Can officialdom stop a boat going to sea?

[Keen_Ed]

I was just wondering what the situation here in the UK is for unregistered boats. Assuming no debts against a boat, can a harbourmaster or the MCA stop someone going to sea? From the way that Captain Calamity keeps heading off, I assume not? What size of does a boat have to be before officialdom have a say about them entering or leaving harbour? And how does registration affect things?

 

[Evadne]

You would have to break a law, or a bylaw for a copper to ba able to arrest you, and thus prevent you going to sea. Being a danger to yourself, through incompetence, stupidity and/or an inability to learn is not a crime. I think Mr Ransome would have called him a "duffer".

 

[prv]

You would have to break a law, or a bylaw for a copper to ba able to arrest you, and thus prevent you going to sea. Being a danger to yourself, through incompetence, stupidity and/or an inability to learn is not a crime. I think Mr Ransome would have called him a "duffer".

+1.

Years ago, a mate was given the use of an elderly RIB dumped at the bottom of someone's garden, if he could repair it. After some rough and ready repairs (including beating part of the steering system with a club hammer) we took it down to Bracklesham for the first outing. We were rather light on safety equipment when we arrived and obviously unfamiliar with the boat, and the coastguard there clearly put us in his "captain calamity / eBay speedboat / Birmingham Navy" mental bucket. But he couldn't actually stop us, just say "I am advising you not to launch".

(In fact we took his advice and went to Itchenor instead, where we had a more sheltered start to get used to the boat, and chugged round to the chandlery at Chichester Marina to get some things we ought to have had.)

Pete

 

[capnsensible]

You would have to break a law, or a bylaw for a copper to ba able to arrest you, and thus prevent you going to sea. Being a danger to yourself, through incompetence, stupidity and/or an inability to learn is not a crime. I think Mr Ransome would have called him a "duffer".

The MaritimeCoastgurd Agency has powers to detain vessels, some examples here:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/newsandpublications/mcgaprosecutions/prosecutions2012.htm

I know that Gib Maritime Authority can arrest vessels and most certainly so can Spanish Customs.

Go careful out there!