Corona crisis: Petitions against harbour closures in Bavaria and on Lake Constance

There is great displeasure among sailors on Lake Constance and on the Bavarian lakes about the harbour closures due to the corona regulations in force there. YACHT online has already reported on a Appeal by the German Sailing Association to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport reports pointing out the absurdity of the current rules. Water sports enthusiasts who do not need a harbour to practice their sport on Lake Constance can go out on the water - but most sailors are still prevented from doing so because the harbours are closed.

Affected sailors are now turning to the Baden-Württemberg Minister for Social Affairs and Integration, Manfred Lucha, with a petition. They are calling for the use of marinas to be relaxed.

"The issue is that we have very strange regulations regarding the use of our recreational boats on Lake Constance," reports Philipp Wolf, 38, from Friedrichshafen. He is the initiator of the petition.

"While our friends in Austria and Switzerland are allowed to use their boats under the usual conditions, in Germany there is a sometimes pointless regulation in force: you are allowed to crane the boat in and out - i.e. stay in the harbour and move the boat there - and you are also theoretically allowed to sail on Lake Constance. You are just not allowed to drive out of the harbour entrance," explains Wolf. "The regulation is simply absurd, and I think that's why there are so many supporters."

For a few days now, you have been able to visit the platform www.change.org take part in the petition. As of 29 April, over 2000 people have already done so.

"We are all frustrated that we are being ignored by politicians, that responsibilities are being shifted back and forth between the district administrator and Stuttgart. The regulation is also not really comprehensible," reports Wolf, himself the owner of a currently unusable Joker in the marina in Langenargen.

"We are committed to achieving a sensible regulation here as quickly as possible and are calling on politicians to § Section 5a of the Corona Ordinance adapt. In these difficult times, it's also about creating opportunities for citizens to equalise with a sense of proportion. And if it's safe somewhere with sufficient social distancing, then it's on the water."

One further petition has been submitted by sailors and motor boaters on Lake Starnberg, addressed to the Bavarian State Parliament and Minister President Markus Söder. Sailors and motor boaters argue in a similar way to those on Lake Constance:

"In the meantime, the question arises as to why people are allowed to use SUP boards, kitesurf or go kayaking, canoeing and rowing, but not motorboat drivers - and now also sailors, who are denied access to their boats due to closed harbours? (...) As a motorboat driver and sailor, you are on the water - and therefore far away from crowded parks or other public facilities with possible risks of infection for yourself and others. The social distancing rules are observed and the risk of infection for other people is even reduced."

Over 1500 signatures have already been submitted here (as of 29 April, 12:30 pm).