Outrageous Treatment

[Roger Long]

Well, our snowbird migration is not off to a very good start. As we aporoached Kingston NY we were overwhelmed with the desire for a meal at the incredible Old Savannah restaurant. Called and they said they had room. Got there and they only had room for small boats. The museum docks were full with a small cruise ship.

So, we went up to the city marina dock just past the bridge and called the number. Someone answered and immediately hung up or connection broke before any communication. No signs or instructions other than to put $10.00 for two hours in the box after hours. Needed a $10.00 bill so went to dinner, came back, and put it in the box. Found boat locked to dock with cable. Called again. No answer. Phone rang 20 seconds later and it was the Sherriff's office. Clearly confusing us with another boat because he claims we told him earlier we were not coming in. We never had a conversation with anyone other than the restaurant today. He said, "I'll deal with you in the morning.", and hung up. The chain was put on before we had used up the time we paid for. We were deprived of the choice of depositing additional money to stay the night or anchoring outside for an early start by the premature chaining. I'm thinking of staying tomorrow to see if I can talk to the mayor about this.

This town will never get any business from me again. I loved Old Savannah but, never again.

 

[Peter B]

Sympathies. There's nothing as off-putting as 'officious officialdom'..!

 

[Roger Long]

Someone just came down, unlocked the boat, apologized profusely, and said he would find out what happened. I think the impatient anger I felt on the phone last night was directed at someone else.

 

[Shrew]

I'm glad it worked out. A few pieces of unsolicited advice...

1) We travel with a few hundred dollars worth of small bills (mostly $5's & $10's). We tip any dockhand who helps us dock/depart (gas docks, marinas, etc.), as well as the pump-out boats, and occasionally cabs and tenders.

2) In such a situation, we would have left someone on the boat, otherwise the vessel looks like a squatter until someone had been notified of our presence or we paid.

 

[rgano]

I would have cut the lock and left.

 

[Roger Long]

I'm glad it worked out. A few pieces of unsolicited advice...

1) We travel with a few hundred dollars worth of small bills (mostly $5's & $10's).

We do too but I'd forgotten. It had been a long day. I actually used that to pay for the dockage.



The deserted dock on a rainy night, no communication, and off season vibe let me think we could afford an hour to drop 100 + bucks at a local business, our only reason for not anchoring outside or up at the end of the creek as we often have.

 

[Mako]

I would have cut the lock and left.

Well-used keyed padlocks are notoriously easy to pick. Generally within about 5 seconds you'd be out of there. Learn some creative skills which might come in handy

 

[Simi 60]

I would have cut the lock and left.

Tis why battery operated grinders were invented.

 

[slowgoesit]

Well, our snowbird migration is not off to a very good start. As we aporoached Kingston NY we were overwhelmed with the desire for a meal at the incredible Old Savannah restaurant. Called and they said they had room. Got there and they only had room for small boats. The museum docks were full with a small cruise ship.

So, we went up to the city marina dock just past the bridge and called the number. Someone answered and immediately hung up or connection broke before any communication. No signs or instructions other than to put $10.00 for two hours in the box after hours. Needed a $10.00 bill so went to dinner, came back, and put it in the box. Found boat locked to dock with cable. Called again. No answer. Phone rang 20 seconds later and it was the Sherriff's office. Clearly confusing us with another boat because he claims we told him earlier we were not coming in. We never had a conversation with anyone other than the restaurant today. He said, "I'll deal with you in the morning.", and hung up. The chain was put on before we had used up the time we paid for. We were deprived of the choice of depositing additional money to stay the night or anchoring outside for an early start by the premature chaining. I'm thinking of staying tomorrow to see if I can talk to the mayor about this.

This town will never get any business from me again. I loved Old Savannah but, never again.

Not that I agree that the situation could have been handled better, but from your post, it appears that an official (I'll refer to him/her as an enforcement officer) of some type came down to the dock, found a boat tied up there, no one was aboard, and the required fee had not been deposited into the box . . . he/she then secured the boat for non-payment of fees.
I realize you paid the fees later, and before you noted that your boat had been "arrested", but from the point of view of the "enforcement officer", it appears to me that your boat was in legitimate violation.
Could the issue have been handled better? Probably, yes.
Did they make it right the next day? Yes, they did.
Was the incident irritating, inconvenient, and humiliating? Yes, it was
Was the "enforcement officer" operating operating outside the bounds of his/her authority? No way of knowing for sure, without more information, but at first blush, probably not. . . .
My opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it!

 

[kthoennes]

Or hacksaws.

We spent a couple days at that city marina in Kingston, generally had a good time, but as I recall the supermarket was a taxi ride away and kind of a pain in the neck. And they were hosting some kind of rowing/sculling tournament that weekend so we had to wait for breaks and then race back to the river. I see they still have those fantastic deviled eggs on the appetizer menu at Ole Savannnah.

And my father whacked the boat hard against a piling on the way into the slip, but that's another story.

 

[Comodave]

Well, our snowbird migration is not off to a very good start. As we aporoached Kingston NY we were overwhelmed with the desire for a meal at the incredible Old Savannah restaurant. Called and they said they had room. Got there and they only had room for small boats. The museum docks were full with a small cruise ship.

So, we went up to the city marina dock just past the bridge and called the number. Someone answered and immediately hung up or connection broke before any communication. No signs or instructions other than to put $10.00 for two hours in the box after hours. Needed a $10.00 bill so went to dinner, came back, and put it in the box. Found boat locked to dock with cable. Called again. No answer. Phone rang 20 seconds later and it was the Sherriff's office. Clearly confusing us with another boat because he claims we told him earlier we were not coming in. We never had a conversation with anyone other than the restaurant today. He said, "I'll deal with you in the morning.", and hung up. The chain was put on before we had used up the time we paid for. We were deprived of the choice of depositing additional money to stay the night or anchoring outside for an early start by the premature chaining. I'm thinking of staying tomorrow to see if I can talk to the mayor about this.

This town will never get any business from me again. I loved Old Savannah but, never again.

Ok, I understand that you were upset, however if you docked and went to dinner without paying for the dockage, then come back sometime later and get upset when they padlocked the boat. I have to believe that you were actually in the wrong here. You docked and left without paying. The city comes and padlocks the boat so they can ensure that you pay for the dockage. Whoever padlocked the boat while you were at dinner couldn’t know for a certainty that you would actually pay for the dock or not. Personally I would have left someone at the boat while I went to get change to pay for the dockage. Then if someone comes along with a padlock they could tell the person that you had gone for change. That would have made everyone happy.

 

[psneeld]

I found out that calling the local police can help a lot when parking (boats or RVs) is in question.

When an issue arose in Darien, GA..... the police told me to park my RV in the only lot in the whole town that said NO RV PARKING. Kinda worried me.

I call the police station and when I explained to the Seargent on duty...his comment was "ignore the mayor, who do you think enforces parking....wink....wink...."

 

[Jeff F]

I'm always on the lookout for restaurants I can visit by water. Last time I was in Kingston I was discouraged enough by the aggressive signs along the section by the restaurant to turn around and leave without stopping.

On the bright side, it sounds like you got a good rate for overnight dockage [emoji6]

 

[magna 6882]

i think i would have dropped a note into the paybox with contact info and an explanation as to why my boat was parked there and look forward to seeing them in the morning.

 

[SteveK]

i think i would have dropped a note into the paybox with contact info and an explanation as to why my boat was parked there and look forward to seeing them in the morning.

Bingo.
An IOU with contact info.

 

[2savage]

I would have cut the lock and left.

Hmmm, so, theft of services has damage to property added to it? And you are either State registered or USCG documented.

Smart move. NOT!

 

[SteveK]

Hmmm, so, theft of services has damage to property added to it? And you are either State registered or USCG documented.

Smart move. NOT!

"theft of services" not proven. "padlocked"-proven.

 

[FlyingFin]

You could have put a $ 20 in the box and spent the night at the dock

 

[Cargile]

I would have cut the lock and left.

Same knee jerk reaction here. Sorely tempting to break out the portable angle grinder. Take the chain and lock with me and leave. Except, the Deputy has recorded your boat number. If you live in NY (?), a problem. At times, life is just not fair.

 

[PM]

No use crying over one little incident.

pete

 

[rgano]

Same knee jerk reaction here. Sorely tempting to break out the portable angle grinder. Take the chain and lock with me and leave. Except, the Deputy has recorded your boat number. If you live in NY (?), a problem. At times, life is just not fair.

Probably illegal seizure.

 

[MYTraveler]

Probably illegal seizure.

Seizure is when the government takes something under color of authority. Theft is the correct term for private action.

 

[rgano]

Seizure is when the government takes something under color of authority. Theft is the correct term for private action.

Correct, and I was referring to the "deputy" reference.

 

[Comodave]

You could have put a $ 20 in the box and spent the night at the dock

Correct answer.

 

[Roger Long]

Correct answer.

Read the thread. I did pay for the time we voluntarily used the dock. I paid a bit late on a stormy, rainy night when there was no sign that the marina was even open, no one answering the phone, posted phone numbers inoperative. I paid an hour after docking because I didn't want to bother them with a $10.00 check and we were going to decide during the meal if we wanted to move down to the museum docks just becoming vacant and pay them $100 bucks so we would have power. I got the proper bill at dinner and would have paid them for the full night if we had decided to stay.


I did not pay after being locked to the dock since I no longer had any choice in the matter and had been deprived of the choice of supporting the museum 100 feet away or staying put.

 

[SeaDogAK]

So if I park along a street by a parking meter, but go to dinner without feeding the meter because I don’t have any change, am I right to complain about getting a parking ticket because I fed the meter after getting change at the restaurant? How does the enforcement officer know that I meant to pay later?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. SD. Best answer!

 

[SteveK]

So if I park along a street by a parking meter, but go to dinner without feeding the meter because I don’t have any change, am I right to complain about getting a parking ticket because I fed the meter after getting change at the restaurant? How does the enforcement officer know that I meant to pay later?

Well geez, you put an IOU note on the meter.

 

[Comodave]

Read the thread. I did pay for the time we voluntarily used the dock. I paid a bit late on a stormy, rainy night when there was no sign that the marina was even open, no one answering the phone, posted phone numbers inoperative. I paid an hour after docking because I didn't want to bother them with a $10.00 check and we were going to decide during the meal if we wanted to move down to the museum docks just becoming vacant and pay them $100 bucks so we would have power. I got the proper bill at dinner and would have paid them for the full night if we had decided to stay.


I did not pay after being locked to the dock since I no longer had any choice in the matter and had been deprived of the choice of supporting the museum 100 feet away or staying put.

I did read the whole thread. Still think you were wrong. You should have left someone on the boat and gone for change. The person on the boat could have explained to the enforcement person that you would pay asap when you got the proper change. Simple.

 

[Nomad Willy]

So if I park along a street by a parking meter, but go to dinner without feeding the meter because I don’t have any change, am I right to complain about getting a parking ticket because I fed the meter after getting change at the restaurant? How does the enforcement officer know that I meant to pay later?

My days in Juneau we used the parking meters downtown to hold onto and prevent falling down or being blown into the nearest telephone pole.