Something has picked up my mooring!

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Some muppet once parked on my mothers driveway blocking access to her house. Considering that she lived at the end of a private road this was quite a feat and very inconsiderate.

After two days I called the police. They said they couldn't do anything as it was on private property.

The evening I went into the pub and offered free beer to the first five blokes who fancied a bit of heavy lifting. We picked the thing up, carried it 200m to a public road. It was a great pity but our energy ran out and we had to leave it on a double yellow line. Even greater pity that it got ticketed the next day.

 

[rogerboy]

there is some tosh you cant help but read

Don't read it then

 

[Biggles Wader]

Some muppet once parked on my mothers driveway blocking access to her house. Considering that she lived at the end of a private road this was quite a feat and very inconsiderate.

After two days I called the police. They said they couldn't do anything as it was on private property.

The evening I went into the pub and offered free beer to the first five blokes who fancied a bit of heavy lifting. We picked the thing up, carried it 200m to a public road. It was a great pity but our energy ran out and we had to leave it on a double yellow line. Even greater pity that it got ticketed the next day.

Did much the same some (20) years ago.Someone parked across a shared driveway blocking me and two others in.We used two trolley jacks and a bit of welly and moved it.----------To the middle of the road.It got towed away later and never parked there again.

 

[onesea]

One thing I could say in assement of the cat is it is listing a little and certainly low in the water at the stern...

Maybe this is enough reason to take it to a local slipway and "park it" in a car park (without damaging it), I am sure the local council will then take notice and it will be in "safe hands".

Going back to my earlier suggestion, Ebay it long auction on new account and with draw it from sale at last minute. Possibly the best way to look for its real owner?

 

[dancrane]

I can't help thinking that this...thing, whatever it is, doesn't warrant consideration as a vessel. It's not a pleasure-boat, it doesn't have engine or sails, or even oars, and critically, there's no name, number or other visible means by which its owner can be identified...

...so it's just flotsam, which has tangled in Gerry's mooring. It can't bear any greater consideration, because no remotely responsible person would have assumed the right to use a paid mooring, without immediately checking that its occupation wouldn't cause the bother which this has.

Who amongst us would ever think it passingly acceptable to tie up on a mooring in a busy area, then leave the vessel indefinitely, without checking that its position was okay? But no person has come forward to enquire...so, it's just flotsam, just dumped, without a thought.

Never mind the absurd order printed on its side. Rope it to a bucket of concrete and leave it somewhere out of the way, as suggested.

The chap at the club, notionally in charge of where boats moor, sounds sadly inadequate...his attitude suggests that anyone who fancies a free mooring in Portsmouth Harbour should head for this club...because nobody there has any idea how to respond to such a liberty in a practical fashion, nor any legal familiarity. Not good.

 

[gerryraby1]

The chap at the club, notionally in charge of where boats moor, sounds sadly inadequate...his attitude suggests that anyone who fancies a free mooring in Portsmouth Harbour should head for this club...because nobody there has any idea how to respond to such a liberty in a practical fashion, nor any legal familiarity. Not good.

I think this is a little strong. I have spoken to someone who said they would look into it. Give them more than a couple of days!
The problem here is the .......thing, whatever you want to call it, is unidentified. If someone came and moored up on my buoy I would be able to trace the offender because it would most likely have a name and an SSR number on it.

Gerry www.sadler32forsale.com

 

[VicS]

The chap at the club, notionally in charge of where boats moor, sounds sadly inadequate...his attitude suggests that anyone who fancies a free mooring in Portsmouth Harbour should head for this club...because nobody there has any idea how to respond to such a liberty in a practical fashion, nor any legal familiarity. Not good.

Very harsh. Probably just an ordinary club member who has had his arm twisted to look after the mooring allocation and whose only sin was to turn up for an AGM.

Hopefully members of your club have taken note and have your name at the top of the list for the next thankless task that becomes vacant!

 

[Lakesailor]

So the bloke has a title and a committee position, but heaven help anyone who actually wants him to discharge his duties.

Sounds like clubs I have been in.

 

[prv]

So the bloke has a title and a committee position, but heaven help anyone who actually wants him to discharge his duties.

Blimey. It's been two full days, during which the guy has probably been at work like everyone else. And you're ready to court-martial him for dereliction of duty.

Pete

 

[EBoat126]

I used to own and race a Hobie 18, built like a brick outhouse and impossible to sink even once the hulls delaminate and get seriously floppy when you power it up.

 

[Lakesailor]

Blimey. It's been two full days, during which the guy has probably been at work like everyone else. And you're ready to court-martial him for dereliction of duty.

Pete

Absolutely. No question.

 

[Giblets]

Absolutely. No question.

The yard arms are being polished as we speak!

 

[Quidi Vidi]

Have you tried contacting the marine police and mentioning Project Kraken? Worth a try, I've always found them very approachable and helpful.

 

[Seatrout]

Yep, lets treat the 'bomb' as found property.... the police have a duty to receive discarded/deposited property with no apparent owner and issue a receipt to the finder. Perhaps a more forceful dialog with plod is required. taking the thing ashore and calling plod to report found property is a good option.

 

[dancrane]

My criticism of the mooring-master wasn't meant to be unduly harsh. But I've always imagined that moorings are watchfully, jealously guarded, and that any use or misuse of one without permission, would set in train an energetic force to eject the cuckoo from the nest, or at least to find an alternative nest, quickly...

...after years in London, I've never known an area with such imperturbable laissez-faire as appears to be the case in Portsmouth...where an act of grossly presumptious, unannounced mooring will be dealt with 'some time in the next few days', once the mooring master has investigated whether he has any right to do so!

I'm glad, if things are so relaxed in Portsmouth. It's especially nice if the occurrence of mooring-nabbing is so rare that the people nominally in charge have no idea what they're allowed to do about it! Very nice, very innocent...

...but rather surprising, too. I'd have expected that a damned good excuse would be required for any unarranged use of moorings in a club's area...and that if (as here) no such excuse was immediately forthcoming, the club would take a very brisk, thoroughly dismissive view of the presuming vessel's rights.

So, I apologise to the chappie at the club...but then again, I would expect my club's staff to see to it that I'm never prevented from mooring or parking at (or near) the spot I've been allocated...and I'd expect them to know the score, and exactly what to do, if some cheeky blighter tried adopting my spot when I'm out sailing.

I know that clubs run for, and by volunteers, sometimes require their 'officers' to assume faux-professional authority without giving them any. But the chap at Gerry's club seemed less concerned than I'd have hoped he'd be, on the members' behalf.

 

[Wandering Star]

Have you considered re-rigging it with crappy stuff bought cheaply on eBay, purchasing and installing the Navik self steering gear someone was flogging on the For Sale forum recently, then point it in the direction of France and let go the mooring after setting fire to it first?

Cheers, Brian.

 

[Iain C]

My criticism of the mooring-master wasn't meant to be unduly harsh. But I've always imagined that moorings are watchfully, jealously guarded, and that any use or misuse of one without permission, would set in train an energetic force to eject the cuckoo from the nest, or at least to find an alternative nest, quickly...

...after years in London, I've never known an area with such imperturbable laissez-faire as appears to be the case in Portsmouth...where an act of grossly presumptious, unannounced mooring will be dealt with 'some time in the next few days', once the mooring master has investigated whether he has any right to do so!

I'm glad, if things are so relaxed in Portsmouth. It's especially nice if the occurrence of mooring-nabbing is so rare that the people nominally in charge have no idea what they're allowed to do about it! Very nice, very innocent...

...but rather surprising, too. I'd have expected that a damned good excuse would be required for any unarranged use of moorings in a club's area...and that if (as here) no such excuse was immediately forthcoming, the club would take a very brisk, thoroughly dismissive view of the presuming vessel's rights.

So, I apologise to the chappie at the club...but then again, I would expect my club's staff to see to it that I'm never prevented from mooring or parking at (or near) the spot I've been allocated...and I'd expect them to know the score, and exactly what to do, if some cheeky blighter tried adopting my spot when I'm out sailing.

I know that clubs run for, and by volunteers, sometimes require their 'officers' to assume faux-professional authority without giving them any. But the chap at Gerry's club seemed less concerned than I'd have hoped he'd be, on the members' behalf.

Dan. What an utter load of bollcks. If you had any idea about the club in question, one of the very friendliest and helpful I have ever visited or been a member of, you'd know that for a start the mooring I question is nearly a mile away from the club, and hidden from view behind warships. What do you want the mooring officer to do, give up his full time job and patrol on a daily basis just in case?

It's the mooring officers job to allocate spaces liaising between the club and QHM, not to know exactly what is an isn't moored legally or illegally at any one point in time on one of over a hundred moorings in about 6 areas all over the harbour, interspersed with boatyard, marina and RNSA moorings in the same areas. Should he have jumped into one of the Royal Hardway Yacht Club motor launches to sort it in his lunch break? (oh wait, there aren't any motor launches)

If you'd like to visit the club one day you'll work out what type of set up it is...and why it's members love it. Happy to buy you a beer and show you round...after you've bought one for the moorings officer.

"I would expect my clubs staff to see to it that I am never prevented from using my mooring...." Oh really. Perhaps you have been in London a bit too long, that's not the way things tend to work in the rest of the real world.

 

[Seven Spades]

What I would do is tow it up to Fareham and beach it on the mud at high water springs and tie it off to something.

 

[dancrane]

Perhaps you have been in London a bit too long, that's not the way things tend to work in the rest of the real world.

Guilty. I suppose London is so cramped, we're very aware of where our own space ends, and acutely alive to the unacceptability of intruding on anyone else's.

I just feel angry on Gerry's behalf. Is there in fact nobody to turn to, when one's mooring has been casually and anonymously adopted by another boat?

I confess, I naively thought yacht club officials did keep a close eye on their members' moorings. I certainly felt they did at Chichester, twenty-five years ago.

I'll withdraw criticism of this Portsmouth mooring-master chap in particular, because I believe from what you say, such scrutiny is not his role - but wouldn't the club benefit by operating a rota of members who, between them, do know which boats ought to be where, and when one most definitely should not?

I genuinely do prefer an informal set-up in any club, and in my neighbourhood - very much preferable, provided everyone knows how to behave. But it's not so great, if there's no plan in store for when somebody blithely disregards gentlemanly agreements, as appears to be this case.

Your beer invitation is very kind, I'd like to accept when I come to Portsmouth. I'm not nearly as disagreeable as my volcanic discontent sometimes suggests.

 

[Seven Spades]

Actually why don't you just tie it up to that Starbord marker in the background?