New rule limits how long boaters can tie up on Pittsburgh's North Shore
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — If you like to tie up your boat along the North Shore, you'll want to know about a new rule that limits docking to 48 hours. It's part of a crackdown on boat owners who tie up and never come back.
It's been a problem for years along the shoreline of the rivers in Pittsburgh. People just abandon boats and leave them there but now the Sports and Exhibition Authority says if you're going to moor up on the North Shore, you'd better get your boat out in two days or you're going to pay.
Captain Roy Sparrow is a boat owner and according to him, when it comes to boat life on the North Shore, it's a blast.
"When we come, we party, we have fun as a family because we're a very tight-knit group. When it's over with, we go back to our marina," Sparrow.
The problem is boat owners who don't go back to their marinas, instead parking or abandoning their vessels on the North Shore.
"There's nowhere for us to dock and it creates a rift amongst the boaters who abide by boater etiquette," Sparrow said.
If there's a queen of the ghost ship armada on the North Shore, it's a big abandoned houseboat. KDKA-TV did a story about the same one back in January.
"Enough is enough. It's been going on for far too long," Sparrow said.
The Sports and Exhibition Authority has instituted a new fine policy to keep skippers from abandoning ship. There are now notices all over the North Shore tie-ups, telling boaters if they walk away from their boat for more than 48 hours, they could face fines up to $500 and have their boat towed.
"I'm all for the fines, and even the 48 hours," Sparrow said.
But Sparrow, who also hosts a Facebook group called Pittsburgh Boat Life, says he'd like to see the hours increased for special events.
"When there's a Steeler's game, Pirates or a concert, that you're able to stay for the weekend and enjoy the North Shore safely," he said.
KDKA-TV reached out to the Sports and Exhibition Authority about the new policy but didn't hear back by airtime.