Nanaimo , BC Changes

[hummingway]

Fees that support the parks system seem reasonable to me and that is what you are paying for when you tie to a float at Newcastle, the same as at the many wonderful parks in the Gulf Island system.

I can't imagine that the floats wouldn't hold you, Todd.

[Capt Phil]

What ever happened to the days that I could leave Vancouver, stop over night in Plumper Cove, shoot across to the Islands, anchor anywhere for weeks on end, head up through Desolation and head around Cape Scott and either shoot across Hecate or hang a left around the Island never paying a cent to anchor or tie to a finger over night. Has 'Big Brother/Sister' now seized control of the last vestige of our cruising lives by levying a fee for dropping a hook or tieing up to a Government wharf that we have already paid for many times over? I am appalled that these greedy bastards are intruding on our cruising lives and would would be happy to support an insurrection to get the local/provincial/federal government out of our lives, off our decks and back under their rocks... Capt Phil

[Lancerbye]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

What ever happened to the days that I could leave Vancouver, stop over night in Plumper Cove, shoot across to the Islands, anchor anywhere for weeks on end, head up through Desolation and head around Cape Scott and either shoot across Hecate or hang a left around the Island never paying a cent to anchor or tie to a finger over night. Has 'Big Brother/Sister' now seized control of the last vestige of our cruising lives by levying a fee for dropping a hook or tieing up to a Government wharf that we have already paid for many times over? I am appalled that these greedy bastards are intruding on our cruising lives and would would be happy to support an insurrection to get the local/provincial/federal government out of our lives, off our decks and back under their rocks... Capt Phil

Lead on I'll be right behind you. lol

[hummingway]

You can still do that. Things have changed but there's still no shortage of anchorages.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

Has 'Big Brother/Sister' now seized control of the last vestige of our cruising lives by levying a fee for dropping a hook or tieing up to a Government wharf that we have already paid for many times over?

Anchoring is still free. There was an unsuccessful attempt a few years ago to charge for anchoring in spots such Princess Bay and Conover Cove.

Government docks have been largely taken over by communities, much like government airports which are now locally run. I have found the wharfingers in spots like Chemainus and Ucluelet to be most accommodating.

[Capt Phil]

Hi Hummingway... do the Nanaimo buoy charges pay to clean the washrooms and mow the grass? Just wondering... I guess I long for the days when we cleaned up after ourselves and smoked the grass rather than mowing it.
We have become lulled into a granny state from cradle to the grave and have an expectation that every day will be sunny, with smooth seas, following winds secure anchorages and all our children are above average.
When the day comes comes when all this government control, support and coddling suddenly disappears, those that have the skills and knowledge of a self sufficient mariner will be the only ones who survive.... and believe me that day is coming.
I now live in the US and left Canada because I saw the direction that government control was heading. Unfortunately, it is now heading the same way down here. A few days ago, folks were terrified that they could not visit a US National Park for fear that the possibility of a government shut down would close the parks for their holidays.
I know from your previous posts that you are an intelligent, thoughtful individual and I respect your opinion but do not your taxes pay for the marine park facilities?
Because cruisers are independent minded, usually are watching their financial outlays and generally don't suffer being taken advantage of lightly or quietly, I would think they would be the first ones to voice their outrage at provincial or local governments levying a charge to anchor or expropriating common anchorages for their own financial gain.
I personally spent over 20 years cruising the BC coast as well as working commercially fishing and towing logs and barges from Alaska to Washington State and I deplore the governments intrusion into a precious way of life.
I hope you all keep fighting to preserve the marine park system available to cruising families of limited means by keeping fees minimal or at no cost.
My apologies for the rants of an old, retired cruiser... Capt Phil

[hummingway]

Taxes support some infrastructure but not all. We need to preserve some land from the encroachment of population and a good parks system does that but why should Joe Blow living in Landlocked, BC pay to maintain marine facilities somewhere else? If you don't want to grab a ball and use the park facilities you can always drop the anchor somewhere. The mooring balls at Newcastle are part of a marine park.

[Maggie-K]

"You can still do that. Things have changed but there's still no shortage of anchorages."
Rubbish !! many anchorages are littered with private mooring balls and derilicts. It has become increasingly difficult to find a good safe transient anchorage. Silva bay on Gabriola is a prime example. Just because I choose to anchor off a marine park does not mean i am going ashore and using their facilities . The placement of rental moorings filling an anchorage just takes away my right to anchor and forces me to use their moorings.

[hummingway]

Your right to anchor vs someone elses right? Silva Bay has no rental moorings and no derilicts I'm aware of, and I live on Gabriola, so it's an interesting choice of example. Silva is a very busy harbour in summer. The absence of space to anchor is because of the high volume of visitors.

The volume of traffic in these waters keeps increasing and expecting to find prime anchorages like Silva and Nanaimo to stay as they always have been is foolish.

If you can't find a place to anchor up here you must not be looking. I don't have that problem.

[Maggie-K]

[QUOTE=hummingway;667230]Your right to anchor vs someone elses right? Silva Bay has no rental moorings and no derilicts I'm aware of, and I live on Gabriola, so it's an interesting choice of example. Silva is a very busy harbour in summer. The absence of space to anchor is because of the high volume of visitors.

What exactly do you mean by "Your right to anchor vs someone elses right?" how exactly is a mooring ball a person ? Mooring is not anchoring check the Canada shipping act. Placing private moorings in popular anchorages takes anchoring ground away from the rest of the boating community.
I never said anything about rental moorings in Silva Bay read my post again it says private moorings and the bay is full of them , are you on one?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by hummingway

Your right to anchor vs someone elses right? ...

Well said!

[capnorv]

I don't know about Canada, but here in Washington there are only about 50 registered moorings (source 48 North). It is my understanding that all others are not private property and could be used legally by anyone when vacant. That said, I have had 2 moorings wash up on my shore this winter, including one I'm rowing out to investigate today. I would never trust someone elses mooring. That said, I wouldn't be adverse to dropping my hook in proximaty to one if I so chose. Regulating private moorings would only increase maritime regulations and expenses, leading to more government schemes to increase revenue and investigative commitee's etc. I for one see this as counter to regaining our freedoms...Where do I signup Captain Phil, we may not of won our *ar 40 years ago, but it's about time to start winning some ba**les.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Maggie-K

I never said anything about rental moorings in Silva Bay read my post again it says private moorings and the bay is full of them , are you on one?

No, but I am on a private mooring elsewhere. Silva Bay is a long way from full of private moorings. There are very few relative to the usage of the bay. The balls at Newcastle aren't private either, they are park rentals.

One of the seasonal things that happens in Silva is that many of the residents use the marinas in winter and anchor in the summer. The marinas prices go up in tourist season and the number of "permanant" slips goes down.

I presume that in Victoria you keep your boat either in a slip (someones lease hold from the gov't), on a mooring or anchor in what could be called a non-existant anchorage (when compared to the population)? You just think you should have rights people elsewhere don't have?

[Captain Bill]

Being from south of the border I really don't have any idea how the Canadian park systems work. If I'm understanding the issue, we are talking about mooring balls in a park of some sort. I'm not sure how Canadian parks work, but if we change the situation a bit maybe I can understand the issue more clearly. Lets just say for the sake of argument that instead of talking about boats we talk about recreational vehicles. Let's face it cruising boats are the seaborne equivalent of recreational vehicles. Some used for long term travel and some used on weekends.

In US parks one cannot drive into a park and just pull their RV up on any old patch of grass and set up for a week or even a night. One must pull their RV into an approved campground. Typically they have spots that will fit smaller vehicles and some that will fit larger vehicles, lets just say 30 foot RVs and 40 foot RVs. They're typically not all the same size. Virtually none can accomodate a 60 foot RV. They charge varying amounts for the use of these parking spots for RVs, but none that I know of are free. Typically there is a communal bath house which one can have access to if they wish. Most also have waste pumping stations where one can pump out a holding tank as well. Most of these parks charge much more than $12 a night for RV camping, heck they charge more than that for tent camping. Granted that the cost of pouring a concrete pad and maintaining the parking area and roads for an RV is greater than mooring maintenance, but then again they charge more. Is this the situation in Canadian parks or can one park their RV anywhere they feel like it for free? If RV camping is not free in Canadian Parks then how is the government picking on cruisers by charging them a nominal fee for use of the park and a "parking" spot?

I'm sure that people will let me know if I don't correctly understand the situation.

[hummingway]

You understand the situation perfectly.

Generally with marine parks you have the option of anchoring where there is space or paying if you tie to a mooring. Nanaimo is a city and a busy port and in the past a lot of boats anchored more or less permanently off Newcastle Island. As I understand it the Nanaimo harbour commission in conjunction with the the parks people and the first nations tribe that has an interest in the island made an effort to change that.

To me it looks like what they've done is made it possible for more visitors to use the park and the people that were using the spot have had to find other places for their boats. If you live in Naniamo and want a free place to keep your boat I imagine it is challenging just like any other city where space is at a premium.