Staying overnight.

Allan

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There seems to be some confusion, at least with my friends, sailing is now allowed but some people say, staying overnight is not. Please, I'm not interested in any political discourse, I just want to know if I can sail for more that a few hours? I don't want to break any rules.
Allan
 

duncan99210

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Short answer is that you’re meant to be staying in your primary residence thus over night stays on board are in theory prohibited. Otherwise holiday accommodation would be open and that’s not the case. That said, can’t see anyone really policing this and you can always wear your D.C. mask if challenged.
 

bedouin

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There seems to be some confusion, at least with my friends, sailing is now allowed but some people say, staying overnight is not. Please, I'm not interested in any political discourse, I just want to know if I can sail for more that a few hours? I don't want to break any rules.
Allan
Loads of threads on it already. The summary is it is a grey area but it is certainly not explicitly forbidden and in England we can pretty much do anything that isn't explicitly forbidden.

You can certainly sail for as long as you like, including overnight.

However anywhere you might want to be overnight - in a harbour or marina - may well have their own regulations on staying that you will need to observe.
 

prv

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However anywhere you might want to be overnight - in a harbour or marina - may well have their own regulations on staying that you will need to observe.

Two data points from Chichester, for instance:

- Someone on the forum picked up a visitor buoy (I assume at Itchenor?). The harbourmaster told him he wasn’t allowed to stay there overnight, but implied unofficially that nobody would disturb him at anchor.
- Two old buffers who sounded like good friends but have apparently never exchanged phone numbers were chatting on the VHF on Sunday, one of them said he’d phoned the harbour office and been told categorically no staying overnight in any form until at least July.

Visiting marinas overnight - passing people on pontoons, using shore ablutions, visiting the office to pay, etc - clearly does pose some risk. Anchoring adds none at all, unless it’s somewhere that collects dues like Chichester or Beaulieu and they haven’t suspended the practice for now. Likewise moorings except that I can understand a little more reluctance from the harbour to forgo the fees.

I suspect the government’s guidelines were written with canal boats in mind - or at least not by someone who knew anything about seagoing vessels. But at this point all the advice is wildly unclear, and the actual regulations don’t really seem to match any of it. So I’m just going with whatever minimises contact with other people, and hence risk.

Pete
 

bedouin

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Two data points from Chichester, for instance:

- Someone on the forum picked up a visitor buoy (I assume at Itchenor?). The harbourmaster told him he wasn’t allowed to stay there overnight, but implied unofficially that nobody would disturb him at anchor.
- Two old buffers who sounded like good friends but have apparently never exchanged phone numbers were chatting on the VHF on Sunday, one of them said he’d phoned the harbour office and been told categorically no staying overnight in any form until at least July.

Visiting marinas overnight - passing people on pontoons, using shore ablutions, visiting the office to pay, etc - clearly does pose some risk. Anchoring adds none at all, unless it’s somewhere that collects dues like Chichester or Beaulieu and they haven’t suspended the practice for now. Likewise moorings except that I can understand a little more reluctance from the harbour to forgo the fees.

I suspect the government’s guidelines were written with canal boats in mind - or at least not by someone who knew anything about seagoing vessels. But at this point all the advice is wildly unclear, and the actual regulations don’t really seem to match any of it. So I’m just going with whatever minimises contact with other people, and hence risk.

Pete
I would probably expect Marinas to stay closed for visitors for a few weeks yet, but to allow berth holders to overnight on their own boats - not least because if they don't then they would face calls for a refund of berthing fees.

Chi Harbour doesn't surprise me at all - you can understand them not wanting the issues with collecting fees and it is easier just to say its closed than go to the effort of thinking how to open it up.

One of the confusions is that the advice is contradictory but the regulations are much clearer and anything they do not ban is permitted.
 

prv

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Chi Harbour doesn't surprise me at all - you can understand them not wanting the issues with collecting fees and it is easier just to say its closed than go to the effort of thinking how to open it up.

I believe they already have an online payment system for harbour dues, residents’ mooring fees, dinghy storage, etc. It would be nice if they’d just ask people to use that to pay for a night on a buoy and request that visitors not go ashore (not many would want to anyway with the pubs closed ;) ). Of course not everyone would be honest enough to pay up, but they‘d still take more than they will by chasing people away, and with no additional risk of infection above allowing day sailing as they already do.

Would be sensible to prohibit the usual rafting on the Itchenor moorings - at present I think it would be very reasonable to refuse a request to come alongside (unreasonable to allow it, really) but a direction from the harbourmaster would remove all doubt.

As long as there’s a reliable blind eye being turned to anchoring, though, it doesn’t make much odds to me. With no rafting the buoys are only six spots, and their main benefit is proximity to the pub which is no longer relevant. Better to anchor in more attractive surroundings elsewhere.

Pete
 

oldharry

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arto

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As of today, but not last week when the previous posts were made.

Yes, because the original legislation made a stronger statement, namely: "no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse."

Originally, you were required to stay at home unless you had an excuse (see below).

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020

Now you are allowed to travel but not stay away overnight. Of course since you weren't originally allowed to travel (except under certain circumstances) the possibility of staying away overnight didn't really arise.

At least that's how interpret it.
 

pvb

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Yes, because the original legislation made a stronger statement, namely: "no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse."

Originally, you were required to stay at home unless you had an excuse (see below).

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020

Now you are allowed to travel but not stay away overnight. Of course since you weren't originally allowed to travel (except under certain circumstances) the possibility of staying away overnight didn't really arise.

At least that's how interpret it.

It seems the forum police are revolting again!

The newest regulations say that you can stay overnight anywhere if it's reasonably necessary to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm. So anyone can say they didn't feel well enough to drive home safely, and they'll be within the letter of the regulations.
 

arto

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It seems the forum police are revolting again!

The newest regulations say that you can stay overnight anywhere if it's reasonably necessary to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm. So anyone can say they didn't feel well enough to drive home safely, and they'll be within the letter of the regulations.

"Forum Police." lol.

Of course if you think there's a high likelihood of your home being struck by lightning, that would also be a valid excuse.

I'm just pointing out the law. If you don't like it, you don't have to obey it. After all, the Prime Minister seems to think it's OK for you to interpret the law any way you consider expedient, and who am I to argue.
 

pvb

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"Forum Police." lol.

Of course if you think there's a high likelihood of your home being struck by lightning, that would also be a valid excuse.

I'm just pointing out the law. If you don't like it, you don't have to obey it. After all, the Prime Minister seems to think it's OK for you to interpret the law any way you consider expedient, and who am I to argue.

So why are you arguing?
 

Blue Sunray

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"Forum Police." lol.

Of course if you think there's a high likelihood of your home being struck by lightning, that would also be a valid excuse.

I'm just pointing out the law. If you don't like it, you don't have to obey it. After all, the Prime Minister seems to think it's OK for you to interpret the law any way you consider expedient, and who am I to argue.

It's just a pity that you obviously don't understand what are really quite simple pieces of legislation.
 
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