Cutting a lazy line on a trot mooring.

longjohnsilver

longjohnsilver

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Have been away for a week from my trot mooring off Darthaven in the Dart, returned to discover that it had been run over twice, the second time the kind crew not only ran over it but left with the entire lazy line, about 20m of luminous orange floating rope, 2 large buoys and 2 large stainless screw carabiners. I'm pretty disgusted that someone could do that.

Unfortunately my mooring is directly in line with at least half of the Darthaven pontoons, but I would expect most to realise that the smaller buoys between the large Dart Nav buoys indicates that it is a trot mooring. Seems that someone even ran over the huge ropes attaching the fuel barge to their buoy!!

Do people go around with their eyes closed?
 
longjohnsilver said:
Have been away for a week from my trot mooring off Darthaven in the Dart, returned to discover that it had been run over twice, the second time the kind crew not only ran over it but left with the entire lazy line, about 20m of luminous orange floating rope, 2 large buoys and 2 large stainless screw carabiners. I'm pretty disgusted that someone could do that.

Unfortunately my mooring is directly in line with at least half of the Darthaven pontoons, but I would expect most to realise that the smaller buoys between the large Dart Nav buoys indicates that it is a trot mooring. Seems that someone even ran over the huge ropes attaching the fuel barge to their buoy!!

Do people go around with their eyes closed?
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That's bad luck. I seem to recall you had similar problems a season or two ago. Seems to be a problem down river, no problems of that kind a little further up river.
 
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I've had similar done to my mooring outside Port Solent 2 or 3 times over the years. We are alongside the channel and on busy weekends boats waiting in the queue to enter the marina try to hold station. Had pickup buoy sliced off and gone, strops sawn through, even one end of the mooring completely sunk on one occasion.
Seems that people just don't look behind them when too-ing and fro-ing.
Intensely annoying (and expensive) when it happens
 
Fix a vertical pole (possibly a meter high) with a hook on the top on your mooring buoy and place the end of your pick up line on the hook to keep it clear of the water.
 
Longjohnsilver,

many moons ago I was rafted a long way out at Weymouth, the only line long enough for a shore line - a necessity especially as few others had rigged them - was my anchor warp - not ideal as it sinks I know but quite taut and bleeding obvious to anyone who looked.

When we returned to the boat after lunch a git had cut my warp to get out of the raft, and taken 80% of it with him !

Neighbouring boats told me the miscreant's boat type, name and club, so I made it my mission to track him down.

The club secretary was almost as upset as I was and gave me his details, so after some correspondence - apologies from one owner, snotty from the other - I got my line back and spliced it for kedge use.

I still remember his details...:cool:
 
I once watched a large working boat conversion motor right over my swinging mooring.

I was alongside nearby and hollered at the bloke, he looked at me nonplussed. The whole mooring was powered under the water and the 8foot Avon, attached, shot 10 foot in the air when it emerged. He carried on totally oblivious.

What can you do? Personally, I am always very wary whenever I see two buoys close together aligned with the tide
 
I've checked with both Dart Nav and Darthaven marina, no sign of either the lazy line, buoys or carabiners. Also looked on the nearby fishermans pontoon, again no sign of it. So only conclusion is that someone has nicked the whole lot. Needless to say, I'm not impressed!
 
Sadly, I believe that something like 10% of males get a criminal conviction, so there is a good number of not very nice people around. I would like to think that the boating community does rather better than the national average, but one does occasionally come across the odour of hydrogen sulphide.
 
johnalison said:
Sadly, I believe that something like 10% of males get a criminal conviction, so there is a good number of not very nice people around. I would like to think that the boating community does rather better than the national average, but one does occasionally come across the odour of hydrogen sulphide.
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Yes, not been a good week after another boat I share with my son was broken into last week with various items being stolen. Rather dents your trust in fellow man.
 
I was rafted alongside a very decent guy with a mobo last week, he mentioned he was going to a boat jumble; when I said I used to go but now it seems either chandleries at usual rates or blokes selling stuff stolen from yots - so I haven't been for years so as not to fund them - he was taken aback, one would think it rather obvious.
 
johnalison said:
Sadly, I believe that something like 10% of males get a criminal conviction, so there is a good number of not very nice people around. I would like to think that the boating community does rather better than the national average, but one does occasionally come across the odour of hydrogen sulphide.
Click to expand...
I think you might find it the other way round - a lot of villains of my acquaintance own boats, the bigger the villain, the bigger the boat...
 
johnalison said:
Sadly, I believe that something like 10% of males get a criminal conviction, so there is a good number of not very nice people around. I would like to think that the boating community does rather better than the national average, but one does occasionally come across the odour of hydrogen sulphide.
Click to expand...

Would have thought that % was higher now we have a larger population of ( oh dear that is not politically correct is it??)
 
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