The battle rages

Put-in? Nope

We attended the AGM of the St. Philips harbour authority last night and were told that the wharves, parking lot, slipway and the water enclosure, lock, stock and barrel, all belong to the authority and we have to pay for access. The bone of contention is that we can put-in at the river which flows into the harbour (but not part thereof) and paddle through the harbour to the sea but we still need to pony up some cash.

The position of the Office of Boating Safety is that we are entitled to paddle through the harbour to access the sea without having to pay. That is also the position of the people at the Navigable Waters Protection Program. Both part of the Department of Transportation.

The Small Craft Harbours section of the Department of Fisheries who leases the facility to the harbour authority surprisingly take the same position of the harbour authority.

Isn't that typical of government?

This issue not only affects St. Philips but all harbours we have to pass through to get to the sea so its a battle worth waging. We're in a battle but the war isn't over yet.