Suggestions Please

[Stemar]

It was HOT today in Portsmouth Harbour. I was therefore suitably knackered before leaving to put Jissel to bed on her swing.

Humour was not improved to find some pillock has parked his boat on my mooring and the only empty moorings around are minus pickup buoys, so if I take another empty one, I'm just passing the problem down the line.

What I wanted to do was cast the other boat adrift, but it would just have bumped all the other innocent boats moored nearby.

What I did was decide that Jissel's heavier than [Name & Shame]Grease Lightning[/Name & Shame], and has real cleats and a proper teak samson post, so I moved the mooring chain to Jissel and tied the other boat to mine. I'll be contacting the people I rent the mooring from tomorrow and ask them to remove the offender ASAP.

Anyway, suggestions please, as to what I could/should have done (imaginative and practical both welcome).

I did leave an invoice for £110 a night for the unauthorised use of my mooring. What are my chances of collecting? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

As an aside, the trespasser had a rather thin line from one cleat through the metal ring on the top of the pickup buoy and back to the cleat on the other side of the bow. Does the team think this is a good idea - even overnight - for a ~25 lightweight racer?

 

[bob_tyler]

This is quite an important point if there are no identifiable visitors moorings in the area.

I have always understood that, if temporarily leaving a boat in a strange harbour on a vacant mooring, one either remains aboard or, if going ashore to shop or eat, leaves a note to that effect.

If the owner returns while away I would expect him/her to moor to his own mooring tackle and keep my boat alongside until I return.

This has always been my practice if there is another boat on my mooring when I return. I have always considered that to be the correct etiquette.

Have things changed (for the worse)?

 

[alastair]

There can be unforseen emergencies, but the least the pillock should have done was to leave you a note showing his contact details.
I think you took the best possible action
Light winds are forecast, so probably ok for a short time.

Alastair
www.javacharter.co.uk

 

[ccscott49]

I agree with Bob, that is the accepted way and you did the right thing by picking up your own mooring and tieing him alongside. Thin line on mooring, just proves his ignorance!

 

[oldharry]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree with Bob, that is the accepted way and you did the right thing by picking up your own mooring and tieing him alongside. Thin line on mooring, just proves his ignorance!

[/ QUOTE ]
Not sure that i agree. I would noit want to leave Pillocks boat so that it could damage mine.

One solution one yard had dealing with unautorised parking was to tow offenders into a mudberth at the top of a big spring tide. Then bill for storage until the next big tides - double rates!

The only time it happened to me, HM was about, and towed offender off to a vacant mooring, and padlocked it on - the marine equivalent of wheel clamping? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[snowleopard]

To play devil's advocate for a moment, there's a bit of the german sunbed about this. Most harbours are now crowded with moorings so there's no room to anchor and in a lot of places there aren't enough visitor's moorings to go around. I had the frustration recently of visiting a harbour where all the visitor's spaces were taken and anchoring prohibited. We ended up going elsewhere. On another occasion, while waiting for the tide in the Menai straight we found the only charted anchorage was full of moorings and we had to moor in a very dicey spot that resulted in us going aground.

Not everyone knows all the nuances of mooring etiquette and it's not something most sailing courses teach. It may have been a bit thoughtless of the owners to go ashore but all this talk of wheel clamping is getting very dog-in-a-manger.

I heard of a spanish private marina where a would-be visitor was arrested for entering to see if there was a berth available. Will this be the next thing round here? Signs on harbour entrances "private, keep out"?

And before you ask, I also keep my boat on a mooring.

 

[bob_tyler]

"Not sure that i agree. I would noit want to leave Pillocks boat so that it could damage mine."

I'm sorry to hear that. I would have presumed that you would secure the visitor correctly alongside and fendered.

To me that is the correct and polite way.

As Snowleopard points out there is not unlimited mooring or anchoring space about and a little friendliness is not out of place. However, perhaps this does not apply to "Old Gits"

 

[DeeGee]

Some people might argue that you have not done yourself a favour, rafting up and leaving the boat. What if it blows up and the two boats start nasty coincidental movements? I note that the boats are 25 and 27 ft, and the 'other' boat is quite a lightweight...?

Not sure that you had much alternative tho. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Guest]

Two sides to this ....

On a mooring - it's a b....r when its taken by someone else ... as it really throws a spanner in the works - particularly if you don't live local etc.

So what to do ?? Do as poster did..... then any damage etc. or mishap that may happen after could possibly be put onto you as 'mover' of the boat.
Do nothing - then where the hell do you go ?
Drag his boat of the the shore and beach it ....... that's real unfriendly !!
Inform HM and wait all day for an answer - that will probably result in you still doing as the poster did !!

At least a curt note on board his boat - pinned / taped so it does not get lost !!!! informing that he is on another persons mooring, all maesures have been taken to ensure safety but not responsible for the boat etc., advising that if future act - to leave contact details etc. etc.

I like the marina one with the charges when beached at High Spring tide !!!! That'll change his mind about it again !!

Tricky one to answer isn't it .... you want to be a 'bad boy' - but then it may be you next time !! You want to be a nice guy - but don't want toi be taklen advantage off !!!!

 

[Cornishman]

You should have also placed a line from the offending vessel to the mooring, and not just secure her alongside yours. This is common rafting practice.
I wouldn't mention it to the people you rent your mooring from as they will want their "cut", too.

 

[Marmalade]

v bad etiquette to leave a boat unattended on somebody else's mooring without permission. Having said that - you didn't have much choice unless you were able to ascertain that one of the other moorings was free whilst boat off cruising.

Would your insurance policy pay out if the combined weight of both boats was too much for the mooring and you dragged into another vessel or other danger?

Who would be liable if the other owner returned and alleged you'd scratched his pride and joy in the process?

 

[KREW2]

Surely the rules regarding mooring etiquette have been broken by the person who leaves an unattended boat on someone elses mooring, likewise I would not park my car in my neighbours driveway, anyone who does this must have little regard for anyone other than themselves

 

[Stemar]

Interesting Responses - Thanks All

Much comfort in those that backed my actions. I must admit that the padlock idea did occur to me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've informed the mooring owner which, in my book, puts the onus on him if the mooring isn't up to the job. In his place, I'd be inclined to padlock the boat to a convenient mooring, as he has a spare right next to mine, but he removes the pickup buoys on unlet moorings.

I used the same system as I would if his boat was mine and I was tying up to a pontoon - good big fenders, strong lines for and aft plus springs, so mutual damage is unlikely.

Any allegations of damage will get the "see you in court" response. It's a scruffy, dirty thing anyway. All in all, I think I can show I wasn't negligent, but used good practice. Any problems would then be down to him for putting me in that situation in the first place. The alternative was to return to the club pontoon and biil the pillock for my mooring charges, but as there's no SSR number, I doubt very much I'd collect.