Mooring etiquette

[mike c]

with that all said...........

wow...........what ever happened to the "corinthian spirit??" sailboats sticking together?? etc.etc.etc.??First.....if anyone is transiting the Hudson river and needs a mooring at the Chelsea Yacht Club, fell free to use mine if my boat is not there..............now....we all know that space is becoming harder and harder to find. Marina's are taking up room, the "good" holding ground is being covered by town and private moorings and the only anchorages are in deep, poor holding areas that roll at night and take 20 minutes by dink to get ashore.Those of you who feel so strongly about this, I WILL NEVER TAKE a mooring without asking (but still feel free to use mine), but for those kind people who feel that kindness is worth something, thank you.I have 2 quick stories. 1. Me and my better half were in New London CT. getting ready to hop over to Block Island the next day. we woke up and couldn't see 5 feet in front of us. we left anyways, but about an hour later decided the prudent thing to do was wait for the fog to lift. We made for Stonington. Upon coming across the first empty mooring ball we could find, we took it. About 1/2 hour later the owner came in on their boat and rafted up to us. He understood the weather and said we could stay there until the fog lifted.2. While heading up the Hudson I had some engine trouble (well more like the motor died in the middle of a huge storm), I saild over to a private club and unable to hail anyone, I grabbed an empty mooring. When the rain stopped, I dinked ashore and was told by the owner that I could leave my boat there until I fix it the next day.These are 2 reasons why I will allow someone else to use my mooring. Life is to nuts to go crazy over someone tied up to your mooring. Do not take a private mooring just to "save money". Do not take a private mooring go leave your boat and have dinner.Be polite,stay on your boat,and if the owners come back and want you to move, do so immediately. IF you find someone on your mooring, and you want them off, stay calm and ask them to move off. I'm sure there is an acceptable reason 9 out of 10 times for them being there.Happy sailing,Mike C.O'28 "Da Capo"

 

[Tony Litvak]

Fair responses

Guys - I honestly didn't anticipate the number of responses - but agree with all of them. I want to make it clear that my intention was not to drop off the boat and have dinner - rather to tie up instead of dropping anchor for a couple of hours and take a nap or have lunch. I can certaintly appreciate what other have said about prior experiences and as a result I dont even want to get into a situatioin when someone comes back and is already fuming because I'm on his ball. So point taken - which is why I wanted to ask.

 

[Ross]

There exists a rule that must always be

honored that is "any port in a storm"!

 

[rsn48]

Border line polite

Some of the response here were not high on the emotional IQ. The chap is doing the right thing by posting his question as to what is the right thing to do. Seems to me the response should honour that integrity of the author's question. Seems to me one of the purposes of this forum is to help people out, not challenge their intergrity if an "obvious" answered question is asked.

 

[Mike]

To digress some

2 weeks ago I went to my marina to take my C22 out for a sail with my daughter. One of my bow lines had been removed and was looped over a cleat in the empty adjacent slip. One of my fenders was smashed and broken so badly that only the top half remained spliced to the line. The winds 2 days earlier had gusts that exceeded 50 mph. Likely someone coming in to buy bait or use a restroom, used my bow line to temporarily tie their boat up, and didn't have the common sense to re tie my boat. Luckily, it only cost $20 to replace the fender, but you can imagine the thrashing my 31 year old boat took banging against the dock.

 

[Rick Webb]

If Your Not Using Your Wife

Will you be as willing to share her as well. I catch anyone with either of mine and I'll bow a hole right in his or it's the bottom.

 

[ed]

interesting post

It seems to me that if you were on board and could let go and move it sould not be a problem.i have dont in in a pinch.id like to know where mexico beach is. if somebody shoots a hole in mine there life insurance and estate will get me a new one and some retirement money.the moral of this lesson is dont shoot till you know how much firepower the other guys got!

 

[joe]

ya know you could really piss off the squater too

lemmie think this thru outloud. Oh look a mooring ball we can tie to for a few hours or we could anchor. huum ill tie to this guys ball and take a break.Scene two/ the guy returns takes a couple shots at me so i leave really pissed, options open to me now,1. have him charged for firearms violations and arrested. maybe assalt with a firearm i like the sound of that, or attempted murder. 2. be nice and leave.3. be nice and leave and go back to work on his boat later when he is long gone.lots of things to think about here.

 

[charlyc]

To All

Here is a story for you. About 20 years ago I had a boat moored in Northport Long Island. We legally dropped a mooring with my father in law. One day I go down to my boat and I see another boat on my mooring an this guy having a grand old time. I asked him what he was doing on my mooring and were is my boat. He starts cursing at me and saying what was I doing on his mooring. I must say he also let my boat go and was found a mile away beached and destroyed. He finally figured out that he had the wrong mooring but I never saw him again plus I lost my boat it was to far gone.

 

[RAD]

Hey Mike C,

Is that what you call double talk;D

 

[picklefreek]

Seems like....

...different parts of ther country seem to have different views. To the one who said "Not all moorings are legal in the first place, so an owner can't necessarily claim any greater right than a squatter", well here in New Hampshire, you have to have apermit, pay a fee and display a current sticker on your mooring, so I say, it is legal and it is mine. I have paid for right and equipment to have it there. Been said, I don't live in a area where you can sail endlessly and moore a new place everynight (in fact, in NH, you can not sleep on a boat at night if not moored to your mooring or slip, which really is not right), but, shouldn't this guy have the right equipment to take care of himself? yea, may take some time to get yourself set up, but as someone else said, you don't know what is at the bottom of that chain, I would say have the resourse to take care of yourself and use them.

 

[picklefreek]

More thoughts...

..after reading these post more closely...Yes, always the time because of weather/emergencies/problems that you do what you have to..But just to pull up to a empty ball is not right. Growing up we had a little "private beach" next to the public town beach for town residence (we live up on the hill about a 1/4 mile away and this was actually where we drew water). So, these out of towners would come to go to the town beach, see the sign saying for use by town folk only, pull up to our our "private, keep out sign", go under the chain, and use as their own, including throwing dirty diapers on the ground...just not right. My point is if you have a problem and need to use it, go ahead and not only will people understand, they will do anything to help..we are a family and will do what is right. But to pull up to a ball because you don't want to set your anchors for the night or go to town for bite to eat, no that is not right and it give all boaters (sailors and stink pots alike) a bad rep.

 

[Mike]

To digress a little

Since the gist of this topic is using something tht belongs to someone else, I'd like to share an experience that happened to me 2 weeks ago. My daughter and I went to our C22 at the marina. Someone had untied one of my bow lines, removed it , and left it cleated at the empty slip next to me. It probably was someone who launched at the public ramp, and came over to either buy fuel or bait, and needed a dock line. They did not re-tie my boat when they left. 2 days before I came up, there had been a storm, with wind gusts measured at 58 mph. One of my fenders was smashed so hard between the boat and dock, that it burst and only the very top remained spliced to the line. Can you imagine the force of the constant pounding that my worn out little boat suffered? Luckily, I haven't been able to find any damage to my 31 year old Catalina. The person who did this probably doesn't have a clue to the potential damage they could have done. I wonder what the repurcussions would be if I found another boater using my line, and I retrieved it and let their boat drift away?

 

[Herb Parsons]

Slip

"You cannot park your boat in some one's empty slip without their permission."I had this happen to me once. My boat is at the end of the long fairway into our marina. I went all the way down the fairway to my slip, and it was occupied. I was going to use another slip long enough to find the owner, or just push the boat out of my slip (kidding, I wouldn't), but ... there were no empty slips. 30 minutes later, I'm tying up at the marina office, and walking around looking for the guy. His response was "I was watching, and didn't see anyone stop to pull in. When I saw you, I didn't realize it was yours, I thought you were just looking at the marina".He goes to move it, 30 minutes later, I'm in my slip. So, the guy cost me almost an hour and half of aggravation. On purpose? Of course not. Just because he had a lack of consideration for others.Guess my answer would be no, don't use the mooring without permission, or without being 100% sure that it's the "local custom".

 

[Herb Parsons]

Somewhat Off Topic

When I was a teen, my step-father owned a wrecking yard. He used to have a sign up:There are things we hold dear in this life,Like the tools of the trade,and the dear little wife.So please, don't ask to borrow our tools,And we won't ask to borrow your wife.At least once every couple of months, some gem of a guy would say "I really need a wrench, and she's pretty decent looking..." or some such similar nugget.

 

[John Nantz]

re Herb's post "..someone elses slip"

This is re: Herb's post about "You cannot park your boat in some one's empty slip without their permission."I just went to the West Marine "Trawler Fest" in Poulsbo this afternoon and got this story from an exhibitor from Port Townsend, WA:He launched his boat and tied it up to the dock dock while he went to park the rig. He went to park his rig but it had a ticket from the port for parking on the ramp. Then he went to the office to get a slip assignment. The marina office is beside the launching ramp and at the head of the fuel/launch ramp dock.After geting the slip assignment he went to the boat and .... it had a ticket for being tied up at the fuel dock. At Port Townsend the dock from the launch ramp to the end of the fuel dock is several hundred feet long but the spots closest to the launch ramp were taken at the time he tied up and he used the closest-in spot available but this happened to be in what is the fuel dock area.Well, now with two tickets in hand he takes the boat over to the assigned slip and.... there is a boat in it! So, what to do? He puts it in the nearest available slip and hikes back to the office with the slip problem and upon return to his boat, you guessed it!, the boat was ticketed for being in someone elses slip!What makes this more interesting is he was one of the Port Commissioners!Some people have all the luck!

 

[Rick]

My Mooring - NO WAY

I bought my mooring chain, railroad wheel anchor, stainless steel shackles, mooring bouy, mooring lines, and a license to drop the mooring. I spent the time researching the component parts, picking them up, assembling, and changing out the winter pole each season. When I return from a sail, I expect the mooring to be ready for me to secure MY boat. DON'T TREAD ON MY MOORING!!! The same principle would apply if I had a slip.

 

[Ross]

One method that I have

seen used is to post a sign on the mooring that offers the mooring for rent at 100 dollars per hour.

 

[Clyde]

Mooring & Anchoring Laws

You should check the local laws on mooring and anchoring. Municipalities regulate moorings within the city limits. Local municipal or county laws will govern the penalties for tying up to an unoccupied mooring ball without paying for the mooring or using an unoccupied slip without paying for the slip. In some municipalities you pay to have your own private mooring ball in the city's mooring field. The private mooring balls have a permit number. In some municipalities you can not loan or sublease your private mooring ball, they require you to have the vessel's registration number on the mooring ball; that way the city doesn't lose out on revenue renting out mooring balls.The local municipalities often patrol the illegal mooring balls in the city limits to catch unsuspecting boats using these unmarked mooring balls. Removing illegal mooring balls cost the city money to remove them. The city will wait until it creates a navigational hazard or interferes with their mooring field before removing illegal mooring balls.If you find a vessel tied-up to your mooring ball or in your slip within the harbor you should hail the harbormaster or harbor police or other maritime police authority in your area and report it. The harbormaster or harbor police can legally move the vessel and charge the owner for its removal. If you try to move the vessel yourself, you might be liable for any damages.In the last twenty years local municipalities around the country have either eliminated or severely restricted anchoring within their jurisdiction. This allowed the cities to force boaters to pay for slips or mooring balls. The only free anchorages are in very deep waters with no protection against the weather or waves. If you want to relax from sailing for a few hours, you can heave to; anchoring is becoming less of an option in developed seaside areas.Fair Winds,Clyde

 

[John]

It is not polite or proper

I agree with the Gentleman who say "that is why we have anchors". In Hawaii you Must register your mooring with the Dept of Land and Natural Resourses and pay for it. You must install it and have it inspected and pay for all materials. You must maintain it at whatever cost it that takes. Tony use just don't use someone else's mooring without permission.I came back from a all day sail and found someone on "MY" mooring (more correctly the State of Hawaii mooring) at the time I had no kicker on my Venture 25 so I had to sail into a close mooring area ask the person to please vacant and then had to wait outside while he did so, then sail back in at which time the wind was dying. By the time he did leave it was getting dark.When I finally secured everything aboard it was dark.To say the least I was not happy. (He just move onto another friends mooring)There was good holding ground in the anchorage and protection.Anyway to someit up Don't use anybodies mooring unless it is an EMERGENCY.