Public landings aren’t just for traditional boaters

As summer winds down, so does the abuse that kayakers, canoeists and paddleboarders take from boaters at Columbia’s public boat landings.

Some boaters believe that they own the boat landings and that anyone not putting in a boat is just taking up space and wasting their time. As Columbia continues to grow and more and more people learn about the great resources we have, encounters between boaters and other water enthusiasts will grow. Nine out of 10 times everyone is amicable, but those other 10 percent create problems.

On solar eclipse day, I had a boat owner yelling obscenities at me from the top of Newman Boat Landing in Cayce. Why? Because I was in the lane he wanted to use. The other lane was empty, and no other boats were waiting, but he wanted the lane I was in. So he choose to yell and curse at me in front of his own small child and other young kids.

We all pay taxes that pay for these landings. We would love it if cities and counties could build kayak- or canoe-only landings. But they simply don’t have the money to do that. It’s a shame the police have to be called to settle a dispute because a boater didn’t get to use the lane he wanted.

Be nice to each other, work together, and we all can enjoy the boat landings and access to the rivers.

This story was originally published September 3, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Public landings aren’t just for traditional boaters."