Anchoring!

The case actually centred on the rights of the Crown Estate to charge for mooring and both technically and legally mooring is the same as anchoring. It used to be common for ships to set their anchors and drop their rodes to a float to be recovered later. The legal case argued that unrestricted anchoring was protected by droit, ergo it was not legally competent for the Crown Estate to charge for moorings.
It fell, both in the English courts and, earlier, at the Court of Session in Scotland in an action brought by Shetlands Islands Council, that there could be no unregulated use of the sea-bed.
The upshot is that, with some regional variations, only the Crown Estate and riparian owners (including harbour authorities) can charge for anchoring/mooring. Conversely in some parts of the country, like stretches of the River Thames there is legislation preventing riparian owners from restricting navigation, which includes anchoring.
It comes down to challenging whoever is attempting to charge for anchoring and testing their right to do so. There is no universal right to anchor for free.
 
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Anyway, you might or might not have to pay for sticking your anchor in crown mud. But dont forget that harbour dues are a different and additional charge where they apply, and harbours often extend legally far beyond the harbour walls. I believe thats the case with Falmouth - all the anchoring areas there are are within the harbour so you are subject to byelaws and charges

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Practically the whole of the Clyde area is a harbour, under the Clydeport authority, with various naval enclaves. The harbour area is the area north of lines extending west to the Mull of Kintyre from the northernmost point of Arran, and east from the south side of Brodick bay to the mainland. However, I am not aware of anywhere where there are charges for anchoring.
 
Isn't there something about not charging for the anchorage but access to the shore...or am i making that up? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I hate paying to anchor when I get nothing in return. At least at Falmouth there were toilets, showers and a pontoon. Loads of places try it on when they provide nothing - or at least nothing you have either asked for or want.

I particularly dislike charges which, as far as I can work out, only go to subsidise the cost of the little hitler in the rib how comes round to collect them. If they didn't have the employee and didn't charge they would probably save money.

It's not just the West Country - some of the *very few* places left in the Solent where you can anchor in protected water they are now starting to charge. I have often anchored opposite Island Harbour on the IOW and have never paid or been bothered anytime in the last five/six years. It's only tenable if you draw very little and can dry out but even there I have heard that the man in the Rib is now starting to make his rounds.

So whilst I am happy to be a WANCER it's wider than that. Maybe World wide Anchor Campaign. We can keep the handy logo !

Also keen to understand the free bit in Falmouth and any stories of anyone refusing to pay.
 
I am certainly keen on free anchorages... but I am also keen on simply MORE anchorages in shelterd areas....

I think that if we are gonna encourage the idea of anchoring then we have to encourage local authorities and harbours to see this as a demand from customers..... and if we want them to take out moorings or provide services then I think that it is gonna be inevitable that we will have to pay some harbour dues in many places..... the idea being though that this should be less than sitting on a pontoon or council Mooring....

So, we dont want to see charges introduced were none existed before, and we also want to see a reduction in charges... and the addition of some areas were none exist right now...... (Such as Fowey)....

Hmmm.... any other thoughts?
 
It must be annoying when your usual anchorages are filled with visitors moorings, but that way more boats can be fitted in, if the places are overcrowded.
 
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I am certainly keen on free anchorages... but I am also keen on simply MORE anchorages in shelterd areas....

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I may be being thick, but I don't understand this. Surely you can anchor anywhere where there is shelter, a suitable depth and an appropriate sea-bed? As other people have made clear, except in designated harbour areas, there is nothing to stop you anchoring wherever you wish? The anchorage symbol on a chart is simply a recommendation, identifying places that are suitable for anchoring under most conditions.
 
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and if we want them to take out moorings....


So, we don't want to see charges introduced were none existed before, and we also want to see a reduction in charges... and the addition of some areas were none exist right now...... (Such as Fowey)....

Hmmm.... any other thoughts?

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I think we will be very lucky if you stop more moorings going down. Unless I am missing something I can't see anyone being able to persuade any HM to take up existing moorings.

I just don't want to pay when I am not using ANYONE's facilities. I would be more than happy to see more space for anchoring but can't see it happening.

Presumably some poor yachtie has the mooring you are proposing removing. Not sure they would be too happy !
 
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I actually used to work for Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and I can assure you that there is a 'free' anchorage within the area.

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Why not tell us all where it is then? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
3 years ago on my way back from Falmouth to Portsmouth i entered Salcombe at sunset. It was fairly crowded and I spotted a anchorage just to the South of the main channel about 1/4 of a mile in from the harbour entrance.
I had my hook down for about 10 minutes when a lad in a rib came and asked me for a fee. I said that I was not using any harbour equipment and refused to pay. He said that if I didn't pay my yacht would be beached until payment was received. Taken back by this I did pay, however when back home this was still niggling me and I called the Harbour Master and was given a ladies name on the South Hams Council.
It was her office who set these charges and she explained that although this was completely the wrong thing for the lad to say, it was nevertheless correct that a charge was payable. She was a yachtie herself and regretted the situation.
Apparently they legally had the right to charge and the premise was that the monies were all part of the budget that paid for the harbour navigation equipment and the upkeep of the harbour etc.
However it would be interesting to see what would happen if payment were refused especially if your boat had no form of name, SSR etc visible.
Does anyone want to try refusing to pay, to act as a test case?
 
An alleged legal right to charge is one thing. A legal right to beach you yacht ? I don't blame you for not pushing you luck but it would be interesting to see if they would really carry this out.

thanks, Mark
 
When I worked for Falmouth Harbour Commissioners we had quite a few people who refused to pay for anchoring. The usual tactic was to go down below when the moorings supervisors boat came around and ignore them when they knocked on the hull. They only went around a couple of times a day and kept office hours so people were quite safe after 6pm. After a couple of days of trying then we usually got the boss out but there were still people who downright brazenly said 'no I'm not paying' and the HM was actually reluctant to set legal proceedings in motion because it was so much hassle, time, money etc. They actually have a high powered boat now to follow people who are scarpering without paying but my understanding is that they dont actually have any powers to apprehend (or they didnt when I worked there a couple of years ago)
 
There is no way that we are gonna stop places like Salcombe or Fowey from charging us in the harbour, on a mooring or not... One of the problems that we have is that in Fowey there is simply no designated anchorage within the harbour... And there is no suitable fully sheltered anchorage outside as well...... Salcombe of course has quite a good anchorage way up top.... and So, I cant help but think that we need to be demonstrating more demand for anchorages.... and we should encourage some harbours to have areas available to do so.... Even though we may still have to pay harbour dues..... The best anchorage in Helford was lost a few years ago, If we had shown a greater demand might it still have been there (I doubt it!)

AP; Of course your right, we can anchor anywere we please thats suitable... but we would also like to be able to anchor in some places were we simply cannot right now......

In the Clyde and the West Coast of Scotland there is a surplus of fabulous anchorages... in the West Country that simply is no longer the case.... and so in this fabulous area you largley end up bouncing from mooring to mooring... we need to encourage more people to think of the anchor as there friend and when they come into a new place the first question they need to ask is "Were's the best place to anchor??"

Everyone here knows that in fact the vast majority of peeps about do not like to use the anchor... they are afraid of dragging, how to get it to set is a mystery, they are concerned about having the right type... etc etc... in reality the perception amongst HM's , (And probably the reality..) must be that there is more demand for visitors moorings and pontoons..... well if we want to be using our anchors in harbours we need to demonstrate that demand exists for anchoring as well......

hmm. anyways thats sort of what Im thinking...
 
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3 years ago on my way back from Falmouth to Portsmouth i entered Salcombe at sunset. It was fairly crowded and I spotted a anchorage just to the South of the main channel about 1/4 of a mile in from the harbour entrance.
I had my hook down for about 10 minutes when a lad in a rib came and asked me for a fee. I said that I was not using any harbour equipment and refused to pay. He said that if I didn't pay my yacht would be beached until payment was received. Taken back by this I did pay, however when back home this was still niggling me and I called the Harbour Master and was given a ladies name on the South Hams Council.
It was her office who set these charges and she explained that although this was completely the wrong thing for the lad to say, it was nevertheless correct that a charge was payable. She was a yachtie herself and regretted the situation.
Apparently they legally had the right to charge and the premise was that the monies were all part of the budget that paid for the harbour navigation equipment and the upkeep of the harbour etc.
However it would be interesting to see what would happen if payment were refused especially if your boat had no form of name, SSR etc visible.
Does anyone want to try refusing to pay, to act as a test case?

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In 1998 I anchored just inside the bar at Salcombe while on passage to Exeter, it was about 2200, I landed with the dinghy and reported in to SWMBO from the 'phone box at East Prawle then I left at about 0600. As I approached Prawle Pt I was caught up with by one of the HM's ribs with a little blue light on it demanding harbour dues. He said I must pay because I had used the council's facilities, I did query whether the council had anything to do with the BT phone box. By now I had entered rather choppy water rounding Prawle Pt and refused to leave the tiller (I was singlehanded apart from the dog) to go below for a cheque so he eventually gave up saying to make sure I paid what was due next time I entered Salcombe!

Last year when taking my 'new' boat round to Plymouth from Exeter I anchored at Salcombe. Resigned to paying dues I anchored opposite the HM's office, gave their launch a wave, went onto the pontoon to top up my water tank .... but did anyone come to collect my money?? I couldn't believe it as I rounded Bolt Tail the next morning!
 
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