On Watch

BY PETER SCHRAPPEN

That’s Enough

When it comes to pushing pro-boating measures through local legislation, PETER SCHRAPPEN asks: When is good enough actually good enough?

There’s a book out there called The Good Enough Catholic by Paul Wilkes. Don’t report me to my parish priest, but I have not read it yet. That said, the title gets me thinking from time to time. When is good enough, well, good enough? Let’s take a look at the Maritime Economic Opportunity Act that passed in 2021 as a “good enough” moment. This new law started as an idea in the Port of Port Angeles board room in June of 2020. The uncontroversial problem statement was simple enough: Chartered vessels from out of state are not allowed to enjoy our state’s boating bounty because of an egregious tax placed on them if the boat, crew, and captain are all part of the charter package. The rub comes when economic activity for state’s $7 billion boating ecosystem is lost because of this tax. This leakage hits rural communities, like the Ports of Port Angeles and Anacortes especially hard, given that maritime is a major part of their area’s economy. From this sitting-around-the-board room exercise to a tour of the Port of Port Angeles with their state Senate and state House of Representatives’ delegation (Sen. Van De Wege and Reps. Tharinger and Chapman) that soon followed, the idea resonated around a collective “We need to do something about this problem.” Add a well-respected lobbyist representing the Port and an energized superyacht business community (also known as Superyacht Northwest), plus a coalition of business and maritime trade associations, and we had the makings of a campaign for the 2021 legislative session. Was it the perfect idea? Did it solve the equivalent of world hunger for boaters? Did we expect to get this bill passed in a virtual Zoom legislative session? Safe to say that the answer was “no” from the coalition working on behalf of this maritime economic opportunity act. I had the advantage of sitting in the cockpit as this bill moved through the legislative process. What struck me throughout the legislative process was that we never looked back. We were who we were and kept plotting forward. The assembled team met with the right lawmakers at the right time with the right information. We added some of that NASA-style planning (that is starting with the end goal of say, landing on the moon) and planning backwards (in this case, having the bill signed by Governor Inslee). Momentum grew over time. Other critical parts came into play like bipartisan support and the nods of key lawmakers such as the chairs of the various committees. Fortunately, the team had established relationships with many decision makers and there was no formal opposition. With 1,077 bills introduced in 2021, House Bill 1107 became law on July 25, 2021, with a final vote count of 146-1, which includes the tally from the House of Representatives and Senate. If that success was not enough, the law is attracting the attention of boats and trade associations around the world. Most notably, Monique Webber of Pacific Yacht Management and Superyacht Northwest and I had the high honor to accept the U.S. Superyacht Association’s “Chairman’s Award” at their sold-out annual meeting on October 30 in Fort Lauderdale. Stepping back, our team mounted the best campaign possible. Taking into account lawmakers’ appetite for a perceived tax break for superyachts, we met the challenge head on with the best viable idea we could muster. In Japanese, the expression is Ichigo ichie, roughly translates to “This moment in time has never occurred before and it will never come again.” The question to ask is if the moment is not perfect, is at least good enough? In my view, sometimes good enough is perfect, after all.

Peter Schrappen is Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Government Affairs Director and the Clean Boating Foundation’s Executive Director. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the Boating Safety Advisory Council, Washington Boating Alliance, and U.S. Superyacht Association.

SUBSCRIBE TO

to get the latest issues delivered straight to your door. For subscription options, visit: www.nwyachting.com

Advertising Index

Aging Gracefully 44 Alexander Marine 2, 3, 4, 5 Apollonian Yachts 22 Bedrooms & More 65 Boat Insurance 65 Boynton Yachts 13 Bristol Insurance 44 Bristol Yachts 45 Cardinal Yacht Sales 71 Carter Volkswagen & Subaru 47 Chuck Hovey Yachts 16

Coastal Marine Engine 27 Constructive Energy 45 CPYB 44 Crow’s Nest Yachts 30 Elliott Bay Yacht Sales 31 Emerald Pacific Yachts 25 Fisheries Supply 41 Flagship Jan Anderson 44 Fournier Insurance 29 Golden Dove 45 Guzzle H2O 20 Hampton Yacht Group 7, 76 Irwin Yacht Sales 10 Jeff Brown Yachts 18, 19 Maggie Lee Designs 71 Marine Servicenter 15 Monkey Fist Marine 45 NW Explorations 8 NW Yachtnet 11 Pacific Marine Foundation 24 People’s Bank 24 Philbrooks Boatyard 24, 41 Platypus Marine 40 Prism Graphics 46 Propspeed 39 Raptor Deck 24 Seattle Yachts 42, 43 Signature Yachts 65 Silver Seas Yachts 12 Sterling Associates 33 Sure Marine Services 33 Thunderbird Marine 48 Tom Douglas 46 Twin Rivers Insurance 40 Waterline Boats 48 William Devoe Maritime Law 47 Windermere Vashon 33 Worth Avenue Yachts 6, 69, 75