Using moorings other than your own

[AntarcticPilot]

I put a URL and QR on my mooring (when I suggested on this forum a few years ago that other owners might like to do something similar I was mostly insulted for it).

I don't have a problem with a URL, as long as it is a transparent domain name. I do object to a QR code or abbreviated URLs because I don't know where they will lead; I only use such things in a situation where I know what they will lead to, and don't scan arbitrary QR codes; the only ones I use routinely are the Covid-19 ones.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I would offer the analogy of someone parking in your car park space at work, but remaining in the car to drive away if you turn up.

The only cars with designated car park spaces where I worked were the director's and the two or three company cars! Of course, people, by habit and routine, tended to park in the same space, but "if your" space was full, you just found another!

 

[Graham376]

A mooring owner does not own the river in the vicinity of their mooring. They are clogging up a public navigation that everyone has the right to use, and the quid pro quo for that, by tradition, is that others may, with appropriate care and respect, avail themselves of the mooring when it is not in use.

I own my mooring including the block and all tackle and moorings here have to be registered with harbour authority, no such thing as Crown Estates. If someone asks if they can use it while we're away I've always allowed if boat size is suitable.

The moorings are all private and laid for individual boats and suitably sized so no-one except the owner knows what size and weight of boat they are suitable for. We've had moorings dragged by oversized visitor's boats and some even broken, the culprits don't hang around, they just cast off and disappear leaving the owner to pay for repairs. You think that's acceptable?

 

[Dragon461]

It's le

What’s the difference between lunch stop and overnight? Your still using someone else’s property without their permission. Very likely you won’t have any information on whether you can use a mooring without damaging it or not. It’s like turning into my driveway to park up while you eat your packed lunch, is that an acceptable practise?

It's legal by the way

 

[LittleSister]

I own my mooring including the block and all tackle and moorings here have to be registered with harbour authority, no such thing as Crown Estates.

Whether the authority for you to lay your mooring comes from the Crown Estate, the harbour authority, or (in rare cases) the private landowner of the river bed, you have only obtained permission to lay your mooring. Your ownership of the tackle does not give you exclusive use of that portion of the river.

You are (or almost everyone here will be) in a public navigation, and you are impeding the public from passaging through that area of water or anchoring there. That's fine, and is accepted as, but by tradition in return comes an expectation that others may use it when you are not using it.

If someone asks if they can use it while we're away I've always allowed if boat size is suitable.

Good for you. But you will not be there while you're away, so most people will not be able to ask. Like rafting alongside, one likes to ask permission, to be polite, but refusal of either is impolite.

The moorings are all private and laid for individual boats and suitably sized so no-one except the owner knows what size and weight of boat they are suitable for.

It is usually very obvious, not least from the boats around, the depths, exposure and the spacing of moorings, what size of boat a mooring is likely to be suited for, and erring well on the side of caution is both in the borrower's own interest and part of the 'care and respect' due to the owner by a borrower.

We've had moorings dragged by oversized visitor's boats and some even broken, the culprits don't hang around, they just cast off and disappear leaving the owner to pay for repairs. You think that's acceptable?

Absolutely not.

But just because a small minority of potential users are both untrustworthy and either ignorant or abusive doesn't justify banning everyone else. In 99-point-something percent of cases of moorings being borrowed the owner will never even know that someone had used their mooring, because it will be left unharmed. You only hear about it if someone damages a mooring, leaves a note of thanks, or the owner returns while the borrower is on the mooring.

If you want exclusive use of a mooring area, buy yourself a private river, or a berth or mooring in some other water that is not a public navigation, but preferably just chill and remember that while you may occasionally get your mooring borrowed, you also have the option of borrowing (with appropriate care and respect, of course) any one of thousands of moorings in other locations.

 

[Graham376]

Whether the authority for you to lay your mooring comes from the Crown Estate, the harbour authority, or (in rare cases) the private landowner of the river bed, you have only obtained permission to lay your mooring. Your ownership of the tackle does not give you exclusive use of that portion of the river.

Maybe you haven't realised that UK situation doesn't apply elsewhere, although the morals of using someone else's property does. Our sailing club kicks off unauthorised users on our behalf.

 

[LittleSister]

Maybe you haven't realised that UK situation doesn't apply elsewhere

I do, but I hadn't inspected your profile closely enough to notice your mooring was overseas.

although the morals of using someone else's property does.

As does the fellowship of the sea.

Our sailing club kicks off unauthorised users on our behalf.

Bully for you.

 

[Stemar]

When I had a little Snapdragon, I'd happily pick up an empty mooring for a lunch stop or to wait for enough water to get up a river. With Jazzcat, twice the weight and significantly bigger, I'd be a lot more careful about my choice of mooring to borrow, but would still do it in benign conditions. Usual conditions - don't leave the boat and be ready to go at a minute's notice. Overnight? No; I prefer to trust my anchor than a mooring of unknown maintenance and I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night by a possibly irate owner.

In return, if someone wanted to use mine when I'm not about, I've no problem with that. Just don't lasso the buoy - use the pickup!

 

[Bristolfashion]

I would offer the analogy of someone parking in my car park space at work, but remaining in the car to drive away if I turn up.

Of course, my mooring is taking up a spot that could otherwise be used to anchor, so it's not cut and dried that he is the selfish one, IYSWIM.

Since you would own the mooring, but not the land to which it is attached, perhaps it is more like parking in a way as to block your driveway, but remaining in the car to move it?

 

[jwilson]

In principle laying a mooring is impeding other's very, very long-established right to anchor there. Usually in areas with lots of moorings - thus quite impossible to anchor safely as you might have done 100 years ago - it is fairly obvious what sort of boat the mooring is for: If all the boats around are 35-40 feet and the mooring looks "maintained" a boat of that size or a little bit smaller should be able to moor there temporarily (instead of anchoring) as long as ready to vacate IMMEDIATELY on the return of the mooring owner.

If all the other boats around are small don't expect the mooring to hold bigger. I too am perfectly happy for others to use my mooring on that basis, but as others say - ".... just don't lasso the buoy - use the pickup!" By all means lasso your own buoy, just not mine.

 

[Bristolfashion]

I was just wondering. Say I'm a master with the anchor - I drop the pick 30m from your unoccupied mooring & lay out 30m of rode - enough to be well within the turning circle of my boat & any boat on your mooring without fouling the mooring itself. Can you ask me to move when you return at 2am?

 

[fredrussell]

To me there’s a sort of unwritten agreement amongst sailors that you can use a vacated mooring as long as you stay on the boat and be ready to move on should you be asked to. This happened to me on a Wrabness mooring a while back. When I said sorry and got ready to move on the other chap said “no bother, I’ll just put my boat on another mooring I know to be vacated for a bit”, or words to that effect. That sort of thing restores your faith in humanity a bit. It’s old fashioned of me perhaps, but I always think of sailors as looking out for each other a bit - dare I say it, more than other pastimes perhaps? Reading some of the sour-puss responses on this thread suggests that may not be wholly the case.

 

[awol]

I was just wondering. Say I'm a master with the anchor - I drop the pick 30m from your unoccupied mooring & lay out 30m of rode - enough to be well within the turning circle of my boat & any boat on your mooring without fouling the mooring itself. Can you ask me to move when you return at 2am?

It's a good question - one I have occasionally pondered when coming across empty payg visitors' moorings in places marked on the chart with an anchor symbol. I don't know the answer but dropping a hook in amongst moorings risks fouling and catching a complete trot could be embarrassing. Others are welcome to use my mooring and I keep the club boatman apprised of my return.

 

[Bristolfashion]

Yes, I'm a bit grumpy on this topic - all the best anchoring spots are full of moorings, many of them unoccupied. In an emergency situation this could be tricky, let alone normal passage planning if we can never pick one up.

A few of my thoughts,

1. All moorings should be maintained to their design weight/size or removed.
2. All moorings should be clearly marked to their design weight/size
3. All moorings should be clearly marked with owner/managers details / contacts
4. I'm very happy to pay to use a mooring and/or be allocated one that is suitable. All mooring fields should include these.
5. I do pick up moorings very occasionally - I don't leave the boat, of course.
6. All traditional anchoring spots should have preserved anchoring areas - and not the worst spots either. Visitor moorings are an acceptable alternative.
7. I'm a bit dark on the rarely used, marina bound boat owner who also has a couple of moorings elsewhere in nice spots just in case. I've met a few.

When we crossed storm bay, Tasmania, it was annoying that the one really sheltered & safe spot on Bruny Island was entirely full of unoccupied moorings.

 

[Bristolfashion]

It's a good question - one I have occasionally pondered when coming across empty payg visitors' moorings in places marked on the chart with an anchor symbol. I don't know the answer but dropping a hook in amongst moorings risks fouling and catching a complete trot could be embarrassing. Others are welcome to use my mooring and I keep the club boatman apprised of my return.

You're right of course. In my fantasy hypothetical, I'm such a master hook dropper that I'd avoid that! Sadly, I'm not.

 

[CLP]

On an amusing note... I was anchored in Strangford Loch a few years ago, with a tripping line plus yellow buoy bobbing on the surface. It was getting dark, I had finished my tot of Bushmills and was about to go to bed, when there was some commotion outside. Poking my head out I found a motor cruiser ahead of me and loud discussion going on: "I've pulled up the rope but it's got anchor on the end of it, are you sure this is Billy's mooring?"

 

[jdc]

I own my mooring including the block and all tackle and moorings here have to be registered with harbour authority, no such thing as Crown Estates. If someone asks if they can use it while we're away I've always allowed if boat size is suitable.

The moorings are all private and laid for individual boats and suitably sized so no-one except the owner knows what size and weight of boat they are suitable for. We've had moorings dragged by oversized visitor's boats and some even broken, the culprits don't hang around, they just cast off and disappear leaving the owner to pay for repairs. You think that's acceptable?

Why don't you write on the mooring the boat size or weight (I think LOA is probably more relevant than weight) which the mooring is designed for?

 

[longjohnsilver]

I own a mooring on the Exe. I’m quite happy with someone using it when our boat isn’t there. It doesn’t cost me anything for someone else to be there.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t use an unknown mooring elsewhere without knowing whether it’s sound or not.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Interesting thread.
I no longer own a boat or mooring(s) but if my boat wasn't on my mooring and someone wanted to use it for a lunch stop/afternoon's "time-out" I wouldn't mind at all.
BUT, one morning I found the mooring buoy ashore, this of my fully serviced mooring, with report, and used by myself for two years (and CTVA when visiting - Good morning to you!)
So I'd very definitely never leave my boat on someone else's mooring. Sitting aboard perhaps. And then at least I could shift if the owner came back.

 

[ctva]

Interesting thread.
I no longer own a boat or mooring(s) but if my boat wasn't on my mooring and someone wanted to use it for a lunch stop/afternoon's "time-out" I wouldn't mind at all.
BUT, one morning I found the mooring buoy ashore, this of my fully serviced mooring, with report, and used by myself for two years (and CTVA when visiting - Good morning to you!)
So I'd very definitely never leave my boat on someone else's mooring. Sitting aboard perhaps. And then at least I could shift if the owner came back.

Morning. Just goes to show that you should never trust anything you haven't put on the bottom yourself, unfortunately!!

I wonder if there is a geographical difference in attitude and custom?

Hope all is well and speak soon.