CAROLINA SAILING
Behind the Scenes The South Carolina Marine Association carries the water for a lot of sailors and boat owners in the Palmetto State. Most of us just don’t know about it. By Dan Dickison
I
f you could do something simple to support your sport, you’d do it, right? If you could join an effort—with minimal commitment and hassle on your part—bent on furthering the interests of sailors and boaters in general, you’d probably take that plunge, no? Well, for less than the cost of dinner and a movie, sailors in the Palmetto State can join the South Carolina Marine Association (SCMA) for one year (individual memberships are $25) and thereby increase the collective voice advocating for South Carolina boaters on a broad range of issues. Let’s say you’re concerned about conserving the marine environment, and you favor boatyards and marinas around the state getting recognition when their operational practices meet or exceed the standards for the South Carolina Clean Marina/Boatyard program. Or perhaps it’s property taxes that command your attention, and you’re keen to encourage elected representatives not to increase the rates at which taxes are levied on recreational boat owners. You could attempt to address these things on your own, but unless you have really deep pockets, you’re not apt to make much headway. Recreational boating accounts for $3.7 billion in economic impact across South Carolina each year (according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association), and over 7,400 jobs, which gives the SCMA significant leverage. And what about all the other issues that face boat owners throughout South Carolina? What about dredging problems along the Intracoastal Waterway? What about maintaining the cap on sales tax for recreational boats? What about ensuring the best kind of growth in the sport? When it comes to the broader issues facing the boating public, nothing is more effective than strength in numbers, which is essentially why the SCMA exists. Back in 1996, a number of marina operators around the state decided to act on their shared concerns regarding a variety of issues. With the express purpose of supporting and promoting their businesses, they joined forces with officers at the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and formed the SCMA. Not long after, the fledgling group broadened its scope to include the entire recreational boating industry, articulating its mission as promoting “the growth of recreational boating and a better boating experi-
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October 2013
SOU T H W I N D S
Suzi DuRant has been at the helm of the South Carolina Marine Association since 2005.
ence….through an emphasis on the boating lifestyle, awareness and professionalism through economic, environmental, legislative and educational efforts.” Nearly a decade later, Suzi DuRant signed on as the organization’s executive director. A sailor and industry professional based on Johns Island near Charleston, DuRant has held this role ever since. She offers that the number one issue on SCMA’s agenda right now is getting dredging lined up for specific problem areas along the ICW. “There are two locations within the state that really need attention at the moment,” explains DuRant, “north of Charleston at Breach Inlet, and south at the AshepooCoosaw cut out. At low tide, this second site has been measured to be just over a foot deep. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for maintaining the ICW, doesn’t have the funding that it once had for such projects, so there’s no dredging for that site planned right now.” So, what is SCMA doing about this? “We’re working with groups such as the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association to lobby for action,” she continues. “We’ve contacted our state senators in this jurisdiction, along with the South Carolina State Ports Authority, to try and move this forward. We’ve also brought this to the attention of our national representatives as well—Congressman Mark Sanford and Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham.” The good news, says DuRant, is that this advocacy isn’t going unnoticed. Evidently supplemental funding has recently been identified for the Corps of Engineers. But the bad news is that no one seems to know when those funds www.southwindsmagazine.com