A small Scottish incident with a noisy marina neighbor - what would you have done?

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corbu

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I read Dylan's recent thread over his anchoring incident thinking I'd have engaged the obnoxious land owner. But, on Saturday night I also took the passive approach.

Enjoying a stunning evening of blue skies in Portavadie marina after a wonderful sail over from Lochranza when a largish powerboat with a bunch of guys moors three pontoon isles away. So far so good. They then crack out the sound system and start singing along to the sounds on the 80's. Que lots of shaking of heads but general acceptance that its high spirits on a lovely evening. Not so good when we have gone to bed (young kids) and the party return after dinner to greatly increased music volumes and start 'singing', shouting and general mayhem.

Question was should I had got dressed and tackled five guys in a well on state or stayed in bed like I did cursing them and thinking of severing their dock lines?

First experience of this type of arrogance and was left shaking my head in the morning. Stopped by my wife from rousing them to tell them what I thought of their antics.

Nine times out of ten I'd have asked them to turn it down but what would you have done?
 
Had this happen to me twice, once students being noisy - told them in the early hours to shut the feck up ( they did) and gave the student sailing club president/leader a bollocking in the morning - he had the decency to look sheepish. Karma was served when they topped up their diesel tank with fresh water. The other time was a nieghbouring boat with what appeared to be a drunken rabble next door. Again in teh early hours i told them to be quiet - we had young kids on board. Noise was abated, but didnt get silence - turned out a women had lost a parent and had become hysterical - not helped by being fed copious amounts of whisky. They tried to apologise in the morning but I wasn't impressed (either with the womans behaviour or her friends attempts to help with drink).

Another answer I have seen ( along the lines of revenge is a dish best served cold) is buy a gas foghorn at the chandlery the morning after, tape down the activation button, open their hatch, throw in the "sound grenade" then hold the hatch shut. I saw this done to great effect and cheers from the pontoon in Tobermory one weekend. :-)
 
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I think in most cases a polite request to turn it down usually works as people aren't generally unruly for the sake of it.

Midnight seems to be the universally accepted time when things should be quite.
 
stevepick said:
Karma was served when they topped up their diesel tank with fresh water.
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That is just delicious. So much better than somebody else losing their temper (however understandably) and doing something about it.

Interesting that alcohol fuels the majority of inconsiderate, hazardous and otherwise regrettable behaviour.
 
God help you if you are anchored or tied up when the Club 18-30 type party-boat flotilla arrives. We've had up to 30 boats all rafted up and all blasting out different music until daylight arrives.

There is no point in complaining as you can't speak to 30 boats at once and by the time you get to the 30th one to ask them to turn it down, the first one has forgotten their promise and turned it up again.

Even the flotilla leader admits that they are out of control and won't listen to him! :ambivalence:

Richard
 
Four/five young guys in a big white gin palace equipped with everything including a water jet powered tender?
I noticed them coming in to the canal and could not help speculating on where they got the money for that, perhaps just as well you did not confront them? I was surprised that they opted to do the locks themselves, motor boats over 40' usually employ someone.
 
Once happened to me with Lord of the Glens at Inverie.I was on the visitors mooring nearest to the harbour when this vessel often seen plying the Great Glen anchored along side the harbour wall for the night.Floodlights and generators plus guests chatting late into the night.
It was a pain as I had to be off early the next dat to catch the tide at Kyle rea.
 
Once had a noisy boat near us in the marina with shouting and laughter after midnight and SWMBO is clearly disturbed by the noise. She phoned the marina office and the guy was clearly too chicken claiming they'd punch his head in if he went and asked them to keep it down. SWMBO said to me with increasing irritation "are you awake?", finally snorting in exasperation when I kept my eyes shut and attempted to breathe deeply.

She clambered out of her berth and I heard her putting some clothes on and felt the boat rocking slightly as she disembarked. After a few minutes I heard a wild shout of laughter, swiftly stifled, then silence fell. A minute later I felt the boat rock and SWMBO clambered back into the berth she shared with me and I swear I could hear her spit on her hands and swipe them with a job well done.

The silence was deafening and with a satisfied exclamation she settled down and fell asleep. I didn't dare move for 5 minutes then fell asleep.

Next morning we (or rather SWMBO) received a number of deputations. First the marina came to apologise for the noise and say they had warned the owner of the boat never to have noisy party above decks at that time of night again, then two from the offending boat (skipper and another) also apologised for their thoughtless behaviour.

SWMBO was very gracious to all of them and I revised my opinion of her and decided to watch my Ps and Qs for quite a while until she had worked it all out of her system. Heaven knows what she said to them but by heck it was effective.
 
corbu said:
I read Dylan's recent thread over his anchoring incident thinking I'd have engaged the obnoxious land owner. But, on Saturday night I also took the passive approach.

Enjoying a stunning evening of blue skies in Portavadie marina after a wonderful sail over from Lochranza when a largish powerboat with a bunch of guys moors three pontoon isles away. So far so good. They then crack out the sound system and start singing along to the sounds on the 80's. Que lots of shaking of heads but general acceptance that its high spirits on a lovely evening. Not so good when we have gone to bed (young kids) and the party return after dinner to greatly increased music volumes and start 'singing', shouting and general mayhem.

Question was should I had got dressed and tackled five guys in a well on state or stayed in bed like I did cursing them and thinking of severing their dock lines?

First experience of this type of arrogance and was left shaking my head in the morning. Stopped by my wife from rousing them to tell them what I thought of their antics.

Nine times out of ten I'd have asked them to turn it down but what would you have done?
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Parga with Sailing Holidays, noses of the Beneteaus run ashore as they do there. Italian stinkpot came in with music blasting, and blasting. Fat bellied speedo wearing tosser in charge. Much mutterings from our group but none had the rognons to tackle them. Finally I lost it, gave speedo a mouthful, he puffed up like a bullfrog, so did I! He backed off then they skulked off! I was quite chuffed with myself!
S
 
skipper_stu said:
Parga with Sailing Holidays, noses of the Beneteaus run ashore as they do there. Italian stinkpot came in with music blasting, and blasting. Fat bellied speedo wearing tosser in charge. Much mutterings from our group but none had the rognons to tackle them. Finally I lost it, gave speedo a mouthful, he puffed up like a bullfrog, so did I! He backed off then they skulked off! I was quite chuffed with myself!
S
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Just like Question Time :encouragement:
 
Tough call isn't it. Sometimes you have to live with the loudness of other people enjoying themselves, just as (hopefully) other people have had to put up with the sound of you enjoying your self at some point. Sometimes it's a case of putting your pillow over your head - and you certainly can't expect adults to adhere to the same bed time as young kids.

Thought the person who took the time to write to Yachting Monthly complaining about kids and dogs in marinas, wanting them to be places of "snoozing and meditation" probably got it wrong at the other extreme too.,,
 
l'escargot said:
Tough call isn't it. Sometimes you have to live with the loudness of other people enjoying themselves, just as (hopefully) other people have had to put up with the sound of you enjoying your self at some point. Sometimes it's a case of putting your pillow over your head - and you certainly can't expect adults to adhere to the same bed time as young kids.

Thought the person who took the time to write to Yachting Monthly complaining about kids and dogs in marinas, wanting them to be places of "snoozing and meditation" probably got it wrong at the other extreme too.,,
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You overlook the distinguishing feature of the event namely amplified music broadcast across the marina. There is a big difference between noisy vocal hilarity from a cockpit at midnight and some drunk yobo cranking up a cockpit speaker to maximum to liven up the perceived boring lives of others asleep in the marina.
 
jonjo5 said:
You overlook the distinguishing feature of the event namely amplified music broadcast across the marina. There is a big difference between noisy vocal hilarity from a cockpit at midnight and some drunk yobo cranking up a cockpit speaker to maximum to liven up the perceived boring lives of others asleep in the marina.
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Overlooked and avoided classifying those involved as "drunken yoboes.." Or have you just placed a different somewhat more emotive interpretation on events for which neither of us were present? Even the OP said there was a "...general acceptance that its high spirits on a lovely evening." - can you reasonably object to that?

That post comes over as coming from someone who would be best served anchoring in a secluded bay rather than being "Mister Intolerant" in a marina shared with all sorts of other boaters. It wasn't you who wrote that letter to Yachting Monthly was it... ;)
 
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0700 The Black Bear.:)

A wee bit of tuning, then Highland laddie, Blue Bonnets

I can do a few requests, if Dylan is about The Sky Boat Song. :)
 
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Uricanejack said:
0700 The Black Bear.:)

A wee bit of tuning, then Highland laddie, Blue Bonnets

I can do a few requests, if Dylan is about The Sky Boat Song. :)
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My neighbouring marina has a resident (in the sense of "based there", not "living aboard") twonk who plays the bagpipes for the best part of an hour every single sodding evening when he's aboard. I'm seriously tempted to take my accordion down next time I'm there and join in.
 
l'escargot said:
That post comes over as coming from someone who would be best served anchoring in a secluded bay rather than being "Mister Intolerant" in a marina shared with all sorts of other boaters.
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I know your online persona well enough to detect that this is the issue of the day that you have chosen to pursue an obtuse/contrarian position irrespective of what you truly believe.
 
jonjo5 said:
I know your online persona well enough to detect that this is the issue of the day that you have chosen to pursue an obtuse/contrarian position irrespective of what you truly believe.
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And I know your online persona well enough to detect that you have taken exception to having your mostly unsupportable response challenged in an entirely reasonable manner and would now like to withdraw from further discussion but want to leave the impression that I in some way secretly agree with you...:encouragement:
 
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My favourite is Cowes week, probably about 15 years ago.
Bunch of very drunk, very obnoxious lads on daddy's boat.
Not just loud but abusive etc. at about 3AM.
Oldish bloke walks along the pontoon, says to the Hooray Henry who seems to be in charge 'Any more noise from you, I will phone your mother!'
It went very quiet....
 
I sometimes think it's no so much the music that's annoying in the early hours of the morning, but the people shouting at each other above it.

We've had a fare share of parties on board and on others but will always turn it right down at midnight. Funny thing, a couple of weeks ago in Gosport we we're on a friends boat having a drink with music when a guy from the marina office came down and asked us to turn it off as someone had complained...at 21:30!!!
 
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