Mooring question. Who is correct here ?

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Oscarpop

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We are currently anchored in a recognised anchorage in the Bahamas. Been here a few days.

We have been in this anchorage about ten times over the last month.

There is an unoccupied mooring ball about 20 metres away. It’s been unoccupied every time we’ve been here. There are no other mooring balls, so it’s not a mooring field

Today a 12 m yacht took the ball and then the owner rowed over asked told us to move as we were too close to her.

Who needs to move? Us or her.
 
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If it's her mooring ball then I think that you would have to move if you are too close to her. If you believe that you're not too close then you don't have to move, of course, but it will be your problem if there's a coming together in the middle of the night.

If it's not her mooring ball and she's just using it without permission, then you don't have to do anything. However, if she says that she has the permission of the owner to use it then it's going to be difficult to argue that she hasn't. :ambivalence:

Richard
 
RichardS said:
If it's her mooring ball then I think that you would have to move if you are too close to her. If you believe that you're not too close then you don't have to move, of course, but it will be your problem if there's a coming together in the middle of the night.

If it's not her mooring ball and she's just using it without permission, then you don't have to do anything. However, if she says that she has the permission of the owner to use it then it's going to be difficult to argue that she hasn't. :ambivalence:

Richard
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Sounds about right and gives an idea of whose fault it would be if things went wrong but who needs all the hassle? If I thought I was too close Id just move and sleep easy.
 
Oscarpop said:
Erm she was bloody rude, so I may not have been overly accommodating with my initial reply
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In that case, you might tell her that you are she self-evidently formed the view that she is too close to you. And she did, after all, put her vessel where it now is. Should your vessels subsequently collide, you will pass this information to her insurer, who will no doubt determine that she was reckless.

You might also feign engine trouble. ;)
 
If both boats were anchored they would generally move in unison under the influence of tide or wind. However, a mooring is going to move much less, so an anchored boat would swing into a moored one. If it were me, I would check the circumference of my swinging circle and , for peace of mind, make whatever adjustment is necessary.
 
In a bizarre way by posting this you have now taken on a responsibility you would not otherwise have had. If I admit I was (or could be) on a colission course but did nothing about it I would be culpable.
 
If you think there is any chance that your boat might hit hers then you should move, or are you expecting her to move her mooring buoy? are you hoping she will up and leave the bay thereby leaving you in peace like you have had it many times before?
If she is tied to a mooring buoy her circle is going to be much smaller than yours, so it would be your boat bashing into hers, are you prepared to take the risk of damage, possible sinking , loss of life? just because you were there first, I think a court would take a very dim view, but now you have posted the question here, it shows that you are aware of the danger, so you actually have to move now. She was worried enough to take the trouble to row out to you to alert you, is she the unreasonable one?
 
Oscarpop said:
Today a 12 m yacht took the ball and then the owner rowed over asked told us to move as we were too close to her.

Who needs to move? Us or her.
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I'm amazed there's even a discussion on this. You anchored too close to a mooring buoy and are preventing its use. The best case is that the other boat is a visitor like yourself. In any other case you're just going to look a complete pratt.

And if you are arguing with the owner of the mooring, it'll be best to remember that that implies she's a local. Beware of how small communities operate. She could quite possibly be on speaking terms with the local harbourmaster, copper and even the magistrate.
 
I would move. That said...

The ground under a mooring is normally not "owned" and normally no permit was required. By placing the mooring you have permanently laid claim to a 200-foot circle, just because you can. (In mooring fields where permits and ownership is involved that is completely different.)

Let's look at it in a different way. She does not own the bottom and has no particular claim to the real estate. She could anchor just as easily as the OP, then move to the mooring later. Unless it is the Queen Mary, didn't the moored boat create the potential for a foul mooring by connecting to the mooring when there was not enough space?

I'd have to see case law on that one to understand it. Why do I fuss? I can think of many coves near my home where someone has plopped down a mooring with the idea of reserving a space, rather like using lawn chairs to reserve a parking space.
 
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I understand your anger and annoyance, but probably your best course of action is to take the moral high ground, by upping anchor, swinging by and apologising with big friendly smiles then anchoring some distance off.
This will deflect any bad karma arising from the situation from you to them. Let it go, life's too short...

(I like Thinwaters' take on the situation though)
 
As said much depends on the legality of the mooring location. Around here the state claims all the water and then gives a licence to boat owners to put down a mooring. For about 300squid per year. So a mooring owner definitely claims ownership of all water pertaining to his boat size and swing. Now around here it is illegal (with a penalty) for a non registered boat to tie up to some else’s mooring. Though many do for a picnic. So if the new boat is an imposter on the mooring then they may or may not have a claim.
So first off if OP wants to press this matter he needs to find out about the conditions for putting down the mooring and its use. Assuming no body knows or cares then it could be claimed that the mooring owner put it down first so you should move. Certainly it would be simplest for you to move your anchor. Just forget the rudeness and move on. Or snatch the mooring next time it is vacant. olewill
 
William_H said:
... Assuming no body knows or cares then it could be claimed that the mooring owner put it down first so you should move....
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I'm sorry, but that is the "lawn chair" reservation system that 3rd graders use. "I claimed dibs."

If you have a permit, then you have rights. No permit, well, you might just need to anchor if folks are too close, because you have no special right unless you were ON the mooring first. Seriously, if you just dropped a mooring somewhere, without a permit, wouldn't you be embarrassed to make a claim of special rights? I would. It would feel grammar schoolish.
 
lpdsn said:
I'm amazed there's even a discussion on this. You anchored too close to a mooring buoy and are preventing its use. The best case is that the other boat is a visitor like yourself. In any other case you're just going to look a complete pratt.

And if you are arguing with the owner of the mooring, it'll be best to remember that that implies she's a local. Beware of how small communities operate. She could quite possibly be on speaking terms with the local harbourmaster, copper and even the magistrate.
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I agree no point in the posting , move and be done with, I bet it took you longer to get you PC out log on here and write the posting then to re anchor. Who care if she owns it or not what you don't want is to wake up at 0200 in the morning and find your kissing her.
 
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