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Mooring bouys

17K views 161 replies 33 participants last post by  rockDAWG 
#1 ·
I cruise BC waters. In southern waters mooring bouys are ever increasing. This is a "what if"... you enter an anchorage and your only option is a lone mooring bouy available and you take it. What happens if the owner of the bouy arrives 03:00 knocks on your hull and asks you to leave?

... thanks...
 
#3 ·
Mooring buoys that are clearly NOT park buoys are off limits, as far as we're concerned. It's not only the 'private' issue - for all you know the buoy was intended only to hold a small runabout. Having no idea of what's on the bottom nor what shape the tackle is in is a risky proposition for anything other than a lunch stop.

If the owner shows, I don't see how you have any recourse but to quickly remove yourself from his/her property.
 
#4 ·
I suppose the question may also arise to the effect that there may be room to drop your hook but your swing would take you overtop or very close of/to their bouy. If several bouys were vacant a boat seeking anchorage would then needs be obligated not to drop the hook in effect concede the boatless anchorage and leave? In a bad blow I made for shelter and did face this situation. I dropped my hook... bouy owners did not arrive so I do not know how that would have turned out. ... (respectfully... thanks for input)
 
#5 ·
Yeah, it can be tough to 'find a spot', esp in summer and at a popular spot. Plumper Cove on Keats Isl is a classic.

But the etiquette is really the same if you're picking a spot amongst other boats, or between/among mooring buoys, it's just tougher with buoys because of the usually radically different swinging circle. So yes, it's possible to infringe on a private (or a park) buoy without even tying up to it...
 
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#6 ·
I have returned to my mooring in Seal Harbor to find another boat there hoping we were away cruising. Never had to ask them to vacate. Somehow they knew I was headed to that spot before getting close enough exchange "instructions". A finger pointed at the ball, then at me, followed by a wave of understanding and immediate action. The condition of the gear can be a "crap shoot" unless you know the numbering code and enforced inspection protocol of the village's harbor master.

I have wondered about finding the "visiting" boat's owner tied up and gone. I "understand" you don't touch someone's boat regardless of the infringement. That is how I learned it to be here along the coast. You find an alternative and then find the owner. I suppose a call to the harbor master is an option. One of my "visitors" was already boarding their dink for a trip to shore when we arrived home.

Down
 
#7 ·
I'm with Faster, its just not right to take/use someone's property. However, most people I know would do it. Personally, I would sooner drop the hook in a cove occupied by nothing but a dozen empty private moorings, than squat on one. That's just me.

There are some exceptions. There is a private mooring field no the Isle of Shoals, where it is published that you may use one if empty, but with the understanding that a member may ask you to leave. That's fine.

I would also rather sleep over my 1/2" chain and anchor than wondering what some random gear might be below.
 
#9 ·
Around here tying to someones mooring is like pulling up to their dock...you don't do it, it is private property. I actually have two friend cans behind my house and I still will put out my own this year. If I ever see a strange boat on them the first thing that I will do is call to let them know.
 
#10 ·
This has nothing to do with whether I think its right that people can have personal moorings in a harbor to the exclusion of others. Thats a battle for the municpality

To me its a matter of philospohy. Its not mine. I didnt put it there. I didnt pay for it. I am not going to pay for it. What right do I have to use someone elses property without asking. To me to do so shows a lack of respect of others property.

This of course assumes no emergency.

Dave
 
#12 ·
The harbor where I have my mooring is a spot that frequently fills up on summer weekends. Twice last year I came back from a sail and found someone on it. They both claimed ignorance and thought they were public moorings (even though its marked with my name and permit number), so I offered to let them raft up for the afternoon. I've even offered up the ball if I see someone milling around the anchorage when I'm headed out.

A little tip: If the bridle is clean when you pick it out of the water, the owner just left and will probably be back soon. If its covered with crap, they probably don't use the mooring.
 
#14 ·
Yes, that would be the 'neighbourly' thing to do. For me it would depend on a couple of factors - How crowded the harbour/basin was and, more than anything, the attitude of the 'interloper'. It would also depend, I suppose, on what loads the buoy was intended for and the expected weather.
 
#15 ·
errrrr don't you have a anchor. ..... they just lifted the mooring bouys here and the thickness of the chains or rather lack of it would make me think 3 times about hooking up to one of those things. I know the gear I have on board and rather rely on that , then some stupid little mushroom excuse of an anchor wot a chain that I woukld not have in my bird cage, let alone trust the well being of my boat and me on.
In other words get a good anchor and chain and sleep well and not depend on others doing the work for you.

ATB

Michael
 
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#16 ·
In most BC anchorages there is no such thing as harbour masters or municipalities, which don't have any jurisdiction over the water anyway. If I found someone tied to my mooring, I would simply raft up. On public docks in BC, rafting is mandatory , you have no say in the matter, and if someone comes along side you while you are tied to one, they simply raft up, period.
I have heard of waterfront property owners who don't even own a boat, putting out mooring bouys to claim ownership of the bay in front of them. They have no legal authority, and the anchorage remains public property. I simply help myself to the use of the buoy, and if they came in at 3am, I would simply invite them to raft up, and go back to bed.
I test buoys by tying up and giving it a good shot of reverse. If it breaks, then I did the owner a favour by making sure it chose to break when his boat was not tied to it while he was ashore, in a gale. If I get no hassle from the owner, I feel obliged to clean the growth of it and possibly stick a piece of Solas reflector tape on it, to make it easier to find in the dark. If he gives me any hassle I just tell him he doesn't own the ocean, and to to get lost.
Having sole use of your buoy is great, til you find others have claimed ownership of every other place you would like to anchor.
Time to push back a bit, before we lose our freedom to anchor anywhere.
 
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#20 ·
You can anchor where you want, Even in the mooring field. Even next to my mooring ball. Using a piece of property not yours however is where I would draw the line. You do nont loose the freedom to anchor where you want at the same time understanding that the ball is still owned by me and you have no rights to it.
 
#17 ·
The anchorage that I dropped my hook in had mooring bouys which I did not use. However, I did not want to concede ownership of this entire anchorage to boat owners not there at the time. I anchored and my swing path took my boat over one of these bouys and very close to another bouy. If the owner had arrived, I would have suggested rafting. If that was mutually acceptable fine. Otherwise I could see an unpleasant situation develop...
 
#18 ·
I have a dock and I have moorings for my boats, which I use when the wind picks up. Normally the moorings, which are marked with my name, are open. I have a standing offer for catboaters to use my shallow water moorings if they are available and check with me first. I have never denied the courtesy if a stranger asks. If I see someone in need, like someone who is arriving at dusk and might not be comfortable finding the anchorage a half mile north off a winding channel, I will offer free use.

That said, if someone picks up my mooring and is hanging out for a while with no attempt to make contact, I may get in my dinghy and ask them to leave. If someone is is in distress, there's no question that they should be given slack--if not active assistance.

The bottom line for folks looking for a mooring of convenience: Ask first!
 
#19 ·
Many of the spots in which I used to be able to freely anchor are now loaded with moorings that apparently never get used. Places such as Potter's Cove up in Narragansett Bay, and the back of Hadley Harbor, and Fisher's Island are now chocked full of moorings that no one seems to use, making it nearly impossible to find a spot to anchor. Municipalities with their insatiable grab for money seem to have filled every bloody square foot of water with moorings that I would not trust even if I knew they were available to the general boating population. There are places like Atlantic Highlands and even in Newport Harbor with the common courtesy to leave space for anchoring FOR FREE. It should be illegal for anyone to deny access to people who want to use their own anchor. It's really a safety issue. If all the safe anchorages are filled with questionable moorings, it creates a dangerous situation by causing people to anchor in places that are not protected and by people tying to those unknown moorings when they are either not maintained or not strong enough for their boat.
 
#21 ·
No offence to others with an alternate view point, but here is mine:

I'm lucky enough to have a town mooring in New England. It's my ground tackle but it's everyone's sea bed. Please feel free to use my mooring if it's empty. If I come home, be prepared to move post haste. Otherwise, don't chafe my penent and enjoy the view!

Sail safe and peace be with you.
 
#23 ·
Mystic Harbor has designated mooring fields. On the Stonington side there are 3 designated anchorages in the Mystic Harbor Management Plan, which was vetted with the state and passed by the Town legislative body. One of these, in the "Noank Grid" has been usurped by moorings placed by Groton entities and is effectively not available, pending resolution. The second one, opposite Mystic Shipyard, is designated by markers. The third is north of Mystic Seaport.

I am not aware of any designated anchorages on the Groton side.
 
#24 ·
Mystic Harbor has designated mooring fields. On the Stonington side there are 3 designated anchorages in the Mystic Harbor Management Plan, which was vetted with the state and passed by the Town legislative body. One of these, in the "Noank Grid" has been usurped by moorings placed by Groton entities and is effectively not available, pending resolution. The second one, opposite Mystic Shipyard, is designated by markers. The third is north of Mystic Seaport.

I am not aware of any designated anchorages on the Groton side.
I was issued a mooring permit in Noank. Not sure of the legalese of it all but I had a mooring installed and all was approved by the harbormaster.
 
#25 ·
Over the past 40 years I have and have had mooring gear from Eastport to Bowdoinham along the Maine coast. Some locations are regulated by local municipalities, others not. To anchor safely among the moorings is always an option. "Safely", is the key.

One of our current moorings is in a location that gets a lot of cruising traffic for the best of reasons. The regulations are there to protect everyone. Residents can expect their "parking place" will be there when they return from a ride. Finding a place to park your 40' boat after a picnic on one of the islands could add a bit of stress to the day's outing. "Reserved parking" makes sense. Rating and inspecting mooring gear reduces the likely hood that neglected tackle "releases" a boat to find a path to shore through the field during a blow. I drop my mooring chain myself for winter and inspect my gear annually. The town requires it every third season on Mount Desert Island. Mooring are rated for boat size permitted. This means the weight of the anchor and the size of the chain along with the scope of the boat is planned. I oversize mine as a personal approach.

These conditions are different in Bowdoinham. My town permit is $50.00 / year to set my gear in Mount Desert. It is $80.00 / year in Bowdoinham? The Bowdoinham mooring is up in an estuary and virtually fw. It is not subject to the swells of the ocean so very little wear on the chains and there is no 10 year waiting list but I am required to pay for an inspection every two years. It helps pay for the town dock and I love my connection to that peaceful boating community. If you want to anchor in the estuary it is a well protected place and there are ample safe places. Not so in Seal Harbor. An overnight on my mooring in SH will rock you to sleep or keep you from it. Politics are part of the equation in both places.

Down
 
#26 ·
I think it's wrong for waterfront owners to put out a mooring ball in order to prevent other boaters from anchoring there.

From my dock I can see not less than a dozen empty balls that in the past two years have never had a boat on them - Some I've seen pulled up and moved by a guy in a 8 foot pram.
The sole reason they are there is to prevent others from anchoring.

Unregulated mooring balls here in Maryland are becoming a problem.
 
#27 ·
I think it's wrong for waterfront owners to put out a mooring ball in order to prevent other boaters from anchoring there.

From my dock I can see not less than a dozen empty balls that in the past two years have never had a boat on them - Some I've seen pulled up and moved by a guy in a 8 foot pram.
The sole reason they are there is to prevent others from anchoring.

Unregulated mooring balls here in Maryland are becoming a problem.
That is rude...Up here every mooring is registered and an annual renewal (with $$$ of course) is due. If it is not, every spring a barge comes around, yanks them up and away they go.
I will admit that if someone anchors behind my house I am curious but that is only because I am at the end of a cove way up in the bay and cruisers usually don't come up here. I actually called my wife once from the airport to ask who was in our "backyard" because I saw them when we were landing...LOL
 
#29 ·
When your ball threatens to foul my anchor, and leaves inadequate swinging room to avoid it, I will use it anytime I please,. If some one comes back in daylight, in god weather, and wants his mooring back I will leave and find anther .At 3 am. I will not.
Who do you ask if there is no phone number on it and no payphone for miles?
 
#31 ·
I think (and hope) you might be confusing legal, licensed/permit moorings with something else.

I was on a waiting list for 10 years, I spent a couple of thousand dollars on the equipment and installation. I spend more on inspections and new penants every year.

If I come back and want my gear back, you are moving. You might not think you are, but you are. If you really wanted to be a wanker about it, I'll just dinghy over and cut my own penant. I'd eat the $$.

That being said, as I posted earlier, if my mooring is empty I don't care if someone borrows it and I'll even pick up another empty mooring or go unload at the dock rather than have them move right away if it's convenient for me to do so. But that would be up to me.
 
#30 ·
If I came back and found someone on a clearly marked personal mooring I would ask them to leave. If they refused or were not there I would take my property back. Use your anchor...not my property

The physical mooring was purchased by me and you have no rights to it.
 
#32 ·
If I were kayaking in your mooring field and saw your unoccupied boat, would you mind if I boarded her and relaxed in your cockpit for a while? I wouldn't be hurting anything! That's what I might tell you if you came by and took offense.

Of course, I wouldn't do that, but what's the difference when someone uses a private mooring without permission?

Chef2sail has it right.
 
#33 ·
If I were kayaking in your mooring field and saw your unoccupied boat, would you mind if I boarded her and relaxed in your cockpit for a while? I wouldn't be hurting anything! That's what I might tell you if you came by and took offense.

Of course, I wouldn't do that, but what's the difference when someone uses a private mooring without permission?

Chef2sail has it right.
I don't make a habit of using other people moorings, yet I can't say I have never done it. In the couple times I have, it's been for a short time, I never left the boat and I expected to be gone in a flash if needed.

Some people get a tweeked about others pulling their front tires into a driveway while making a three point turn around. They will put up signs or line their driveway with orange cones. Never seemed to bother me if someone turns around on what probably amounts to an easement of public land anyway. I guess it's personal preference.

And actually Fallard, if you where kayaking through my mooring field I'd tell you where the beer is hidden :)

At least where I live, I can't rent, sell, or even will my mooring permit. When I die I guess my next of kin can haul that old mushroom anchor and chain up and sell it for scrap if they wanted. In the mean time I'm just borrowing a bit of public property for what amounts to a tiny sliver of time on the face of the cosmic clock.

Life's to short to sweat it. But again, be ready to high tale it if I get home and want to tie up.
 
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