Boarding and rafting to stranger's boats.

[SchockT]

I would never raft up to a strangers boat without their consent! Having said that, if they had fenders out, I could consider that an invitation to raft!

Most of the rafting I have done is at yacht club outstations where there is always people to help out, and it is understood that it could happen while you are away from the boat. I am not sure I would be crazy about someone doing it at a public dock in my absence! I would certainly be unimpressed if they moved my boat to the outside of the raft!

And then there is the kind of raft we were in this summer! This one was rather challenging when the party was on the far end from our boat!

[Bilgewater]

Originally Posted by Faster

btw that pic is from the 50s, obviously.. the town is Ocean Falls BC.. a now largely abandoned paper mill company town. At its heyday over 1000 employees worked in the mill and up to 4-5000 residents lived there in a combination of company housing and private homes a mile or so away. At the end of a typical coastal fiord, it had (has) no road access - air or boat only. The more rugged cruiser set are making this a destination these days.. about 50-60 full timers still live there. The mill there operated from 1905 to 1981. In those days the fishermen fished 5 days/week... that's probably part of the reason that today they're lucky to fish 5 days/year.....

Ha, I was curious about that photo. Ocean Falls was quite the place at one time. Did you work in that paper mill?

[RocketScience]

Originally Posted by Faster

... as you should if that's how you feel.. but we have areas with access to supplies but no nearby anchoring available (depth, space, etc) If it's the only provisioning spot one's options become limited.

Another tactic might be to leave one person aboard, send the rest in by dinghy and wait/drift around to retrieve them afterwards.. we've done that too.

Our cruising grounds are similar if not the same (Refuge Cove comes to mind ), so I hear you. But I'd rather just dinghy 15 min. from a temporary half decent anchorage than deal with it. That's just me...

[L124C]

Originally Posted by b40Ibis

From your post I suppose they were dropping someone off? Seems harmless but what if they banged up the side of your boat in the process?

I think they were picking up my "guest".
The surge was intense and as I indicated, I wouldn't consider rafting any boat in it. I'm not very experienced with rafting, and maybe I'm being a weenie, but this thread will give you some sense of the conditions (what can I say....it was an eventful weekend!)Boat Bondage!

In addition, In my OP, I indicated for simplicity, there was open water to Port, (before being enlightened by this thread). In fact, another dock exists to Port, where large (200-300') Ferries/Charter boats live. Rafting two, certainly three boats to the public dock would be an issue for them.

In any case, this thread had certainly been an eye opener for me. Thanks for all your input (as always)!

[L124C]

Originally Posted by rockDAWG

I don't mind at all if they know what they doing and no damage to my boat. In a pubic area, it is meant to share. If you fence off the first one, the second one may be even worse. Be nice and be kind will go long way.

With all due respect and in complete sincerity...those are some BIG "ifs", given the lack of competence and common sense I see in my marina on a regular basis.
I had no idea docking at a public dock made my boat public property, or an easement, any more than parking my car in a public parking lot.
If the dock was full when I arrived, I would ask an attended boat if I could raft, wait for a space or go elsewhere. I would never even consider boarding an unattended vessel or rafting up to same (the regatta environment I described in the OP notwithstanding) . I am "nice and kind" afforded proper respect. Short of that, I'm a bit like running into a chainsaw.
Anyway....I've been informed and warned, thanks for that!

[SkywalkerII]

For what it's worth, I've never seen this done in the Long Island Sound area. I've circled around, waiting for dock space.

Rafting only occurs among friends or social gatherings on moorings.

[Minnewaska]

I wont' say I've never seen rafting around here. I have. However, I can't believe it would be done without permission. There are some marinas that will raft you, but tell you so. I would be upset to find anyone on my boat without permission.

While different, climbing through other dinghies to get to the dock is extremely common.

[BubbleheadMd]

My understanding is that this is somewhat culturally driven. The "don't touch mine!" attitude is very American and an expression of our greater "personal space", and that rafting is more commonly accepted in Europe, Aus and NZ.

Hopefully if I'm wrong, someone from those areas will speak up and correct me.

For my part, I would not object to being rafted to by strangers at a public dock, so long as it was done correctly and with common sense. If damage were done, there'd be hell to pay for sure.

I like the tip about posting a mobile phone number in the window, so that potential rafters can contact me. I'll put that to use.

[chucklesR]

Public docks are free, you don't own what you don't pay for.
Maybe it's just me, but I never turn down a request to raft off me.

If I am at a public dock I expect to rafted off, especially if there are no other spots empty.

ICW has spots where rafting up is a must. Hard to anchor in a canal and there is only so much seawall to tie to - you expect late comers to idle back and forth overnight?

If the surge is such that you are bouncing around to the point of concern, why didn't you anchor off and dinghy in?
The answer is likely the same as the guy that wanted to raft off you.

[caberg]

I wouldn't do it without permission.

I also wouldn't go ballistic on someone for rafting up to me, especially if there's no harm done. The tone of your post makes me want to say, whoah, calm down, easy there. A little patience, understanding and friendliness can go a long way.

In that situation, I'd more than likely invite the guy to go ahead and raft up and join me for a beer.