anchoring rights

[Tranona]

Under Legal Advice - Anchoring and Mooring. Maybe only available to members but not sure as my link goes straight through.

 

[BobPrell]

Under Legal Advice - Anchoring and Mooring. Maybe only available to members but not sure as my link goes straight through.

Thanks I noticed it eventually. It wants me to register. I may go into that another time.

I really do want to find out what the situation is now, different I suspect from the time when Eric Hiscock wrote that having a mooring did not give a yottie any "right" to use that spot, if another came along while the bouy was vacant, and anchored using their own gear, the "moorer", on returning, would have to wait until the "anchorer" decided to leave.

Ah the Golden Age of yachting.

 

[Tranona]

Just a brief summary of UK position. There are no restrictions on anchoring in open roadsteads but in most places suitable for anchoring such as estuaries and harbours, the seabed is owned by soomebody, usually but not eclusively the Crown or an "authority" such as a harbour board or local authority has rights, usually established by parliament. Such authorities have the right to grant leases for moorings and make charges for use of the harbour. Sometimes the ability to chaarge is limited to using fixed facilities such as pontoons and buoys - Newtown Creek is like that.

So, what we end up with is a complex range of possinilities from free anchoring to high charges, the latter having increased because Crown Estates are now required to generate an income from their assets.

There is still some dispute of the distinction between anchoring during the course of navigation and laying a permanent mooring that has not been tested fully in the courts.

Not sure whether this answers your question, but does give a flavour of the complexity of the question!

 

[BlackPig]

Just a brief summary of UK position. !

Do you mean England. I have never heard of paying to anchor up here in Scotland.

 

[alahol2]

For anchoring, I think it often depends on whether the 'authority' can make a worthwhile profit from people who anchor. For example I have anchored in Portsmouth harbour, Langstone harbour and Southampton water plus some of its rivers without ever seeing anyone to charge me. Other places eg Chichester are likely to charge if you anchor in one of the more frequented spots, choose a quieter spot and it's not worth it for them to cover the whole harbour.
There are no set rules except that I have never been charged in an 'open' anchorage or bay.

 

[Woodentop]

Free Anchoring Weymouth

Weymouth Bay is Free.

The Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Harbour Act of 1887 does not allow charging to anchor in Weymouth Bay.

(Which is why we are making it part of Portland Harbour for the Olympics)

 

[Seajet]

And now wait for the conservationists to screw it all up, moorings, anchoring, the lot.

The Marine Conservation Zones they are seeking to establish cover most harbours and anchorages.

At a time when boat owners are just beginning to think swinging moorings are a good idea compared to marina prices, moorings will suffer the same idiotic treatment they are trying on anchoring in bays ( unless we fight and win -'we' being boat owners en masse ) - all the talk of anchoring, charged or not, will be a quaint historic footnote to 'what it used to be like'.

Moorings as they are now are already under scrutiny, any increased uptake will no doubt be seen as an 'undesirable increase in recreational usage footprint'.

What a lot of boat owners don't catch on to - and for the moment here is a TOP TIP - most places around the South and West have banned laying new moorings for a long time now.

BUT one can rejuvenate old moorings as long as they are on someone's harbour plan - the very pro-active volunteer moorings guy at my club did this, with the all - volunteer club working together we now have quite a few new moorings, which does the club good and helps out quite a few sailors.

This is in Chichester Harbour !

And yes moorings are usually available to people if they join - the fees are low and the location excellent if the boat can take to soft mud at low water.

So,

A, Please join the fight or there won't be any anchorages for you to worry about payment or not !

B, if you're thinking of a mooring anywhere, do it quick

C, we're going to have to fight this just as much as the anchoring off battle

Boat Owners Response Group - BORG

Website under construction which will allow polling, and we are attending meetings shortly to put our case forward

In the meantime www.boatownersresponsegroup.com

Contact can be made through self, Old Harry, Sailbobsquarepants and Galadriel.

 

[Chrissie]

I thought that the voluntary payment scheme at Newtown was paid to the National Trust, who look after the site. I like the fact that there are mooring bouys, it means you can get more boats in, all that dropping the anchor and motoring back till its caught means that the boats need to be spaced further apart, so less boats get shelter.
Ive arrived in pitch dark, late at night and been very relieved of a mooring buoy available.
(this post is not intended to suggest that I think charges should be made for anchoring, or that restrictions be placed on anchoring (muscle beds etc. excluded) I am a small boat sailor who relies on available anchorages)

 

[Tranona]

Do you mean England. I have never heard of paying to anchor up here in Scotland.

Think you will find the principle is exactly the same - just that demand is lower in relation to supply and cost of collection greater than revenue.

Charging in busy English harbours is directly linked to supply - Salcombe and Dartmouth for example have very limited space and lots of peoiple want to go there so charges control demand. Less popular or less attractive places are cheaper.

Simple really (not a judgemental statement, just fact)

 

[prv]

In the meantime www.boatownersresponsegroup.com

Contact can be made through self, Old Harry, Sailbobsquarepants and Galadriel.

Thank you.

If there is anything practical that I can contribute, please let me know. I'll keep an eye on the site.

Pete

 

[alahol2]

I thought that the voluntary payment scheme at Newtown was paid to the National Trust, who look after the site. I like the fact that there are mooring bouys, it means you can get more boats in, all that dropping the anchor and motoring back till its caught means that the boats need to be spaced further apart, so less boats get shelter.
Ive arrived in pitch dark, late at night and been very relieved of a mooring buoy available.
(this post is not intended to suggest that I think charges should be made for anchoring, or that restrictions be placed on anchoring (muscle beds etc. excluded) I am a small boat sailor who relies on available anchorages)

I don't really mind the moorings in Newtown because they are now sponsoring the people who anchor. The moorings are not in the voluntary payment scheme. I actually don't mind paying a small amount in Newtown to anchor. It provides a few jobs on the Island, the wildlife is looked after, the navigation marks are maintained, you get a cheery chat with the harbourmaster and catch up with the gossip etc etc. (Note I am a member of the NT and this is the only place I ever choose to pay).

 

[Ubergeekian]

Think you will find the principle is exactly the same - just that demand is lower in relation to supply and cost of collection greater than revenue.

I believe that the CEC have said that they have no intention of ever charging for anchoring, and up here they have the overwhelming majority (99.9%?) of anchorages under their direct control. I have certainly never heard of anywhere in Scotland charging for anchoring - though I am open to enlightenment.

 

[Seajet]

Ubergeekian,

You might not get charged but have you checked if your anchorages - and for that matter the place you laid your mooring - are included in the proposed MCZ's ?

They would be lucky not to be, when Old Harry compiled a list of anchorages under threat, it soon became apparent it would have been easier to list the few places which aren't !

 

[DaveS]

Ubergeekian,

You might not get charged but have you checked if your anchorages - and for that matter the place you laid your mooring - are included in the proposed MCZ's ?

They would be lucky not to be, when Old Harry compiled a list of anchorages under threat, it soon became apparent it would have been easier to list the few places which aren't !

I'm getting a bit confused. The BORG list doesn't seem to include Scottish anchorages and what I understand to be the "official" consultation site: http://www.yourseasyourvoice.com/mpa/?region=9
shows a number of areas which may or may not be a problem. I can identify Otter Ferry and Upper Loch Torridon as areas where an anchoring ban would be a problem; others with better local knowledge may be able to identify others. Some of the proposed sites are areas with significant tidal current where I cannot believe many people ever anchor, but the descriptive blurb, e.g. for Loch Sween, claims that anchoring takes place in the tidal narrows. All very odd. In total, however, the great majority of Scotland's (rather long) coastline is free from proposals.

But, and it's a big but, is there another, bigger, list that I don't know about?

 

[penfold]

Ubergeekian,

You might not get charged but have you checked if your anchorages - and for that matter the place you laid your mooring - are included in the proposed MCZ's ?

They would be lucky not to be, when Old Harry compiled a list of anchorages under threat, it soon became apparent it would have been easier to list the few places which aren't !

Even if the mad watermelons got their way and everywhere was declared a MCZ/MPA, where is the money to police it all coming from(allweather patrol boats are expensive, as are the personnel to man them.)

In any case the consultation for where the MPAs are going to be is scheduled to drag on beyond 2012 and that's before any legal challenges or other delays occur.

 

[Seajet]

BORG

DaveS,

I'm not surprised you're confused, you've been deliberately mis-led !

The Marine Conservation Society 'Yourseasyourvoice' is completely FALSE, it as nothing to do with any consultation process, they are just a charity trying to look big; their misleading approach has caused a great deal of anger with the RYA and I may say BORG, as a great many people think they have stated their views when they have not.

To state your views it needs to be Finding Sanctuary, Balanced Seas or the equivalent for your area ( contact me tomorrow 31st Dec and I'll have it to hand ).

The consultation may be over already without registering the opinion of many if any boat users; it is in the South West.

Penfold,

Believe it or not the 'govt' really IS going to patrol these areas ! With very hefty fines for anyone caught - Old Harry was left in no doubt about this when he attended a Marine Management Organisation ( The goverment umbrella offshoot of DEFRA in charge of this nonsense ) meeting.

How could this possibly happen at a time when schools, NHS, care homes, defence are all being cut to the bone ?

That's everyone's first question.

The answer is that this is an EU Directive, the UK has to establish conservation zones around 30% of the coast, or face such large fines that setting up the patrols ( lots of nice jobs and little empires ) is cheap by comparison.

The really big problem for us boat owners is that when faced with this directive, the govt thought the people to handle it would be conservationists; all their Christmases in one, so they immediately earmarked anywhere they felt like; not a single boat user on their boards, but plenty of divers who are keen to ban boats.

Strangely enough with boats gone there would be great opportunities for commercial dive centres...

Now do you see why we formed BORG !

It's all real, not just potential or abstract; and we are well aware of the old property developer's tactic of asking for a horrendous amount, then appearing to 'compromise', in fact achieving the real target.

In the case of Studland Bay, Dorset, a Voluntary No Anchor Zone is set up; it doesn't bode at all well for any 'restricted anchoring area' we may be given, as despite being small in area it is so placed as to knock out a huge proportion of the useful anchoring area !

our website will soon have a list of threatened anchorages and a polling facility,and as I say BORG is recognised by the government and invited to meetings, one of which is to happen shortly.

We are not just about Studland, which has become something of a test case, but the whole of the UK.

www.boatownersresponsegroup.com

 

[colvic987]

Do you mean England. I have never heard of paying to anchor up here in Scotland.

Tobermory is in scotland isn't it.??? when i was there in 2005 they were charging £10 to anchor in the prescribed anchoring area, not sure if that was a one off charge or for each day.

 

[Seajet]

Sheesh !

£10.00 just to anchor would be considered very pricey in the Solent !

 

[penfold]

Tobermory is in scotland isn't it.??? when i was there in 2005 they were charging £10 to anchor in the prescribed anchoring area, not sure if that was a one off charge or for each day.

A tenner to anchor somewhere with **** holding? I'll go to Loch Sunart thanks. They can take their Balamooring and poke it.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Tobermory is in scotland isn't it.??? when i was there in 2005 they were charging £10 to anchor in the prescribed anchoring area, not sure if that was a one off charge or for each day.

Anchoring there is currently free, according to their website.