Boat on my mooring

[Shirvo]

Here in Australia, being a Nation with all State Capital cities located on or near the coast and with most other major centres also on the coast, we have a well established and reactive Water Police Service as well as Sea Rescue Service.
In New South Wales, if someone is on your mooring you simply contact the local Water Police, provide the vessel registration details and the Police locate the owner and ask them to move it immediately. If the owner can't be located then the Police remove the boat and impound it. The penalty for using a mooring without permission is a mandatory $500 fine and if the Police have to impound the vessel then there are further associated costs. I know how you feel, it is infuriating when you cannot use something that belongs to you. cheers

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Mainebristol

Came back from a four hour daysail to find a sailboat on my mooring. Maybe thirty feet or so, named 'Ortelius.' My mooring is in South Freeport Harbor, Maine. The harbor is jammed. No room for anchoring inside the guarding island, period.
Searched the local restaurant, marina. No joy. Talked to the harbormaster. He moved the boat to another mooring, over my suggestion that we tow it above the local mud flats, and let the tide take her.

A couple of things;

My mooring has two pennants. Only one was used, and it was just draped over a cleat, in a manner that was completely insecure. Nobody here or who has been around boats at all would moor it in that manner. The tide here is eight feet. There is always a substantial current.

The boat has now been left on the spare mooring for at least a month. The harbormaster really doesn't want to bother with it, and I don't blame him. Hauling and winterizing is expensive here. It is also mandatory to clear the harbor by the time winter really hits.(don't know of any hard date)

Apparently, despite a Maine registration, the owner has proved difficult to find. Boat values are really dropping here, but I would guess this thing is worth about $15,000 depending on condition. Maybe a bit less.

So what happens in cases like this? To all intents and purposes, the boat is abandoned.

Someone mentioned that 'maybe the owner had a medical issue; died or something'. Did anyone look below? Check the head?

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by rmlarson1098

Someone mentioned that 'maybe the owner had a medical issue; died or something'. Did anyone look below? Check the head?

Elvis???

[Secondshift]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

Elvis???

That would certainly explain the hastily made cleat. Maybe he really had to go and then he just went.

[alansmith]

Secondshift, “Maybe he really had to go and then he just went.” Man, that was some funny shizzle. Had me chuckling at work. Thanks for some levity.

[alansmith]

My take... he knew what he was doing when he moored on a hard to find mooring. Busy and crowded harbor... he knew!

[RaymondR]

You did the right thing in having the harbour master take care of it, you should not have assumed any liability because even though it was trespassing on your mooring you in no way interfered with it. It's the harbour master's job to now see that the matter is disposed of properly.

Your boat is a very vulnerable asset and unless you want to hire a security guard it's best not to start wars against anyone.

[bjp447]

Originally Posted by Pete17C

Check the salvage laws?

Free boat!!

There is no such thing as a free boat, it should be transferring one persons problem to someone else who thinks he/she is getting a deal for free .
Seen it too many times.

[wingssail]

Some times boat owners do that intentionally. When I came back from a three month cruise I found a sports fisherman in my berth. The boat was called Sharkey from Coral Gables Florida and the owner was still aboard,. I introduced myself to the owner, Rob, and told him he was in my slip. He said, "Just take that one over there, it's only 50 ft farther down the dock". and pointed to someone else's berth.

Apparently Rob told the marine he would only be there 1 or 2 days so they gave him my berth. But after 5 days he suddenly flew of to Florida to see his son and hasn't come back. The marina won't touch his boat even though he has not paid for the period of time he is here.

So we don't know what right he thinks he has to my slip any more than what the guy who took OP's mooring was thinking, but I does give me a clear picture of their arrogance.

[aeronautic1]

Mark Your Buoy with: “Private Mooring - Unauthorized Mooring Subject to Towing and Impoundment Fees at Owners Expense.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Some times boat owners do that intentionally. When I came back from a three month cruise I found a sports fisherman in my berth. The boat was called Sharkey from Coral Gables Florida and the owner was still aboard,. I introduced myself to the owner, Rob, and told him he was in my slip. He said, "Just take that one over there, it's only 50 ft farther down the dock". and pointed to someone else's berth.

Apparently Rob told the marine he would only be there 1 or 2 days so they gave him my berth. But after 5 days he suddenly flew of to Florida to see his son and hasn't come back. The marina won't touch his boat even though he has not paid for the period of time he is here.

So we don't know what right he thinks he has to my slip any more than what the guy who took OP's mooring was thinking, but I does give me a clear picture of their arrogance.

Your avatar indicates you are in Mexico; not a place my boat has ever been. But every marina I have been in would not tolerate what you described. The one time I found someone on my ball in Florida before the harbor master could deal with it several folks on close by balls ran the guy off; even while I was on my VHF with the marina. In another marina some one stayed on the fuel dock overnight and FWC was called and encouraged the boat to leave. In another marina I stayed at SeaTow was called and removed the boat (LEO gave permission) kinda like on land a tow truck can deal with illegally parked cars.

When I was diving in Mexico the boat that took us out restricted access to the dock and several other places were restricted access. I would be interested in which marina in Mexico (where ever) allows free docking for extended periods of time.

[ghochgraf]

Two very separate issues here.
One, unauthorized use of a vacant mooring.
Two, abandoned property. This is the harbormaster's duty. He (she) signed up for this job and has to deal with this kind of stuff. Not your problem, mon! But if you're curious, realize that every state is different.
Back to #1, as a cruiser who is frequently in an unfamiliar port for the night, I have 'borrowed' a mooring on occasion. I always wait until evening when any owners have already tied up and dinghied home for dinner; and I'm gone shortly after first light. If I'm going to leave the boat, I'll contact the harbormaster for a proper temporary tie-up. Should someone come by, I apologize and move to another vacant mooring or find someplace to drop a hook.

[Lihuedooley77]

Number one.....we do not pick up a private mooring, nor do we pull into a private slip, or tie up to a fuel dock except for taking on fuel, ice and beer. Period !

Over many years, we had total disrespectful turkeys pull into our sailing club slips or fairways that are posted with PRIVATE SLIP, TOW AWAY ZONE. That did not sometimes deter the donkey booze cruise boat drivers from pulling into our slips to go to the local waterfront bar.

Typical jerk offs...

We would explain, that this is a private dock, or a fairway that lead to the lagoon that our Sailing Club boats were docked, that had to get or out of our slips. our vessels ranged from 30 to 55 ft, sailing and motor vessels.

That did not register in their self absorbed psyche. Booze and dockside bar were
primary .

These self righteous Newport Bay power boaters would ague that the were just coming into the bar for ONE drink. B.S. I even had one that boasted, DO YOU KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS ? Our reply " We doubt you know who your real father is, now back out of our slip. "

With all of them, they were told that if they left their boat in one of our posted slips or the fair way , the harbies would be notified and their vessel towed, and they were responsible for the towing and impound fees. they would still puff up and argue. Tuff, totems.

We had one motor vessel , ignored us, and still docked and tiedup, and then get back on board, and shut down their engines....drinks in hand....

Our dock master and myself, untied their dock lines and shoved them out of the fairway . " Suggest you start your engines, and stay our of our docks. "

There is absolutely no viable reason that we continually had to put up with these situations. Show respect and use the guest dock of the bar, or find another bar with open guest slips.


As to the sad that condition vessel tying up the O.P'S mooring, in a haphazard way, totally unsafe useamanship way, and of course no respect for anyone else or their own boat..... pretty big clue as to why.

And good on the OP, trying to hunt them down. Wonder if the O.P. was once a fighter pilot, as we use the terminology NO JOY, when we did not have a visual on another aircraft.

Our first thoughts were the vessel was possibly stolen, and maybe used for delivery of
illegal contraband, or just flat stolen. Since there was no proper care when tying up
to that mooring. Obviously , the warfrat did not care about the boat. Especially in
a mooring field or anchorage with extremely high tidal ranges and strong currents.

one other thought, he was booted out of his previous slip or mooring for non payment.

Best plan for us, would be to do as the OP did, and turn the the situation over to
the harbies, and stand off from any further involvement.

One thing was mentioned, did anyone look down below, to see if there might be an injured , ill, or immobile person. I doubt that was a factor, and the harbies would have investigated when they boarded to tow .

Just our personal take, we doubt that they will ever see the person who picked up the O.P.s mooring. Perhaps the owner may be found thru the registration number on the bow. Here in Calif, we have CF numbers on the bow, unless it is a Documented vessel . That is all registered with the authorities . Usually , a copy of the
registration or the documentation paper work would be on board a legal and informed
vessel.

Aye lad, secure your vessel, and break out the rum. Or, if the OP is a fighter pilot,
with a visual, too close for missiles , go to guns . tracking, tracking, tracking the lead is inbound.

Actually , pass on the knife fight in a telephone booth, and stick to the rum plan.

Or in nautical speak, belay the punch in the nose, lad, lay easy in a peaceful harbor or rumshop.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by tomfl

...I would be interested in which marina in Mexico (where ever) allows free docking for extended periods of time...

The problem in some places we've been is that a marina operator and even a local Port Captain can never be sure that the offender doesn't not have as a friend or relative someone in a higher place who could get them fired.

This leads to a cautious approach towards taking action of any kind which could anger or irritate someone unless that action is clearly against someone of the lowest economic class who obviously do not have upper class protectors.

It is a case where "Do you know who my father is?" is a valid question.

This is a form of corruption.

People in countries where the rule of law is stronger take it for granted that this form of corruption will not be used against them. They are lucky.

I will add that there are those in certain high places in the US who seem to be willing to discard that rule of law if it seems to them that the law is being used to constrain them from doing what they want to do.

[john61ct]

Surprising such entitled asshats don't consider how easy it is for someone to sink a boat