, 1929-32, 1944, 1968, 1974, 2001, 2011 and 2008 could not be suffered much longer, the system was at a brink of collapse and 'THEY' are going to use this virus-hysteria to re-design the system by a 'tabula rasa' or 'clean slate' approach and it is going to be done the way 'THEY' wish as most 'democratic institutions' as we know them are going to be suspended.
Would not be surprised by a run on the banks soon and scarcity of food next season or before, not just bum-fodder, as well.

I hope, l am wrong!

Went to go for a solo sail yesterday and my next door neighbor appeared and brow beat me till I packed up everything and went home. He is on the board of directors of the marina so I thought best not to annoy him unnecessarily. He did not have up to date info though and was not quoting from the latest notice in Qld as per pics above.

Going to Qld maritime website as suggested above won't tell you anything though as there is nothing there in relation to Covid 19 accept govco propaganda. No mention in big letter whether you can use your boat or not which is surely the main inquiry on that website at the moment.

Radioed the Local Coast Guard prior to departing the marina for their opinion. The read out the old info verbatim and said they couldn't give me 'permission' to use the boat.

I said I wasn't asking for permission but whether it was more or less within the spirit of the guidelines to go out for a bit of a sail and clear my head/exercise.

Not sure whats going on here...

Not meant to leave the house, but the local giant shopping centre is open which primarily sells **** no one ever actually needs, well at least not on a weekly/daily basis.

I cannot imagine an activity less likely to infect someone than being at sea by yourself except maybe crossing the Simpson desert on foot by oneself.

Massive amounts of over reach by govco here and also massive amounts of rubbish behaviour by Australian in regard to not acting within the spirit of social distancing etc.

Having said that we seem to be reducing the cases and look like escaping a major health risk from this unlike Europe and the US which makes me wonder whether we are the lucky country or they are even dumber (US maybe.... :-) ) ?

Any way I'm still annoyed that the last bastion of more or less doing what you want away from the law is now being controlled like everything else in society.

The solution is, one should swim to ones yacht, and the penpushers could eat their pens, swear and squirm but do figs.

Besides all of this, while the above was written in jest the following l mean very seriously as a criticism of the authorities, what a lowlife attitude is that, when a nation and the world is shutting down and millions lose their jobs and having serious financial problems the asses in power have the temerity to put out monetary fines left right and center to a population soon approaching penury!

A week or two mandatorily served in a hospital or work as a helper somewhere would be more educational let alone much more beneficial to all of us.

Also, if one is allowed to walk on the beach or go surfing but one gets fined for sitting down on the sand after all the above, this world is really gone nuts!

No not in Vic

Lots of runabouts and power boats on Botany Bay yesterday and outside. "Fishing" maybe. Maybe the authorities are just issuing warnings at this stage. To my mind sailing solo is good for both physical and mental health, especially if you stay in the harbour and have a well found boat, thus saving the Marine Rescue folk a problem. Unfortunately as we have seen with the Ruby Princess and Bondi Beach debacles, the authorities make knee jerk and/or scapegoating decisions instead of thinking things through.

You did have the dinghy oars tied in didn't you??

Have a read of this post by a nurse when you are deciding whether to stay home or go for a sail

I told myself that I wasn't going to make a post like this, but I can't stay quiet after the stretch of nights that I just had at work. Seeing the amount of people who still aren't taking this seriously is upsetting, so I want to make it as real for you all as possible.

In the weeks leading up to this virus finally reaching our area, I read a lot of articles & viral posts warning me of the physical demands that this outbreak would place on me as an ICU nurse. I mentally prepared myself for the layers upon layers of PPE that I would be wearing, the profuse amount of sweating that I would be doing, etc...however, I was not prepared for the intense emotions that I'd be experiencing.

The PPE you see in my picture is just a glimpse of what a suspected/positive COVID patient sees at all hours of the day/night whenever ANYONE is required to enter their room (the room in which they spend all other hours ALONE). These patients have no normal human interaction from the moment they step inside the hospital until they are officially declared negative, until the virus has run its course, or until they sadly take their last breath. My heart broke more & more each time that I'd walk into a patient's room and see the fear in their eyes. Think about this the next time you consider going out because you are tired of your only human interaction being through FaceTime or with those in your household.

When these patients decline & can't breathe effectively on their own, we have to break the unfortunate news to them that they will need to be placed on a ventilator to support their lungs & the rest of their organs. Once again, they receive this frightening news ALONE & their only source of comfort/emotional support is from myself, another nurse, physician, respiratory therapist, or CNA dressed in full PPE. One of the most difficult things I've ever done as a nurse is tell a grown adult with tears in my eyes that the moment they feared most has come. - "...very soon you will see me & a doctor enter your room with even more protective gear to place you on a ventilator, but I will be with you the whole time...just pretend that I'm one of your own children holding your hand." Think about this the next time you decide to invite a group of people over because you're bored & lonely.

These patients aren't the only ones affected during all of this. Their family members are at home constantly wondering if they're safe, taken care of, afraid, comfortable...if their hair is brushed the way it usually is...if they are sleeping with two pillows the way that they usually do...if they have someone to pray with before eating supper like they usually do at home. Their nurses/doctors/RTs/CNAs/entire care team are feeling defeated because they want so badly to help but we've exhausted all treatment options, medications & ventilator settings. Think about this the next time you decide to ignore elected officials' warnings/advisories because "this is all a political stunt".

My coworkers & I are exhausted, traumatized, and scared, but we are a team of rockstars & we will push through this public heath crisis. We will fight for our patients every single day no matter the circumstance, but please don't make it harder for us to fight by going places & gathering with other people when it's NOT essential to do so.

Stay home, encourage your loved ones to to stay home, hold each other accountable, and pray for everyone on the frontlines of this pandemic.

**The views on my page are my own and not that of my employer.


Regards Don

The cops in Melbourne are certainly being zealous. Yesterday the missus and I were sitting in our parked car looking out over the bay at Sandringham (yes strictly speaking not on, but the dors were shut and we were socially isolating from the rest of the world), and observed the police chopper circle over a lone wind-surfer - the only recreational craft visible on PPB. He immediately headed shoreward.

Thanks for your post Don and also for your hard work. I have many friends in your same position.
Im not sure my situation is the same as most as I'm self isolating on my home unless called to a job or getting food. At this stage NSW is allowed to sail but not holiday or travel to regional areas. Sydney Harbour is 16nm from my mooring so just around the corner and with 6 weeks provisions I have no need to go ashore for the 5 days away.