How well are marinas looking after our boats during the lockout?

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migs

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Warm words from our marinas reassure us of their ability to care for our boats during the lockout, and of course it is a comfort. Yet in the past I have turned up at our marina only to find a snapped warp lying in the sea; it had been there long enough to grow a string of moule. Similarly, I regularly have to point the capitainerie at poorly moored boats chafing their stems away on the pontoon.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have a friendly liveaboard neighbour looking out for us as well…
 
ettare said:
Warm words from our marinas reassure us of their ability to care for our boats during the lockout, and of course it is a comfort. Yet in the past I have turned up at our marina only to find a snapped warp lying in the sea; it had been there long enough to grow a string of moule. Similarly, I regularly have to point the capitainerie at poorly moored boats chafing their stems away on the pontoon.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have a friendly liveaboard neighbour looking out for us as well…
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What sort of service do your expect when you park you're car in an NCP carpark? Just curious.
 
I’ve never had my car float away due to NCPs inattention. People have bashed my car in car parks and our boat has also been bashed by careless boaters in the marina - on that occasion the marina was blameless.

PS. I like the ‘just curious’. My mother says that…
 
Kukri said:
I do specifically expect warps to be tended. That seems a minimum. I think it would be nice if covers were kept secure and it would be lovely if a battery charger could be turned on from time to time.
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When I was away for a while I paid a small fee to have somebody local act as additional gardian for the boat. Was about £20 a month I think, but that included a quick look onboard to check all OK. I have solar so don’t need to get batteries charged manually. Some richer folk pay more including boat cleaning etc.
Think what you are suggesting is more along these lines than standard marina care.
 
newtothis said:
What sort of service do your expect when you park you're car in an NCP carpark? Just curious.
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Poor comparison if you dont mind me saying. Mebbe thats why people are fretting about discounts when they dont realise what goes on?

Ive lived in a few marinas. And visited mebbe a hundred or more. Some good, some not so good. But generally, their job is to look after the boats in the marina. I realise that should be obvious. And everywhere Ive ever been, they have.

My yacht is safe in a marina right now. The staff do rounds of the pontoons by foot (big marina) at least twice a day. One of those times will be in the night between 0100 and 0400. They have bikes to ride around several times a day checking the security of the pontoons. And a rib that patrols 4 or 5 times. Anything loose, covers, whatever, they will secure. Chafed lines get replaced. And owners get emails.

So I can relax. And the last thing Im gonna do is get all needy coz I cant go sailing. Which also happens to be my job.

Stay safe.
 
To be honest my marina was (I do not know now ) very good at looking after boats, my boat has been moved by them to a better pontoon , I have arrived to find my lines have been changed , and or secured better , I have had my ladders retrieved and put into my cockpit, ,by them and they are a lovely bunch of Guys (no women there;))
This is what one expected when paying large amounts on money to the marina , and I got it , I have no idea as for this virus as I am in lock down , but I suspect they have a Skeleton crew having a good wander around (fingers crossed :))
 
I'd expect regular checking of lines and an eye open for anything wrong as a matter of routine. In the current situation, when owners aren't even allowed in, I'd add changing of worn lines and the like. considering all that a legal obligation, part of their duty of care.
 
As with others, I expect routine checks to be done on a daily or more frequent basis, including checks on lines, fenders, and any other equipment that is coming loose or otherwise showing signs of wear and tear. In the past, I've been informed of matters needing attention, such as a wind-generator where the bearings went bad; at present, I'd expect them to contact me in a similar case and discuss what action to take.

In my particular case, as I happened to have the stern-gland repacked just before the lockdown, I've informed the marina of this and asked them to watch for any signs of leaks. I don't have any reason to expect trouble as the work was done at a reputable boatyard, but you never know!

Oh, and before anyone asks why I didn't do it myself, a) Capricious was going in for hull cleaning and polishing anyway, b) getting to the packing box on Capricious means removing both 110 Ah batteries and their boxes to get decent access to the stern gland. As I've just had problems with tendonitis in my shoulders, I wasn't about to risk trying that. There's also c) that the cost of the boatyard's services including lift in and out was less than the cost of two uses of the boat hoist at the marina!
 
Health and safety needs to be factored in, ie if it's a severe storm then no one may be checking boats due to personal risk.
Liability is also an issue. Ie staff try to tend to a boat needing attention, then the owner threatens to sue due to damage that he claims marina staff may have caused ?
Along with checking pontoon cleats, decking, bollards, pontoon joints, all need constant checking- and fixing.
Some owners insist on using a steel shackle to connect to aluminium cleats, then wonder why their boat broke free in stormy weather due to their shackle grinding the cleat away .
Others tie in a crazy way, using one very long rope to secure all points of their boat and making it virtually impossible to adjust in strong winds as massive loads trap the knots.
Marina staff do a lot but anyone can miss something.
I'm sure they are trying their hardest maybe with reduced staff as no one wants to hear any complaints from their bertholders
 

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Good to hear that marinas are looking after our boats so well. When the lockout ends let’s celebrate our noble pontoon walkers with 5 minutes of air-horn blasts.
 
W
Stemar said:
In the current situation, when owners aren't even allowed in, I'd add changing of worn lines and the like
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That happens anyway in good marinas. They usually have a good stache of rope and fenders, some collected from rogue ones drifting and round.
Some may not even notice burst fenders and worn warps have been replaced by staff as it's all part of good customer service
 
I’ve had an email confirming all is well with my boat, along with a photograph showing her lying at her berth, under a blue sky, the water rippled by a gentle breeze, which, I think was supposed to be reassuring but just seems like torture. All the staff are still working and checking the pontoons.
 
I guess it comes down to the usual thing. Good marinas will continue to be good, poor ones will continue to be poor.

As for storms, I reckon all bets are off. If access to the pontoons is dangerous, I expect my boat to be on her own until things calm down, just as in normal times. The last thing I want to hear is that some unfortunate marina worker was injured or killed trying to keep my boat safe.
 
I totally agree about not putting lives at risk, but I don’t think for more than a heartbeat that expecting this had ever crossed the minds of the lovely people on this forum.

As for good, bad (and occasionally ugly) marina behaviour, someone once said “Sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes you must do what is required”. He was good in a crisis…
 
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