Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter
Boat owners may face an increased fee if they want to moor their vessels at the Crescent City Harbor and they don’t have insurance.
As she and her colleagues slogged through an update of the Crescent City Harbor District’s ordinance code on Wednesday, Vice Chair Annie Nehmer pointed out that the port currently charges $180 per month to house uninsured vessels in its marina.
“Our insurance agent says that is simply not enough money for any vessel,” Nehmer told her colleagues.
Nehmer said she and Office Manager Kristina Hanks have been working with USI Insurance Services, of Newport, Oregon, which is in the process of putting together a quote for when the Harbor District’s policy renews in July.
“Our current insurance doesn’t cover wreckage, it only covers pollution, so if a boat sinks at this point, we’re SOL and $180 a month doesn’t come close to covering that,” the harbor commissioner said.
In addition to proposing changes to berthing fees, the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners also touched on regulations in the ordinance code governing fishing from the dock and charges and permits for boat owners who live aboard their vessels or who use them as boatels.
Commissioners also heard from Justin Hanks, the Harbor District’s security supervisor, who suggested designating the northern parking lot for long-term parking and raised concerns about people who repair their vehicles at the port.
Harbor District staff will incorporate the requested changes into a final draft of the ordinance code and publish it in the Del Norte Triplicate three times before the Board of Commissioners finally adopts it, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said. The new regulations go into effect 21 days after the Board’s vote, he said.
Rademaker said commissioners also might want to update the port’s fee schedule, which was last adjusted in 2023.
When it comes to insurance and the fee the Harbor District should charge those whose boats are uninsured, Nehmer suggested $500 a month or about $6,000 per year. Harbor District staff would urge boat owners to get their own insurance, however, she said.
Hanks said he’s heard complaints from boaters who thought the fee for not having insurance was insurance.
“We need to very clearly stipulate that we are not an insurance provider,” he said. “It’s a fee or a fine, rather.”
Currently those who moor their vessels must carry some type of liability insurance for boats of up to $500,000 in value for vessels greater than 35 feet in overall length and $300,000 for boats less than 35 feet in length, according to the current ordinance code.
Nehmer said she and Kristina Hanks have been working with USI to “get our insurance policy in line with what the harbor actually needs.” According to the insurance agent, most harbors don’t allow vessels to moor at their docks if they don’t have insurance and if they do, it’s for a short amount of time “that they do what we’re doing.”
Nehmer’s colleague, Commissioner John Evans asked Rademaker to look at the Harbor District’s insurance policy, bring it back to the Board and “see what we need to increase.”
During the ordinance code discussion, Evans proposed making fishing from the docks allowable between the hours of sunrise and sunset, citing security concerns.
“I don’t think we want people out at 2 in the morning fishing off of the inner boat basin,” he said. “And also, maybe we need to add something in there [about] fishing in the inner boat basin can be restricted by the harbormaster for something like increased commercial activity, safety issues, weather issues and what not.”
Commissioner Rick Shepherd, a long-time commercial fisherman, agreed, saying that allowing access to the docks at night also means people can get on board the vessels that are moored there without the owner’s permission.
Justin Hanks reminded commissioners that he has to enforce the ordinance code, adding that allowing fishing on the docks during the day is “promoting something other than getting in trouble,” especially for kids.
“I’m absolutely 100 percent for allowing kids to fish on the docks,” he said. “It’s well lit, it’s safe, it’s fun, I did it when I was a kid.”
Hanks said if fishing after dark is allowed, he’ll likely receive a call from a boat owner who finds that their equipment is missing.
Currently crabbing from vessels, floats, the docks or embankments in the inner boat basin is prohibited. However, fishing and crabbing are allowed on Citizens Dock, the work dock and admin dock, from sunrise to sunset as long as it doesn’t interfere with commercial activity.
Fishing and crabbing is also permitted at Whaler Island between the restroom and the launch ramp jetty. In the outer boat basin, pole fishing only is permitted from the interior shoreline.
Hanks also brought up the prohibition of fishing and deploying crab pots in the boat ramp area, saying he’d been telling people that they could drop their pots there.
“I would say E [Dock] should be changed to allow people to crab and fish from the launch ramp after dark,” he said. “There’s nobody there anyways, and from the launch ramp bathrooms and beyond is the designated after dark allowable fishing area.”
Nehmer said there’s a liability issue if a vessel needs to navigate their way through the boat ramp after dark and a crab pot gets caught up in their prop.
As for a boat owner or permitted designee living aboard a vessel moored at the harbor, Hanks said the current regulations require those with a berthing permit to pay a “live-aboard fee” if they’re living there.
According to proposed revisions, any vessel that is used as an overnight accommodation for one or more people in excess of six nights in any 30-day period is considered a residence and is required to have a live-aboard permit.
Nehmer said she’s still working on that regulation. She said she reached out to the county tax collector to make sure the Harbor District is in line with Del Norte County’s regulations.
