Rental moorings

[minisailor]

Hello All
As reported on the "Coconut Telegraph" (a single side band cruisers net on 4060 at 8am) this morning a boat was nearly lost when the newly installed mooring that it was tied to failed. This happened at the newly installed mooring field in Portsmouth Dominica.This is not a first, rental moorings have been known to fail from Maine to Grenada. If you choose to tie up to one for what ever reason you are at risk. The moorings are there to make a profit for someone and may be poorly serviced, undersized for your boat, too short a scope, poorly rigged. Mooring companies many times cannot or will not tell you whats down there holding your boat, old engine block, discarded building blocks hooked together, seldom is it proper for your boat. By not knowing whats down there you are putting your boat at risk and your insurance company may not be obligated to pay for your loss unless you can prove you did proper due diligence by diving on the mooring and inspecting it. And NO the mooring operator is not covered for your loss. Years ago after watching a 55ft Chris Craft power cruiser go up on the beach in Nantucket Ma dragging a 25lb mooring I quickly decided to use only my own anchor and sleep tight, it has never failed. If you do decide to rent you only encourage the operator of the mooring field to put in more moorings untill there is no place to anchor and any loss is yours

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by minisailor

If you do decide to rent you only encourage the operator of the mooring field to put in more moorings untill there is no place to anchor and any loss is yours

This has already happened in Little Harbor, Abacos. Also, there are places in the Caribbean where anchoring is prohibited in order to protect coral and you must rent a mooring or go elsewhere.

[Hud3]

It's a good idea to dive on any mooring that your rent to check it out. HOWEVER, that is not always enough. I had my boat on a private mooring that I rented here on Nevis, and it went adrift in November. I was able to hire a local sport fisherman to take me out and we found her, so all is well. Though I had checked out the equipment by snorkel, it turns out that the large galvanized swivel connecting the chain to the rope up to the buoy failed, something you can't really see by visual inspection beforehand.

Regarding moorings in Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth, Dominica, the anchoring is so good there, I'm not sure why you would want a mooring. It is surprising, though, that one failed so soon. I think they were installed only within the last year or two.

[minisailor]

Originally Posted by slomotion

This has already happened in Little Harbor, Abacos. Also, there are places in the Caribbean where anchoring is prohibited in order to protect coral and you must rent a mooring or go elsewhere.

Slomotion
I am in total agreement that moorings should be used to protect the coral it is a shame to ruin it with and anchor. But thats not the case in many, many anchorages where some profiteer forces you to anchor in a less desirable spot so he can profit.

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by minisailor

Slomotion
I am in total agreement that moorings should be used to protect the coral it is a shame to ruin it with and anchor. But thats not the case in many, many anchorages where some profiteer forces you to anchor in a less desirable spot so he can profit.

Man, I need to have a New England Cruisers Rally. Right, on, Minisailor!

[minisailor]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

Man, I need to have a New England Cruisers Rally. Right, on, Minisailor!

Right on, but not in February.