Select Board Explores Controls Of Recreational Boating Parties

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Leisure boating off the shallow, sandy waters of Sand Dollar Cove in Manchester drew a lot of attention at Monday’s Select Board meeting, stemming from a recent sunny Saturday when the popular public boating spot drew more-than-expected boaters and challenged local public safety officials.

Manchester Harbormaster Bion Pike and Police Chief Todd Fitzgerald told the Board that on July 23, their teams were overwhelmed by recreational boaters who descended off Long Beach and Sand Dollar Cove, a longtime popular public spot for local weekend recreational boaters. 

That day, however, two floating parties raised concerns about the impact of unmonitored gatherings on the water.  The first was a private casual gathering by a group of approximately 40 boats that have been holding a summer party every year and emailed Harbormaster and the Coast Guard for permitting starting in January.  The second party was a 30-boat corporate event by a boat dealer which applied for a Coast Guard permit in July.

By the end of the day, Pike told the Select Board, the inner harbor had become cluttered with over 300 boats, prompting calls to Town Hall and police with reports of underage drinking and trespassing.

“A lot of boats and a lot of people; more than our staff could really handle and manage safely, so that just raises concerns,” Town Administrator Greg Federspiel told the Board.  “How do we continue to manage the area with the large crowds that we’re trying to [manage] on occasion?”

Witnesses on boats in the harbor that day said the private party comprised “the same folks that come every year,” and all were local Manchester families.  From drone images of the harbor taken that day, 260 boats were counted, with two boat clusters.  The private party cluster had about 40 boats.  Just beyond that was the corporate cluster, with about 30.  The rest of the boats were either moored or anchored alone.

Despite two police boats slowing traffic through the channel, some boaters were difficult to control.  Around 3:30 p.m. on that Saturday, amidst heavy traffic of boats coming and going through the channel, Pike was notified that a resident requested the removal of floats and several boats that were inside the swim area and even tied onto private docks.

Per Massachusetts state law, no boats are permitted within 150 feet of the beach, public or private.  Long Beach is no exception, and last year, swim buoys were placed along that radius in Sand Dollar Cove. 

Pike successfully removed the boaters from the dock and requested that boats anchored within the 150-ft buffer to Long Beach move.  They complied.

“It was the first time I’ve ever been ‘booed’ in Manchester,” Pike said.  “For me to start writing civil violations in that environment all by myself … it wouldn’t have been a good environment.”

As Harbormaster, Pike is an EMT officer and can perform safety checks on boats, but does not have police authority to enforce laws.

“Had it been a safe enough environment, I could’ve done safety checks on every one of those vessels, but it was not, so I did not,” he said.

Although a police boat was present in the harbor, it only held one officer and a vessel operator.  Harbor staff was not equipped to deal with the volume of boats that gathered for the private event, as there had been no permit issued or extra resources supplied. 

Pulling up to Sand Dollar Cove and off Long Beach has been a long tradition for local Manchester boaters.  But in recent years, there have been efforts to stem that activity.  In 2019, recreational boaters there were the focus of environmentalists and waterfront homeowners on Smith’s Point, who said dropped anchors were impacting eelgrass beds, which are an important part of our ecosystem and carbon sequestering. 

The boaters, most of whom are locals who say rafting up together is a weekend tradition that goes back generations, countered that eelgrass protection was a pretext to curb something that isn’t a public nuisance, and is perfectly legal. 

Residents of Smith’s Point acknowledged that they abut a popular “public park.” 

In the end, a compromise was led by Harbormaster Pike, who extended the no-wake zone and adopted eelgrass friendly moorings.

Generally, if a large event will take place on the water, Pike notifies the party that a request should be made to the Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard should reach out to harbor staff to inform them of the permit request.  In this case, Pike told the Board, the private party was told by the Coast Guard that its event didn’t rise to a level requiring a permit.  The corporate event did seek out a permit, and it was secured in July.

Other communities that have shallow, sandy coves like Sand Dollar Cove are magnets for weekend boaters.  Gloucester and Ipswich report issues with crowding from leisure boaters.  In Marblehead, Brown’s Island has become a popular spot.  So has Kettle Cove in Manchester.  To make matters worse, COVID’s emphasis on the outdoors and social distancing has pushed people to boating.  In fact, sales of boats, marine products and services across the country hit a 13-year high in 2020, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Select Board members asked if there would be accountability for the infractions of trespassing, or underage drinking.  Pike and Police Chief Todd Fitzgerald said they’d rather look forward than to the past. 

For now, Pike said the Harbormaster’s Office will request that the Coast Guard have additional requirements for recreational boating, like notifying the town of pulled permits early enough to prepare.  Then, he’ll explore the option of formal event permits for floating parties, which will likely come with fees to cover additional out-of-pocket costs for monitoring and, if necessary, enforcement of public safety on the water.

The Select Board asked that the recommendation come after the close of the boating season, but before the New Year.

harbormaster pike, police chief, coast guard, boating, water, select board, sand dollar cove, greg federspiel, harbormaster’s office, long beach