Crouch Mooring Buoy.

[Trevor_swfyc]

Sailing out of the River Crouch today and a 45 ft motor launch was using the Crouch Navigation Buoy as a mooring buoy, is this just bad seamanship or complete stupidity. Maybe if we are forced to pay light dues to upkeep these buoys we will be able to use them as mooring buoys. Until then maybe an anchor would have been a better choice, well away from the shipping channel.

Trevor.


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[BrendanS]

Did you note the name?

<hr width=100% size=1>Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabris, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Brendan,

Yes I noted the name of the boat, not sure what they were doing apart from obstructing a view of the buoy from seaward. I would have contacted the Crouch Harbour launch but it only operates at weekends.
Would they have been interested? is it an offence to hang on a navigational mark?

Trevor

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[squidge]

If its not it blooming well should be ! what if he's moved it?
Which one was it ? the inner crouch?
I would like to have seen his face if one of those timber ships had arrived or departed.

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[john_morris_uk]

I have always been told that it is an offense to moor to a navigation mark!! Certainly this is true of Trinity House mark however the Crouch mark you mention may be one laid by the harbour authority in which case the harbour master would be very interested...

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[Andrew_Fanner]

However, if they had some form of problem it may have seemed to the skipper that mooring to a buoy was the lesser of two evils.

Not trying to defend a basically indefensible position but there may have been mitigating circumstances.

Or were they crew happily making free with the G&T in the cockpit?

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.

 

[chasroberts]

There's a new safety/security/whatever type person working the Crouch now. Met him very briefly a couple of weeks ago. I think his name was Alistair but not sure. He works out of the same office as the Harbour Master but is there weekends as well. Sounds like this is right up his street.

Nice man and not too officious so could probably have a discreet word with him. He'd shoot a rocket up that clown's backside.

What was the name of the boat, BTW. I'll give it an extra wide berth from now on....


<hr width=100% size=1>Semper in excretum sum. Sole profundum variat!