Mooring Application --- Mooring Waiting List Revised 3-9-09
Barrington Boating Safety Awareness Day
The Harbormaster’s Office is dedicated to the boating interests
of the citizens of Barrington.
The first concern is to promote safety on the water.
The most visible activity is the Harbor Patrol. We maintain a seven day a week active mission on all Barrington Waters throughout the prime boating season of Memorial Day to Labor Day. There are also weekend patrols in May and September.
The Town acquired a new 24 1/2 ft. Rescue/Patrol Boat through a Federal Homeland Security Grant in 2005. This addition enables us to patrol the upper Barrington River/100 Acre Cove with the existing 20 ft. Ocean Scout boat (that can navigate under the Bike path and Massasoit Rd. bridges) while maintaining an all-weather, 24 hour capability in the upper Bay adjacent toBarrington.
The Patrol boats are operated by 3 regular and one standby assistant Harbormasters. While being alert to violations of Town and State Boating Laws, their main focus is the lookout for the safety and assistance of those who enjoy water sports. They also maintain a radio watch on VHF Channel 16 as well as the Police and Fire frequencies for timely response to emergencies.
The Patrol operates from the municipal Dock at Police Cove. This allows the Boat to be ready for a rescue mission when needed. We maintain a 24 hour standby in conjunction with the Fire Department and Coast Guard Rescue services. The Town also maintains cooperative assistance agreements with the nearby Rescue services of Warren Bristol and East Providence.
The second major task is the management of mooring fields and mooring assignments in the Town Waters.
There are currently 240 mooring assignments in the Town. One hundred of them are in the Main Harbor where the waiting list is approximately 45 with about a 5 year backlog.
Management of the mooring fields requires an annual audit of the use of moorings and enforcement of the Town Ordinances that control them. There is also monitoring of the required biannual mooring inspections and administering of the annual registration process. Currently there is the ongoing construction of the Rt. 114 Bridge that has required considerable dislocation of scarce moorings.
New moorings are easily assigned where there is space in front of their waterfront home or where there is a right of way to the water. Space assignment in the Harbor or Police Cove is dependant on the waiting list and size of a boat with the spaces available.
The Harbormaster is an ex-officio member of the Town’s Harbor Commission where body of the Town’s Ordinances for section 148 are crafted for Town Council passage and all issues concerning the use of Barrington’s water resources are discussed. The Harbormaster also maintains a dialogue with the US Coast Guard in Bristol and Providence for concern of Port Security, water rescue and Aids to Navigation.
A current copy of the Town’s Ordinances "Chapter 148-Use of Public Waters" is available through this link (type "Harbormaster" in the search text box and click "GO") and at the Police Station and Town Clerk’s Office.
5MPH speed limit in the Harbor, Police Cove and Bullock’s Cove.
You can contact the Harbormaster at:
Emergency 437 3930 (tell the Police Dispatcher this is an emergency)
Voice mail message 437 3930 (follow the prompts for the Harbormaster)
e-mail barringtonharbormaster@verizon.net
Raymond J Sousa,
Harbormaster |
