Parked your boat on the waters of the scenic Cuesta Inlet? Claim it soon or say goodbye.
Nonprofit Save Cuesta Inlet is on a mission to identify boats and separate abandoned vessels from those still in use. It’s the group’s first stewardship project since it became inlet owners with the hope that the public can continue to enjoy the 13-acre coastal parkland in Los Osos.
“It took us a long time to count these because, first off, some of the boats move around, but there are over 700 boats at the inlet right now,” Save Cuesta Inlet board president Margarete Schmidt said. “Some of them are buried under plants … some of them are seaworthy, some of them are not.”
The need to do away with unclaimed boats rose from a community survey that took place between April and August. Twenty percent of around 430 responses said derelict boats must be removed from the inlet.
According to the survey, many boat owners called for the cleanup, suggesting that a small parking fee could be implemented to keep the shoreline from devolving into a dumping ground.
“If they’re not stored properly, standing water collects in them, and they become breeding ground for mosquitoes,” Schmidt said. “They also create tripping hazards because when flowers grow over them, people can’t see where they’re walking, so they’re dangerous from that point of view.”
‘The inlet is not a storage facility for boats. It’s for people who regularly use the bay and access the bay through the inlet and can enjoy the convenience of having their boat close to the launching spot.’
—Margarete Schmidt, board president of Save Cuesta Inlet
Schmidt added that crumbling boats could turn into homes for vermin. At varying stages of decomposition, rotting boats can also litter inlet waters with sharp pieces of debris.
Save Cuesta Inlet wants owners to write their name and current phone number on their boats using marine-grade markers, waterproof vinyl stickers, or paint. Owners must take a picture of the boat, with the markings clearly visible, and email it to boats@cuestainlet.org.
Then, they must visit savecuestainlet.org/boats-id and submit an online boat ID form containing their name, address, contact information, and a description of the boat.
Owners of multiple boats on the inlet need to fill out a separate identification form for each boat.
Several boats on the inlet bear phone numbers, and some of them are decades old. The nonprofit suspects many of those numbers may be disconnected or belong to defunct landlines. People may have also moved away from the area but left their boats behind.
Save Cuesta Inlet has tasked itself with finding out if people are still using their boats or simply using the inlet as a makeshift garage.
“I can’t emphasize this enough: The inlet is not a storage facility for boats,” Schmidt said. “It’s for people who regularly use the bay and access the bay through the inlet and can enjoy the convenience of having their boat close to the launching spot.”
Save Cuesta Inlet will start the process of removing the abandoned boats from the inlet on Sept. 19 as a nod to California Coastal Cleanup Day.
There’s no confirmed disposal plan yet, though the group is in touch with the Morro Bay Harbor Department. Professionals would dismantle derelict boats before the parts are moved to the dump.
Schmidt told New Times that some of the abandoned boats could also be sold for proceeds or donated to children who can’t otherwise enjoy the inlet.
The nonprofit continues to raise money to preserve and improve the inlet. Its next event is the Art for the Inlet art show and sale at Sea Pines Golf Resort on Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Right now, our big project is the boats, of course, and we’re not sure how much that’s going to cost because we don’t know how many boats we’re going to have to end up getting rid of,” Schmidt said. “There’s not a paid person involved with this inlet. These are all community volunteers.”
Fast fact
• Meal prepping for kids in the new school year is about to get a little simpler for San Luis Coastal Unified School District families. Under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs for the 2026-27 school year, the district will serve students free lunch and breakfast at all its schools. For more information, contact Director of Food and Nutrition Services Erin Primer at eprimer@slcusd.org or call (805) 596-4064. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sept 3, 2026.
