Places one can anchor for free and places one has to pay to anchor?

Is anchoring here free or paid for?

  • Free

    Votes: 21 95.5%

  • Paid for

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Total voters
    22
Tranona said:
That is simply unrealistic. Harbour dues have been in place for hundreds of years as parliament has established harbour authorities to manage and develop designated harbours. Why should you be exempt from paying to use the harbour?
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Because the harbour/esturary is a natural thing that does not need man to intervene.
 
mainsail1 said:
Because the harbour/esturary is a natural thing that does not need man to intervene.
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Most harbours on the South Coast depend on at least a degree of artificial maintenance to avoid silting up. Those that don't require regular checking of the position of navigable channels, and placement of buoys. On the East Coast, we are fortunate that much buoyage is maintained by local businesses such as marinas or clubs who see it as beneficial to their interests, and that the major ports are of course maintained by port authorities who aren't interested in small fry!

Yes, harbours are natural things, but they are also extremely ephemeral in geological terms, changing beyond recognition over historical periods, and even faster sometimes. The coastline of the south of England from the Solent to the English Channel was completely different in Roman times, well inland of its present posittion in many areas, with much of the SE of the Isle of Wight underwater! The Cinque Ports were ALL major commercial ports in the Middle Ages, but are now mostly well inland. Conversely, equally important places such as Dunwich are now beneath the waves.

We are fortunate so much of our coast is freely accessible, but don't let's fool ourselves that this is a right in places where some level of maintenance is required to allow continued use and access.
 
Apologies if it's mentioned in earlier posts but AFAIK anchoring in Plymouth and it's rivers is free and without harbour dues.
 
michael_w said:
Thieving so and sos in the Carrick Roads. Falmouth £10 ++ to lie to your own anchor. The 'Port of Truro' which takes 17 people to run a hole in the mud charges £5, but not if you are a local. Vote with your keel and go elsewhere.
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dont pay say your are ecercising your right to navigate.
 
mainsail1 said:
Because the harbour/esturary is a natural thing that does not need man to intervene.
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That is simply not true as AntarcticPilot explains in more detail.

Who do you think maintains it in terms of dredging, repairing river banks, dealing with storm damage, maintenance of navigation marks and so on, all of which you take advantage of.

There are natural harbours that do not have a management authority, but they are ephemeral and many disappear over the years - or appear, and of course many natural anchorages all of which are free to navigate.
 
robertj said:
prince charles
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But that is not the authority for harbour charges. Suggest you read the material on the subject on the RYA site. The harbour authorities are established by parliament to manage the harbour within its prescribed limits and has the authority to levy charges on users. Parts of the estuaries outside the authorities' limits will be managed by the Duchy or Crown as appropriate.
 
Tranona said:
That is simply unrealistic. Harbour dues have been in place for hundreds of years as parliament has established harbour authorities to manage and develop designated harbours. Why should you be exempt from paying to use the harbour?
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where did you get this information from? Is this the harbour dues for commercial shipping that youre talking bout?
Which Harbour authority do you work for?
 
Tranona said:
That is simply not true as AntarcticPilot explains in more detail.

Who do you think maintains it in terms of dredging, repairing river banks, dealing with storm damage, maintenance of navigation marks and so on, all of which you take advantage of.

There are natural harbours that do not have a management authority, but they are ephemeral and many disappear over the years - or appear, and of course many natural anchorages all of which are free to navigate.
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this is the Council tax payers?
 
Tranona said:
That is simply not true as AntarcticPilot explains in more detail.

Who do you think maintains it in terms of dredging, repairing river banks, dealing with storm damage, maintenance of navigation marks and so on, all of which you take advantage of.

I am not living in Roman times. I will use natural harbours that exist now. If they silt up to less than the amount my boat draws I will go elsewhere. I don't need jobsworths making harbours better for me. I don't need charges. Thanks.

There are natural harbours that do not have a management authority, but they are ephemeral and many disappear over the years - or appear, and of course many natural anchorages all of which are free to navigate.
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I don't live in Roman times. I am perfectly happy to take rivers and estuaries as I find them now. If they silt up I accept that. I will go where I can anchor without running aground. I am not interested in navigation buoys, they are for big ships. I do not want some jobsworth asking me for fees for something I did not want or ask him to do.
 
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mainsail1 said:
I don't live in Roman times. I am perfectly happy to take rivers and estuaries as I find them now. If they silt up I accept that. I will go where I can anchor without running aground. I am not interested in navigation buoys, they are for big ships. I do not want some jobsworth asking me for fees for something I did not want or ask him to do.
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Where I sail, navigation buoys are placed for yachts - and are essential to find your way through narrow and winding passages! The East Coast is rich in such places.
 
A friend with a Vivacity bilge keeler in Chichester is a teacher and each summer sails to Isles of Scilly and claims to have spent nothing on anchoring or mooring fees on at least two trips,apparently dried out at Exmouth the harbour master caught up with him but as he was just taking his dog ashore he was let off the fees .He was well aware of a lot of the anchorages I knew in the West Country.Most of these anchorages are in a good pilot book but are not always used very much even as lunch stops.
 
robertj said:
where did you get this information from? Is this the harbour dues for commercial shipping that youre talking bout?
Which Harbour authority do you work for?
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I don't work for any harbour authority - not that it makes any difference as it is all in the public domain. Nothing is new and the structures for managing harbours has been essentially the same for a very long time.

Just read the RYA document on the subject as I advised earlier and you will get the full picture.
 
mainsail1 said:
I don't live in Roman times. I am perfectly happy to take rivers and estuaries as I find them now. If they silt up I accept that. I will go where I can anchor without running aground. I am not interested in navigation buoys, they are for big ships. I do not want some jobsworth asking me for fees for something I did not want or ask him to do.
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You can draw up a long list of things you don't want or use from your local council, or even any other public service, but that does not allow you to not pay your council tax, or any specific charges for things you do use for which a separate fee is payable.

You are just wrong, much of the activity and services provided by harbour authorities is for the benefit of yachtsmen or other leisure users.

The person who collects the fees is a public servant and is legally entitled to collect them, just as you have a legal obligation to pay. You do not have any individual freedom to avoid these charges unless you also avid entering the harbour.
 
Tranona said:
I don't work for any harbour authority - not that it makes any difference as it is all in the public domain. Nothing is new and the structures for managing harbours has been essentially the same for a very long time.

Just read the RYA document on the subject as I advised earlier and you will get the full picture.
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so you dont know really? Sir Patrick Sinclair a top QC had a differing view to you.
 
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robertj said:
so you dont know really? Sir Patrick Sinclair a top QC had a differing view to you.
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What are you claiming I don't know? Sinclair's argument (which has not been successful) is based on a very different premise.

The role of harbour authorities and their rights to charge dues or for other services is well established and simply not controversial (although the latest proposals to increase their powers are). Read the document I referred you to and it will all become clear.

As I said earlier, this really is a non issue as in principle there is nothing new. The only issue is that some people dislike paying, and therefore it is useful to know in advance so that you can either be prepared for it, or you can choose not to go into that particular harbour. However, once you do, then you have no alternative but to pay. As the RYA advises, if you have concerns about any particular harbour's policy and charges, just ask the authority.
 
Tranona said:
But that is not the authority for harbour charges. Suggest you read the material on the subject on the RYA site. The harbour authorities are established by parliament to manage the harbour within its prescribed limits and has the authority to levy charges on users. Parts of the estuaries outside the authorities' limits will be managed by the Duchy or Crown as appropriate.
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Humm think that the Crown Estates often own the River Bed even where a Harbour Authority has been created, so the Harbour Authority lease the River Bed from the Crown Estates. In the West Country its Prince Charles as the Duchy of Cornwall's income.

As I understand it the Crown Estates and Duchy only own up to the Mean High Water mark, above that its the Councils foreshore / land. So often a Beach Up above the Mean High Water might be outside of above any Harbour Authority jurisdiction ? maybe ?
 
Capt Popeye said:
As I understand it the Crown Estates and Duchy only own up to the Mean High Water mark, above that its the Councils foreshore / land. So often a Beach Up above the Mean High Water might be outside of above any Harbour Authority jurisdiction ? maybe ?
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How long do you find you can stay at anchor for, above the mean high water mark?
 
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