Should you stop halyards frapping on neighbouring boats?

[clyst]

I'm considering carting around a dead seagull if I should come across one; then if I get some 24 carat twerp with a rattling screeching windgen next to me, in goes the seagull...act of nature, silence restored.

Readers of Uffa Fox will recognise the inspiration from the 'cyclist on the footpath' incident...

I would just add that the majority of windgens are fine, it's the ones with shot bearings from being left going 24/7 which are antisocial.

As a liveaboard my genny is running 24/7 in marinas and its a big 3 blader . I'm afraid if it was a seagull for me it would be a bloody nose for you .I rely heavily on the genny . The freezer gobbles up leccy. use marina leccy ?? Not likely not at those prices .

 

[snowleopard]

I once tied up in Cherbourg harbour at 1 am after a 20 hour passage (a long story). I omitted to tie off the main halyard and it banged against the mast all night but I was so knackered I slept through it. The following morning a snotty English neighbour gave me an earful. I apologised and handed him a bag of freshly baked croissants as he left. He accepted though with ill grace.

 

[Danny Jo]

I once tied up in Cherbourg harbour at 1 am after a 20 hour passage (a long story). I omitted to tie off the main halyard and it banged against the mast all night but I was so knackered I slept through it. The following morning a snotty English neighbour gave me an earful. I apologised and handed him a bag of freshly baked croissants as he left. He accepted though with ill grace.

May I take it that you would have preferred your snotty English neighbour to have tied off your halyard for you, and spared you the earful?

Edit in the cold hard light of sobriety: Sorry Snowleopard, the above comes across as rather aggressive. I hope you'll accept my assurance that it wasn't typed in that spirit - I was attempting to ask whether you were for or against people climbing onto other people's yachts to frap halyards.

 

[Sailfree]

When we first bought a new boat I berthed one night at parkstone YC marina.

We went to the clubhouse. Next morning I discovered someone had frapped my halyards.

Only owning a Wayfarer before then I was unaware of the need to silance the boat.

By that persons kind intervention I learnt a lesson and always keep a quiet ship now.

 

[dharl]

When we first bought a new boat I berthed one night at parkstone YC marina.

We went to the clubhouse. Next morning I discovered someone had frapped my halyards.

Only owning a Wayfarer before then I was unaware of the need to silance the boat.

By that persons kind intervention I learnt a lesson and always keep a quiet ship now.

could have been my father....when he kept a sail boat at PYC he would often save other boats halyards from destroying them selves by frapping them if needed. He always carrys round suitable old sail tyes in his jacket pocket..just incase. Still does even though he has gone to the darkside with a mobo!

Its not just a noise which can be annoying (part of being on a boat in s marina) but also its seamanlike to frap them to stop the nose and stop them causing any damage!

 

[Robin]

When we first bought a new boat I berthed one night at parkstone YC marina.

We went to the clubhouse. Next morning I discovered someone had frapped my halyards.

Only owning a Wayfarer before then I was unaware of the need to silance the boat.

By that persons kind intervention I learnt a lesson and always keep a quiet ship now.

It wasn't me guv 'onest!

I've never tied any off in PYC, but I have readjusted fenders a few times when boats were suffering in bad weather and tied up a couple of roller genoas. We don't generally suffer from noisy wind generators from members, and visitors are usually (politely) asked by the marina manager to tie off any noisy ones. As you know now, the club has rules about noisy halyards and does sort them and charge if needs be, not so much because of members complaints but to keep the residents of millionaires row happy.

 

[snooks]

If I hear a slapping halyard on someone else's yacht, I leave it.
It's doing me no harm, and I'm not bothered by it.

Why to people feel the need to be self appointed noise police?

My neighbours at home often have their grandchildren over. The kids play in the garden when it's sunny, they can sometimes be loud and screamy, but I've never felt the need to jump over the fence and gag them.

 

[capnsensible]

If I hear a slapping halyard on someone else's yacht, I leave it.
It's doing me no harm, and I'm not bothered by it.

Why to people feel the need to be self appointed noise police?

My neighbours at home often have their grandchildren over. The kids play in the garden when it's sunny, they can sometimes be loud and screamy, but I've never felt the need to jump over the fence and gag them.

 

[Seajet]

Snooks,

screaming kids are just about tolerable in daytime, but they don't usually go on all night, and at home one is probably not trying to sleep before an early start with the tide.

If people have such a poor system they need to run windgens, fine in daytime but noisy ones should be tied off at night.

The poster here who thinks he would give me a bloody nose for interfacing a dead seagull with his noisy windgen presumably is poised above the self - destruct button on the boat if the wind drops, as surely that means all is lost and it's not worth carrying on in this world...same goes apparently for people having to strain themselves clipping halliards to sensible places or frapping them

 

[snooks]

[SJ, wind gens are a different thread]

Back to halyards......

If you're motoring on a windless night and you go off watch, do you ask your crew to cut the engine so you can go to sleep?

No you sleep though it.


A diesel engine thudding 6 inches from my head will make far more noise than a wind gen, slapping halyard etc all put together. Yet I can still sleep....so why is the sound of a thick bit of string tapping an aluminium tube so abhorrent?

That's not to say I leave my halyards clapping like a round of applause, I don't. All my halyards are kept away from the mast but if people leave their hayards slapping, who am I to interfere with their yacht?

 

[pagoda]

I do it all the time on unattended boats!

+1

I always eyeball other boats on the way to our berth. If I see something minor amiss, I'd find a simple fix - or report to the office if it looks serious.
I hope people would keep a similar friendly eye on our boat??
Noisy halyards/ sheets on un-occupied boats - I tie them off regularly if they are keeping me awake.
If somebody was on board in daylight - I'd find a way of asking them about the loose rope without offending them. I would not go on board or disturb them at night.

 

[Seajet]

The huge point which some people don't seem to be getting is that tapping halliards etc are unnecessary & easily avoidable noise; leaving them making a noise is unseamanlike as well as plain inconsiderate.

 

[Robin]

I don't understand the logic that says I can sleep through a bomb dropping so why should I worry about causing a noise that annoys others, anyway I'm going home I won't hear it.

To me that is the same it is OK if I do it attitude that is becoming the norm in this country, the special case to whom conventional consideration for others doesn't apply.

I just walked back from our local high street and on the road leading immediately off it were two cars, one each side of the road on double yellow lines with two wheels up and blocking the pavement, yellow hazard flashers going of course. The driver of one car was using the bank ATM and the one the other side was in the sandwich bar. The road now was totally blocked whilst these special cases did their thing and bugger anyone else because they couldn't see how they were doing anything wrong as they would only be a few minutes. The bus driver that came half round the corner and was now blocking the high street was not best pleased and got a finger thrown at him for daring to honk his horn. Special cases.

 

[snooks]

The huge point which some people don't seem to be getting is that tapping halliards etc are unnecessary & easily avoidable noise; leaving them making a noise is unseamanlike as well as plain inconsiderate.

Some people can't set their sails correctly, but I don't leap aboard and adjust their genoa cars

Some people can't handle their boat in a marina, but I don't confiscate their keys and tell them how to park

Some people misuse the VHF, but I don't pipe up and chastise them

Some people fly a defaced ensign without a burgee, but I don't report them to their club

Yes, they are all unseamanlike and offend* me, but unless it concerns me, my crew or our yacht, I'm happy to leave people be.

I'm not bothered by a tapping halyard, life is too short

*in the same way I'm offended by a hot cup of tea-leave it a few mins and it will all be forgotten about.

 

[snooks]

I don't understand the logic that says I can sleep through a bomb dropping so why should I worry about causing a noise that annoys others, anyway I'm going home I won't hear it.

If you read what I wrote, you'll see that isn't what I said.

The point is if you can sleep though a bomb going off (or a diesel 6 inches away from your ear), why can't you sleep though the sound of an ickle bit of rope tapping??

I have never said it's correct to leave a halyard slapping on your boat, it's not.

 

[A1Sailor]

if dinghies, turn over ashore, and empty rain off covers & tie them.

a bit of a thread drift - but if I've left my Laser "upright" I'll be really pi**ed of if some busy body comes along and turns it over; particularly if it gets broken in the process!
I don't have a leccy generator - or a dead seagull, yet.

 

[Robin]

If you read what I wrote, you'll see that isn't what I said.

The point is if you can sleep though a bomb going off (or a diesel 6 inches away from your ear), why can't you sleep though the sound of an ickle bit of rope tapping??

I have never said it's correct to leave a halyard slapping on your boat, it's not.

I didn't specifically refer to you, it was a general comment, but if the cap fits..

I wouldn't dream of starting the engine to drown out a halyard tapping either.

 

[Seajet]

a bit of a thread drift - but if I've left my Laser "upright" I'll be really pi**ed of if some busy body comes along and turns it over; particularly if it gets broken in the process!
I don't have a leccy generator - or a dead seagull, yet.

A1 Sailor,

you misunderstand; if you read the rest of what I said - possibly badly as it was just an aside - if a dinghy has turned over in the pen through being unsecured or badly so, I right them and tie them down to the wires provided ( most dinghies unlike yours having a mast up to get bent or hit other boats ).

I also empty and tighten the covers of boats when they've formed a hollow with a big puddle in it likely to tear the fabric, and chock the bows up on boats which aren't draining, especially wooden boats.

Sorry if that's being a busybody.

 

[Simondjuk]

If I hear a slapping halyard on someone else's yacht, I leave it.
It's doing me no harm, and I'm not bothered by it.

Why to people feel the need to be self appointed noise police?

It's simply common courtesy to avoid subjecting others to unnecessary noise due to your action or inaction. People who take steps to reduce the effects of such omissions of courtesy are not appointing themselves the 'noise police', they are simply enhancing their surroundings by correcting the annoyances created by lazy, selfish slobs who are too ignorant to understand even simple social concepts such as manners and courtesy.

If you're happy to embrace such dimwits and tolerate their rudeness, that's fine, you fill your boots. I, however, will not.

 

[Sans Bateau]

A lot of people only day sail, even with boats very capable of being a weekend 'home'. For those people, it just does not occur to them that clacking halyards would cause someone else annoyance. Thats about thinking of others, being a bit thoughtful. A lack of common scene.

But is it SOOOOOOOO difficult to tidy your boat up and stow the halyards properly before you leave her?