Rafting Up Rudeness

[jac]

We were entering Newton River this saturday for the night. As usual there wasn't a free buoy so we located a suitable boat and prepared to raft up alongside. Seeing there was someone in the cockpit the crew asked permission for us to moor alongside to be told " We prefer our privacy."

We told sunburst that we'd find someone more hospitable and moored 2 boats along.

This was a visitors buoy where it is common to lie 2 to a buoy. What would you do?
ANd what could you do if that was the only available spot.

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[tony_brighton]

I'd probably make a sarcastic unhelpful reply along the lines of "I'm sure I'd prefer my privacy too but the HM says these buoys should take 2 boats"

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[colvic]

Have often seen boats displaying signs stating no rafting permitted. On the other side of the coin, a Cat of over 17mtrs. rafted against us ( 8mtrs) one night and caused no end of problems. Skipper was a German, drunk at the time, and the only way we could prevent him from sinking us was to call the Spanish authorities who sent the Guardia Civil along straight away.

They could see that he was drunk and gave him a real dressing down, and what really impressed us was that after we sailed off they phoned us every hour for four hours to see if he was following us and causing problems.

Stand by your rights.


Phil

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[gunnarsilins]

By asking for permission...

...you give the already moored vessel a possibility to make a choice.
And I beleive most of us WOULD prefer privacy, if given a choice! So the answer doesn´t surprise me.

I normally don´t ask for permission. If the marina/harbour is so crowded that rafting is the only possibility, I pick a suitable vessel and raft!
If there is someone on board I normally just tell them the fact that I intend to go alongside, and that´s it!
So far I never been rejected, and those which talk about leaving in the early hours, usually don't.....

And I expect others to do that alongside my boat, so when crowded I always prepare for the next boat in advance by hanging out fenders, move the dinghy out of way, etc.

I beleive rafting up, or not, is not an issue, it´s something we sometimes MUST do.
The real question is to raft up properly, with suitable mooring arrangements and fendering, and respecting your neighbours by not making unnecessary noice, not peep into cabins, not walk across other boats abaft the mast etc.

This is what you must expect from others when mooring in crowded spots, not to demand yourself solitude.

If seeking privacy, and expect to get it, a popular marina is the wrong spot to be in!



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[Peppermint]

Re: You\'ve come to the wrong place then chum NM

NM

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[alex_rogers]

I'm afraid I agree with the guy on the mooring. If there really is no alternative then rafting up is quite acceptable and this is always the case in marinas and town quays. But Newtown River has plenty of room to anchor, is very sheltered and I presume that the weather was completely settled.

I'd resent someone rafting up against me because they couldn't be bothered to anchor.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alex Rogers
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.YachtsAtSea.com> www.YachtsAtSea.com </A>

 

[Jacket]

Surely if he wants privacy he should anchor?

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[alex_rogers]

Yeh, probably. I'd prefer to give them the mooring and go off and anchor but that would look really rude.


<hr width=100% size=1>Alex Rogers
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.YachtsAtSea.com> www.YachtsAtSea.com </A>

 

[jimi]

I must admit I have a certain sympathy with this view. I was anchored in Newton Creek on Sat PM and left about 8pm. There was certainly plenty of room up on the left as well as quite a few boats anchored just outside. I assume that if some is going to somewhere like Newton Creek then they are going there for a bit of peace and quiet and I certainly would not wish to impose upon their privacy.

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[Peppermint]

Re: Find your own anchorage

The Solent is full of good anchoring spots that no one uses. If you want a bit of quiet I can't think of a harbour that I'd use on a summer weekend. Power Station Creek???

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[Viking]

Re: By asking for permission...

The Scandinavian way! In the harbours here, I dont mine rafting up or being rafted up too. Over here it remines me of UK (Cowes etc). What I do object to is the 'friends', usually drunk, or not who have no idea about how to behave crossing boats, black soled shoes, when they would not dream of entering someone house without taking their shoes off. I saw one chap climbing across the cockpits looking of someone. I had to put the deck brush between the mast and the baby stay to stop Norwegians walking between. I had to speak out a one guy even tried to move it, which was strange as the fore deck was clear, no jib sheets in the way or anything. I must go back to what I did in the UK, a couple of strips of matting which leads them from the stays and around the foredeck.

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[claymore]

Jamesie - ye've gang saft.
Whit aboot ra gurglin' cry o "Tough Shite ye spotty airsed pulgrum" whilst ye jump nimbly oer an grab a wee hondfu'o his mizziz left tittie an say ye've never anchored in yer life when there's sec a pretty wee thing ye cuid get alangside?
I find this works a treat and they leave soon after.
Hope this helps

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Claymore
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[Gunfleet]

Norwegian yobs

<<I had to put the deck brush between the mast and the baby stay to stop Norwegians walking between.>> This is an interesting area you've strayed into. We don't hear a lot of Norwegian yobs in Britain. Tell us some more and cheer us up!

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Norwegian yobs

Once stayed in a hotel somewhere (Aberdeen?) which had been pretty well trashed by Norwegian footie hooligans a week or two before. Once they get to the land of cheap (relatively) booze...

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[duncan]

Absolutely agree - if you are on a mooring buoy and it gets crowded you expect to be rafted to. If you don't wish to be then anchor.
Interestingly I have been chatting to the boss at the Banks Arms (trying to get to taste some of his top shelf rums!) and he states that his moorings are designed for 4 large boats and he expects patrons to raft - they are there for patrons so the more boats rafted the better his business is!
So if you arrive at Studland and you want to raft to a BA courtesy buoy just do it - any issues then use the phone number on the Buoy to resolve!

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[ponapay]

I have found Norwegians to

be delightful, charming and considerate BUT on one occasion -

We were trying to berth in Fair Isle, which before the new jetty wa very tight. There a a Swedish boat and a Norwegian boat alongside, with fenders out, we could see no-one on board so berthed alongside the Norwegian boat (he was just about the same size as us and the Swede was smaller).

When the owner returned he said we had to move off to anchor as he had children on board, and he did not like boats alongside. We pointed out to him that in UK it is normal for this to happen and that we had children too and presumed they might like to get together and that we would stay, or be happy to move inside him if he preferred that. We then got the 'I am sailing at 0400' story, again we repeated that it would be much better then if he was the outboard boat and would be delighted to help him move, after which we would offer him a whisky. He was still adamant that we should go to anchor.

At that point the Swede said he would be happy for us to come outside him.

The Swedish couple were charming and thoroughly enjoyed the whisky. They were apologetic about their Scandinavian cousins and said it was most unusual behaviour and were suspicious about the Norwegian couple.

In all my 50 years of sailing this was about the worst case of 'I am here first and its my harbour' that I have come across. So unusual to find it in Scotland too.

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[Gunfleet]

I feel as if I\'m reading Riddle of the Sands

<<They were apologetic about their Scandinavian cousins and said it was most unusual behaviour and were suspicious about the Norwegian couple>>

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[Peppermint]

Re:Now your Norwegian..

might not be used to the crowds that we get around these shores. You can bat about Norway to your hearts content without having to cram in anywhere with your fellow man.

If you thought he was bad you ought to see some of the chinless wonders you get around the Solent. One guy had a varnished and goldleaf sign that said "No Mooring By Order of the Harbourmaster" that seemed to work in any harbour.

I still like the guy who carried a few grey looking nappies and hung them on the guardrails to discourage the others.

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[jimi]

Now the real rationale for my smelly bog ...

.. when I see an approaching rafter, I just give the loo a couple of pumps ...

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[Metabarca]

Re: Now the real rationale for my smelly bog ...

... surely, Jimi, south of the border all you need do is pump up your bagpipes and let out a strangled squeak or two...

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html</A>