Quote:
Originally Posted by sluissa
Sean:
I think I misunderstood your original post. You're saying boaters should get together a push reasonable legislation to fix this before something happens and we get something unreasonable thrust upon us?
I originally thought you were implying that if we see a boat that fit the description, we'd each go up to them and ask them to change their ways. I hope you understand how I'd find that a bit ludicrous.
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I guess a lot of people did... Maybe I need to stick to my day job, rather than being a blogger... ha ha
My point is (maybe the 9th time now) that I do not like laws and restrictions on
anchoring and boating in general. I saw first hand the reason for Florida's overtly strong anchoring laws. It was definitely these people abandoning boats, leaving behind sinking boats, begging from boats and generally abusing our right to anchor anywhere we want.
I would like to preserve our freedom.
However, I'm realistic. As said many times before, if a town is having problems with boats sinking/abandoned, they *will* pass laws to stop that problem from happening.
My question (I don't even have a position - just more of a question) is, "what can we do as a boating community to change this, *before* the govt steps in and puts down very hard anchoring restrictions?"
Florida already has. I don't want to see my neck of the woods get strict like
Florida is (Eastern Florida, anyway).
The point was to see if anyone had any good ideas about what to do with these "boat bums" from within the community... to see if we had any hope of preserving our right to anchor.
In somewhat of a different direction, the same thing applies to the rich guy who can't stomach a storm and sets off his
EPIRB because he's "uncomfortable." He is also costing a government
money, and he will eventually piss off somone in the govt who will put restrictions on us as to what
equipment we need to go
offshore, what types of boats can go
offshore, etc....
My thread was about how to keep the freedoms we have, through changing our behavior *before* the govt steps in and regulates our freedoms away.
Man... I have no idea of any other way to put this. More people have come on here yelling about my "idea" of "imposing new laws" and
wanting tons of new regulations. They think I'm out to get poor people. HELLO......!!!! I AM poor compared to most of the people on here.
I can't afford a dock, I live at anchor and I want to keep the right to continue living at anchor.
Problem is... these boat bums are making me (a person who also lives at anchor and is fairly poor) look bad.
AND.... let's not forget the rich guy with his
EPIRB. Same exact problem as the boat bums. Using free govt services to get rescued, many times when it's not needed.
If I had a whiteboard, I could draw a picture....
I just can't figure out any other way to put this.
I may have to give up. ha ha ha
Seems maybe 25% of the people get the point of this, while 75% think I'm some rich yachtie type who is looking down my 100' bow at those horrible, disgusting people ruining my view! lol
I guess it's the newbies who haven't seen me cry on here about how I can't afford a house, can't afford to dock (during the season), have only just put aside a few bucks to invest for the first time in my life, don't eat out, have no "assets", had to get a huge loan on this boat I'm trying to buy, have lived at anchor for 2 1/2 years, have done everything humanly possible to cut my spending (yeah, my wife and I live on $1000/mo), etc... etc...
I *am* a sort of boat bum, but my boat is kept presentable and in seamanlike shape. I also don't beg for my booze
money or steal from people, nor would I leave my boat sinking for the town to take care of.
It's people who do what is in the above paragraph, (plus the rich EPIRB guy), who are "Ruining it For The Rest of Us"