Georgia Beach Week 2020 Cancelled
Due to the importance of public safety, the annual BeachWeek events, typically scheduled for the week leading up to Independence Day, has been canceled.
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New Georgia Anchoring Bill Passes the Senate!
This is good news for Waterway cruisers in Georgia. Our thanks to Kim Russo for this announcement posted on AGLCA’s Forum.
Minutes ago the Georgia State Senate passed legislation that will undo the disastrous anchoring regulations that took effect in that state on January 1st of this year. HB 833, sponsored by Georgia Representative (and Gold Looper!), Ron Stephens, passed the Georgia House on March 12th, but didn’t make it to the Senate floor for a vote before the General Assembly adjourned for COVID-19 quarantine. The lawmakers have returned, and the bill passed the Senate today by a vote of 48-1.
HB 833 takes back some of the widespread power the previous law afforded DNR to regulate anchoring. In short, HB 833 removes the ability to require permits for all overnight anchoring, removes the requirement to keep records of pump outs, and perhaps most importantly, removes the requirement that boats not anchor within 1,000 feet of water front structures and within 300 feet of marinas. Instead, the new law changes those set-back distances to 150-feet from waterfront structures, 300-feet from marinas, and 500-feet from commercial shellfish beds for short-term anchoring, which is defined as anchoring in the same place for up to 14 cumulative nights per calendar year. Long term anchoring (over 14 days in the same place) will require a permit.
The bill now requires a signature from the Governor, which is expected soon. Once signed, the new law takes effect immediately.
This is a big win for the boating community and a great example of what our membership can do with our collective advocacy efforts.
Kim Russo
Director
America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association37 Facebook Likes, 40 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (2)
- Reply to Cruisers
A big thanks to you two Wally and James.. huge thanks.
- Reply to James
Thanks CN for all your support publicizing this issue.
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Georgia’s New Anchoring Regulations Claim a Victim in Turner Creek, GA AICW Statute Mile 585.5
Our thanks to Ted Arisaka of Save Georgia’s Anchorages for passing along this Facebook 5/28 post from Jayne Salvo Gorham. Turner Creek which intersects the Waterway south of Thunderbolt is a small low-traffic area with two small marinas allowing access to Wilmington Island and Savannah.
Well, today we ran afoul of Georgia’s new anchoring law. We went to anchor in Turner Creek near Thunderbolt and anchored in one of the spots recommended in the cruising guides near the town and marinas. We anchored well clear of any of the marinas but apparently one of the marina operators immediately made a call to the Georgia DNR to complain and an officer came out in her car and raised us on her bull horn. We talked to her on the telephone and she told us we were definitely not allowed to Anchor within 1000 feet of any dock of any kind which pretty much eliminates all of the creek. There was one spot way up the creek under the bridge where we could be a thousand feet away from anything and it turns out it was a relatively nice place after all.
Although the officer was very professional and polite, it is quite clear that Georgia is very hostile towards Cruisers who dare to Anchor in sight of their dock
We were planning to go ashore and spend some money in the town, but not anymore.
Jayne Salvo Gorham2 Facebook Likes, 2 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (6)
- Reply to R.
One idea, would be to establish anchoring reciprocity agreements from state to state, like with so many other things. That way, if you lived in a state that prohibited anchoring, you could expect the same treatment, when you went somewhere else. Because, you know a lot of the people in Georgia who support these anchoring regulations, probably like anchoring in other states. They just don't want you to do it in their state.
- Reply to Kent
If the poster's push pin locator is correctly placed, she was indeed in violation of the regulations. We just had our boat hauled at that marina / yard…Sail Harbor…with excellent results I might add…and her locator pin is right off the end of the Sail Harbor's docks. And the Creek is very narrow. The Aqua Map icon should be removed from that location. There is another anchoring icon a bit further up the creek toward the bridge where there is bigger water. Sorry she got flagged, but she should have been more courteous to Sail Harbor's facilities.
- Reply to Ted
Hi Kent:
The marker shown on this cruisersnet post is not where they were anchored. I contacted the OP and she messaged me her GPS coordinates both before and after she was asked to move by the GA DNR. It appears they were in compliance with the 300ft setback required in "Marina Zones". My colleague, James Newsome, in our grassroots group "Save Georgia's Anchorages" contacted GA DNR and posted this positive outcome over on our facebook page.[James H. Newsome] "As a follow up on this incident, I forwarded 2 charts to DNR along with a brief summary opinion of why we thought the DNR officer and marina owner were wrong.
"Assuming the boater's accounting of the incident is correct, and it certainly appears credible, we believe she was inaccurately advised by the DNR officer to abandon her anchored position. Additionally, the officer stated that the boater could not anchor within 1000' of any dock. This is not correct. The marina zone allows boaters to dock closer than 1000' but not within 300' of a marina."
Pictures of the chart by Ted Arisaka will be included in replies to this comment.
I discussed this situation with the Deputy Commissioner for GA DNR yesterday and he agrees with our assessment of the incident. He also commented that the officer has been contacted and the Commissoiner's AO, which established the setbacks, has been reviewed with her in an effort to prevent a future occurrence. He also said that the marina owner was contacted and informed that the boater was legally anchored and should not have been made to move.
Deputy Commission Rabon and I agreed that while a mistake was made it was encouraging that all parties involved were cordial and acted in a responsible manner. I acknowledged that our boating organizations are working to educate cruisers and advise them of the current situation with the anchoring laws in GA.
As a further update, we are hopeful that GA's HB833, legislation to replace HB201, will pass the Senate in the final phase of the General Assembly which will reconvene mid-June. DNR and our coalition of boating groups strongly support this legislation." - Reply to Jim
AICW Statute Mile 858.5 is not in Georgia:
Georgia’s New Anchoring Regulations Claim a Victim in Turner Creek, GA AICW Statute Mile 858.5
Editor: Jim is correct, it should read 585.5. My bad!
- Reply to Richard
We took the opportunity in April 2020 to just skip the entire state of GA when coming south by going outside to Jacksonville from the last passable inlet in SC.
- Reply to Ted
What is unfortunate is that the DNR Officer apparently only cited the 1000ft setback from structures requirement and seemingly not aware of the 300ft-1000ft "marina zones" that allow anchoring and take precedence. Our group Save Georgia's Anchorages intends to provide some feedback to the DNR on this matter. Thanks Cruisers'Net for broadcasting this story.
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Good News Report from Hell Gate, GA AICW Problem Stretch Statute Mile 602
Our thanks to Bill King for confirming the success of last year’s dredging of this Problem Stretch, which, for the time being at least, seems not such a Problem Stretch.
BTW…on the north-bound transit, came through Hell Gate (GA) last week at dead low tide. I know it was dredged but I did not expect to see 9’-plus all the way through following the USACE survey route.
Bill King
Stuart, Florida
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s AICW Problem Stretches Listing For Hell GateClick Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem StretchComments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Nelms
Went thru the Gate on 1/9/21 at low tide. Lowest observed depth was 7.6 ft.
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Updated Report from Cumberland Island, off GA AICW Statute Mile 711
Our thanks to Fred Braman for this excellent report and chart from Cumberland Island. Cumberland Island National Seashore is a National Park on the east shore of the Waterway’s passage through Cumberland Sound south of Jekyll Island. There are only dinghy docks on the island, which extends over 16 NM from St. Andrew Sound to the Georgia State Line. The Park’s website is https://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm. Anchorages may be restricted by Georgia legislation.
Just a note that may be of interest. I visited Cumberland Island last week. The island is as delightful as ever. Only open to private boaters who can get there. Dinghy docks are open at Sea Camp anchorage as are rest rooms and showers in the camping area. No ferries are operating and tour boats are prohibited. The Ranger Station is closed as are attractions like the Ice House Museum and Plum Orchard tours. But the beaches and trails are open, mostly why we go to this delightful place anyway. Happy to answer emailed questions at fredbraman@hotmail.com.
Here is a chart for the Cumberland Sea Camp anchorage. Note that on older chart packs and chart plotters (like mine), Red 34 is Red 40. This series of markers were renumbered years ago. As soon as you turn inside Red 34, look for a shoal marker to port heading in. It marks a sandbar that comes off the tip of the island to the north. Once you spot it, give it plenty of room to port and pick up the first dock complex on shore near a little white building. That’s Dungeness Dock. Head right for it and once near it, follow the shore up to Sea Camp. Don’t wander too far from Cumberland’s shore. There is a sandbar to the west of the main anchorage area. If it starts to get too shallow for comfort, turn towards the island where the deep water is. It sounds more complicated than it is. It’s really straight forward. Plenty of room for dozens of boats. I try to anchor a little to the north of Sea Camp Dock where it gets a little shallower. Depths in most places around 18 ft. Hope this helps.
Fred Braman
Photo by Sonny Reeves
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Anchorage Problems in Georgia
Our thanks to Ted Arisaka of Save Georgia’s Anchorages for calling our attention to this article on anchoring restrictions in Georgia, a topic that dominated cruisers’ news in the fall. Enter “anchoring” in our Search Window for related discussions.
Anchorage Problems in Georgia
Charles J Doane, April 20, 2020
Sail Magazine1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
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Coastal Georgia 2019 Ecosystem Report Card
The Report Card is an important tool for planning restoration activities and conservation.
CRD releases annual ‘Report Card’, Georgia Coast scores well
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (April 22, 2020) — The Coastal Resources Division (CRD) today released the 2019 Coastal Ecosystem Report Card, which gave Georgia’s coast a score of 80 percent, or “A-.”
The Report Card is an important tool for planning restoration activities and conservation. It provides resources managers and the public with a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of the ecological health of coastal Georgia. Coastal Georgia health is defined as the progress of indicators toward scientifically-derived thresholds or goals. The twelve indicators in the report card examine aspects in human health, fisheries, and wildlife.
The coast’s good score this year can be partially attributed to positive gains in indicators including fecal coliform, Red drum and sea turtle hatchlings. This year’s grade was calculated using data primarily collected by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Coastal Resources and Wildlife Resources divisions.
“Another year of good scores for Georgia’s coast continues to show that conservation efforts by DNR, as well as nongovernmental partners, is paying off,” said Doug Haymans, director of CRD. “While there is always more work that can be done, compared to other ecosystem report cards in the United States, coastal Georgia has a very high score. Much of this can be attributed to the relatively undeveloped coastal landscape in Georgia and good stewardship by the people of Georgia.”
Ecological report cards are considered a public friendly way to provide a timely and geographically detailed assessment of ecosystems and rivers. Report cards provide a numeric grade or letter that is similar to a school report card, allowing for quick and understandable results to a broad audience.
However, the Report Card scoring is based on a twenty-point scale (100-80% = A, 80-60% = B, etc). This is the scale accepted for ecosystem health report cards (such as the Chesapeake Bay and Mississippi River) as it is able to provide a clearer picture of health. Following the typical school grading scale overall (<60% = F, 60-70% = D, etc.) would result in consistently similar grades, but does not provide information about small improvements or declines in ecosystem health. The equally divided grading scale allows for evaluation of small changes in ecosystem health, even at the very poor, poor, and moderately poor ranges.
To read the 2019 Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Report Card, visit www.CoastalGaDNR.org/
ReportCard , or click here.Members of the media may contact CRD’s communications specialist, Tyler Jones, at 912-230-9709 or tyler.jones@dnr.ga.gov
20 years of Sustaining, Protecting,Enhancing, and Conserving 
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Update on Georgia Anchoring Legislation
Cruisers Net joins Ted Arisaka of Save Georgia’s Anchorages in thanking you for your support of their efforts to correct the restrictions on anchorages in recent legislation. Keep your fingers crossed!
Your emails imploring Georgia legislators to support Rep Stephens HB833 have been successful. Today March 10, 2020, HB833 was voted on favorably in The Rules Committee and will proceed forward to the full House floor for vote Thursday.
Following an anticipated favorable disposition in The House, it will go to The Senate on legislative day 28, aka “Crossover Day”.
Ted Arisaka, Save Georgia’s Anchorages
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Don’t Drop Anchor in Georgia from Trade Only Today
Trade Only Today of Soundings joins the fray to highlight the very restrictive legislation recently enacted in Georgia. See Georgia Anchoring Advocacy Fund.
Don’t Drop Anchor in Georgia
Fighting the good fight for boating and boaters never ends.BoatUS is leading a push against a new Georgia regulation restricting overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near a marina.
How did boaters get hammered this way? There was little notice or engagement with recreational boating groups by the Georgia legislature in approving House Bill 201. It was then quietly signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The legislation directed the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to develop rules regarding the anchoring of vessels in estuarine areas of the state. DNR proposed a rule that has rightfully raised serious concerns in the boating community.
“This 1,000-foot offset needlessly eliminates anchorages all over the state,” says Chris Edmonston, vice president of government affairs for BoatUS. “It will affect numerous boaters, many of whom transit Georgia waters as part of the annual migration along the Intracoastal Waterway. There is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters away from the boating public.
“Boating and fishing,” Edmonston adds, “are the second largest outdoor recreational activity in Georgia, bringing in more than $500 million a year in economic activity. Eliminating scores of anchorages will put a severe damper on this very important economic driver to many coastal areas that gain from boater spending.”
He went on to acknowledge the so-called “Marina Zones” that will allow boaters to anchor as close as 300 feet to marinas or facilities that provide fuel, dinghy access, provisions, vessel maintenance or other services. But that won’t reduce the negative economic impact of this poorly crafted legislation and resulting rules.
Perhaps the most persuasive argument is the BoatUS position that the final rule runs counter to the Public Trust Doctrine as codified in Georgia law. It states:
“The State of Georgia, as sovereign, is trustee of the rights of the people of the state to use and enjoy all tidewaters which are capable of use for fishing, passage, navigation, commerce and transportation, pursuant to the common law public trust doctrine.”
BoatUS submits that anchoring is an integral part of navigation.
Georgia dealers, employees and boaters should join the efforts of the grassroots group Save Georgia’s Anchorages, which was created in response to the law.
BY NORM SCHULTZ
1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (4)
- Reply to Gregory
As poorly as Georgia maintains the ICW, this is just one more reason to bypass the state when traveling north/south. It's a shame as I have always loved anchoring in the marshes of Glynn, visiting Savannah, etc.
Instead, I will take my tourist dollars elsewhere. That will also impact marinas such as Thunderbolt, Isle of Hope, etc.
Too bad they are so short-sighted, all to coddle some wealthy interests. - Reply to James
"As poorly as GA maintains the ICW." Could you be a little more specific?
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James Newsome…Areas like “Hells Gate” mm 600 , or “ The Little Mud River” to name a couple.
- Reply to C.
BoatUS is always supportive but certainly did not "lead" this effort.
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REMINDER: Georgia Anchoring Advocacy Fund, AGLCA
To contribute to securing lobbying efforts on behalf of boaters, please open the link below. Cruisers Net joins America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association in urging you to get involved to repeal Georgia’s restrictive anchoring legislation.
Georgia Anchoring Advocacy Fund
To make a contribution, please visit www.greatloop.org/georgia.
Thanks!
-Kim
Kim Russo
Director
America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
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Update from Save Georgia’s Anchorages
Our thanks to James H. Newsome for sharing this report on the work that Save Georgia’s Anchorages is doing on boaters’ behalf. See New Boating Laws. Cruisers Net urges you to contribute to the lobbying efforts of SAGA at the AGLCA link below.
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON GA ANCHORING ISSUE
February 25, 2020
Thanks to all who have supported our effort to establish the Georgia Anchoring Advocacy fund to retain Scott Draper, a professional lobbyist. We have reached 63% of our funding goal in a matter of days with your help. In less than a week Scott has come up to speed with the issues we have identified in HB201, Georgia’s anchoring law that took effect January 1st, 2020. He was able to broker a conference call with GA DNR Commissioner Mark Williams, his team and our anchoring coalition which we just conducted today, Feb 25, 2020.
Over the course of almost two hours, we had open dialogue on the problems DNR was trying to address with HB201 as well as some of the issues the cruising community had with its incarnation as law. All parties felt the call was productive and there is agreement in principle to refine Rep. Ron Stephens’ HB833 to best achieve our mutual objectives and to push the legislation through the current session in the next few weeks. HB833, if it passes, is expected to replace most parts of HB201.
We are not out of the woods yet, but Georgia policymakers appear to now be responsive to changing some of the most questionable facets of the laws passed last year, including restrictions for where vessels may anchor, the identity of cruising and transient vessels. Commissioner Williams is not willing to rescind the Administrative Order signed on December 30, 2019 that prevents boats from anchoring within 1,000 feet of structures throughout the coastal region of the state, until a legislative fix, HB833, is passed by the General Assembly.
We are optimistic about today’s progress and look forward to working with Commissioner Williams, with his support, on HB833. Your support is needed now more than ever to assist in the funding of lobbying efforts that have helped us achieve some degree of success in having Georgia DNR and lawmakers hear our collective voice. Our fight continues in the legislature in the days ahead.
Please join nearly 100 other boaters from across the country and around the world who have supported this effort. Contribute at www.greatloop.org/Georgia
James H Newsome
s/v CaiLeigh Anna – Coastal Cruising With Hugh & SuzeContributing Writer – Southwinds Magazine98 Buena Vista AvenueWarrenton, GA 30828
706-414-1180 Cell1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
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Florida’s Current Anchor Restrictions, FWC Commission Meeting, Feb 19-20, Tallahassee, FL
This staff report is on the FWC February agenda and includes details outlining restrictions on anchoring in Florida waters. These setback distances are pertinent in light of Georgia’s recent extreme setbacks.
MEMORANDUM
To: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners
From: Colonel Curtis Brown, Director, Division of Law Enforcement
Date: February 20, 2020
Subject: Staff Report – Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program/Derelict Vessel Report
Purpose:
Provide a report on the results of the 2009 Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program and the status of the
Derelict Vessel removal efforts.
Why:
How vessels are stowed, parked, and moored in Florida waters is a topic of great public interest across
Florida and staff want to ensure Commissioners are kept apprised of current activities in this area and the
most recent information on Derelict Vessel removal efforts.
Top Points:
1. The 2009 Anchoring and Mooring Pilot program resulted in the capture of best practices in order to
recommend statewide changes to address issues legislatively.
2. Legislation was passed in 2017 as a direct result of a 242-page report sent to the Florida Legislature
and the Governor in January of 2017.
3. The status of FWC Derelict Vessel removal efforts is good, with the Grant Program receiving a
marked increase in participation after FWC grant rule changes went into effect on November 29, 2019.
Affected Parties:
The general boating public, local residents and waterfront property owners and many county and municipal
government partners responsible for derelict vessel removals within their jurisdiction
Summary:
The Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program began as an effort to address growing conflicts between the
enjoyment of Florida’s waterways and the activities of anchoring and mooring upon state waters. This effort
began in 2006 when stakeholder concerns were brought to the Commission. Staff sought the advice of the
Florida Boating Advisory Council (BAC) in April 2007. The BAC suggested that the Commission seek
clarification from the Florida Legislature on the appropriate roles of local and state authority to regulate
vessels.
At the June 2007 Commission meeting, staff was directed move forward with requesting clarification from
the Florida Legislature as recommended by the BAC. Public input on anchoring and mooring issues was
collected through 6 public meetings throughout the state attended by 273 stakeholders and a number of
common concerns were identified. Further stakeholder engagement with over 700 additional stakeholders,
resulted in a final recommendation which was approved by the Commission at their December 2008
meeting. This recommendation was submitted to the Legislature during the 2009 Legislative session and as
a result s.327.4105, Florida Statutes (F.S.) was enacted establishing authority to conduct an Anchoring and
Mooring Pilot Program.
FWC was required to submit a report on the pilot program findings and recommendations to the Governor,
the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2014. The pilot
program and all ordinances adopted under the program would have expired on July 1, 2014; however, it was
reenacted and extended by the Legislature with a new expiration date of July 1, 2017, and a requirement for
an updated report to be submitted by January 1, 2017. The 2017 legislative session produced s. 327.4109
F.S., which regulated anchoring or mooring by:
• Establishing a 150-foot setback for anchoring around marinas, boat ramps, boat yards and other
vessel launching or loading facilities;
• Establishing a 300-foot setback from anchoring around any superyacht repair facility;
• Establishing a 100-foot setback from anchoring around the outward boundary of a marked public
mooring field. Anchoring within a public mooring field was prohibited outside of the established
exemptions within the statute.
• Prohibited tying to an unpermitted object attached to the water bottom (to prevent the proliferation
of unpermitted moorings statewide).
• Making all of these new violations noncriminal infractions punishable for a first offense, up to a
maximum of $50, for a second offense, up to a maximum of $100, and for a third or subsequent
offense, up to a maximum of $250, and included them in the list of mailable citations.
In addition, other legislative changes included the addition of the effective means of propulsion for safe
navigation test as a way to reduce the change of a vessel becoming derelict and increasing the penalty
section for expiration of vessel registration to require a mandatory court appearance and a $500 fine for
second and subsequent violations after 6 months. Local governments were also given authority to
implement a proof of pumpout ordinance for vessels at anchor in a public mooring field for a period of 10
consecutive days of more. This provision was contingent upon the availability of pumpout facilities within
the jurisdiction establishing the program. Finally, changes were made to the derelict vessel statute to allow
for actual notification of a derelict vessel in person as opposed to notification by certified mail and the
ability to freeze the title of a derelict vessel to prevent the sale of the vessel while in a derelict condition.
The update on Derelict Vessels will include an overview of the Grant program including the number of
Grant applications received, executed contracts, vessels scheduled to be removed and the amount of funding
obligated for removal.
Staff Recommendation:
No action is requested at this time, but input from Commissioners is welcomed.
Staff Contact and/or Presenter:
Major Robert Rowe, Section Leader, Division of Law Enforcement, Boating and Waterways SectionBe the first to comment!
Opinion: Georgia’s HB 201 Takes Away 36 Acres of Anchor Grounds Per Designated Anchorage
Our thanks to James Newsome and Ted Arisaka for sharing their mathematical musings on prohibited anchoring acreage contained in Georgia HB 201.
Taking The Bat and The Ball & Going Home
So my friend James Newsome (co founder of Facebook Group “Save Georgia’s Anchorages” https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/ ) and I were ruminating about the impact of a single structure of a waterfront property owner now taking exclusive control of a huge swath of waterway and prohibiting anchoring.
We believe the structure now causes unreasonable obstruction to navigation and have started discussions with US Army Corps of Engineers as they have a role in administering the permitting process for these waterfront structures under PGP0083 – but that’s a topic for another day.
A semi circle defined by a radius of 1000ft off a waterfront property owner’s structure is 36 acres.
So how can we picture one acre? A football field is approximately 1.32 acres.
(Ref: https://www.stack.com/a/how-many-acres-is-a-football-field)
So 36 Acres / 1.32 Acres per football field = 27.3 football fields!
I’ve heard about unsportsman like conduct when one kid takes the bat and ball and goes home and ends the game for everyone. Looks like this time the one kid is taking the bat the ball and 27 football fields away to end the game for everyone.
Addendum:
For those of you interested in the math:
A semi circle with a 1000ft radius from a structure is equivalent to 36 acres.
Area of a circle = p r2 so 3.14 * (1000ft)2 = 3,140,000 square feet
1 acre = 43560 square feet
So the area of that semi circle = 3,140,000 sq ft / 43560 sq ft per acre / 2 = 36.0 Acres
A football field is approximately 1.32 acres.
(Ref: https://www.stack.com/a/how-many-acres-is-a-football-field)
36 Acres / 1.32 Acres per football field = 27.3 football fields
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BoatUS Appeals to Georgia Governor to Fix Anchoring Law plus News Report
BoatUS has taken up the cause of boaters urging the repeal of an extremely restrictive anchoring law recently enacted by the Georgia legislature. See Save Georgia’s Anchorages.
BoatUS Calls On Georgia Governor to Fix
Draconian Anchoring Law: Asks Boaters to Speak Up Now
Legislation greatly restricts the right to anchor
ATLANTA, Feb. 6, 2020 – In a letter sent recently to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) urges the governor to reconsider regulations recently put in place restricting overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near marinas. The national advocacy, services and safety group also asks recreational boaters to send a message now to the state of Georgia regarding the new prohibitive anchoring law.
With 16,000 BoatUS members in the state, BoatUS Vice President of Government Affairs Chris Edmonston says in the letter that the new rule effectively removes from public use a significant portion of the state’s waters, representing a departure from the long-held public trust doctrine.
With little notice or engagement with boating stakeholder groups, the Georgia Legislature approved, and the governor signed, House Bill 201 in the 2019 session. This legislation directs the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to develop rules regarding the anchoring of vessels in estuarine areas of the state. Georgia DNR then proposed a rule that raised significant concerns with the boating community, including BoatUS and the grassroots group Save Georgia’s Anchorages, which was created in response to the draconian law.
Said Edmonston, “This 1,000-foot offset needlessly eliminates anchorages all over the state. It will affect numerous boaters, many of whom transit Georgia waters as part of the annual migration along the Intracoastal Waterway. There is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters from the boating public. Boating and fishing are the second largest outdoor recreational activity in Georgia, bringing in well over $500 million a year in economic activity. Eliminating scores of anchorages will put a severe damper on this very important economic driver to many coastal areas that gain from boater spending.”
Edmonston notes DNR did create so-called “Marina Zones” that allow boaters to anchor as close as 300 feet to marinas or facilities that provide fuel, dinghy access, provisions, vessel maintenance or other services, regardless of whether other structures exist nearby. “This can only lead to the conclusion that the reason for the greater offset from privately owned structures outside these zones was to provide waterfront landowners with near exclusive use and enjoyment of our shared waterways,” said Edmonston.
BoatUS believes the final rule runs counter to the public trust doctrine as codified in Georgia Code § 52-1-2 (2015) which states: “The State of Georgia, as sovereign, is trustee of the rights of the people of the state to use and enjoy all tidewaters which are capable of use for fishing, passage, navigation, commerce, and transportation, pursuant to the common law public trust doctrine.” BoatUS notes the anchoring of vessels is an integral part of navigation.
2/12/20 Boating groups blast new anchoring rules as too restrictive
Savannah Morning News4 Facebook Likes, 6 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Ted
Boats at anchor in Georgia under fire. Great photo by Craig Rowdon, member of FB Group "Save Georgia's Anchorages" who has allowed multiple media outlets to use his photo.
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Roger Long’s Letter to GA Legislators
Thank you, Roger, for this excellent letter and for your decision to address each legislator – a very good idea. Cruisers Net joins Roger and others in encouraging you to write to the Georgia legislature protesting HB 201 and urging the passage of HB 833. Roger Long is a lifelong cruiser and frequent contributor to Cruisers Net.
Larry,
It was a lot of cut and pasting work but I addressed each GA house member individually. I think having just one name in the “To” line instead of a hidden list or long string of email addresses gets more attention. I already received a reply, on the same day, from one legislator who said he would go and talk to the sponsors of HB 833.
Roger
Subject: Protect Georgia Water Quality – Support HB 833
I am a former Harbormaster in Maine, responsible for managing anchoring and mooring as a member of the police department in my home town. I am a twice yearly visitor to Georgia as we cruise through on our boat and have observed boating practices and harbor management in the majority of ports between Halifax, NS and southern Florida. I have also served on the boards of two water quality environmental organizations of which I was a founding member.
I have followed with horror the anchoring imbroglio your state has created not only as unnecessary infringement of boater’s rights but as being counterproductive to both resource protection and navigation issues I used to deal with professionally. The only positive effect of the current law will be to please waterfront property owners. This will come at the cost of economic damage to Georgia marine business. The effects on water quality in the state will actually be detrimental for reasons too long to go into here. I would be glad to explain my reasoning on this if contacted.
HB 833 will correct this situation and help alleviate the economic and environmental damage that last year’s bill will create. urge you to support and vote for HB 833.
Roger Long
M/V “Gypsy Star”
Comments from Cruisers (2)
- Reply to Scott
Hi Roger, My name is Scott Draper. I will be working at the Georgia Legislature in support of HB833. I am interested in which elected officials you heard back from, and their response. Thanks, Scott
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Federal vs State Anchoring Zones in Georgia by Ted Arisaka
Once again by sharing his research, Ted Arisaka continues to be very active through FB Save Georgia’s Anchorages in seeking to repeal Georgia HB 201 which restricts anchoring in Georgia’s coastal waters. See Open Letter.
Federal vs State Anchoring Zones in Georgia
I had seen some posts, most notably by FB “Save Georgia’s Anchorages” group member Bill Ballard (thank you Bill), questioning the seeming conflict between Federal and State designations for the area on Skidaway River around the Isle of Hope as well as on the Frederica River just south of Morningstar Marina Golden Isles.
I was able to load the GA DNR KMZ Files (w/their opacity down to 50%) on top of NOAA RNC maps onto Google Earth Pro (further information in the Addendum).
Skidaway River, Isle of Hope
The anchorage ground known as “110.179 Skidaway River, Isle of Hope, Ga.” can be found in the CFR Title 33 – Navigation and Navigable Waters, Chapter 1 – Coast Guard, Dept of Homeland Security, Subchapter I – Anchorages, Part 110 – Anchorage Regulations, Subpart B – Anchorage Grounds, Section 110.179 – Skidaway River, Isle of Hope Ga.
(Ref: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2012-title33-vol1/pdf/CFR-2012-title33-vol1-sec110-179.pdf)
In layman’s terms, it defines the anchorage area, sets a 50ft setback off wharves and MLW Line, cannot impede navigation, limits LOA to 65’ and sets a speed limit of 5 mph. It is designated as a “Special Anchorage Area” and in Part 109 – Special Anchorage Areas, stipulates vessels < 65ft do not need to display an anchor light.
You can see how the red GA DNR “300ft Marina Buffer” no anchoring zones overlap with the federally designated anchorage 110.179 as indicated on the NOAA RNC Chart.
Figure 1 Google Earth with NOAA and GA DNR Zones Isle of Hope
Frederica River, St Simons
The anchorage known as “St. Simons Island, Georgia” can be found in the CFR Title 33 – Navigation and Navigable Waters, Chapter 1 – Coast Guard, Dept of Homeland Security, Subchapter I – Anchorages, Part 110 – Anchorage Regulations, Subpart B – Anchorage Grounds, Section 110.72b – St. Simons Island, Georgia.
(Ref: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2012-title33-vol1/pdf/CFR-2012-title33-vol1-sec110-72b.pdf)
Again in this case you can see how the red GA DNR “300ft Marina Buffer” no anchoring zones overlap with the federally designated anchorage 110.72b as indicated on the NOAA RNC Chart.
Both red zones currently encroach upon the federal anchorages and cause confusion for the vessel operator and law enforcement as to which laws prevail.
I corresponded jointly with Georgia DNR Coastal Resource Division and NOAA Office of Coast Survey and I am happy to report that I received clarification yesterday (2/7/20) on this matter with the following statement from GA DNR CRD:
“Hello Mr. Arisaka,
The USCG designated Special Anchorage Areas (as you’ve identified adjacent to Isle of Hope Marina in Chatham County and Morningstar Golden Isles Marina in Glyn County) prevail over state designated anchorage areas.
Thank You,
(name redacted)”
I made a followup inquiry as to how this would be updated on the GA DNR Website depicting these zones (especially now that they have switched the base map to the NOAA RNC charts) and await their response.
I’d like to thank our state and federal agencies for working together to bring clarity to this one aspect of the new Georgia anchoring regulations.
Addendum:
To access NOAA resources to overlay RNC charts onto Google Earth visit this site:
For a great tutorial on how to do this on YouTube by David Burch of Starpath Navigation visit:
To download the Georgia DNR Zones in KMZ Format:
https://coastalgadnr.org/Liveaboards
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Comments from Cruisers (2)
- Reply to Cruisers
Absolutely well done research and presentation.
With Ted’s permission every cruiser who has ever and would like to continue to anchor while going through Georgia, should sent this to all Georgia legislators and governor. Well done Ted. I salute you ! - Reply to Ted
Thank you for the kind words and the ongoing support.
Hillel is attributed for the saying "If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?" This is every boaters fight!
Here is the contact information for our representatives who are either sponsoring HB833 or on the committee that will be voting on it. (This contact information is all publicly available, I am just facilitating the process of sending the email.)
timothy.barr@house.ga.gov debra.bazemore@house.ga.gov debbie.buckner@house.ga.gov michael.caldwell@house.ga.gov john.corbett@house.ga.gov robert.dickey@house.ga.gov karla.drenner@house.ga.gov terry.england@house.ga.gov pat.gardner@house.ga.gov sheri.gilligan@house.ga.gov michele.henson@house.ga.gov don.hogan@house.ga.gov angelika.kausche@house.ga.gov tom.mccall@house.ga.gov greg.morris@house.ga.gov randy.nix@house.ga.gov mary.robichaux@house.ga.gov lynn.smith@house.ga.gov vance.smith@house.ga.gov ron.stephens@house.ga.gov jan.tankersley@house.ga.gov kevin.tanner@house.ga.gov mable.thomas@house.ga.gov sam.watson@house.ga.gov maryfrances.williams@house.ga.gov noel.williams@house.ga.gov
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More on Georgia Anchoring Rules and HB 833 from Kim Russo
Cruisers Net joins Kim Russo and AGLCA in urging you to contact legislators asking for a repeal of HB 201 and for their support of HB 833.
It’s time to send more emails, please!
As we’ve reported Gold Looper and Georgia State Representative, Ron Stephens, has filed a bill (HB 833) to eliminate the problems with the state’s new anchoring regulations. HB 833 (attached) would, among other things, take away power afforded to DNR during the 2019 legislative session to determine where boaters can anchor. On January 1st, rules took effect that prohibit anchoring within 1,000-feet of structures such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings. HB 833, if it becomes law, lowers that distance to 150-feet.
(See this BoatU.S. press release for a good summary of the issue.)
HB 833 will be heard soon before the Georgia House of Representatives Natural Resources and Environment Committee. We need as many boaters as possible to email the members of this committee. Following is a list of those committee members and their email addresses, as well as a sample email you may customize for your use:
House Natural Resources and Environment Committee
Lynn Smith, Chairman- Lynn.Smith@house.ga.gov
Vance Smith, Vice Chairman- Vance.Smith@house.ga.gov
Don Hogan, Secretary- Don.Hogan@house.ga.gov
Timothy Barr, Member- Timothy.Barr@house.ga.gov
Debra Bazemore, Member- Debra.Bazemore@house.ga.gov
Debbie Buckner, Member- Debbie.Buckner@house.ga.gov
Joe Campbell, Member- Joe.Campbell@house.ga.gov
John Corbett, Member- John.Corbett@house.ga.gov
Robert Dickey, Member- Robert.Dickey@house.ga.gov
Karla Drenner, Member- Karla.Drenner@house.ga.gov
Terry England, Member- Terry.England@house.ga.gov
Pat Gardner, Member- Pat.Gardner@house.ga.gov
Sheri Gilligan, Member- Sheri.Gilligan@house.ga.gov
Angelika Kausche, Member- Angelika.Kausche@house.ga.gov
Tom McCall, Member- Tom.McCall@house.ga.gov
Greg Morris, Member- Greg.Morris@house.ga.gov
Randy Nix, Member- Randy.Nix@house.ga.gov
Richard H. Smith, Member- Richard.Smith@house.ga.gov
Jan Tankersley, Member- Jan.Tankersley@house.ga.gov
Kevin Tanner, Member- Kevin.Tanner@house.ga.gov
“Able” Mable Thomas, Member- Mable.Thomas@house.ga.gov
Sam Watson, Member- Sam.Watson@house.ga.gov
Mary Frances Williams, Member- MaryFrances.Williams@house.ga.
gov Noel Williams, Jr., Member- Noel.Williams@house.ga.gov
Sample Email for you to customize:I urge you to support Georgia House Bill 833, which corrects the unintended consequences of Georgia House Bill 201 passed in 2019. HB 201’s implementation rules issued by the Department of Natural Resources restrict overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near marinas. This is an egregious infringement on my ability to enjoy Georgia’s waterways and a failure to honor the public trust doctrine. Further, there is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters from the boating public.
Please support HB 833 and work with all stakeholders to protect the public’s right to free navigation.
In addition, HB 833 needs a companion bill in the Senate. Please email the Georgia Senators that represent the coastal districts and urge them to file a companion bill. Following is a list those Senators and their email addresses, as well as a sample email you may customize for your use:
Senator Ben Watson, District 1, ben.watson@senate.ga.gov
Senator William T. Ligon, Jr., District 3, william.ligon@senate.ga.gov
Sample Email for you to Customize:
I urge you to file a Senate companion bill to Georgia House Bill 833, which corrects the unintended consequences of Georgia House Bill 201 passed in 2019. HB 201’s implementation rules issued by the Department of Natural Resources restrict overnight anchoring within 1,000-feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near marinas. This is an egregious infringement on my ability to enjoy Georgia’s waterways and a failure to honor the public trust doctrine. Further, there is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters from the boating public.
Please support HB 833 by filing a companion bill in the Senate, and work with all stakeholders to protect the public’s right to free navigation.
Thank you all for your help. If you’re near Atlanta, or can get there for a hearing, please watch this forum thread. We’ll be posting soon about when the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee with hear this bill!
-Kim
Kim Russo
Director
America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ AssociationBe the first to comment!
Open Letter: HB201 Pre-judged? by Ted Arisaka
Ted Arisaka has been very active through Save Georgia’s Anchorages in seeking to repeal Georgia HB 201 which restricts anchoring in Georgia’s coastal waters. See Commentary on GA HB201.
Pre-judged?
I so enjoyed Jack White’s powerful letter “Betrayal Of The Public Trust”. He opened it with an analogy we can all relate to:“Remember when you were in school and a few kids did something wrong and the whole class got punished? If so, then welcome to legislation—Georgia style!”Well remember when two kids would get into a fight and the teacher broke it up? Then what? What I remember happening is that the teacher would investigate what caused the conflict and direct any admonishments appropriately. I never witnessed an automatic rebuke on one party based on a kid’s outward appearance, ethnicity, religion, socio economic status, parents’ political allegiance, etc.So when GA DNR states:“The intent of the change and enforcement will be to prohibit overnight anchoring in locations that could degrade shellfish production, cause navigation hazards, or create conflicts between waterfront homeowners and the boating public.”I ask myself, what new education campaigns have been implemented to inform waterfront homeowners of their riparian rights, as well as those of the boaters? What new legislation was introduced to protect boaters from conflicts with waterfront landowners? It seems there is an assumption that the boat owner is always to blame.Conflicts sometimes arise due to a fundamental misunderstanding on the part of one party or the other, often with an unfortunate injection of poor manners. Here is an example of a 2019 incident between a recreational fisherman and a homeowner which occurred in Florida. WPEC covered this news story:
(Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIn8oln3PeQ )(Here is the entire footage taken by the fisherman above. Warning: some of the language is R rated)(Ref: https://youtu.be/ArWqVbu9bNA )Ironically, the GA DNR AO specifically excludes recreational fisherman in this ban. I say this because if GA DNR believes “distance” is the solution to “conflicts”, why exclude those who are typically going to be close to these “structures”?“This law change, and the associated administrative order, is not intended to restrict or impact boaters engaged in fishing and other recreational activities in Coastal Georgia.”Some of you reading this may think I am unfairly taking one kid’s side as a cruising boat owner.I am also a fisherman and enjoy coastal fishing in the lowcountry and do so respectfully of homeowners.I am also a waterfront property owner. I enjoy seeing the boats passing or anchoring where we can admire them from our home. I expect that they do so respectfully and if there were to be a problem boater I think it would be sensible to deal with that on a case by case basis with laws that already exist.
I don’t think the teacher did a good job this time in deciding which kid to punish. Maybe the teacher already knew which kid was going to be punished before this all started?
Image Source: “Scales of Justice” by Government of Prince Edward Island is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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Jim Healy Speaks Out on Georgia Anchoring Laws
This is a copy of the letter Jim Healy sent to Georgia legislators concerning the very restrictive anchoring regulations recently passed and enacted. See Call to Action.
Dear Georgia Legislators:
My wife and I have lived full time on our boat for 16 years. We winter in the US Southeast (Georgia, Florida) and summer in the Northeast (Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, New York Canal System, New England). Twice annually we transit Georgia’s magnificent coastal estuarine waters. We thoroughly enjoy anchoring in the peace and quiet of remote Georgia coastal venues. We also stop at many Georgia marinas (Savannah, Thunderbolt, Isle-of-Hope, Skidaway Island, Richmond Hill, Darien, Brunswick) to wait out weather and take advantage of local restaurant and provisioning services. We work hard to comply with all US and Georgia navigation and maritime laws, and we comply with the provisions of the US Clean Waters Act of 1972. We do NOT discharge waste in any waters, at any time, anywhere.
I am writing to request that you support Georgia HB833 on behalf of all Georgians and all Americans. We believe HB833 corrects several serious flaws with its predecessor legislation, HB201, as adopted by the legislature in 2019. If HB201 is not corrected, we will simply not be able to enjoy the beauty of Georgia’s coastal waters as we have previously. Following are the flaws we find with HB201:
1. Georgia estuarine waters overlie Public Trust lands. HB201 has the effect of an “administrative taking” of Public Trust lands; in as much, it disregards and disrespects the Public Trust Doctrine that the Georgia legislature is responsible to protect in the interest of all Georgians and all Americans. This effectively denies the right of navigation and anchorage to all boaters who make every effort to comply with maritime law and regulation.
2. The regulations adopted by Georgia DNR establish a 1000 foot setback from public and private shore-side structures. That setback is grossly excessive and unnecessary. A 1000 foot setback effectively closes many weather-safe anchorages, many located in creeks that are only 500 feet wide from shore to shore. That excessive setback has the effect of transferring control and ownership rights of littoral, submerged, Public Trust lands to wealthy waterfront landowners who have no such rights in law over Public Trust lands. The way the Georgia DNR regulations are written, proliferation of shore-side structures would have the effect of taking proportionally more and more Public Trust lands out of public access and use.
3. There is no demonstrable EVIDENCE of actual violations of the US Clean Waters Act by cruising boats anchored in Georgia’s estuarine waters. Unproved accusation, speculation and innuendo to the contrary by those with personal-interest motives does not justify the taking of these Public Trust lands from public access and use. Publicly available evidence is that under-designed municipal water treatment facilities, poor agricultural practice and failed private septic systems create vastly more fecal coliform pollution than cruising boats could produce even if they all violated existing US law.
4. It is not reasonable to deny anchoring rights to many hundreds of users that are entirely in compliance with US and Georgia navigation and sanitation laws simply because there might be an occasional violator.
5. Enforcement of these excessive DNR regulations is a significant law enforcement staffing and budgetary burden which will lead to spotty, unequal and discriminatory enforcement .In all of the above areas, legislative controls and agency regulations must target actual violators. I strongly urge that you support the proposed HB833.
Very respectfully,
James B. Healy
Peg and Jim Healy, living aboard Sanctuary
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BoatUS: Call to Action
With this Call to Action, BoatUS has taken up the cause of boaters urging the repeal of an extremely restrictive anchoring law recently enacted by the Georgia legislature. See Save Georgia’s Anchorages.
February 6, 2020Dear BoatU.S. Members:
We need your help to send a message to the state of Georgia regarding a new anchoring regulation that places a significant restriction on your freedom to enjoy the state’s waters. Under a new rule, boats cannot anchor overnight within 1,000 feet of any shore side structure. This rule eliminates a vast portion of Georgia’s coastal waters from a traditional use, effectively taking this shared resource away from many boaters. Please email the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requesting they repeal this onerous rule and work with the boating community to come up with commonsense anchoring regulations. Click here to send your message: Take Action
This new rule was created in response to legislation, Georgia House Bill 201, passed early last year with little notice or engagement of the boating community. This legislation directed DNR to establish anchoring regulations, establish anchorage areas and prohibited overnight anchoring of boats outside of these designated anchorages. DNR did engage in a public process to develop these rules and then finalized them on December 30th of 2019. (You can see BoatU.S. comments here.)
Specifically, the rule restricts overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near marinas. This 1,000-foot offset needlessly eliminates anchorages all over the state. It will affect numerous boaters, many of whom transit Georgia waters as part of the annual migration along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) that brings in millions of dollars to Georgia businesses. There is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters from the boating public.
Curiously, DNR did create so-called “Marina Zones” that allow boaters to anchor as close as 300 feet to marinas or facilities that provide fuel, dinghy access, provisions, vessel maintenance or other services, regardless of whether other structures exist nearby. This can only lead to the conclusion that the reason for the greater offset from private structures outside these zones was to provide waterfront landowners with near exclusive use and enjoyment of our shared waterways
BoatU.S. recognizes the need for states to manage their waterways and supports reasonable regulations that protect the public’s access. We also firmly believe the ability to anchor overnight is an important part of how many boater choose to enjoy the water. Please send a message today asking to repeal this rule. Take Action
Contact BoatU.S. Government Affairs at GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com if you have additional questions.
Thank you for being a BoatU.S. Member!
David B. Kennedy
BoatU.S. Government Affairs
GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com
703-461-2878 x8363
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