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"helpful" neighbors

8K views 62 replies 25 participants last post by  sailingdog 
#1 ·
I've got a problem which is obviously not one person, because I have one boat in a slip and another one on a mooring in another city.
When I leave a boat after a day of sailing, I am very particular how I arrange the halyards and sheets. I like to do everything the same way everytime. And no, the halyards as I leave them don't bang in the wind.
However, I notice there seem to be a lot of busybodies out there who cannot resist the opportunity to rearrange things. They will take the halyard for example and wind it around here and there, snag it on the mast light, run it through the jack stays, etc. this kind of thing does not happen by itself no more than shoes lace themselves up.
Last week on the mooring someone moved one of my fenders from the port side and tied it to the front of my bow roller. I am not known to go around ramming boats .. probably someone lost control of their boat and was banging against my bow.
In my opinion these helpful people are dangerous. If I did not check to make sure nothing was tampered with, I might try to raise the mainsail halyard and find its wrapped around the forestay ( it happened once).

What should I do? put up a sign and risk retaliation by some jerk? or am I out of line?
 
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#3 ·
Maybe a funny sign poking fun at yourself, but getting your point across just the same ?
 
#4 ·
If you're at a marina... you really should talk to the marina owners about someone tampering with your boat. They should have a vested interest in finding out who is doing this as well as stopping it, since they may be liable for any damage caused by it...
 
#5 ·
I can't imagine this happening.
Ask they Harbor Master to keep an eye out and tell whoever is dicking around on YOUR boat to knock it off.
 
#6 ·
I wouldn't put a sign up warning people off of your boat... if something WERE to happen requiring boarding of your boat to save it (sinking, coming loose, etc.) nobody would touch it. One would hope that the "changes" you are experiencing are due to issues occurring. As mentioned, you might talk to the marina managers...
 
#7 ·
dohenyboy,

I've only had this happen once, and the slip neighbour who did it told me they'd done it, and why. It was because I had screwed up and my neighbour had stepped in to prevent possible damage to our boat.

I would humbly suggest that if this is happening to you regularly or frequently, perhaps you might consider re-examining what you're doing. Perhaps, just perhaps, what you're doing is wildly wrong, and what these mystery visitors are doing is saving your boat, and perhaps the boats of others, from damage?

Halyards slapping the mast are exceedingly annoying to some people. I have a very good friend that lives directly across the canal from where our boat was slipped last season. He remarked to me one day that something was "ringing" on our boat when the wind blew. "You don't have to worry about it, tho," he said, "because I kind of enjoy it." "That's you," I replied, "other people frequently don't feel the same way. Allowing that is regarded as inconsiderate. I'll have to fix it." And I did. I would note that, upon examination, I couldn't tell which halyard it was. They all seemed unlikely to bang in the wind. The first time I was out there when the wind had kicked-up a bit, I found it. You'd be amazed, once the wind starts blowing, the boat starts rocking, and things start flexing, etc., what will happen.

Jim
 
#25 ·
And I hope for this, as a boat owner. I sometimes have to be away from my boat for extended periods of time, so I depend on other people boarding the boat to stop halyards from making noise, if they didn't then nobody would, and I don't want my boat being a PITA for other people. I try to secure them in such a way that they won't get loose, but we all know eventually the motion of the boat is going to loosen them no matter what you do.
 
#9 ·
I understand what you are saying, but I think the way I place my mainsail halyard is perfectly fine.
I fasten the shackle to the aluminum toe rail. The shackle is the kind that screws in; its not a snap shackle. Then I tauten the halyard and cleat it off. Its an internal halyard. There is no way that the halyard can bang against the mast this way. There is no way that my practice is a safety hazard.
Because its a wire/rope halyard, I would rather not have the halyard rubbing on the outside of my freshly painted mast. I believe that there is no safety or other reason for someone to remove the shackle from the toe rail, wind the halyard around the shroud, hook it on the mast light, and attach the shackle to the bottom of the mast. I do not believe that the wind did all of this, least of all unscrewed the shackle and then reattached it.
There are weird people out there that just want things done their way even if its on someone else's boat.
One can say that people don't rearrange stuff on other people's boats for fun. This is a generalization. There are many nutbars in our lovely world.

One time after a day's sail I did not coil my jib sheets. I just did not feel like it that day. A few days later I came by when I had more energy to coil them. Someone had already neatly done so. I cannot understand how an uncoiled line on deck could be dangerous to others. The wind is not going to pick up the sheets. This is Southern California, and we have no hurricanes. Some person with obsessive compulsive disorder happened by, that's all. Some people get one idea in their head and because its the only one idea they have ever had, they hold on to it tightly.

Where I used to have a slip, there was an old salt who, as far as I could tell, was on his little sailboat every single day. Anytime anyone came in or out of their slip, this old gentlemen would commence barking orders at the top of his lungs "give it more throttle!" "turn now!" etc. I finally had it out with him one day, explaining to him that his yelling was distracting and rude. He stopped hectoring me but kept on with others. Fortunately my application to move was soon accepted by the marina.

And there are some people who have no concern for the rights of others. I used to have a house at the city line. I had 13 acres. The land was fenced. One day I noticed a jeep parked outside the fence. I came closer and a fellow about 30 was digging up one of my plants. I asked him what he was doing. He said he wanted that plant and it was on public property, so, (with some offense in his voice) told me who was I to tell him not to take it?
I pointed out the building 50 feet away which bore an uncanny resemblence to a house. I explained that I lived in that building and in fact owned it and considered it to be my home. I also pointed out the 6 foot high structure which he had climbed over, which was comprised of metal chain link arranged in a vertical pattern. I reminded him that the sign that said "private property, no trespassing" which was on that metal chain link might indicate to him that the enclosed area was not public land. I explained to him that just as he probably lived in a house, or apartment, that the surrounding lawn and gardens pertained to where he lived, and he would not appreciate someone entering his home to remove plants. And I told him that if I ever found him on the property again I would call the police. That offended him even more. The nerve! Unfortunately, he was not the first nor the last person whom I found wandering around my yard after climbing the fence.
In summary, I am not at all surprised that one or more unknown persons wishes to rearrange my nautical equipment.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I fasten the shackle to the aluminum toe rail. The shackle is the kind that screws in; its not a snap shackle. Then I tauten the halyard and cleat it off. Its an internal halyard. There is no way that the halyard can bang against the mast this way. There is no way that my practice is a safety hazard.
"Then I tauten the halyard" This may be your problem! If you over tighten your halyard, when the wind blows, it can create an AWFUL harmonic hum that gets transfered through the mast and hull especially with wire halyards! keep in mind that this is not halyard slap but a DEEP, bass note like, harmonic hum that can be more annoying than halyard slap..The best thing you can do is attach it to the aluminum toe rail but DON'T tighten/tauten it. Leave a little slack and it won't create a giant Violin/Guitar/Bass string! I attach my main halyard to the toe rail too but I make sure to leave it a little loose to prevent making it a guitar string!!

My guess is that when your not there your boat is singing songs like a bad contestant on American Idol. People don't generally move or rearrange things because they are bored, they are probably moving them because they are annoyed...

The fender could be because in slack water, on the mooring, your boat was swinging into another boat or another boat was swinging into you. this happens quite often with no wind or current in mooring fields. I would not always assume the worst. Try NOT "tautening" the line ans see of people still move it....

"They will take the halyard for example and wind it around here and there, snag it on the mast light, run it through the jack stays, etc."

People are clearly not doing this for fun they are doing it to prevent noise IMHO.... Snagging the line, or wrapping it, prevents the halyard from being a LONG straight run and generally serves to break up harmonics and hum. A long straight, tight line WILL become a Guitar string in the wind...
 
#10 ·
Dohenyboy-

I would have video taped him digging up the plant and leaving with it...and then called the cops.. :) Getting convicted for trespassing, destruction of property, and theft.... that'd teach him.
 
#11 ·
Sailingdog, I appreciate it, here in Orange County the deputy sheriffs are apparently too busy running graft for Mike Carona apparently to get involved with most crimes. I think two or assistant sheriffs have been convicted whilst Carona, his wife and his purported mistress are currently under federal indictment.

The same residence was burglarized later that year. The thief made off with about $40,000 in property. However, his car got stuck in the mud in front of the house. A local tow truck had to pull him out. So, the police had a description of the burgler, description of the car and the license plate.
Sheriff's department declined to investigate further saying the car's plates were from out of state and it wasn't worth their time.

I could go on and on about the incompetence of our Orange County government (bankrupt once and currently insolvent with unfunded pension liabilities-the average sheriff's deputy pension is $70,000 a year) but this is not the forum for that.
 
#13 ·
Dohen....

Digging the plant was out of order.

Coiling the lines would not bother me much as I never do it.

I would be a bit irked if a moved halyard took off some mast paint.

The same fussy guy is likely to be the first to watch for your ship in high winds and to make sure that you don't burst a fender or something awful.

It happened to my ship one morning when a terrible squall in Peterhead in Scotland burst all her fenders. I arrived to find two old tyres had been placed to save her from further damage.

Try to stay friends with him.

Rockter.
 
#14 ·
Rockter-

I don't know if I'd want someone who does this:

wind the halyard around the shroud, hook it on the mast light, and attach the shackle to the bottom of the mast
touching anything on my boat. If the halyard is properly fastened to the toerail, it is very unlikely that it is either causing any noise or at risk of doing any damage to anything.

I see no point in someone detaching a perfectly safe halyard to wrap it around a shroud, hook it on a mast light, and then attach it to the bottom of the mast-since the wrapping of it around the shroud and hooking it on the mast light is far more likely to cause damage in the first place.

Someone who lacks the basic judgement to see that there isn't any point in doing all that is someone I'd want to keep the hell off my boat.
 
#17 ·
Maybe some kid was out looking for a swing. Ive seen jet skiers and kids in small boats tie up to anchored boats and use the halyards as swings before in my anchorage.

I will admit to changing halyards around to stop them from clanking, but i never mess with up to where they will damage anything. I wont board a boat unless theres a damned good reason. Saddly in the anchorage im in there are way to many abandoned boats and i have been pumping one boat out monthly now.
 
#18 ·
Please don't restrict anyone's freedom with laws about boarding vessels or not boarding vessels or helping boats stay undamaged or anything like that. I really don't like government intervention or marina rules of any kind as they restrict FREEDOM!

I really don't think people should do stuff I don't want them to do but have no plan for resolving any conflict of interest should it occur. Anyone who disagrees with me about this is a nazi and out to get me. Anyone who agrees with me gets positive rep.

Thanks.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Unrelated sarcasm and joking aside....

I feel for you, I've made friends with my self appointed 'dock watch'. Fortunately he's a pretty good egg and I also have the coast guard auxiliary guy and his wife on my dock and their first boat was a Ranger 26, so I got all sorts of people looking out for me now. ;) It helps that I coil my dock lines. hahaha. They even gave me a free air horn during my auxiliary inspection since my old one was shot. I know my marina has people walking the docks pretty much 24/7 and I appreciate it. I would contact your marina with the info and timeframe and ask them what to do about it.

When I first signed up at the marina I thought them excessively strict, with rules about dewatering dinghies, requiring locking rings on all shore power, etc, but I've grown to love it after visiting a couple of other, um, hmn, less strict garbage dum... er, marinas.
 
#20 · (Edited)
SVDistantStar-

If the boat is in such shape that it requires you to pump it out monthly, I would highly recommend you contact the USCG or other LEOs regarding it. If it sinks, it will be both a hazard to navigation and also, more likely than not, an environmental hazard. Most states have passed laws giving them some teeth to help get rid of abandoned boats.

Tenuki-

There's a big difference between going aboard a boat to fix a problem: whether it be noisy halyards; a loose dockline; a mis-placed fender, and going aboard a boat to cause mischief. In the OP's case, the changes made don't sound preventative or helpful.

IMHO, when boarding a boat to make changes do no harm, help if you can... if you can't, don't make it worse than it already is.
 
#22 ·
Doheny- I regularly check all the boats in our little marina because I know a lot of owners don't get here often in the winter. I don't board someone's boat unless there is an immediate need to prevent damage though. Certainly you have a legitimate concern if someone is boarding your boat and rearranging halyards, fenders, etc just to make it "right" in their opinion. We have someone on the island here that has made it her job to "take care of" the only horse here. Nearly killed it with her "help" last year. Difficult situation for you, especially if you don't know who it is. I agree with other posters, a nice note asking to not board the boat unless it is in danger.

Tenuki- uh, I agree with you, I think....:))

John
 
#23 ·
A friend of mine in a public marina had his Catalina 22 berthed adjacent to the boat ramp - people were all the time climbing on his boat and using it as a step/ramp.

Then, over the course of one summer he noticed more and more things moving around - turns out a couple of school kids were taking it out for a sail here and there during the work day while he wasn't around. No jib, no motor, no centerboard - sailing it in and out of the slip.
 
#26 ·
Of course, if the halyards are slapping the mast, they're probably also causing other problems. :) If the mast is painted, they're probably not doing the paint job much good.
 
#27 ·
Ask your neighbors if they saw anyone on the boat and tell them what happened. Politely say i am really pissed of that someone is on board unless preventing it from sinking. you may get the confession from someone and they may explain why or you will at least be letting them know you are looking for them and cut it out.
also if there is a livaboard bring him a bottle of wine or six pack and ans hiim to keep an eye out
 
#28 · (Edited)
Talk to the marina workers, at Dana Point they would walk around and secure that what needed securing.

We were at a marina here in SD for a short time that all they did was walk around handing out warning slips, for uncoiled docklines, dock carts not returned, dinging in the water, barking dogs, etc,etc, but wouldn't touch a line if their lives depended on it.

Our new marina is much like Dana Point, very friendly, helpful and proactive, and I/we prefer that to the stuff shirt marinas
 
#29 ·
I try to make sure that nothing loose can be easily reached from the finger pier so people would have to board to reach anything. Others in the marina would possibly see that and be aware of suspicious activity.

I hate to see lines laying out on the dock making a trip hazard. I kick them into the water so they get nice & scummy for the owner! I'm talking about the dock lines that get tossed across the dock by a departing boater.

I'm tempted to cut the power on power cords looped into the water, but instead I pull them up to prevent stray current.

There are a lot of careless boaters around.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I try to make sure that nothing loose can be easily reached from the finger pier so people would have to board to reach anything. Others in the marina would possibly see that and be aware of suspicious activity.

I hate to see lines laying out on the dock making a trip hazard. I kick them into the water so they get nice & scummy for the owner! I'm talking about the dock lines that get tossed across the dock by a departing boater.

I'm tempted to cut the power on power cords looped into the water, but instead I pull them up to prevent stray current.

There are a lot of careless boaters around.
You are way to angry & hostile over a useless reason. Many times lines are tossed when leaving a slip or kicked out of place by people waking the docks. Get over it and please chill. Do unto others....;)
 
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