Kayakers, VOM Strike Agreement on Kayak Storage

A new agreement gives kayakers greater access to storage in Harbor Island Park.

Last month, Harbormaster Joe Russo met with David Hellerstein and Gary Strauss of the Kayakers Alliance of Larchmont and Mamaroneck (KALM)  in Russo's office to discuss a recent decision giving kayaking enthusiasts more spaces to store their kayaks. The move followed two Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees meetings during which KALM members addressed the board. 

In an email to Hellersterstein, which he shared with Patch, Russo outlined the agreement: "…at this time in the season we can use the east basin [of the habor] for kayak in-water use." The fee, he added, would be $125 for the rest of the season, ending on November 1. During the winter, a "reasonable" fee—still to be determined—will be set for the 2011 season. All interested customers must go to the Harbormaster's office between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to fill out an application. The fee for "wider than normal" kayaks is $140 for the rest of the season. Russo added, "All boats and kayaks must be removed when dates are posted on the gate. We have room for at least 30 at this time."

According to Hellerstein, prior to the new agreement, there had been an "existing 24 spaces on racks on the docks in the west inlet of the harbor." He said, "This number will not change. These have been full for quite a while!" The addition of the 30 "in-water" spaces will bring the number of spaces available for storage to 54.

"In-water storage is a totally new thing for Harbor Island Park," said Hellerstein. "The dock on the east inlet of the harbor has quite a bit of space for kayaks for the remainder of the summer. All that was required was to add some cleats to tie them onto."

Hellerstein added that the dock is very long and capable of handling additional kayaks should demand dictate it. He encourages people to sign up for spots.

In response to a survey sent to members of KALM by Hellerstein, it was clear that, although happy to finally have additional space for kayak storage, some members preferred "near-water" or "on-land" storage instead of in-water storage, had concerns about security and wondered about winter storage and rates for storage of multiple kayaks.

Recently, Hellerstein and other members of KALM succeeded in their efforts to have the village lower launching fees in the Mamaroneck harbor. The fee for residents to park their car and put in their kayaks off the public ramp was reduced from $20 to $10 —$5 for parking and $5 for "put in." The $80 yearly pass remains the same.

While the ability to permit "in-water" storage of kayaks may not be ideal for some, the compromise with the village and the recent decrease in fees show some movement in the ongoing attempts to make kayaking on Long Island Sound a bit more user friendly.