Dear Call of the Sea Community,

When Otis Redding wrote “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” on a houseboat at Waldo Point in Sausalito more than 50 years ago, it would have been unimaginable that “sittin’ on the dock” would be a public health requirement. Nor would it have been foreseeable that one of the last lyrics of that song would be so relevant today: “I’m sittin’ here restin’ my bones, and this loneliness won’t leave me alone.”

Forced isolation and discouraging news around our country this week makes it difficult to report on a few encouraging developments close to home.  Recognizing that getting outdoors is a healthy activity, Bay Area Public Health officials are beginning to relax restrictions such that small groups of people can recreate together, subject to strict distancing, sanitation and other health protocols:

  • In Marin, groups of up to 10 can recreate outdoors.
  • Three Bay Area counties have allowed charter fishing boats to go out, with reduced capacity. Marin may soon allow something similar.

We are carefully studying public health guidelines to determine what we can safely do now, and to be prepared for what may be possible in the future. So how can we stop “wastin’ time”, and start to leave some of this loneliness behind?

  • We have scheduled a waterfront event, not to exceed 10 people: “Paintin’ By the Bay”, watercolor classes to be held outside the Bay Model on Saturday, June 13. Taught by local fine artist, Lucinda Eubanks , participants will create a painting of brigantine Matthew Turner. All proceeds support Call of the Sea. More information here. Reservations can be made, first come, first served by emailing info@callofthesea.org.
  • We are actively working on the possibility of scheduling our vessels to regularly go out with no more than ten people on board, including crew, and developing vessel-specific protocols that meet or exceed County Public Health standards.

Please continue to support our local restaurants and businesses. Many have sponsored our previous fundraising events, and are working hard to provide goods and services that help local residents stay nourished and safely sheltering in place.

This week, we give a special shout out to one long time supporter, Captain Bob Bitchin, who is offering free subscriptions to the on-line version of his entertaining magazine, Latitudes and Attitudes. Subscribe free of charge. Thank you, Bob. We love your attitude.

We are not alone next to the ocean. From Denmark to Australia, from San Francisco Bay to the Cape of Good Hope, people are eager to experience the health-giving properties of sailing. Consider this passage written by Danish author Isak Dinesen in her short story The Deluge at Norderney (1934) :

“Do you know of a cure for me?
‘Why, yes,’ he said,
‘I know of a cure for everything: salt water.’
‘Salt water?’ I asked him.
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘in one way or the other.
Sweat, or tears, or the salt sea.’

Stay safe and healthy,
Steven Woodside