Cruising Fees

[PrincessoftheLake]

My husband and I own and sail a Hunter 34 on Lake Superior. We keep our boat in Bayfield, so the Apostle Islands are our cruising grounds. It has just come to our attention that the US Dept of the Interior, National Park Service, Apostle Island National Lakeshore, is considering charging user fees starting in 2006. These fees would be for overnight boaters only, whether at anchor or the dock. The fee's would most likely be collected by marina owners and would be in the range of $10-15 per night. Are there any sailors out there with opinions on this, for or against? Why or why not?Just wondering,POTL

 

[David]

In the Gulf Islands in BC

Mooring bouy fees are $10 per vessel per nightDock fees are $2/meter/vessel which is approx. $0.61 per foot.

 

[David11054]

Mooring fees

The fee for a mooring ball in Put-in-Bay, a busy vacation port in the Lake Erie Islands is around $25 per night. Excellent taxi servic to and from the shore is included.The mooring balls in the British Virgins are mostly free, but I don't know what arrangements the charter companies may have made to participate in funding them.Anchoring is another matter. I don't mind paying for the maintenance of mooring balls that allow access to more boaters, and a safe place to tie up. I would refuse to pay to anchor. I doubt that fees for anchoring can be enforced, although prohibitions against anchoring have been.DavidLady Lillie

 

[David]

Different laws in the US

I was told this on the dock so take it with a grain of salt.In Canada you can anchor anywhere (where legal... no shipping lanes etc...) and not pay any fee. I was told however that in the US if you have foreshore rights or ownership you own the land to lowest low water level. Can any one confirm this?David

 

[Rick A]

Gulf Islands in BC....

David,Believe you are correct for Canada. In the marine provincial parks there is a fee for use of the docks (if available) or for mooring bouys but there is no charge for anchoring. You can anchor adjacent ot private property as there are generally no foreshore rights. You can even go ashore as long as you do not go beyond the high water mark which is the usually descriptor of where the private land begins.I believe that most areas in the US you can anchor without a charge but there are areas such as in the San Diego bay where it is so congested that you actually have to book ahead and pay for anchoring in some areas. I've got a link somewhere, just couldn't find it right now.

 

[Fred Ficarra]

David of Sandusky

It's been a few years since I passed through the BVI. It was in 2000. My favorite anchorages were all converted to mooring fields and the fees collected then were over $20.00 per night. Are you saying they are free now? Hard to believe. In the BVI most all of the islands are privately owned and as such, mooring balls fees are collected by the owners. Even Norman Island! Grrr.

 

[Calif. Ted]

In California, everything below mean high

level is public. Intended to keep beachs accessible even if only at low tide. So technically you should be able to drop a hook almost anywhere, problem is very few suitable places that have not been developed. So for most of the coast in the south harbors are about 30 miles apart, most anchorage is free but may be limited in time (Long Beach 72 hrs. to San Diego 30 days) in those harbors where it exists. Moorings & slips are usually by the foot. 30 ft. boat ~ $22/night, .75 to 1.00/ft.Recently in Dana Point management of transient slips has gone from County at Harbormaster to the private company that manages half the harbor (the half where my slip is). I fear that they compare us with campgrounds and think we aren't paying enough for their costs and services. The lack of anchorages is historic along our coast.