Cruising World – August 2019

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xtended cruisers and

weekend adventurers

still have plenty of

places to drop the hook in

America’s waterways. But if

you’ve been reading the news

of late, it’s clear that an in-

creasing number of states and

localities are passing laws and

ordinances that restrict where

and when boats may anchor.

The recent passage of legis-

lation in Georgia has prompted

cruisers and marine-industry

organizations to take notice

that there’s a storm brewing

larger than ever over what

most of us consider our right

to spend time on our boats

anchored safely in a quiet cove

or gunkhole.

Florida has been grappling

with the issue of long-term

liveaboards and abandoned

vessels for many years. The

climate and geography contrib-

ute to the state’s abundance

of boats, marinas and visitors.

The patchwork of regulations

in the state, combined with

local law enforcement’s

interpretation of the rules, is

making it more diffi cult than

ever for cruisers to locate a

spot for the night or a few

days while passing through

or vacationing.

With Georgia’s new law set

to go into effect in January

2020, a complicated array of

restrictions is emerging that

does not bode well for sailors

out for a weekend adventure

or transiting the state on the

Atlantic ICW. The regulation

requires vessel owners to

maintain written records of

when and where they pump

out holding tanks, obtain an

anchoring permit in advance,

and anchor only in specifi c

locations, and it even desig-

nates marinas where you may

not spend the night aboard

(compliant marinas must have

pumpout facilities). All of

these are rolled up in a law that

makes it a criminal violation

for noncompliance.

Why are states creating

what many consider draconian

responses to problems that

don’t necessarily exist? The

As states push to regulate

where cruisers can anchor,

scenes like this might

become a thing of the past.

ANCHORS ... Away?

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With Georgia’s new law set to go into effect in January 2020, a complicated array of restrictions is emerging

that does not bode well for sailors out for a weekend adventure or transiting the state on the Atlantic ICW.

BY ED TILLETT

Special Report

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