Here in Duluth MN, there isn't really any spot devoted to cats on the beach. Last summer my H16 and a few other boats were tossed in a big storm and it would seem this could be avoided if we had a descent spot to put them. How do does it work on a big beach? Do you pay a fee and get a tiedown spot or do you just put your boat where you can? I'm looking for ideas to present to the city. We have about 6-10 cats that i see regularly and i think it would be more if there was a spot to keep them that was maintained and protected. Thanks all!!

When we used to have a spot on Topanga Beach, the County provided nothing, just sand. I got an 8 foot post from Home Depot, dug a hole, threw some mixed concrete in there, mounted a winch on the post and that was my tie down.

Sheldon
P-18

Wrinkledpants:
First of all, I think it would be important that the cat sailors be officially organized, like as a fleet or a club. And then it also would be important that that fleet or club be affiliated with a larger, national organization, like US Sailing or NAHCA or NAMSA. That gives you the appearance, at least, of some strength and credibility.

And then your group, as an organization, goes to whatever federal or private agency that owns or controls the beach in question.

What has worked for some fleets is to not just request space for the boats, but also to have a positive plan to present for what you can do to help maintain and/or improve that area of the beach. If it is the City that controls the beach, they want to know that it is not going to cost them anything (in terms of money, time, labor), and may, indeed, save the City some money. For instance, doing beach-cleanup in the area; having a plan for installing your own tie-downs so the boats are not a hazard to others if they get blown around by wind; having a plan to collect the money yourselves (if money is required) and pay the City a lump amount from your organization rather than the City having to run around trying to collect from individual boat owners.

I know lots of people have had to deal with this situation, so I hope you will get more suggestions.

I'll also add on to Mary's post. Everything she suggested is excellent. Here is the story of how this happened at Topanga (L.A. County):

There were a dozen boats just being kept on the beach where some old houses were torn down. After a couple of years, the County decided they had to go. A petition was put together by boat owners asking for space. We just had an informal club.

Ultimately, the County had to 1) have someone come out and survey the beach to create a map 2) create a document that entitled users to keep a boat on the beach and launch. This is important because beach launching in L.A. County is illegal. 3) Require all users to carry current registration and insurance; 1 million dollar liability policy naming the County as additional insured..lots of deep pockets there if someone got hurt. 4) Patrol the beach on a regular basis to make sure no boat was there without a permit. Such boats were removed after going through a legal process.

Since we launch in an area with surf, the lifeguard and our group, always tried to give lots of pointers and information to newcomers so they would be safe.

The beach eventually eroded so badly that it is no longer used for boat storage. At one time, we had 60 cats on the sand, wednesday night BBQ's and volleyball and a very active group of sailors.

Good luck!

Sheldon
P-18

Oh yeah, the County also charged us $240 per year.

SL