Float 20 in Westport Marina doubles as moorage for about 40 vessel owners and a public fishing dock. That makes for a fair amount of traffic on the dock itself, as moorage leaseholders share space with tourists and folks setting crab pots.

The relationship was an amicable one for more than a decade. But recently, the gates that used to prevent anyone but leaseholders access to their particular slip were removed by the Port of Grays Harbor without any warning, leading to what some on the float have called increased theft and night traffic on the float.

Wade Glenn holds a yearly lease on a slip on Float 20, sharing it with local guide Bret Ferris.

“Up until this year there has been gates on the individual leased slips,” Glenn wrote in a letter to the Port. “This made being moored on the public fishing pier doable and more importantly safe. These gates worked well, and up until this year I have not had one SINGLE problem with being moored on 20.”

That all changed about a month ago when the Port had the gates removed.

“The gates were old and broken down and looked gross, so we had them removed,” said Westport Marina Business Manager Molly Bold. She said there were also safety concerns with the gates in the condition they were in.

The gates were removed without the knowledge of the current moorage leaseholders.

“Over a month ago, the gates were taken down without warning, communication, or a single contact to anyone moored on 20,” wrote Glenn.

Bold takes responsibility for that, saying a series of miscommunications led to the lack of disclosure.

Since the gates have come down, Glenn said the feeling of safety and security he had on his vessel quickly went away, and now he has armed himself to protect against people pilfering out of the backs of boats moored there in the middle of the night.

“There is ZERO enforcement that keeps people off the docks at night,” he said. “I no longer feel safe sleeping in my boat, and for the first time in my life I sleep with a weapon at arm’s reach.”

Glenn claims on the night of July 21 he awoke to see three people pulling crab pots off a neighboring boat. He confronted them but says they kept walking down the pier to set their pilfered pots.

“In the past month I’ve slept on my boat over 15 times,” he wrote. “Every single night I’m awakened by people walking up and down the docks and coming onto the fingers that used to have gates on them.”

He said the Port has placed signs on the float and painted some yellow lines telling visitors the finger docks are for boaters who lease those slips, but that has done nothing to deter the late night traffic.

“This is a ticking time bomb for the marina,” Glenn continued. “Multiple thefts have occurred on this dock at night since the gate removal, multiple boats have been used by unauthorized people to party on, and this is going to continue. At some point, someone is going to be in legit fear for their life, and the marina seems to be doing nothing to protect their paying customers. Seems like a large liability to me.”

Bold said the Port is working with Westport Police Chief Tracy Rosenow and other agencies to address the complaints, and was also working to improve the communication between the Port and the dozens of people who buy leases for moorage in the Westport Marina.

Glenn said the best idea is replacing the gates, or placing a key card access gate at the top of the float.

“Something has to be done sooner than later,” he said, adding he’s had to increase the theft insurance on his boat. “It just feels unfair the Port has put us in this situation.”