PORT ANGELES — No small boat can remain in Port Angeles Harbor for longer than 30 days, the state Department of Natural Resources says.
Ongoing problems with a sinking boat, along with the concerns raised by the grounding of three vessels on Port Angeles shorelines during a December storm, led DNR to enforce rules that already exist, said Jeffrey Schreck, aquatic lands manager for the agency.
The change affects about six boats, he said. He contacted the boat owners in the first two weeks of January.
The 30-day deadlines for the owners will fall in the first two weeks of February.
Schreck said that the state will work with owners who are trying to comply with the rules.
Schreck said that a complex combination of rules in the Washington Administrative Code, the Revised Code of Washington and internal regulations of DNR outline policy for boats mooring in harbors.
The rules require that owners of boats that anchor longer than 30 days should get contracts with DNR for a float to use while anchoring in the harbor.
That had been only lightly enforced, Schreck said.
Because the Port Angeles Harbor is better suited to large vessels, Schreck said, the department will not contract with smaller vessels, so the owners will have to find other options.
“With the results of this latest storm, I decided it was important to start enforcing that,” Schreck said.
Three small boats were grounded during a Dec. 14 storm. Two have been moved, while the third boat, the Montana Drifter, remains snagged on rocks off the old Rayonier mill site.
“The fetch in the harbor just gets too big for those small vessels,” Schreck said. “Fetch” means the height of the waves crest.
Boat owner choices
Owners of boats now anchored in the harbor have two options, Schreck said: Mooring at the Port Angeles Boat Haven or moving to a different harbor such as Clallam Bay or Sequim, which offer more protection for small boats.
“The Port Angeles Harbor protects the large vessels very well,” he said. “But it just isn’t a good situation for the smaller ones.”
The port has requirements for mooring in the boat haven, said Jeff Robb, marinas manager for the Port of Port Angeles.
“The vessels must serve a real seafaring purpose,” he said. “So they must work in order to be a tenant at the marina.
“Most of the vessels in question probably wouldn’t meet those requirements.”
Schreck met with representatives of the city, port and Coast Guard in January.
The ultimate jurisdiction of who can be in the harbor falls to DNR, but it is also considered within city limits, so the Port Angeles Police Department at times can notify boat owners of violations.
The Coast Guard has no jurisdictional authority, but can help DNR with enforcement of law.
The port also has no official role, but because it deals with many boat owners, representatives were invited to the meeting for discussion, Schreck said.
Once a vessel is declared derelict, the city or port — because they are public agencies — can apply for DNR funds. DNR will reimburse up to 90 percent of the cost of removing abandoned vessels.
Schreck said that the Coast Guard has been notified of the plans to remove the vessels.
“In these post-9/11 days we can’t have vessels adrift like that,” Schreck said.
“If the Coast Guard were to find one floating around in the harbor like that, it could turn into a potentially dangerous situation.”
__________
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
