Harbormaster reports nearly 700 moorings; vows inventory, ordinance updates

Peter Flachley, Phippsburg’s harbormaster, told the Budget Committee he finds nearly 700 moorings in the town’s registry and described an effort to inventory and clean up the system.

Flachley said about 180 moorings are currently paid, roughly 350 remain to be renewed, and about 62 are recorded as canceled; the harbor office is also maintaining a waiting list of about 50 people. He said the town’s online registry contained many records but that hard-copy mailings had not gone out in the prior year, leading to gaps in payment and identification.

To build an accurate field inventory, Flachley reported he has begun photographing moorings with GPS/timestamped images and recruiting local experts to match mooring hardware with owners. He urged modest procedural steps first: requiring readable mooring numbers (some ordinances set a 3-inch letter minimum in nearby towns), adding inspection cycles and explicit mooring-construction specifications, and increased outreach to users.

Flachley cited a recent safety incident in which a 40-foot lobster boat on a rope mooring dragged and grounded when the rope and block failed; he used the example to highlight inspection gaps and the need for clearer mooring-specification language. He said letters have gone out and that payments and compliance are increasing daily.

The committee asked follow-ups about whether additional staff or outside consultants are needed. Flachley said he expects to work with the existing harbor budget and to step up enforcement where necessary, and he recommended technical updates to the town’s ordinance be pursued thoughtfully.