Mooring costs?

[oldharry]

I am out of date with this now - but around England it's nigh on impossible to lay a NEW mooring ( ' additional obstruction on seabed ' or similar, part of the MCZ nonsense ) - ok to use an old position even if it's on some scruffy harbour diagram 200 years old.

Old Harry - the real one from Chichester - is the man who knows the rules and where they apply.

Seajet is right: If you are in area controlled by a statutory harbour authority you have to have the HM's permission and comply with his requirements. Anywhere else you have to have permission from the owner of the seabed, usually but not always Crown Estates. You may actually have to lease the mooring site from the owner, at a price: mine costs me £250 a year for a licence to lay a mooring. You then have to have an environmental impact assessment, which costs £250, then apply to the MMO for a license to lay the mooring. They may impose other conditions. They may specify an Eco-Friendly Mooring. If so ask them what type they recommend. As things stand they will quickly lift that condition as if it fails they would be liable!

Where the seabed is owned usually by an estate, such as Beaulieu then the owner can set pretty well any conditions and charges he wishes. Get local advice.

I understand things are a good deal more simple and sensible in Scotland!

While there is a right to anchor anywhere, it has been proved in the courts that we have no right to lay a new mooring. To the strict letter of the law you can not even re-lay an existing mooring that has been lifted for maintenance unless the permissions and licences are in place. Eventually all existing private moorings in uncontrolled waters will have to be licensed to MMO. Last I heard that was someway down the road though!

 

[Kelpie]

I take it there is case law defining what constitutes a mooring rather than anchoring? Any pointers on this?

 

[Seajet]

I should think the dumbest observor or juror could after a little instruction tell the difference between a mooring sinker made to stay put on the seabed, and an anchor capable of being lifted aboard.

 

[Kelpie]

Well the key bit could well be 'capable of being lifted aboard'. But I would be surprised if there wasn't case law giving some kind of actual definition.
It's not as if it's impossible for a boat to lift and carry its own mooring gear. Just depends on the boat and the gear.

 

[NotBirdseye]

The 'legal' definition is a touch weird so weird that I expect instead of taking their own definition they'll defer to the RYA or other officially appointed organizations with expert witnesses to define what it is.

Anchoring in law is defined as "paying duty by owners of ships for the use of the haven when they cast anchor". (Blacks Law dictionary). An anchorage is where you pay tax in other words. Most judges acknowledge the change of terminology however.

Judge Kitchen R v Lewis effectively provides the decision of which constitutes or the other (and has been referenced in maritime courts around the world):

"There is a common law right to navigation which includes the incidental right to anchor. This is not a right to anchor or moor permanently but it must be exercised reasonably as determined by the circumstances at the time of anchoring such as the weather, loading or unloading of the vessel, or the need for repairs to the vessel. The right to anchor therefore contemplates the right to do so for a reasonable time, for a reasonable purpose. Both the right to navigation and the right to anchor must not be exercised so as to interfere with the equal rights of others. These rights to navigate and anchor have paramountcy and can only be modified or extinguished by an authorizing statute."

If you can lift your own mooring gear aboard, arguably, it is not a permanent mooring and is thereby, albeit oversized, still an anchor. The issue is with intent. If you intend to keep it there for a period of time longer than say a few days, it will be considered to be permanent whether that's a 15kg Danforth or a 1 Tonne block of concrete.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The tackle is not bad. In Somerset river axe for a trot its 200m of heavy warp. (16mm for my 5 ton boat - chain prohibited), 6 large scrap tyres and 10 bags of premix plus some heavy heavy old chain. About £300 total excluding mooring buoy. Swinging mooring tackle is single great big lump so much less.

We did our own renewal but at 70 I'm getting past moving that lot through waist deep mud and sadly there is no one here who does the work for us - which is an issue as my mooring now non viable due to bank and stream bed change. Happily my other club for other boat does the work themselves. I guess if there was any commercial organisation doing it I would expect then to charge about a days labour and supply the sinkers. Maybe £700.

But as others have said tightening regulation plus the crown greed for rent (Thanks to Henry 7) you cant lay moorings wherever you like

 

[Kelpie]

The 'legal' definition is a touch weird so weird that I expect instead of taking their own definition they'll defer to the RYA or other officially appointed organizations with expert witnesses to define what it is.

Anchoring in law is defined as "paying duty by owners of ships for the use of the haven when they cast anchor". (Blacks Law dictionary). An anchorage is where you pay tax in other words. Most judges acknowledge the change of terminology however.

Judge Kitchen R v Lewis effectively provides the decision of which constitutes or the other (and has been referenced in maritime courts around the world):

"There is a common law right to navigation which includes the incidental right to anchor. This is not a right to anchor or moor permanently but it must be exercised reasonably as determined by the circumstances at the time of anchoring such as the weather, loading or unloading of the vessel, or the need for repairs to the vessel. The right to anchor therefore contemplates the right to do so for a reasonable time, for a reasonable purpose. Both the right to navigation and the right to anchor must not be exercised so as to interfere with the equal rights of others. These rights to navigate and anchor have paramountcy and can only be modified or extinguished by an authorizing statute."

If you can lift your own mooring gear aboard, arguably, it is not a permanent mooring and is thereby, albeit oversized, still an anchor. The issue is with intent. If you intend to keep it there for a period of time longer than say a few days, it will be considered to be permanent whether that's a 15kg Danforth or a 1 Tonne block of concrete.

Thanks, interesting and not entirely unsurprising. So it seems that it's not a case of what you've got, it's how you use it that counts.

 

[ducked]

Been rummaging around the local club websites. For some of them individual owners are responsible for their own ground tackle, and they offer advice on suitable gear and layout.

Differs quite a bit, I suppose due to a mixture of local conditions and local opinions. In particular, opinion differs widely on SS chain.

Railway wheels, and truck or tractor tyres full of concrete, seem popular sinkers, despite the implied disapproval of the latter expressed above.


Mooring Guides

Dalgetty Bay

DBSC Mooring Guidance Updated January 24 V1.3.docx

"The approximate cost of materials for a mooring is £350-£500 but the club or another member may have parts that you can purchase to reduce cost. An annual mooring fee is payable to the Crown Estates (currently £55 p.a.) which is collected by the club and means you don’t get charged the full fee of £110"

Limekilns

https://forthcruisingclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/hints-on-moorings.pdf2023/24

Prices

Chain

12 mm @ £6.50 per metre
16 mm @ £10.00 per metre
Shackle
13 x 16 mm @ £3.50 each
16 x 19 mm @ £5.00 each

Aberdour.

Seems most detailed. They seem to favour stainless chain for the final link to the boat. I THINK this is to reduce wear due to stretch, and I also think I've seen low strech synthetic (dynema?) suggested elsewhere for the same reason.

In that case a rubber or spring based snubber might be indicated to reduce shock loads.

http://aberdourboatclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BayMoor-guide-checked-and-updated-2020.pdf

 

[B27]

Stainless chain over the bow is probably to avoid rust stains on your GRP?
Do find out what nearby people find works well.
Some places you will need a swivel to avoid the mooring winding up tight.