RE: [Paddlewise] Saturation Point

> ----------
	Matt wrote:
> The landowners just don't want us on what they
> > have long considered there property even though it legally isn't. There
> > have been incidents of paddlers being threateded by an irate landowner
> > with a shotgun while standing legally on public property. 
> 
	Richard wrote:
> Dial 911.   I've never heard of this happening on a Texas beach.  On a
> hill 
> country river, yes, but a public ocean facing beach?  Never.
> 
And I respond that this very thing happened to a group of us 3 weekends ago.
We were paddling on Barnegat Bay (NJ) and had crossed over to the
lighthouse.  Just prior to the light is a public municiple parking lot
(dirt), used heavily by fisherman and 'water  gazers' which is bulkheaded
(facing the bay).  The bulkhead is necessary due to the amount of wind
(waves) and its being located right next to a very busy channel (big wakes).
Where the bulkhead ends the water cuts back into a sizable quiet area.  On
the left is a beach (still part of the municipal lot).  To the right and
down a ways is a private marina.  Now, back out on the bay are some very old
pilings, 10 ft off shore, to the right end of the bulkhead and they were at
one time a barrier wall.  To the right of that is the  "motorway" into a
private marina.  As we paddled in to land on the municipal beach, we were
yelled at and threatened by the marina workers.  This argument lasted
several minutes with us trying to explain that we had a right to be on the
water and them screaming the water "belonged" to the marina.  Well, now all
the fishermen are pissed off and they're yelling (taking our side), the
pedestrians are yelling (taking our side).  It was very ugly.  If the marina
dude had had a gun, he certainly would have been firing it over our heads.
Since there is NO WHERE else to land and get out of the boats on this side
of the bay, we had to exit our boats out on the bay (in the waves and wakes)
and standing in waist-deep water hoist all the boats up over the bulkhead.
It sucked.  Later, the foot police come on their usual rounds and I grab him
and explain what had happened.  We were all shocked to hear that Mr. Marina
had been on the legal side of the law.  As the police explained it to us, he
owns and insures the marina.  The marina apparently is defined as the bottom
land AND "all the water covering it" that the "motors" must use to gain
access to it.  So there you have it, at least here at the Barnegat Bay in
NJ.  Mr. Marina owns the water (all of it). 

Let's see.  To get to Texas I drive south and then turn right . . .

Debbie Reeves
Sandy Hook, NJ



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