Boarding a vacant boat without permission

[grumpy_o_g]

Doesn't Maritime Salvage legislation cover it?

I did think about SOLAS as you could just claim you didn't know there was no-one onboard.

 

[benjenbav]

An interesting question (for all of us) would be how we’d feel if a Good Samaritan went onboard to save our genoa and accidentally broke a hatch cover in the process.
I’d like to think I’d still be grateful. But I think I might have a sufficiently ungenerous nature to be fed up about the damage and if the GS had suffered a consequential injury that my reaction might be to say it was his own fault for meddling…

 

[Poignard]

An interesting question (for all of us) would be how we’d feel if a Good Samaritan went onboard to save our genoa and accidentally broke a hatch cover in the process.
I’d like to think I’d still be grateful. But I think I might have a sufficiently ungenerous nature to be fed up about the damage and if the GS had suffered a consequential injury that my reaction might be to say it was his own fault for meddling…

"No don't apologise. You've done me a favour. I hadn't realised that hatch cover was so weak.

Sorry you've hurt yourself. I'm sure we used to have a first-aid kit somewhere. Really must have a tidy up one of these days ...." ?

 

[Stemar]

An interesting question (for all of us) would be how we’d feel if a Good Samaritan went onboard to save our genoa and accidentally broke a hatch cover in the process.
I’d like to think I’d still be grateful. But I think I might have a sufficiently ungenerous nature to be fed up about the damage and if the GS had suffered a consequential injury that my reaction might be to say it was his own fault for meddling…

I think I'd feel the same way, but a lot would depend on the state of the hatch cover. If it broke because it wasn't strong enough on a boat that isn't an obvious project, I'd say that was probably down to me, because there's an expectation that the boat's safe. I may know not to walk there, but the RNLI bloke who's rescuing me won't. If it was the Good Samaritan's great big hobnail boots wot dun it, I'd be a little less sympathetic, unless it was a passer-by trying to save a life.

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

The law of trespass exists and is well developed. I had a stupid neighbour who claimed that it didn't. I responded by saying I would have a rave in her garden.

Trespass against goods is always civil though, so you'd have to demonstrate some kind of damage.

The rave example is specifically covered in legislation and you would still have to call the police to tell them to leave - and they to refuse - before an offence was committed, as I understand it anyway.

 

[Momac]

I have heard people say ''No good deed goes unpunished''.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I’ve boarded a few non vacant boats without permission in my time. With a few mates and a chopper. Does that count too?

 

[dgadee]

Trespass against goods is always civil though, so you'd have to demonstrate some kind of damage.

The rave example is specifically covered in legislation and you would still have to call the police to tell them to leave - and they to refuse - before an offence was committed, as I understand it anyway.

I never said it was a system that made much sense (particularly not in England and NI) but it does exist.

Oddly, today I didn't go onto a boat but was thinking about this thread when I redid the fenders on a boat on the pontoon beside mine. They were all over the place and I would have wanted someone to have put a couple of minutes into sorting mine (though I think I would have been more careful in the first instance).

 

[Shaddickp]

I think of more use would be to ask 'Do you have the right to moor alongside another boat without their permission', either because they are absent or have denied permission (for whatever reason) , provided you can do so safely , without damage to the other boat, without hindrance (i.e. they want to leave at 3.00 am), and leaving sufficient space for other boats to navigate in the area.

 

[dgadee]

I think of more use would be to ask 'Do you have the right to moor alongside another boat without their permission', either because they are absent or have denied permission (for whatever reason) , provided you can do so safely , without damage to the other boat, without hindrance (i.e. they want to leave at 3.00 am), and leaving sufficient space for other boats to navigate in the area.

True. And can you move the old scruffy dinghy they have moored beside them under the "Do not moor" sign?

 

[Sybarite]

I have twice boarded yachts to secure genoas that had come unfurled and were flogging themselves to bits.

Had their owners sued me I would have countered by invoicing them for the bits of rope I used to secure their sails.

Or... countersue them for vexatious litigation.

 

[dgadee]

Or... countersue them for vexatious litigation.

They would have to have been suing a good few other boat owners before they would be put onto the list: Vexatious litigants

 

[Poignard]

I don't mind people boarding my boat as long as they don't damage anything or make a noise.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I don't mind people boarding my boat as long as they don't damage anything or make a noise.

View attachment 146373

Where did you get that picture of me and the lads?

 

[dgadee]

Disagreement over rights at a mark?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Disagreement over rights at a mark?

I can honestly say, we‘ve never taken that quite so far?

 

[Greemble]

Disagreement over rights at a mark?

The guys in the red coats were using the wrong anchor