USVI - New Anchoring Regulations

[SVAspen]

Hi All,

I just saw this posting regarding changes in anchoring regulations in the USVI (St. Thomas):

"The Department of Natural Resources is in the process of clearing Christmas Cove, Secret Harbor and False Entrance of all moored boats and will be installing day moorings only. Anchoring for the day or overnight will no longer be allowed."

These anchorages have been around for centuries, well before the government of the USVI even existed!

I have sent an email to the Coastal Zone Management of the USVI at:
czm@dpnr.gov.vi requesting information.

I thought cruisers would like to be aware of these changes.


Sincerely,
Steve Siguaw
S/V Aspen

[Hud3]

Damn! That's a shame! Christmas Cove was a nice spot to spend some time. Keep us posted, please, Steve.

By the way, welcome to Cruisers Forum! Good to have another IP 380 owner on board. Are you back in the Caribbdean?

[SVAspen]

Thank you for the welcome Hud. We plan to be back down in February as long as the wind gods cooperate! Hopefully we can visit lovely Nevis again too.

I just received this reply from the USVI:

"On Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 9:43 AM, Lillian Moolenaar <lillian.moolenaar@dpnr.gov.vi> wrote:

Good day Mr. Siguaw
I have forwarded your concerns for review and one of our employees will get in touch with you with a response. Thank you for your inquiry."


We will see if they get back to me.

In addition I have contacted BoatUS Governmental Affairs to check into this and get the story.

Fair winds,

Steve
S/V Aspen

[gettinthere]

Send e-mails to chamber@islands.vi. That is the chamber of commerce. I'm sure they will want to hear of the loss of business due to this...

[Rubikoop]

Welcome Steve.

Where did you see the posting regarding the anchoring changes you listed?

[Hud3]

There's a thread on it in TravelTalkOnline's USVI section.

[speciald@ocens.]

First the BVI fees and now the USVI get into the act! Don't they realize how big a segment of their revenue comes from Boaters?

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by speciald@ocens.

First the BVI fees and now the USVI get into the act! Don't they realize how big a segment of their revenue comes from Boaters?

It's just not big enough!

[SVAspen]

Here is the latest from yesterday's newspaper (http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1212901348).

It looks like more contact with the DNR and Planning needs to be done. They seem to be more interested in some sort of financial dealings I would guess.

Liveaboard Boats Getting the Boot from St. Thomas Bays
by Lynda Lohr
Aug. 19, 2008 -- The Planning and Natural Resources Department plans big changes effective Oct. 1 at three St. Thomas bays, Christmas Cove, False Entrance and Secret Harbor, banning boats that people live on.
"There will be no more liveaboards," said Roberto Tapia, assistant director of the Planning and Natural Resources Environmental Enforcement Division, on Monday.
The areas are all located in the Cas Cay, Mangrove Lagoon, St. James and Compass Point Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Christmas Cove, located at Great St. James island near St. Thomas, now has about four liveaboards that Tapia said come and go.
Planning expects to install moorings for charter boats and other vessels whose captains want to spend the day or the night at Christmas Cove. The number hasn't been determined yet, because Planning has to decide how they'll fit, Tapia said. How long boaters will be able to stay also remains in question.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by SVAspen

... "There will be no more liveaboards," said Roberto Tapia, assistant director of the Planning and Natural Resources Environmental Enforcement Division...

Christmas Cove, located at Great St. James island near St. Thomas, now has about four liveaboards that Tapia said come and go...

How long boaters will be able to stay also remains in question.

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing "liveaboards" when I've been anchored in Christmas Cove. Different set of boats each time I've been there. Maybe "livaboard" means "cruiser" in DNR parlance, as opposed to "charter boat".

In any case, it sounds like they may continue to allow at least limited overnighting at CC. It's a nice little anchorage.

Thanks for the update, Steve!

p.s. be sure to click on the tiny "Click for rest of article" at the bottom of the link Steve provided to read a lot more about the issue.

[Reality Check]

In May-June when I did a couple of days at Christmas Cove a couple of times about 3 or 4 weeks apart... at least 7 boats were at anchor with no one aboard. Looks like they were just avoiding fees at Red Hook. One small Trawler and two larger sail boats did appear to be in the same positions on each visit and they had people living aboard with one sail boat appearing to be party central on weekends with rafts of small power boats until late Sunday nights when most started back to St Thomas or St John. Most with out lights and very loud... the people not the boats so much.

These situation particularly the growing number of unoccupied vessels, is probably what resulted in the over reaction to restrict use. Glad to see they Will still allow overnight stays... hope they allow several days.

Christmas Cove is a good rest point if your sailing back from Spanish Virgins or PR. After beating into the wind for a day or two, it is a nice place to rest up a bit and get ready for the easy sails ahead.

[Rubikoop]

DPNR pushes removal of live-aboard vessels from sanctuariesAn article in the local newspaper, VI Daily News ~ By JOY BLACKBURN .

http://www.virginislandsdailynews.co...me?id=17627864

" ST. THOMAS - The V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources plans to schedule a meeting next week with boaters from St. Thomas and St. John to discuss the removal of vessels from marine sanctuaries.

Last week, The Daily News received phone calls from boaters who had been notified by DPNR that after Oct. 1, they could no longer moor their vessels in some areas of the marine reserves that lie along St. Thomas' south side and East End ... "

Goto: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.co...me?id=17627864

[Reality Check]

Rubikoop... thanks for the up date.... May not be as bad as we first thought.

Have my tickets for next cruise... I'll be arriving on 10 Dec staying in and around USVI and BVI thu mid Feb. Hope to run across you.... and hope if your on that "other" boat both engines are working!!

[Rubikoop]

Reality Check...No problem mon...rest assured I will be attending the DPNR meeting to see what is said, and more importantly to read the body language of what isn't said.

I would almost be tempted to make a small friendly wager with you that, by the time you get here in Dec, there will be no obvious visible policy changes in practice by then.

Hope to meet up with you this winter...I have been doing a very good job of avoiding boats without sails for the last few months. It is easier when diesel is +$5.

[Mustang Sally]

The DPNR now considers Christmas Cove an underwater park. What they want to do is instal day use moorings only. I don't have a problem with moorings, but not day use only. Christmas cove is an important anchorage and one of the few between St Thomas and St John. All of this over 4 liveaboard boats.