Quick question..halyard slapping in nearby boat, in marina.

genec

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Dec 30, 2010
188
Pacific Seacraft Orion27 HP: San Diego, M: Anacortes
Do you put up with this noise? Knowing it could be damaging their boat... and certainly your vibe.

Do you dare climb aboard to secure a halard?
 
Mar 28, 2017
48
American Tug 395 Newport
I suppose my answer is “it depends”.
I certainly have done it myself. Not when the owner is aboard though. I witnessed a situation like that unfold once and it was not good!
Bruce
 
Jan 12, 2011
930
Hunter 410 full time cruiser
Do you put up with this noise? Knowing it could be damaging their boat... and certainly your vibe.

Do you dare climb aboard to secure a halard?
I used to go "fix" a couple of boats halyards, over and over and over. When I left to become a full time cruiser I had to fight the urge to go and 'really" fix them before leaving.
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I would never go onboard someone else's boat just for my desire for peace and quiet. If I saw imminent danger or serious damage being done, that is different. I would cross the deck of another boat to tie-off, in certain situations, rafting at a marina (Had to walk across three fishing boats to get to shore in Nova Scotia), or fuel dock (Had a pretty ugly incident once with a converted PT boat in Gibraltar. That's a story for another time.), for example.
Leave a message on the boat or with the marina that suggest they would avoid wear and tear on their halyard and mast by putting a pad between them and it would keep down on the noise as well.
I would, however, welcome anyone to come aboard and fix my halyard. I do not want to be the one whose halyard is keeping the marina awake at night. I like the sound is a softly slapping halyard in a stiff breeze. I hate the sound of one that just rings out because it isn't tensioned enough or the mast has just the right resonance to really make some noise.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Start with communication. The dock master. The boat owner. Talk about line chafe not just the irritation of the noise. A cheap bungee cord is quick and effective.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I wouldn't hesitate and would appreciate you fixing mine (if I forgot).

They left a nuisance by not properly securing their boat, giving up any right to strict no trespass.

Another possibility, for many fair weather sailors, is that they do not know. They are never at the boat when there is enough wind. It probably was not slapping when they left. When they see it tied up correctly they may learn.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I'll always tie off a slapping halyard- figure it's a courtesy
It is a courtesy. It is also generally good seamanship to leave one's vessel tidy and secure. Slapping halyard are sloppy seamanship. However, lines stretch, they get rained on and dried out by the Sun, just because it looked secure when you left the dock doesn't mean it will always remain so. $#!+ happens and a slapping halyard doesn't mean the owner isn't a good sailor who doesn't care.
While I know I'd want someone to secure my halyard for me, I don't know the other guy would feel the same way. My take on the golden rule is act according to the general idea that if I didn't want someone to take liberties with my wishes, don't take liberties with what might be theirs. They can come aboard and adjust my halyard, I know I would approve, but I won't return the favor without knowing what they would want.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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genec

.
Dec 30, 2010
188
Pacific Seacraft Orion27 HP: San Diego, M: Anacortes
I thought about securing it. The halyard is still attached to the main, and just slapping the mast like a jockey trying to win the crown. The whole length of the halyard is just bowing out and snapping back, with the lightest breeze. When the breeze freshens, it's hell bent for leather.

I started to climb aboard, and it just felt wrong, so I backed away. Hope they don't incur much damage.

So easy to do properly. Sigh.

Thanks folks for the opinions.
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Yep, pass the word to the marina operator, stay off their boat, too easy to get blamed for something later and you really have no defense anyway.
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,691
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
How about leaving a note. Anonymous or not, your choice. I've seen notes in zip lock baggies stapled around life lines to withstand the weather. You could even write it in a supportive and helpful way, or nasty and condescending if that's more your style :)
 

genec

.
Dec 30, 2010
188
Pacific Seacraft Orion27 HP: San Diego, M: Anacortes
I’d drop the mast and re-rig the boat for internal halyards. The owner would be pleasantly surprised.
Boat already has internal halyards... running up, inside the mast, and then down, outside the mast, to the mainsail.

So, no mast change required... just an owner willing to detach the halyard from the mainsail, when said sail is flaked and stored on the boom.
 
Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
We stay aboard our boat virtually most of the summer, when we are Not sailing, so when weekenders come and go and leave the slapping halyards on our pier or near us, there is a couple of us that have no problem securing them and generally telling them or they know it was us and apologize and return bungee cords that were used!
 
Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
We stay aboard our boat virtually most of the summer, when we are Not sailing, so when weekenders come and go and leave the slapping halyards on our pier or near us, there is a couple of us that have no problem securing them and generally telling them or they know it was us and apologize and return bungee cords that were used!
yep. Also depends on what time of night it is and how hard the wind is blowing :)
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Boat already has internal halyards... running up, inside the mast, and then down, outside the mast, to the mainsail.

So, no mast change required... just an owner willing to detach the halyard from the mainsail, when said sail is flaked and stored on the boom.
rry es
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
On and off in 20 seconds... why not

And that is your answer if you get busted.
Yes. They created a public nuisance. Otherwise, this thread would not exist.

And I would not feel "busted." THEY are the ones that made an unseamanlike error. I would explain very politely that the slapping halyard was chaffing and that as a good neighbor, I felt a duty to prevent damage. This is also true. Many sailors don't know their halyards slap, since they aren't around when it is windy. I learned to secure mine properly after someone secured mine. I felt embarrassed, not violated, and I never made that mistake again. So I learned from it.