Stolen mooring - what can be done?

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emkay

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A friend of mine put in a private mooring several years ago consisting of large steel plate / concrete, substantial chain, mooring buoy etc.
He has used the mooring almost continuously since, and the name of his current boat is clearly marked on the mooring buoy.
The boat has been on the hard for a few months for maintenance, and in the meantime someone has taken over his mooring and parked some sort of fishing boat. Not only that, but the mooring chain has been shortened (cut in half), and I think some shackles have gone missing.
My friend has asked around in the usual places to try to find out who owns the boat so he can discuss it, highlight the mooring is not available and ask that the fishing boat is moved.
Apparently the person is not local, and when politely approached by another boat owner with a nearby mooring he responded with 'tell whoever it is to f@*ck off'.
Friend is very concerned, quite stressed, and now has nowhere to moor his boat. It has been suggested to him by others who have met or know the person with the fishing boat to 'not take it further'.

What can be done here?
Obviously friend doesn't want to just cut the boat free as I suppose he would then be liable for any resulting damage, and will probably then be worrying about what will happen to his own boat.
Does anyone have any previous experience of similar, any advice to share or know what can be done to resolve this?
 
emkay said:
A friend of mine put in a private mooring several years ago consisting of large steel plate / concrete, substantial chain, mooring buoy etc.
He has used the mooring almost continuously since, and the name of his current boat is clearly marked on the mooring buoy.
The boat has been on the hard for a few months for maintenance, and in the meantime someone has taken over his mooring and parked some sort of fishing boat. Not only that, but the mooring chain has been shortened (cut in half), and I think some shackles have gone missing.
My friend has asked around in the usual places to try to find out who owns the boat so he can discuss it, highlight the mooring is not available and ask that the fishing boat is moved.
Apparently the person is not local, and when politely approached by another boat owner with a nearby mooring he responded with 'tell whoever it is to f@*ck off'.
Friend is very concerned, quite stressed, and now has nowhere to moor his boat. It has been suggested to him by others who have met or know the person with the fishing boat to 'not take it further'.

What can be done here?
Obviously friend doesn't want to just cut the boat free as I suppose he would then be liable for any resulting damage, and will probably then be worrying about what will happen to his own boat.
Does anyone have any previous experience of similar, any advice to share or know what can be done to resolve this?
Click to expand...

Can't really add much except to say that occasionally (thankfully) one comes across a really nasty bit of work and then "discretion is the better part of valour"" -ie back off!
 
emkay said:
A friend of mine put in a private mooring several years ago consisting of large steel plate / concrete, substantial chain, mooring buoy etc.
He has used the mooring almost continuously since, and the name of his current boat is clearly marked on the mooring buoy.
The boat has been on the hard for a few months for maintenance, and in the meantime someone has taken over his mooring and parked some sort of fishing boat. Not only that, but the mooring chain has been shortened (cut in half), and I think some shackles have gone missing.
My friend has asked around in the usual places to try to find out who owns the boat so he can discuss it, highlight the mooring is not available and ask that the fishing boat is moved.
Apparently the person is not local, and when politely approached by another boat owner with a nearby mooring he responded with 'tell whoever it is to f@*ck off'.
Friend is very concerned, quite stressed, and now has nowhere to moor his boat. It has been suggested to him by others who have met or know the person with the fishing boat to 'not take it further'.

What can be done here?
Click to expand...

If the mooring has been cut it's criminal damage, so the police would be the first place to go. If he's in the UK and pays dues to the Crown Estate it would be worth contacting them. If the fishing boat ever leaves the mooring he could put his own (or a borrowed boat) on it. In that case it might be as well to be aboard with a witness or two - and a working mobile phone - when the fishing boat returns.
 
davidej said:
Can't really add much except to say that occasionally (thankfully) one comes across a really nasty bit of work and then "discretion is the better part of valour"" -ie back off!
Click to expand...

Fair enough. While he's at it, might as well throw in the boat too.

Appreciate this situation might be uncomfortable or frightening, but you cannot allow someone to steal from you, or otherwise cause you injury and not act.
 
obmij said:
Fair enough. While he's at it, might as well throw in the boat too.

Appreciate this situation might be uncomfortable or frightening, but you cannot allow someone to steal from you, or otherwise cause you injury and not act.
Click to expand...

+1 Where in the UK is this?
 
Just let his boat loose in the cover of darkness; or hire a couple of blokes to have a quiet word with him; or more sensibly, contact the police for criminal damage, verbal abuse, harassment etc.
 
The sad fact is that it will be the OP's boat left on the mooring after the event. It won't be too difficult for the mooring their to work out 'who dun it'!
 
Let the boat go, drop the mooring, go home to bed.
One ne'er do well whose boat was persistently targeted because of his thieving, in the end rather plaintively protested "But you're all going to suffer increased insurance for this"
 
Detach the mooring buoy while the fishing boat is out, let the chain drop. Wait a while then get a friendly diver to retrieve the chain then attach new buoy. My preference would be to challenge the guy head on, but that's just me.
 
I'd put my boat back on it when he's out, and sit and wait, with a friend as witness, and a video camera.

Then report what happens to the police and insist they take some action.

The cut chain is criminal damage, and if the bit is missing it is theft. It matters not whether or not you have any right to a mooring there.

I think back to my youth when I had a flat and private parking in front of my garage behind the Uni I went to. Often I would return home in my car and find another car parked there - the Police explained to me several times that it mattered not whether or not the person had any right to park there, if I damaged their car, even scratching the tyres by dragging it off my drive, then I would be charged with criminal damage. (And I think my contempt started for plod at this tage - the copper went on to explain that if I bvlocked the car in I would be arrested and charged with blocking access - to my own f'ing property - barstewards - anyway I digress..) Moorings are just property - there is no special law about them, so trespass etc... all play a part.

Of course it is likely that the mooring thief will then reataliate at some stage, but it will be obvious who it is for the police.

Don't let the plod off the hook though - physially going to a plod station and waiting until someone sees you is the best bet. Be prepared for a long weight.


Good luck - a difficult situation.
 
This idea of retaliation only applies if the thief stays somewhere local, which seems unlikely of he doesn't have somewhere to moor his boat. As others have said I'd drop the mooring to the seabed the moment he next leaves. He's a thief and a bully, if you stand up to him he's quite likely to slink away, that's the nature of the beast.
 
Name and shame. Where in S/Wales? I work in the charter boat game in S/Wales, it does happen from time to time, it happened to me only the other night....but a sharp word with the right people usually sorts things out, but on no account must you move the boat yourself.
 
chrishelen said:
Name and shame. Where in S/Wales? I work in the charter boat game in S/Wales, it does happen from time to time, it happened to me only the other night....but a sharp word with the right people usually sorts things out, but on no account must you move the boat yourself.
Click to expand...

Perhaps quietly name and shame to chrishelen via PM rather than here?
 
Visit the theives boat at darkest night about 3am. Take a gallon of strong ACID. Pour it all over the the boat. Then wait for a bout a few days to see what happens. I know, I know it is nasty-so is he
 
Wait until the boat goes. Drop the mooring chain but attach a sinking rope to it. Attach to the rope filament fishing line, and attach to that a tiny fishing float. When nasty person comes back he will just see from a distance that the mooring is gone and won't start hunting for a tiny fishing float. Wait until he's cleared off. Retrieve mooring chain. Problem solved for less than a fiver.

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