HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Dozens of Horry and Florence County boaters and anglers hit the water Friday following Governor Henry McMaster’s order to reopen all public boat landings in the state.
The Governor closed public boat landings in March in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday, he announced he would allow them to open for fishing and recreation.
Local boater, Richard Maclary was one of many who took advantage of the new order and relaxed on the water. He says the last time he went boating was the weekend before the landings closed down.
“Of course I was disappointed, but I could understand why, because I was out that Sunday before (the Governor) closed it down. I’m out there putzing around; I must have taken 100 pictures of birds, and the jet skis have to go 100 miles per hour, boats loaded with people, partying, drinking, not paying any attention to wake zones. I don’t blame him,” Maclary said.
Other boaters agreed the Horry County landings were packed the day before they were ordered to shut down.
“This boat landing has never been that full on a Sunday afternoon in the eight years that I’ve lived here,” Scott Yaeger, a local boater said.
Yaeger is worried this weekend will be similar, which is why he is avoiding the water until the virus clears up.
“Me being a boater this weekend, I’m probably not going to come out, just because I don’t want to deal with what I know is coming,” Yaeger said.
“I would love to come out this weekend, because it’s the prime fishing season and everybody has been closed down for two weeks, but I’m going to stand on the edge of practicality. The fish can’t jump out of the water, they’re not going to go away, they’ll be here in two weeks.”
Horry County police will patrol the waterways this weekend to ensure boaters stay safe and practice social distancing.
“They will be looking for boats that are rafting up, that are docking on the side of the waterways where they’re not supposed to be, or any unusually large groups on boats on the waterways,” Mikayla Moskov, Horry County Police Department spokesperson said.
Officers will first ask the public for voluntary compliance. Officers will give boaters citations if they ignore requests from police.
