"Dock Lines will be Cut!"

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Tellie

And they say sailors are the nicest, most accommodating, willing to help out a fellow sailor, people on earth.

not with the new generation of sailors,who consider boats to be just another form of "real estate"

[Richard5]

Ann is correct. What is legal may not be correct ethically speaking. Lend a hand first, don't get all twisted up at the drop of the hat. Heck, Jesus himself was taken before a judge.

I've pulled into the wrong dock before or perhaps lingered too long. Perhaps that inconvenienced someone but it was unintentional. Lend a hand mates. At least think of it as an opportunity to hone your social skills.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Tellie

And they say sailors are the nicest, most accommodating, willing to help out a fellow sailor, people on earth.

Sure. I go out for a sail and find someone else in my slip, what do I care? I'll just park in someone else's slip, and he can go scrambling for one, etc., etc., etc.

Why would I want to be back in my slip with the dock lines set the way I expect them to be when I'm bringing my boat with the wind and tide against me? It's not like I put any thought into how I would return when I left the slip or anything. Just mash it all up. I'll figure it out!

I've come out up from my cabin at 10PM to help someone pull into their slip and have someone to throw a line to. But yeah, I'm just selfish and inconsiderate because I expect to get in and out with my boat.

And yeah, I might have a car towed out of my driveway if I needed to. I would at least leave a pointed note not to do it again.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Richard5

Ann is correct. What is legal may not be correct ethically speaking. Lend a hand first, don't get all twisted up at the drop of the hat. Heck, Jesus himself was taken before a judge.

I've pulled into the wrong dock before or perhaps lingered too long. Perhaps that inconvenienced someone but it was unintentional. Lend a hand mates. At least think of it as an opportunity to hone your social skills.

Sure. I found myself without no reverse and had to put the boat into whatever slip I could. The owner was gone but expected back. The marina helped me turn the boat in the slip and get into the one they intended for me. It was a bit of a circus but I didn't hit anyone, so it was all good.

That's a long way from blocking access or deliberately putting my boat into someone else's slip to save me a bit of a walk.

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by Richard5

My take from the OP is the transgressor is from the other side of the tracks, ie, doesn't belong, aka, using the space without permission. I see retribution with vengeance.

You funny guy Richard5.

My mid-eighties production boats accepts the compliment however backhanded. Truth be told most of these dickheads come in on yacht tenders that cost more than my boat.

I liveaboard and I pay for the privilege of the peace and privacy, not so some freeloader can get beer from the deli or catch a subway into the city. There are people from across the way who pay to land at the marina, for those who don't there is a ferry service across the canal that costs two bucks and runs every half hour.

Things have been worse this summer. There is an empty slip out at the end of the dock which is like a beacon to all kinds of morons who otherwise lack the boat handling skills required to make the turn further inside.

I understand that bow thrusters have their place but as far as I am concerned they only serve to encourage idiots to buy bigger boats. These people are rarely cruisers passing through, most are from the area, and all of them should know better.

You sound like quite a generous and forgiving soul on an internet forum but something tells me you wouldn't be so sweet on me parking my Harley Davidson in your suburban driveway early on a Saturday morning because it would be otherwise inconvenient for me not to.

[bobconnie]

As far as cutting dock line, NO WAY !! But if the marina dockmaster wish's to chain and lock it up then he sure don't need to ask me ! I sorta feel like if I pay for the monthly fee for the dock, others should at least ask someone, like me or the harbormaster before docking and leaveing it there unattended! This seems like common sense to me ! I have been places where if you left for a week or more, you might well find another boat at your paid for dock! and be told thats the way it is ! But at least if they knew you were only gone for a few days, they would not put boats in your space! But I do get some upset when I find my dock full when I return to it, and have been known to make a little noise over this type of stuff ! LOL

[Dulcesuenos]

Businesses all the time put signs out "no trespassing unauthorized / illegally parked vehicles will be towed at owners expense" why dont marinas? Otoh, if soneone is broken down and needs to tie up i dont have issue as long as they have bumpers out and dont cause damage. And yes we are on an end dock cause our cat is wider than the slips can handle. I would never untie someones unattended pushed but if it were tied and doing damage id be pretty pissed. Id take pics etc probably call and have it moved / towed somewhere if they were so discourteous as to cause damage.

[boatman61]

LOLOL... I remember the Town Sherriff coming after me in Oriental after 5 days at the Town Dock... your only allowed 2 days..
Problem was there were Westerly's that sat me in the mud... one off the things about Pamlico Sound... the wind controls the water levels more than the tides... took another 2 days before a wind shift floated me and I was able to head off for Beaufort...
He was pretty cool about it all once things were explained tho'... and customers at the Bean confirmed that watching me try everything including being towed off was highly entertaining...

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Can you elaborate? Does the marina have no trespassing posted?
'restricted' and 'hindered', is that mean they had to go around? or blocked?
'potential grounding' what potential, 1% chance or 50% chance?

For real? Does the door on your house have a sign that says no trespassing? The marina has a gate. It has a LOCK on it. The purpose of the gate is to keep out the riff raff.

From inside the marina you can unlock the door by pushing a button on the gangway. From outside the marina you need an electronic fob to unlock the gate.

Do you leave the door to your house unlocked? If I broke into your house through an open window because the front door was locked and then left by unlocking the front door does that make it oaky?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Delancy

For real? Does the door on your house have a sign that says no trespassing? The marina has a gate. It has a LOCK on it. The purpose of the gate is to keep out the riff raff.

From inside the marina you can unlock the door by pushing a button on the gangway. From outside the marina you need an electronic fob to unlock the gate.

Do you leave the door to your house unlocked? If I broke into your house through an open window because the front door was locked and then left by unlocking the front door does that make it oaky?

Yup... no glass to clean up... and the door self locks when someone leaves...

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Yup... no glass to clean up... and the door self locks when someone leaves...

Little did I know the real trouble is the feral cats, and I thought I had problems with the freeloaders.

[CPseudonym]

Our marina has a simple solution. Every vacant slip has a yellow chain padlocked across it. If a transient berth is requested the harbor master would typically come point it out anyway, unchaining the slip is done at that time.

Sometimes an ounce of prevention...

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

As far as cutting dock line, NO WAY !! But if the marina dockmaster wish's to chain and lock it up then he sure don't need to ask me ! I sorta feel like if I pay for the monthly fee for the dock, others should at least ask someone, like me or the harbormaster before docking and leaveing it there unattended! This seems like common sense to me ! I have been places where if you left for a week or more, you might well find another boat at your paid for dock! and be told thats the way it is ! But at least if they knew you were only gone for a few days, they would not put boats in your space! But I do get some upset when I find my dock full when I return to it, and have been known to make a little noise over this type of stuff ! LOL

My marina is sometimes a cruise destination for other clubs. There was a group coming in once when I was going to be cruising elsewhere.

I talked to the marina management, and I pointed out that I would be leaving my crew across Tampa Bay and be bringing my boat back to home base by myself. I explained to them that I had worked very hard to place my lines so I could secure my boat quickly even under adverse conditions (translation to them: without hitting docks or other boats).

They then offered to not rent my dock out for the transient visitors. They were quite reasonable. Sure enough, I came back from my trip and my lines were the way I needed them to be.

Communicating ahead of time -- on both sides -- works well. Of course in this case, the visiting boats were scheduling and paying.

If I were really picky I would complain about the marina making double rent off my slip had I had someone in there, but they don't do that. But they did do what I wanted.

They also volunteered to help me move my high-freeboard boat to a floating dock slip -- at no extra charge -- should we have a storm that would force a storm surge up the river. I appreciated that, but I have more sheltered places to take the boat, and if it's at all possible, that's what I'll do. The marina is exposed from the north, so wind from either the north or west (forcing the surge up the river) would be difficult for me. I can avoid both problems.

But they were ready to have a planned, controlled solution.

This all looks so reasonable to me that it just makes the person described by the OP look even more selfish and just plain unseamanlike. Do we have to extend sailors' courtesies to people who act like horses' patooties?

[Richard5]

Originally Posted by Delancy

(words)

...parking my Harley Davidson in your suburban driveway early on a Saturday morning because it would be otherwise inconvenient for me not to.

So now the conversation is not about a boater pulling up to a dock, it now has become someone taking your assigned slip?

Anyway, yes this has happened to me on the water and at my home (not suburban). If you put your HD in my drive I'm sure we'd have something to talk about.

If you parked in my drive simply to save a few steps you would likely come back to find it where you left it or rolled aside without damage. If it leaked oil I would wonder of pride of ownership in you.

[boatman61]

The thing that amuses the hell outa me is... over here folk can.. and do... purchase their marina berth... however... if your away sailing they will rent it out to transients... and if you come back early your buga'd...
Oh... and to rub salt in the wound... you get none of the rental charged either...