Next Controversy over Bouys and Moorings

[Kukri]

Going astern whenever you anchor is still something that I find odd; doing so on a mooring that you have just helped yourself to is outrageous.

 

[A1Sailor]

Going astern whenever you anchor is still something that I find odd; doing so on a mooring that you have just helped yourself to is outrageous.

It means you don't need to row so far to get ashore.

 

[Graham376]

The tradition is, if your mooring (whether private, club or whatever) in a public navigation, you have effectively deprived the public of navigating in that space, and the payback is it's available for considerate temporary borrowing, but the borrower must clear off promptly on your return.
Trouble is, our society has become so atomised and consumer orientated, people have forgotten how to share, and that their 'private' mooring is in a public space. (They probably even think they own the road, too!)

So, your boat is on your mooring and I decide to use it and go for a sail as it's in a public area, how would feel about that? Many of us actually own our moorings and have to pay for all maintenance.

 

[LittleSister]

So, your boat is on your mooring and I decide to use it and go for a sail as it's in a public area, how would feel about that? Many of us actually own our moorings and have to pay for all maintenance.

I'd feel good - sharing our hobby. The moorings and maintenance have to be paid anyway, so it's no additional cost to me at all.

 

[ShinyShoe]

So, your boat is on your mooring and I decide to use it and go for a sail as it's in a public area, how would feel about that? Many of us actually own our moorings and have to pay for all maintenance.

I think the argument is you don't (usually) own the sea bed. You may be renting it.

But... If you park a truck on my driveway and damage it... Who is responsible. That seems to be the fundamental question.

If you are a delivery driver delivering to my house. How do you know if the driveway can take the weight? That also seems to be the question!

I know several people who use RIBs on moorings. They won't have massive ground weights etc. How would you know? If I label my mooring max 2GT, and you are 4GT I'd expect if you borrow it and it fails all liability for the damage is with you. But, if you were 1GT and it broke have I increased any liability I had? Did I have any?

 

[ShinyShoe]

I'd feel good - sharing our hobby. The moorings and maintenance have to be paid anyway, so it's no additional cost to me at all.

But does the maintenance increase if it's being "abused"

Maybe there should be a QR code for donations

 

[Graham376]

I'd feel good - sharing our hobby. The moorings and maintenance have to be paid anyway, so it's no additional cost to me at all.

I was talking about using your boat which, based on your previous argument, should be OK with you.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Trouble is, our society has become so atomised and consumer orientated, people have forgotten how to share, and that their 'private' mooring is in a public space.

I pay rent for the space taken up by my mooring.

 

[LittleSister]

I pay rent for the space taken up by my mooring.

But only to the owner of the sea/river bed, not to the public for their impinged right of navigation.

 

[Elessar]

Agreed - a good policy

In little boats yes.

 

[Kukri]

I used to have a mooring, with the name and Thames tonnage painted on the buoy, and if someone were kind enough to keep the strop clean by using it when I was away I was very happy about that.

Now I rent a space in a marina and I’m perfectly happy for other people to use it if I’m not there.

 

[Seajet]

When investigating ' Environmentally Friendly Moorings ' for BORG it was obvious any public mooring - even conventional ones that work - runs the risk, one never knows if the previous occupant was a big boat in a gale, and the thing is holding on by its eyebrows.

I asked my insurers their opinion of this situation -

" and what value boats might be using such a mooring ? "

' well Sunseekers' yard is nearby so say a few £ million '

" click brrrr "

 

[Daydream believer]

That’s what I have been doing for the last 50 years. Always obeying the “rule” of being prepared to scarper at once if the mooring’s owner came back.

I honestly think that I have dropped a mooring and moved no more than a couple of times in the last half century, but I have spent endless hours worrying if the boat coming up river might be the one that the mooring belongs to...

It would be awfully nice if there were often room to anchor within regular dinghy range of a landing place. However..

So you want to be in dinghy range of a landing place? I can understand that, It is nice to pull up row ashore for a pint or two---- but how does that fit in with, "Always obeying the “rule” of being prepared to scarper at once if the mooring’s owner came back."? Which is a good one & to be admired.
Now you have said " anchor" so you are excused . But some use a mooring & go ashore. That is when it can become an issue & people tend to do it near a landing place precisely for that reason, so they can disappear for an hour or more & leave the boat to block a mooring

 

[ShinyShoe]

Now I rent a space in a marina and I’m perfectly happy for other people to use it if I’m not there.

The difference being:
- any damage they do will not be yours to fix
- if you return and it (your usual space) is in use the marina will find you a new space. (Perhaps even move your boat back for you when the space becomes free)
- the "guest" isn't using your space for free, and you can't use theirs in return for free. The marinas will charge both of you!

 

[lw395]

The difference being:
- any damage they do will not be yours to fix
- if you return and it (your usual space) is in use the marina will find you a new space. (Perhaps even move your boat back for you when the space becomes free)
- the "guest" isn't using your space for free, and you can't use theirs in return for free. The marinas will charge both of you!

In most harbours, it's not so different.
The harbour is regulated by act of parliament or whatever giving the harbour authority responsibility for it. That authority rents out mooring spaces to 'permanent' boats and charges harbour dues to visitors much the same as a marina does..

The public's 'right of navigation' is probably modified by the harbour authority's right to charge.

Maybe different if you're sticking in an unregulated mooring off the shore somewhere outside of any established harbour, but AIUI, even some little rivers which haven't seen commercial traffic for many decades, and might not even be navigable, the parish or someone has the right to charge.

 

[Kukri]

So you want to be in dinghy range of a landing place? I can understand that, It is nice to pull up row ashore for a pint or two---- but how does that fit in with, "Always obeying the “rule” of being prepared to scarper at once if the mooring’s owner came back."? Which is a good one & to be admired.
Now you have said " anchor" so you are excused . But some use a mooring & go ashore. That is when it can become an issue & people tend to do it near a landing place precisely for that reason, so they can disappear for an hour or more & leave the boat to block a mooring

The going ashore by dinghy of some of the crew, if one is borrowing a mooring, should not mean that the boat is left unable to shift...

 

[ProDave]

I agree. A couple of years ago I was looking to spend the night in Cromarty Firth - well outside my 'normal' area. The local club has a couple of buoys for visitors, but looking at the local yachts they were all considerably lighter than me - <30ft, against my (heavy) 36ft. I decided to anchor.

Both the Cromarty and Invergordon moorings I believe are individual moorings not a trot mooring system and are privately owned but collectively maintained by the clubs. You would have to contact the clubs or individuals for details.

There are Trot moorings at Fortrose in the Moray Firth that include visitor moorings that are rated for up to 6 ton and max 12M LOA with a small fee payable to Chanonry Sailing Club.

 

[JumbleDuck]

But only to the owner of the sea/river bed, not to the public for their impinged right of navigation.

Should I be paying rent to "the public" for preventing them from playing tennis on the land where my house is built?

 

[Old Bumbulum]

Last year I was ‘borrowing’ a mooring at Wrabness on the Stour when the owner of the mooring turned up in his boat. I apologised and made ready to depart but he said “no problem, I’ll just grab another for the night”. As long as you stay on the boat and ready to move on if requested I see no reason why picking up a mooring is such an affront to decency. Is this an east coast vs south coast thing? I’m pretty sure it’s considered ok round here, very commonly done.

I had a similar event last season but with the opposite reaction. My alternator belt failed motoring up the Orwell so I rolled out the jib and sailed onto a buoy (which had a nice long floating tail) and set to work.
Sure enough there I was , arse in the air down below, covered in black filth when I was hailed by the owner in a not at all friendly voice. He didn't sound too happy but I explained I had a breakdown and was engineless. He just shrugged so I replied, holding up my filthy hands and the broken belt that it would take me ten minutes or so to clean up and get under sail. His body language was pissed-off to put it mildly while his wife was clearly trying to persuade him that the poor chap had a breakdown and was presumably batting for my side, but he just ignored her and bristled. I got going in rather less than ten and as I dropped his mooring he was pointedly coming up astern much closer than was necessary no doubt to indicate his displeasure at being delayed. I got a wave off his wife but he studiously ignored me as I sailed up to the next mooring and snagged that.
Although it was of course his mooring I did think it a bit uncaring to shove someone with a breakdown off it when he could so easily just have come alongside and let me do my repairs unmolested.

 

[Kukri]

When I found someone on my mooring I came gently alongside, with fenders, and assured them that they were welcome to stay, but I had to get home.