Re: [Paddlewise] Epoxies and Polyurethanes

On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 3:59 AM, Scott Hilliard <kiayker_at_sbcglobal.net>
wrote:

>
> Before you guys get too nostalgic over the derelicts in Newport Harbor it
> should be pointed out that many of them are part of a con game for
> transferring the mooring. The moorings are owned by the city and cannot be
> sold. But the boat on the mooring can be sold and the mooring can then be
> transfered to the new owner. Since the waiting list for moorings in this bay
> is a joke, some people have been been on the list for thirty or forty years,
> the price of the precious moorings, um, I mean the boats on them, is through
> the roof!
>

I think Mark's remarks revolve around the transient moorage not the fixed
mooring buoys that are regulated by the city. Theoretically, anchoring in
navigable waterways in the USA is regulated by the USCG and whenever a
vessel is anchored (which is what a "mooring" is, really) it must conform to
certain rules; mostly the requirement to display an anchor light at night
and a day signal (a "ball") during the day. As time went on certain areas of
certain harbors became popular for the more-or-less permanent "anchoring" of
small vessels which were unmanned and upon which the display of the night
signal light was difficult, if not impossible. Since there was no one aboard
then there was no one to light the kerosine anchor light.

The USCG then created designated these popular mooring area to be specific
anchoring zones and marked them on harbor charts. A vessel anchored within
the boundaries of these zones need not display anchor lights nor day shapes.
As long as the numbers of small craft were small and/or owned by the wealthy
this system worked just fine.

Fast forward to the 1970s and the huge upsurge in boat ownership of yachts
and yachting. When fiberglass boats made their way onto the scene the values
of wooden boats plummeted because of their relatively high maintenance costs
and because a replacement boat in fiberglass could be less than half the
cost of an equivalent boat in wood. At about the same time there was a big
run-up in real estate values and some municipalities discovered that the
designated anchorage zones rapidly filled with boats of questionable
seaworthiness occupied by people of questionable values; namely: hippies!
These designated anchorage zones were soon crammed to capacity and expanded
well beyond their legal boundaries.

By the end of the 70s there had appeared on the scene several committees
designed to bring this situation under control. After all, no one wanted to
buy a million dollar waterfront home only to find unwashed hippies living
almost on their doorstep in boats that could sink at any moment. So legal
efforts were organized to kick these boats out. Unfortunately, the USCG did
not want to un-designate the anchorage areas feeling that they served a
purpose. And the USCG did not have the manpower nor inclination to police
the boats outside the areas. So municipalities formed their own on-the-water
police forces which then began to enforce the USCG rules about displaying
anchor lights and day shapes.

Some municipalities got very creative in their attempts to gain control over
the navigable waterways. Richardson Bay, just inside the Golden Gate Bridge
was actually platted by the city of Sausalito which then declared its
dominion over the bottom of the Bay and anything which might be stuck into
it. This allowed them to police transient yachts which were often anchored
there perfectly legally and occupied by families headed to the South Pacific
(and beyond). Newport Beach had already reached a deal with the USCG to
allow the city to control all their waterways as long as they left the
designated anchorage areas alone and had "reasonable" rules to allow
anchoring of transient vessels. San Diego had at least two designated
anchorage areas (one right next to the airport) and likewise created a
Harbor Police with the responsibility for policing USCG regulations; almost
exclusively upon small craft.

The result was that "legal" moorings suddenly became valuable bits of
"property" by virtue of their new regulated status and transient moorings
could be made available only at a charge. Anchoring, in the traditional way,
became almost nonexistent except in a few tiny poorly-marked areas.

But the "boat people" were loathe to give up their lifestyles and found
creative ways to get around the rules. One way was to go outside the harbor
and anchor for a few days (or weeks) and then make their way back into the
harbor to set their hooks for whatever period of time was legally allotted
to them. Whenever a boat sank in the designated anchorage areas someone in
the permanent fleet would quickly take over the spot.

Even more recently there have been extra efforts by the cities to evict even
the members of the designated anchorage areas and turn them into
more-profitable moorings which could generate tax revenue. I don't know
where these efforts have gone but based on the history I'd guess that,
barring some creative legal maneuver, the cities will have their way.

Sausalito suffered a setback in the 1980s from such creative legal
maneuvering when a court decision required the city to either cease
evictions of waterfront residents or face fines or a reduction in grants.
This was because Sausalito, possibly the very definition of trendy, had no
"low income housing" and was therefore not following California State Law. I
don't know where that went either.

So the fact that these moorings are now valuable is more-or-less the result
of legal maneuvering by various municipal agencies which were originally
designed to bring semi-permanent anchorages under their control and to add
to the tax base.

I kinda agree with Mark. I'd hate to see the "boat people" lose out
completely. None of us knows when we might be suddenly faced with living on
a boat or living on the street. Especially in this economic climate.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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