Hi to all of the cruisers who remember me, and to those I have not yet met. I spearheaded this anchoring issue via Concerned Boaters: The National Water Rights Association for five years over two decades ago. This fight is a marathon, not a sprint. Another thing to remember, sad but true, is that money talks and cruisers walk... too many legitimate vessel owners and cruisers will mumble and grumble, but wont take the time or make the effort to do the scut work it will take to win this battle: 1, write a LETTER to your local legislator - that means your state representative and state senator. Find out who they are. Call or visit their offices. They have local staff who will listen to you. The more time you take up with their staff, and with them, the more they will pay attention. 2, Make rational, legal arguments, not whiney monologues about impingement of your rights. Those legal arguments need to appeal to a broader audience -- people who hit the sandbars for weekend picnics, property owners whose boats are anchored nearby, the dreamers who buy Cruising World and Sail for years planning their escape. 3, Speak out during public comment sessions at your local Board of County Commissioner meetings. This will really spread the word, because these meetings are televised and watched by the movers and shakers of your community. 4, Emphasize how much money cruising boaters - boaters in general - spend. The hole in the water line is a true one. 5, Re the anchoring setback, point out that in most areas required setback from the road is most likely 25 or 50 feet. The road is a public right of way. Anyone can park on it. Likewise, the rivers and estuaries are public rights of way. Chances are 25 or 50 feet from shore is too shallow for anchoring anyway, but authorities are eyeing limits 10 times that. What is reasonable here? 6, Contact everyone you know who has or wants a boat, and pass on this list. Money talks louder than words these days to our lawmakers, but numbers of people help. 7, This will apply to most, but not all: when you are talking to your officials, point out how much you pay in property taxes, vessel taxes, vehicle taxes. Add it up over years. Even if your boat is anchored in a place where you dont own property, tell them how much you pay where you are. Point out that state and federal dollars, for the most part, pay to maintain the waterways. If local authorities want to regulate, they should also pay to maintain -- that could include dredging, charts, signage, etc. 8, Bear in mind, if you are rabid on this issue, people will shut down, even when theyre on your side. Be reasonable, if another boater disagrees, move on. Theyll come around on their own, or they wont. No amount of ranting will change that, and will simply alienate the very folks we need on our side. 9, Self regulate. When I was heading Concerned Boaters, we had some firebrands and others who were ultra cautious. One thing that worked locally was a welcoming committee in the local anchorage. Someone would check out arriving boats, ask them to be good neighbors, tell them the issues. If it was a bad apple druggie, near-derelict, loud or otherwise had issues, they would be encouraged to clean up their act or move on. Some wont agree with this tactic, but it worked for us. 10, This issue had been fought in California for more than a decade before I got involved. That takes it back to the 70s. The issue isnt going away. They key then, and now, is rigid enforcement of laws already on the books, and a program to remove noncompliant vessels, just as abandoned cars are tagged and speedily removed. This is the one point we all need to agree on and repeat and repeat and. Its a simple fix. We want enforcement. 11, Send money to the organizations who can help. No fight is free. Those who can should send a hefty donation to SSCA. Also, your local politicians are running for election right now! Talk to them about the issue. If one agrees, give to their campaign. It matters. So please, lets roll up our sleeves, put some of this ranting energy to work, and write some letters, make some phone calls, and visit those commissioners and legislators. We can do it.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:21:18 +0000
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