At the Yorktown Village Yard Sale last Saturday, several of us had the good fortune to meet a young woman from Charleston, Melanie, who was visiting Yorktown with her two daughters and stopped by to browse. We got to talking about the cruise ships, and she was horrified to learn what was in store for Yorktown. As she was about to leave, she said "I wish I could help". We said, half-jokingly, "Will you still be here Tuesday for our Board of Supervisors meeting?" She said no, but she would write a letter that could be read. We were please when she promptly wrote one, which arrived in time to read aloud at the last Board of Supervisors meeting. If you missed the meeting here it is.
Dear Yorktown residents,
I urge you to reconsider allowing the cruise ships to enter your historic, charming community. Charlestonians know all too well how this will turn out. At one time, the majority of our beloved city was excited and motivated to welcome more visitors, an additional boost to our economy, bring in the progress that we were told was for the greater good, etc. Now, a little over a decade later, I must say what a dreadful, deceiving nightmare it has been. Sure, the first few months seemed well enough… but it didn’t take long to realize what a huge mistake was made.
Over the years, the cruise ship industry touted economic benefits of cruise traffic, while downplaying the harmful consequences. The boats pollute our air, create effective no-go zones for residents, and tax city infrastructure and public services. All a very sugar-coated, hidden agenda.
A high volume of tourists at one time will negatively impact the charm of Yorktown and surrounding areas, as well as the historic tourism and fishing industries. Cruise ships will be allowed to discharge minimally treated sewage into the harbor, or nearby. Sewage and gray water contain viruses, pathogens, metals and a host of other harmful contaminants. This will impact your local waters, and pollute fish and shellfish that are an integral part of your local foods.
Consider local traffic issues, the prices of everything increasing, and tourists pouring into your lovely town who really have little to no respect for it. This will just a be a blip on the radar of their cruise. Unlike land tourism, that brings people from all around whose objective is to experience the historic beauty of your community, most will likely not appreciate the historic attributes of Yorktown, Jamestown and Williamsburg. Litter will become the norm in your pristinely kept streets. The ebb and flow of things will certainly be thrown off course.
Thankfully, with the help of mayor Tecklenburg of Charleston and many others, we have finally successfully managed to scale the cruise ships back on a large scale beginning 2024. I hope your town prevents the same catastrophe we have endured.
Sincerely,
Melanie J., - Charleston, SC
This is the second such letter we have received, also see: A WARNING FROM AFAR – Juneau, Alaska. These letters are eerily similar. We have also talked with residents of Sitka, Seattle, Rome, Amsterdam, Bar Harbor, and other cruise port towns; they all tell similar sad tales. The cruise industry exploited these communities to the breaking point and now they are going through a painful and costly process to fight back. Let’s not let this happen in Yorktown.
If you would like to keep informed about efforts to stop Princess Cruises, go to www.PreserveYorktown.org or email PreserveYorktown@gmail.com.
Preserve Yorktown!
Image Credit: Cruisehive