Mooring use

[Pure pleasure]

Well guess that's different the ones I have seen are all public or commercial when you said that you put it in was just thinking how much of a nav. Hazard they must be now would you like someone to anchor right next to it. The only ones around me are in 3000 ft so I will not be anchoring will just drift all night

 

[psneeld]

Should my dock be open to use by anyone?

Should I be able to haul any crab trap or lobster trip and take the contents? They are all located in public waters?

If I park my car in a public parking lot, does that make it yours if you want it?

Ownership of property and the location of property are two completely different things.

Huge difference in a properly registered mooring and a pirate mooring...

Any more than me squatting in the city playground preventing your kids from playing what they want.

 

[hmason]

In the last 5 years I have found a strange boat on my mooring but once. My mooring has an annual permit fee and strict inspection procedures. I do not put my boat name on the ball as most do. Mine is simply labeled "Private," and I think that works.

 

[jb cruzan]

Should my dock be open to use by anyone?

Should I be able to haul any crab trap or lobster trip and take the contents? They are all located in public waters?

If I park my car in a public parking lot, does that make it yours if you want it?

Ownership of property and the location of property are two completely different things.

Not fair arguments imo. a dock obviously belongs to a land owner. A car in a public spot? No that is your spot. But an empty mooring is like you putting a sign in an empty parking spot saying my spot! Even if they don't take your mooring, you've removed that spot as an available anchoring spot. A mooring in a busy town harbor area? Maybe. Moorings a little of the beaten path, empty in a nice anchorage? No. Just wrong really. Think about it. It's like permanently putting your chair in the best spot on the beach whether you are there or not and then coming on a site and complaining you found someone in your empty chair? Permanent moorings where your boat is every day? Fine. Moorings for just in case you want to watch a sunset? Please not. The water is for everyone, lets share it.

 

[Forkliftt]

We were in Chicago (first time) a couple of weeks ago and saw a few small marinas and NUMEROUS mooring balls with vessels attached on the lake front during our river/ Segway tours. You guys have an awesome city. Loved the blue water of Lake Michigan.


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[BruceK]

If we take where I boat, there are 3 large private mooring fields. Save a few all are used occasionally by the owners who permanently moor elsewhere. These are often used by non owners, without permission. Some Clubs provide them for members. Smart owners may not fit the line usually found, to discourage borrowing. Then there are a considerable number of National Parks moorings, well maintained and provided free for 24 hours max, in beautiful places, and in high demand.
Maybe the Aussie ethos sees us usually more relaxed about mooring borrowing. That said, if I returned to my personal mooring at night to find an unmanned boat on it, I`d be mightily pissed off.

 

[twistedtree]

I guess it all depends on what the local rules are for mooring use. I can only think of a couple of ports where every mooring is available for anyone to grab on a first come first serve basis. But it's clearly spelled out that it works that way. I've been to plenty of places where there are specifically designated moorings that are first-come-first-serve, grab what you want, but it's always only applied to some clearly designated set of moorings. More frequently, the harbor master will assign you a mooring from a pool of transient moorings plus unused private moorings, but you ask first and are granted use of a mooring.

I think it's rude and presumptuous to assume you can go up to any mooring and use it without some explicit indication that you can. Same with a dock.

 

[GFC]

When I read the first several posts I had a question about "How would a boater know it was private property?". Then I read how you had it marked and that answered my question.


As one who is not in an area where there are moorings, I would not have known it was "illegal" to moor there unless it was marked as private. If I saw that it was marked as private I would not use it, but that's just me.


Is it OK for boaters to anchor in that area, as long as they're outside the mooring field?

 

[psneeld]

I guess it all depends on what the local rules are for mooring use. I can only think of a couple of ports where every mooring is available for anyone to grab on a first come first serve basis. But it's clearly spelled out that it works that way. I've been to plenty of places where there are specifically designated moorings that are first-come-first-serve, grab what you want, but it's always only applied to some clearly designated set of moorings. More frequently, the harbor master will assign you a mooring from a pool of transient moorings plus unused private moorings, but you ask first and are granted use of a mooring.

I think it's rude and presumptuous to assume you can go up to any mooring and use it without some explicit indication that you can. Same with a dock.

I think we have different cultures here....and not all are on the same page.

Where I am in Cape May...there is a huge pirate mooring field taking up much of the best anchoring in the harbor.

I used to have one and would be pissed if someone was tied up when I came back...but I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if I wanted to complain. What is worse....for decades this pirate mooring field has left abandoned anchors and chain all over the place, ruining it for an anchorage even if the pirate moorings were banished. There is no harbor master and no money funding organization versus chaos and damage.

You are in an area where organized mooring fields are the norm and I agree with them...if the town wants one and organizes it and sets rules against random pickup of private moorings great! I hope there are reasonable moorings available for transients or available anchorages...but so be it if there isn't...sorry I can't stop and enjoy. But I feel the locals have that right up to a point where it is for local convenience and not exclusion.

 

[Forkliftt]

Where I am in Cape May...there is a huge pirate mooring field taking up much of the best anchoring in the harbor.

Cool!! Was Blackbeard there?? Any of that Somalian Riff Raff show up?? !!


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[Bay Pelican]

Rented a mooring ball in Trinidad one time and left the mooring long enough to take the boat to the customs dock. My mooring line and float where left on the mooring ball. When I returned an hour later a local had used my mooring line and float to tie up to the mooring ball I had rented. I had to hover until they returned to get my line and float.

 

[caltexflanc]

I find it, I guess amusing is the word, that there are so many people who get tremendously over wrought about what kind of ground tackle equipment they have, and people who are blithely content to attach their boat to any old random thing floating in the harbor, and some who apparently are both. I mean, really now folks...

 

[twistedtree]

I think we have different cultures here....and not all are on the same page.

Where I am in Cape May...there is a huge pirate mooring field taking up much of the best anchoring in the harbor.

I used to have one and would be pissed if someone was tied up when I came back...but I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if I wanted to complain. What is worse....for decades this pirate mooring field has left abandoned anchors and chain all over the place, ruining it for an anchorage even if the pirate moorings were banished. There is no harbor master and no money funding organization versus chaos and damage.

You are in an area where organized mooring fields are the norm and I agree with them...if the town wants one and organizes it and sets rules against random pickup of private moorings great! I hope there are reasonable moorings available for transients or available anchorages...but so be it if there isn't...sorry I can't stop and enjoy. But I feel the locals have that right up to a point where it is for local convenience and not exclusion.

That does sound like a mess. At times I get frustrated with our regulations, but compared to what you are dealing with, they are a good thing. We have quite a few transient moorings that are allocated by the harbor master, and anchoring space for a couple hundred boats, though if I see 30 it's a huge number. So all are welcome.

I think the moral of the story here is that it's important to find out what the local policy/practice is wherever you go, then be courteous and follow it.

 

[bayview]

If you feel it reasonable to tie up to my privately maintained mooring then I assume that you will feel it equally reasonable for me to occupy your boat while it is there.

 

[FF]

"If you feel it reasonable to tie up to my privately maintained mooring then I assume that you will feel it equally reasonable for me to occupy your boat while it is there."

Hardly , most folks moor on property they do not own or rent , so use by other Pilgrims is the norm, worldwide.

 

[jb cruzan]

The mooring has a town number AND my name and my boat names on it. It is pretty clear it is a private mooring.

This is pretty clear cut. In a harbor environment with rules they should be followed.

My beef is more in a less or uncontrolled environment with these so call pirate moorings which is a different situation than what you are describing and perhaps a different argument. Yours, labelled the way they are, yes someone shouldn't pick that up. Turn it the other way and apologies for going OT but if you owned some water front property with a small bay and enough room for you to anchor in front of your property and then someone put a mooring there and didn't use it? That's more my frustration.

 

[bayview]

Great FF let me know where your slip is so that I may tie up. and I'll be happy to leave my boat on your mooring while I go ashore.

 

[hollywood8118]

Rented a mooring ball in Trinidad one time and left the mooring long enough to take the boat to the customs dock. My mooring line and float where left on the mooring ball. When I returned an hour later a local had used my mooring line and float to tie up to the mooring ball I had rented. I had to hover until they returned to get my line and float.

you missed a prime opportunity to raft to them and drink their beer..
Hollywood

 

[wyoboater]

As a mooring user, not an owner, I think it is very bad form to use someone else's property without their permission. How is it any different than just tieing up to someone's private dock in back of their home? And on moorings, it is potentially dangerous to user and owner, putting that big old Hatteras on someone's day sailer mooring for instance.

I totally agree. I would not dream of using someone else's private mooring buoy except in case of emergency. And I would appreciate but not expect the same courtesy given to me. As was said earlier, that is what this country is coming to, unfortunate as that may be. I do not have an answer to how to keep people off a private mooring however.

 

[Bay Pelican]

you missed a prime opportunity to raft to them and drink their beer..
Hollywood

The crime/murder rate in Trinidad is so high one is careful about doing anything.

 

[psneeld]

Many marinas reserve the right to rent your slip to transients in your absence.

Make sure you have a good working relationship with them or invoke depoyed, married guy rule #2 when you travel..."call home, when you get home, before you go home"...to avoid any suprises.

 

[bayview]

Indeed out club rents out our slip when we notify them we will be gone but nothing is done without permission.

 

[folivier]

Just wondering, do you get a refund if your slip is rented out when you're not there?

 

[psneeld]

Just wondering, do you get a refund if your slip is rented out when you're not there?

Usually no as they reserve the right to....

 

[FlyWright]

I would post a sign that has these letters on it...

KYFFHO MY MOORING! (Use your imagination)

I'm stuck on the FH....

 

[djones44]

very astute comments I have learned by experience - so they must be true.

 

[FF]

"Many marinas reserve the right to rent your slip to transients in your absence."

True , that is why you must take all dock lines , power hoses , water regulators etc with you when you go for a longer cruise.

The transients will decide another transient left them .

 

[bayview]

"Many marinas reserve the right to rent your slip to transients in your absence."

True , that is why you must take all dock lines , power hoses , water regulators etc with you when you go for a longer cruise.

The transients will decide another transient left them .

Never experienced that. I always restore everything to its original position and found others have done the same. I certainly would not want to undo all my home set up every time I left for a few days

 

[hmason]

With a 50 amp power cord priced at over $500, it goes with me if we are Marina hopping and gets locked in our dock box when we are anchor hopping. If someone needs my water hose that badly they can have it.

 

[psneeld]

Heck some places...you are wise to lock cords and splitters all the time. Even when sleeping on the boat.