Derelicts - Upper Chesapeake

[bawlmer]

To regain my sanity I head across the bay and anchor out at Swan Creek, which is on the north side of Rock Hall. It is a popular anchorage and there are always 5 to 10 other boats there. Still more than enough room for everyone. I noticed there are 2 boats that have been there for at least a year. One is a dismasted 30 footer that has a huge birds nest in the cockpit. The other has to be at least a 40 foot two masted boat. With all the recent rain I can't believe they have not sunk yet. I was conferring with my dock neighbor and he said they have been there over 2 years. I hate to see this beautiful anchorage become a junkyard. Has anyone in MD dealt with derelicts or know what the state's policy is? Given how popular this anchorage is I am sure others have seen these vessels as well. All comments welcome.

 

[ggrizzard]

We have the same problem in FLA. The answer I got when I asked the Powers-That-Be
was MONEY. Seems the State doesn't have enough!

 

[Benny17441]

During the past deep economic depression I saw the mouth of one of our rivers in FL become and anchorage field of around 20-25 boats. Different anchorages grew seemingly overnight. Many sailors lost their jobs and could not afford to keep the boats in Marinas. Marinas in the area were compensating for lost tenants by increasing their rental fees which resulted in more vacancies. Some of these sailors could not even swing basic maintenance and upkeep and just stopped going to the boats. At the same time the budget of The Florida Marine Resources (FWC) Office was slashed. All I have seen is them sending letters to boat owners of record to renew their expired registrations. The depression lasted a good 8 years so expect at least as similar or longer time for recovery.

 

[All U Get]

I thought you meant the Pride of Baltimore when you posted.

 

[bawlmer]

Yup. I have seen many derelicts in Florida. These are the first I have seen in MD that were just anchored. There are a few in B'more that are tied up to a seawall.

 

[Gunni]

Give the Maryland Natural Resources Police a call with the location and vessel description. 410.260.8888
This is a law enforcement number, stick to the facts. They don’t have the resources to patrol all the anchorages but they are pretty good about following up on citizen complaints. My guess is that someone up in Swan Creek knows who the boats belong to, but the HIN / registration number should lead the authorities to the derelict owners.

 

[shemandr]

We've had a few locally. Eventually they chafe through their rodes and wash up on shore. (It takes way longer than we would think). So if the town can find the owner, which mostly they can't, they collect from him or his insurance (Wishful thinking) to remove the vessel and send it to the dump, More often the good citizens pay for the removal, which isn't right. One landed pretty close to a friend's deck last winter and got the Sawzall treatment.

 

[rgranger]

I was on lake Fontanna in the Nantahala forest a few weeks ago on a rented pontoon boat and spotted a 23' something anchored in a cove. Of course I drove over and took a look. On first approach I was shocked that the companionway was wide open. The boat had obviously been sitting a long time.

WHY was the hatch open?
HOW was it still floating?

As I got close a swarm of hornets came out of the hatch and I booked it out of there. Questions answered about the WHY. Still wondering about the HOW.

 

[bawlmer]

On hindsight I should have snapped pictures. I will call that number and give the best descriptions I can give. They are pretty obvious though. You can see the birds nest on the one from a mile away.

 

[justsomeguy]

You can see the birds nest on the one from a mile away.

Probably protected habitat by now.

 

[rgranger]

Probably protected habitat by now.

 

[bawlmer]

Just to close up this thread, I did call the number Gunni provided and gave them the location and descriptions of the vessels. An hour later I received a call from an officer in the field. He knew exactly what boats I was talking about. One (birds nest) was already declared abandoned by the state and was waiting on paperwork to be removed. The other (two masted) was actually owned by someone and has the right to be there. The officer said they are trying to get him cited for no anchor light but there is really nothing else they can do. It did not have an engine and therefore did not need registration. It was a few hundred feet away a mooring field in a very expensive marina. Go figure.

 

[All U Get]

Good follow up, too bad both wouldn't be removed.

 

[MitchM]

"It did not have an engine and therefore did not need registration.?" PA requires any boat over 16 feet to be registered, engine or not. those under 16 feet can get a sticker for about 20$ per year. if you abandon a marine junkboat , which is removed at taxpayer expense, they can track you down, and there will soon be a state lien on your auto or truck license and a sheriff sale of your house coming right your way.

 

[bawlmer]

"It did not have an engine and therefore did not need registration.?" PA requires any boat over 16 feet to be registered, engine or not. those under 16 feet can get a sticker for about 20$ per year. if you abandon a marine junkboat , which is removed at taxpayer expense, they can track you down, and there will soon be a state lien on your auto or truck license and a sheriff sale of your house coming right your way.

I don't know what to tell you Mitch. That is what the officer told me. I am not well versed in MD law so I can't say if he was correct or not.

 

[Gunni]

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/f...cle=gnr&section=8-721&ext=html&session=2017RS

http://dnr.maryland.gov/Boating/Pages/abandonedboats.aspx

https://www.kentcounty.com/report-an-issue

 

[JimInPB]

What boats need to be registered varies by state. Here in Florida, I believe that if it is over 16' or has a motor, then it needs to be titled & registered, unless it is federally documented or fits another special exemption.

In Arizona, any boat that doesn't have a motor, doesn't need a registration - https://www.dmv.org/az-arizona/boat-registration.php

In Massachusetts, it seems that no sailboat needs to be registered unless it has a motor. https://www.mass.gov/boat-registration

The same seems to be true in Maryland - https://www.boat-ed.com/maryland/studyGuide/Which-Boats-Require-Registration/10102102_700140542/

 

[bawlmer]

The same seems to be true in Maryland - https://www.boat-ed.com/maryland/studyGuide/Which-Boats-Require-Registration/10102102_700140542/[/QUOTE]

And that answers the question. Thanks for the Info. I do not think whether or not the second boat had an engine is central to the thread. The officer knew the boat had the engine removed so obviously he did investigate it enough to know that fact. He correctly reported to me that the boat did not need registration in MD because of that fact.