NY Times articles about Abandoned Boats

Several people have sent me the NY Times article about abandoned boats.  It mentions Charleston and other areas.  Abandoned boats were a problem before the economy went south.  Now it’s an even bigger problem because many people just don’t have the money to store and maintain their boats.

Fortunately, the state of South Carolina recently passed legislation outlawing the practice and providing some funds for enforcement and removal.  Our friend Cyrus Buffum, the Charleston Waterkeeper, has been actively working with government agencies to locate, identify, and remove abandoned boats.  See the map that Charleston Waterkeeper created off abandoned boats in the area.  I’ve added to the map with my own map of some additional sites.  If you know of any additional problem boats, please let Charleston Waterkeeper know.

If you have funds to support environmental causes this year, I strongly encourage you to consider Charleston Waterkeeper.  Cyrus has been doing a great job on a very small budget.

We’ve Added to the Waterkeeper Map Boat Carcasses in the Charleston Area

We created a map with 5 additional sites for Charleston Waterkeeper to consider adding to their Map of Boat Carcasses in the Charleston Area. If you know of additional wrecks or abandoned boats in the area, please edit our map (anyone can do it) or create

Map of Sunken Boats around Charleston

Charleston Waterkeeper and CharelstonFishing.com have combined forces to create a map of the wrecks found in the waters around Charleston Harbor.  They’re not claiming to know it all.  If you know of additional wrecks and abandon boats, we encourage you to share them with Charleston Waterkeeper so they can update the map.  Pictures of and comments about the wrecks can also be added to the Map

City of Charleston Prohibits Abandoned Boats

The City of Charleston also makes it illegal to abandon boats within the City. 

Saltwater Fishing brings in $595 million a year

NOAA economist Scott Steinback, says the people who saltwater fish spent $595 million in South Carolina in 2006.

Total visitor spending along the S.C. coast is $6.1 billion per year, according to S.C. Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Total tourism spending in the state is some $14 billion.

The South Carolina numbers didn’t surprise NOAA economist Scott Steinback, who authored the study. The state ranked 15th out of 23 coastal states that include long coastlines such as California and Texas. The state’s total is short of North Carolina’s $2 billion but ahead of Georgia’s $179 million.

See full story in the Post and Courier.

TV News Story on Abandoned Boats

The Charleston Watekeeper, Cyrus Buffum, speaks to ABC News about the abandoned boat problem.

Silting causing problems

Charleston Yacht Club expanded its fixed pier a couple years ago.  The club was trying to get to deep water so that boats could be launched at low tide.

Pictures from January 11, show that silting is now a problem again at the club.

Many folks wonder when the Charleston City Marina will dredge.

Proposal for Floating Offshore Port Surfaces

See Reggie Fairchild’s Interesting Questions and Ideas blog about a new proposal for a floating offshore port connected to Charleston via a bridge-tunnel.

Access to the Water a Critical Issue in Charleston

“We can’t afford to lose any boat landings,” said Charleston County Parks and Recreation Executive Director Tom O’Rourke. “We’re all over the place trying to find new ones. In fact, if someone asked what is our number-one need in this area, I would say places to launch.”

This quote came from an article in the Post and Courier on December 26, 2008.

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