Moonlight flits

[WhatHove]

Where do forumite sympathies lie in the story of the fella blackmailed into sending a postal order to the PBO office after being 'grassed up' by a fellow yottie for skipping a mooring fee?



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[mikewilkes]

Good God man you are British. If you owe it pay it! If you cant afford to pay your dues then get out of the sport.



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Ceum ur

 

[WhatHove]

Quite, but has it now become 'British' to tell tales..?

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[AlexL]

Think its a damn good idea. the money is for the RNLI.
"Diver" Magazine has a regualar monthly feature with stories of general bad 'eggness' ,dodgy behaviour and general ineptitude with a 'name and shame' the following month unless a fine (usually 5 or 10 quid) is sent to the RNLI. Keeps people honest and also makes for a generally humorous 'confessional' type read.

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[Evadne]

It was all terribly polite and civilised, wasn't it? No names, no pack drill. Even down to the offender sending an anonymous postal order for the mooring fees. I do think some HMs make a rod for their own backs by not collecting promptly, or sometimes at all, but that doesn't excuse deliberately trying to avoid paying. After all the fewer that do pay, the higher the fees will have to be.

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[StugeronSteve]

This season I have had two occasions to sling my hook before there was anyone on hand to pay. The first "moonlight flit" was from a very expensive S. Coast marina, when I phoned, to "fess up" and pay by credit card, they thanked me for my honesty and suggested that, as I had arrived after their office closed, and departed before it had re-opened, I should have a free stay. The second occasion was in a busy little Solent harbour, where we overnighted rafted out on a floating pontoon and never went ashore. They were obviously slightly surprised to receive my call, but took the money.

Personally, I don't think a free night anywhere is worth finding yourself to be unwelcome on a subsequent visit.

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[Talbot]

Believe that the name and shame section of the diver magazine has been a positive factor in trying to maintain standards in a sport. If your own sense of honour is not quite enough to get you to do the correct thing, then the addition of a bit of reinforcement by the possibility of being exposed as a scoundrel might just tip the balance.

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[Gunfleet]

Swings and roundabouts

Sometimes it can't be helped. Some years ago I arrived in Boulogne as the office was closing and departed before it opened in the morning. What should I have done? On the other hand those b******rs at Ramsgate sent me an invoicel for one night's stay about six months after a few days there. I was sure I had paid up to date and checked with the pontoon dues collector before I left, but Ramsgate insisted I hadn't. Who holds onto their visitor's dues dockets overwinter? I didn't used toback then so I paid them.

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[dralex]

So how about in Winter. I had a night up the Dart recently and didn't even see any harbour authority boats out, despite arriving at 1500 and levaing next day at 1000. Should we send out mooring fees to them? I spoke to one of the head honchos and it turns out the DHNA don't work at weekends in the Winter because it's obviously not worth their while

I'm certainly not condoning special tactics to evade payment, but if the usual payment method is to a person in a boat and they don't come up to you to ask, then where does that leave us? If the normal procedure is to go ashore, there is less excuse, but if the office is closed, then fair dos. On a lighter note, I can never imagine the Salcombe authorities letting anyone get away without paying- they'll find you wherever you hide on the inlet.

<hr width=100% size=1>Just enjoy it.

 

[Becky]

We tied up to a buoy in Fowey, with the harbour master's launch helping us with the aft line, and left the next day without paying; their was no-one to pay. But when we wanted to leave Falmouth visitor's marina, and the office was shut, we poked a cheque through the harbour office letterbox. Do we get any brownie points for being 1/2 honest?

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[Magic_Sailor]

Across your tuts

Peter Cooke and Dudley More - anyone remember

Magic

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://practical-business.co.uk>Click for website!</A>

 

[PeteMcK]

More roundabouts

Was hit with an invoice for three months last year from a marina my boat's never entered in all her 25 years. (All I'd done was ask them for a quote!)

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[Benbow]

oh jeeeeesus chriiiiist almiiiiity ?

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[AndrewB]

Re: Swings and roundabouts

I've had similar trouble with Ramsgate. About 4 years ago we stayed there for 8 days (!) and were charged for 7, being told this was a weekly discount - fairly standard practice. Six months later an invoice for one extra day arrived. Although I confirmed we'd paid what we'd been asked, they will not let it go, a reminder arrives 2/3 times a year.

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[Sans Bateau]

Re: Swings and roundabouts

On preparing to leave Cowes Yacht Haven, very early, a couple of years ago I looked everywhere for someone to pay, calling them on the radio did not raise a response. So with no option we decided to go. We must have been well past the ISC when I heard a distant cry, STOP!! I heard, as I looked around there was a RIB following us, yes to collect our overnight mooring fee! If I could have got the cruising chute up I may have outrun him, but allas 'I was 'ad'

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[Sgeir]

re "anyone remember",

Yes, but this is a family show, and I reckon it may have been pre-Pete'n'Dud.

I first read it carved into a desk at the Charles Trevelyan college in Newcastle c. 1970 (night classes -ETP). Not an expert in ancient carvings, but looked as though the desk was older than the college.

<hr width=100% size=1>I had a very nice link until Kim told us off about it. I'm not bitter mind.

 

[mikewilkes]

Its down to " Can you sleep at night if you have ripped somebody off ? "
Sorry Becky I guess I am old fashioned - as well as just old I guess. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif



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Ceum ur

 

[Robin]

Re: Swings and roundabouts

We were sent a bill by the (outer) marina in St Malo years back, fortunately I still had the receipts from Jersey to prove we were there when they accused us of being in St Malo still. I wrote a very polite letter to them (in French too) pointing out their mistake but never received an apology. The following year they did the same thing said we had been there 5 days and paid for 3, once again I had the Jersey receipts tp prove we were there, no apology again. We have not been back since.

This year we had a free night in Perros Guirec, we arrived very early morning and were on board all morning and much of the afternoon but no one came as they usually do to collect. We went three times to the Capitanerie to pay but it was all locked up, no sign to say 'back in 10 minutes' or any indication when they would be there. They were still locked up when we went ashore for dinner and again next morning when we left at 0730 and even the lock operator had disappeared -we were ready to pass him the money! I figured I had done my best.

The name and shame thing is fine in principle except that there are several copy cats with our (part 1 registered) name, one of which is 'named' on the blackboard at Hayles as non payers and another is a charter boat that drives Solent CG crazy with bad radio procedure. Fortunately the Hayles one gives a length much smaller than us so it is obviously not us the finger is pointed at.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[deborahann]

well not on "my" boat, but we got away with one night free at salcombe recently, we got there & we were greeted with "be round am to collect your fee". we slept in, but no one came so we left. It will probably be the one and only time we ever visit salcombe without paying a penny. Have previously got ripped off there by purchasing not very necessary things in the salcombe supermarket so I can use cash back, only to be told they don't do it.

Anyway, we both paid at weymouth (for the same boat/night) & didn't ask for a refund. so we ain't all bad.



<hr width=100% size=1>deborah on delft.
Nothing to do with Mucky Farter or hlb in drag

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Mixed feelings

This year we had three nights at Aberdovey in North Wales. Two of them stormbound. We had a horrible stay with cause for me to call up the HM twice, once when we were hit by two dinghy booms as they were racing and the other to complain about a MOBO which past us at full chat within about 5 yds.

Fair do's to the HM who shot off and apprehended the culprits, the MOBO subsequently apologised and accepted that he was far too close. One of the dinghies accepted and apologised, the other denied hitting us, even though I had had an argument with him from our foredeck the moment it happened.

So a pretty poor and stressful stay. Because of the strong westerlies we limited our dinghy trips ashore to essentials or weather windows. We left on the afternoon tide of the third day. I had tried twice at the office but no one was about.

Just before leaving the HM called me on 12 and asked my intentions, I said I was leaving and had tried to pay, he had been on beach patrol most of the afternoon apparently. I said I would send a cheque when I got home, which I did just over a week later.

Now had someone seen me, they might have joined this vigil ante cause and thought I was skipping town. Would I have as well as taken the time to send the cheque also written to a boating mag, to explain the circumstances, what if I did not subscribe?

If they want this, it should be the harbour masters who contact the press? How in hell do other 'better than now' yachties know the circumstances as to why a charge has not been paid.

This is typical of if I have to pay then so should you, sulks that happen in this country, I think a fair scheme would be to name and shame the petty little grasses that this sport is seeming to spurn.

Rant over...........

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