Fellow LMSA Members:

Spring is here and is fulfilling its teasing of warmer weather to come.  With some days warm and sunny its easy to get anxious to get on the water.  There is nothing preventing you from launching and retrieving your boat other than it’s much less convenient without the floating docks installed.

Some of you may be new to the club and are unfamiliar with our installation process.  Traditionally dock day has been scheduled for the last weekend in April due to weather and water temperatures.  We contract with L&N Docks to install the wet slip docks due to their expertise.  L&N schedules a trip to the Council Bluffs area based on the readiness of customers in the area and the weather forecast, particularly wind.  We receive about a one day notice of their arrival so that we can have the gate open.  If the tee dock is installed first, it interferes with floating the west slip docks so it is easiest for L&N to install the wet slip docks before we install the tee dock. L&N knows our docks-in date and is aware of a desire to have the docks installed ASAP.

That being said, the State of Iowa and CDC guidelines to prevent Coronavirus infections specifies a group maximum of 10 people and 6 foot social distance spacing.  This will preclude our traditional method of installing the tee dock since ten members shoulder to shoulder are required to lift a dock section onto the pontoon boat trailer.  It would also be foolhardy to have 40-60 members simultaneously on site.  I have committed to the DNR Executive Director that LMSA will follow the Coronavirus mitigation directives and CDC guidelines.  So this year I have discussed with L&N that they use their forklift to lift and launch the tee dock sections while their crew is completing the securing of the wet slip sections.  This would occur immediately after the wet slip sections are floated.  A small crew of our members will move, pin and anchor the docks.  The finger pier and shore stations will be put in separately. 

This is our current plan.  However, if any of the L&N crew is exposed to or contracts the coronavirus this Spring, it is expected that their entire crew will be home isolated or quarantined and will not be able to accomplish the installation of the docks.  In this case we will need to develop a plan C. 

We have received Coronavirus prevention guidelines from the American Sailing Association and will promulgate these shortly.  There are apps that you can use to practice your sailing skills. In the meantime, use this period to scrub your boat, complete the list of to-do items on the boat or at home, and use the apps and computer programs to improve your sailing skills so you’ll be ready to get on the water when warmer weather fully arrives.

Please contact me if you have any questions at president@sailmanawa.com.

Rick Scofield President