The Yacht Harbour Association position with Lockdown II

[Lucky Duck]

This is getting bizarre.

I've just had an email from the marina and it appears we can go boating:



but:



Does that mean I can go sailing but can't do any maintenance when I get back?

How about if I decide to go for a walk at Portland, leaving home to do that is still OK, I think, and decide to drop in on the boat while I'm there?

Someone's obviously made the cardinal sin of asking for permission and its far easier for bureaucrats to say "no", by the look of it


Full email below

That's about twice as long the email issued last Friday by one of the sister marinas to the East of you. No mention of considering distance travelled either.

Wonder what the one of the residents of Weymouth marina say as they appear to be subject to a blockade by the harbour authority?

I was in Portland about three weeks back and was thinking about leaving the boat in Weymouth for a while. Thank goodness I didn't

 

[Achosenman]

I rang my marina and asked the question. They are open and we can go sailing. We cannot do maintenance ourselves, but contractors can. We cannot stay overnight. AFAIC that’s all I need to know...I’m off out.

 

[dom]

This is getting bizarre.

I've just had an email from the marina and it appears we can go boating:


Does that mean I can go sailing but can't do any maintenance when I get back?

How about if I decide to go for a walk at Portland, leaving home to do that is still OK, I think, and decide to drop in on the boat while I'm there?

Someone's obviously made the cardinal sin of asking for permission and its far easier for bureaucrats to say "no", by the look of it


Full email below

Simon, having spoken to a couple of marina operators the situation seems to be this:

1. Lawyers believe Govt Advice re boat maintenance is non-specific and non-binding in which circumstances they'd be happy to turn a blind eye to maintenance.​

​

However,​

​

2. Their own insurance companies require that Boatyard H&S is up to scratch and this includes Covid-Safe - i.e. social distancing, etc. There is a potential problem here given that the boats are spaced beside each other in a way which may compromise social distancing if two owners are working on opposite sides of adjacent boats. Add to this the fact that, unlike contractors, owner insurance for maintenance is not normally required.​

​

3. Then there is the question of whether the maintenance is "essential, or "elective", complicated by the fact that neither have been defined, nor have the rules been defined as to what would apply under each definition.​

So, the general consensus seems to be: go sailing subject to complying personal judgement that the activity is compliant wrt Lockdown Rules, no owner maintenance allowed / ask a professional to do it instead.

Probably fair enough IMHO given the backdrop?

 

[SimonFa]

Simon, having spoken to a couple of marina operators the situation seems to be this:

1. Lawyers believe Govt Advice re boat maintenance is non-specific and non-binding in which circumstances they'd be happy to turn a blind eye to maintenance.​

​

However,​

​

2. Their own insurance companies require that Boatyard H&S is up to scratch and this includes Covid-Safe - i.e. social distancing, etc. There is a potential problem here given that the boats are spaced beside each other in a way which may compromise social distancing if two owners are working on opposite sides of adjacent boats. Add to this the fact that, unlike contractors, owner insurance for maintenance is not normally required.​

​

3. Then there is the question of whether the maintenance is "essential, or "elective", complicated by the fact that neither have been defined, nor have the rules been defined as to what would apply under each definition.​

So, the general consensus seems to be: go sailing subject to complying personal judgement that the activity is compliant wrt Lockdown Rules, no owner maintenance allowed / ask a professional to do it instead.

Probably fair enough IMHO given the backdrop?

Dom,
I have sympathy with the marinas, they have businesses to run and they have to work within what they're told and given what could be seen in some cases as arbitrary fines its only reasonable for them to be cautious. My main gripe is with government, but that's for another area of the forum ?

I took my sails down just before lockdown just in case we weren't allowed to go to our boats as I'm due lift out early December so going sailing will be a real pain

 

[Achosenman]

That's too bad. I sailed over last winter and plan on doing the same again. Some of the days were spectacular...some not so much

 

[Hallberg-Rassy]

no owner maintenance allowed / ask a professional to do it instead.

Honest question, why is it safer asking a professional to do it instead?

Logistically, most people won't, and there's so many fewer or them, so it sort of cures the problem of having people around by proxy.

Bit classist, in that only the more wealthy will afford to do so. There are still some ordinary people around with old boats.

 

[dom]

Dom,
I have sympathy with the marinas, they have businesses to run and they have to work within what they're told and given what could be seen in some cases as arbitrary fines its only reasonable for them to be cautious. My main gripe is with government, but that's for another area of the forum ?

I took my sails down just before lockdown just in case we weren't allowed to go to our boats as I'm due lift out early December so going sailing will be a real pain

Re you early sail removal: I had a wonderful pre-lockdown sail on a very blowy w/e ?.

Long beat up towards Studland then turned for a blast reach back in 30-35kts only to notice a nick/tear in the genny leech ?

Furled that pronto and went to hoist a No. 4 on the inner stay. Nice swift set, looked up only to see the radar hanging by one bolt ?

Jib dropped, main to three reefs, up the mast to Gorilla tape the radar to stop it swinging around probably shearing off. Possibly avoided the need for a future vasectomy!! ?

Prob should have followed your example ?

 

[dom]

Honest question, why is it safer asking a professional to do it instead?

Logistically, most people won't, and there's so many fewer or them, so it sort of cures the problem of having people around by proxy.

Bit classist, in that only the more wealthy will afford to do so. There are still some ordinary people around with old boats.

Honest answer!

It's not necessarily safer but professionals are fully insured for their work activities (a requirement of most boatyards).

Professionals have to check-in at marina office and sign the rules, allowing the marina to kick them out for non-compliance. How would this work for a boat owner? Not to mention the fact that professionals are more likely to follow the rules as being kicked out could seriously mess-up their livelihood.

Then there is the matter that professionals are mostly on site longer/more often and consequently better able to coordinate work on adjacent boats.

There is no reason owners could not be brought up to scratch but imagine the outcry on here if we were forced to get insurance to say change an anode!!

Re the class war bit, you must be the first Hallberg owner to concern himself with that problem ?