Busy Boating Season This Summer, Despite COVID-19

Monday, October 19, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer

Thanks to pleasant weather with no major storms all summer long, some avid boaters had plans to keep their vessels moored in Hingham Harbor through mid-October.

Despite COVID-19 and accompanying restrictions, the recreational boating season was busier than ever. "There was a lot of activity, including out-of-towners," Harbormaster Ken Corson told the Hingham Anchor.

By March, mooring permit renewals were underway and when COVID-19 hit, the harbormaster's office didn't miss a beat. "It was easy to transition to working from home and processing renewals and payments online," Corson said, since the town offices were closed.

During April, there was an uptick of people taking kayaks out onto the water. "It was nice weather, and everyone was wanting to get outside."

Assistant Harbormasters Matt Puleo and Brad Betzner were hired, replacing two of the four assistants who had left to accept other positions.

Boaters readied their vessels early and boat sales were up as the desire to get out of the house after being cooped up grew.

As the boating season ramped up, new COVID-19 regulations for the World's End mooring field were put in place in addition to overall COVID-19 boating safety precautions, including physical distancing. The town followed all state COVID-19 boating regulations, and at Corson's recommendation, took them a step further on the local level by allowing only 2020 Hingham mooring docking permit holders, for anywhere in Hingham waters, to anchor in the World's End mooring field; these included private marina, Inner Harbor, and yacht club permits.

Corson emphasized that a boater doesn't have to live in Hingham to obtain a Hingham mooring docking permit.

Cooperation Among Boaters

"Overall the boating public was terrific this year, understanding the need for these safety requirements and the importance of cooperating to help keep the boating community safe," Corson said.

Shellfish digging is back in Hingham for a few months following a hiatus due to a disease known as neoplasia affecting Hingham's shellfish population for the past few years.

"This past spring a few diggers conducted a small survey, which showed positive signs of sustained life in the shellfish population," Corson said. "According to the town’s shellfish management plan, every shellfish digger must purchase a shellfish license by March 1. Due to the absence of a viable, harvestable shellfish population in past years and uncertainty concerning the COVID-19 outbreak, the shellfish diggers did not purchase licenses this year."

After requesting permission to harvest shellfish a few days each week beginning Sept. 1 for four months, shellfish diggers were allowed to purchase licenses later than usual and will be able to continue with their harvesting through Dec. 31.

This year:

• There were 239 transient mooring rentals;
• 162 notices were issued for both boating and parking violations;
• 1,400 permits were issued for boats on moorings and in slips;
• and more than 1,200 calls for service were logged.

Grant Awarded for New Patrol Boat

A $243,739 Port Security Grant Program (PSAG) grant was awarded to the town through the harbormaster's office to replace the Marine II  patrol boat purchased in 1997 and to improve the town's coastal camera system. Marine II has patrolled Hingham waterways for more than 20 years, "responding to countless calls for service," Corson said.

This award provides 75 percent of the funding needed to replace Marine II, which was part of the town's five-year capital outlay plan for replacement, and facilitates  maintenance of Hingham's coastal camera system and the addition of new cameras and associated equipment.

Marine III is the pump-out boat, which removes and discards waste collected from boats that are in the water to aid in keeping Hingham's waters clean.

The coastal camera system, a network of cameras and antennae, was funded by the PSGP in 2014. "This system is an important tool for port security, boater safety, and harbor management," Corson said.

Head Assistant Harbormaster Joseph Driscoll completed the lengthy PSGP application this spring and ensured its timely filing.

"The harbormaster’s office is excited about this award and pleased to continue to provide our community with first-rate, on-the-water public safety services," Corson said.

Since becoming harbormaster in 2009, Corson has written grants for, and the town has been awarded, more than $6 million in funding for waterways security and management.

Heading into Colder Months...

Looking toward winter, Marine I will remain in the water to respond to any off-season calls for service–before the water starts to freeze. In the meantime, rowers can be seen on the water.

As activity winds up at the harbor, the harbormaster's office will gear up for another round of processing docking and mooring applications for the next boating season, starting in early 2021. There's also administrative work to catch up on as the 2020 season draws to an end.

The harbormaster's main office–rented from the MBTA–is located in the Foss Intermodal Transportation Building at the Hingham Shipyard. There's also a small harbormaster shed at the Inner Harbor.

Harbormaster’s Role

Among the harbormaster's duties are protecting the environment, life, and property;  managing the shorefront and islands; enforcing laws governing Hingham's navigable waters, islands, and shorefronts; and implementing the town's shellfish management plan.

In his role as harbormaster, Corson is custodian of five islands that are in Hingham waters: Bumpkin, Langley, Sara, Ragged, and Button.

Every 10 years, the harbormaster oversees the dredging of the Inner Harbor mooring basin. This was last done in 2019.

During the official May 1 through October 1 boating season, the harbormaster is on-call 24/7.

Whatever the season, Corson and his staff work hard "to provide a safe harbor for everyone to enjoy," he said.