[Descant]

Overnight at public docks on Winnipesaukee used to be encouraged by some towns. They wanted "big cruisers" as tourist attraction for non-boaters. As more people became boat owners, local merchants wanted more turnover at the docks instead of boats that never left. There was also concern about boats "pumping out" at the docks before there were chlorinators and then holding tanks. The answer was time limits on docking and eventually no more overnights at public docks. Similar sequence for overnight anchoring as a means of protecting water quality. Also, as shorefront became developed, people didn't want overnighters in front of their house or on their beach. For awhile more and more boats had holding tanks. Now with the trend to bow riders instead of cuddy cabins, and pontoon boats, heads and holding tanks are probably less common.

Why do we not object to parking meters on the street, but we don't use a similar plan for docks that are only a few yards away?