|
 From The Helm
By Amy
Reynolds
Georgia liveaboard policy: does it
turn boaters into criminals?
I’d planned to write this column about the advent of
spring, how excited I am about warmer weather and getting out on the
water for more great adventures in the coming season. But after
reading the Letter to the Editor on page 19, I changed my mind.
I’m not really clear on why Georgia is the only state
in the Southeast that doesn’t welcome liveaboards.
There are signs up in every marina: “Except as
otherwise provided by law, occupying a live-aboard for more than 30
days during any calendar year is prohibited in coastal marshlands,
including tidal water bottoms. Official code of Georgia, annotated (O.C.G.A.)
Section 12-5-288. A live-aboard is a floating vessel or other
watercraft that is moored to a dock, tree, or piling or anchored in
the estuarine waters of Georgia and is utilized as a human or animal
abode. Live-aboards include, but are not limited to, monohulls,
multihulls, houseboats, floating homes, and other floating
structures that are used for human or animal habitation (O.C.G.A.)
Section 12-5-282.”
Well, then!
Let’s say I live in Atlanta and keep my boat on the
coast. I come down every weekend from May through September and stay
aboard, which ends up being about 40 days total. Even though the
Y-valve on my holding tank is locked and I use the pump-out station,
even though I don’t LIVE on my boat, even though I spend money here,
I’m a criminal.
Let’s say I’m a snowbird and spend winters in Florida
and summers in Rhode Island. On my way north this spring, I stop in
Georgia to have some maintenance done on my boat, do some
sight-seeing, eat at some great local restaurants, and end up
spending a month here. Time to go, and I better not stop on my way
back through this fall because I’ve used my allotted time in this
state, and to come back would make me a criminal.
From a tourism standpoint, this doesn’t make sense.
Savannah was named a top 10 tourist destination by Conde Nast
Traveler, and the tourism industry brings $2 billion a year to the
city’s economy. We want your tourism dollars – unless you come by
boat.
From a personal standpoint, what about the regular
guy who wants to live on his boat full time? Take Mike and me, for
instance. Although we’ve yet to make that happen, it’s the goal. And
when we do, we’ll still work for a living, still pay “rent” in the
form of dockage, still pay for utilities, still shop, eat out, buy
gas for our vehicles and have them repaired, take our dogs to the
vet, go to the doctor, and in general, contribute to the local
economy just like we do now, living in a house.
Except if this law hasn’t been changed, we’ll be
contributing to the economy of Beaufort, SC, instead of Savannah,
GA. An hour drive to get to work is worth it to enjoy the lifestyle
we want to live.
There’s another side to this problem – enforcement.
How is the law enforced? Who decides when it’s OK to live aboard and
when it’s not? What happens if you live on your boat and get caught?
Well now I’m curious. Seems like a little investigation into these
and similar questions is needed. Let me hear your thoughts, on the
record or off.
Amy Reynolds, editor of Waterside News, can be reached at
amy@watersidenews.com. |
