Someone keeps adjusting my dockline

[happyendings]

Are your lines perhaps a little tight, causing a fender to rub and squeak? Just asking. Reminds me of the old joke with the punchline delivered by the doctor: "Well the medicine cleared up your sinuses, now lets fit you for a hearing aid."

[vmattiola]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

I keep a bag of money soaked in poison plainly visible to anyone who enters my boat.

Wait WHAT!?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

you could try putting poison on the line.

I keep a bag of money soaked in poison plainly visible to anyone who enters my boat.

Strange, AND the authorities will put you in prison for this if it ever "works".

[Crosis]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

Yeah, I'd say it is ilegal to mess with somebody's docklines.
(It would be called sabotage.)

Unless specificly hired or asked to do so.
I would never, ever, touch somebody's docklines unless an empty boat was about to blow away or cause damage to another boat, and then only as a last resort after having alerted owner or dockmaster. If it happens again, run after the guy with a big knife and tell him next time he will meet his maker.

There is no such crime as sabotage. If, and only if damage rises from them touching your lines would it be illegal. Otherwise there is no law covering this.

[Crosis]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

you could try putting poison on the line.

I keep a bag of money soaked in poison plainly visible to anyone who enters my boat.

1. INSANE
2. Illegal
3. INSANE

[NoShoes]

Take some baby powder and spread it around your dock near the lines, see if there are any footprints in the morning, and tie a ribbon around the dockline where it attaches to the cleat, tripple knot it.

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by monte

Sounds like crazy cat lady stuff to me. Maybe Mr Tide, Mr Current or the friendly marina staff adjusting too tight lines

People keep saying my lines must be too tight. They're not. This person is adjusting my boat so that the stern is too far away from my ladder to step aboard. If my lines were too tight, the few people I do see could easily say "hey, Sassy, your lines are too tight!" Even then, what is it to them? People really do mind their business here. Except this weirdo who comes by three times a week to loosen JUST my stern line.

[Island Time O25]

Spread some Ben-Gay or some other foul smelling ointment on the cleat. Either this will stop the adjuster on the spot or if not - your dogs would be able to follow the wiff to his boat.

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by happyendings

Are your lines perhaps a little tight, causing a fender to rub and squeak? Just asking. Reminds me of the old joke with the punchline delivered by the doctor: "Well the medicine cleared up your sinuses, now lets fit you for a hearing aid."

Lines are not too tight and there is no fender squeakage. I'm the one living on the boat, there are NO liveaboards near me.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by SassySailor

... in the early afternoon when I see a persons shadow crossing the setting sun beaming through my portholes...

I agree that's just plain weird. And I don't want to insult your intelligence or boating ability. But I've made mistakes and jumped to conclusions before, only to learn later that there was a simple explanation. Here are a couple that come to mind. You'll know if either one is even remotely possible:

When the sun low in the sky, anything between you and the horizon could be casting a shadow. A bird, a car, someone walking on shore, etc.

I assume you know how to set your lines to keep either the bow or stern from angling away from the dock when the wind or current shifts. But I know I've been amazed how much the boat moved, even after I thought I'd made up all the lines correctly.

Assuming it's nothing obvious like that, I'd be ready to confront the marauder. Since it's happening in daylight, it's just a curiosity at this point. If it happened at night I'd be much more alarmed.

[scuba0_1]

Maybe this is to simple but if you see some one go up and say hello can I help you. If it's someone just looking at boats let them know they should stay on the dock to look if it's not than inform take a hike and stay off the fingers of the docks. It's no different than what I would do if somebody kept walking up to my front door

Sent from my SM-N910V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[darylat8750]

I say many issues in this world would go away if people would just talk to each other. I agree with the post that encouraged you to say "What's up?" next time the other person is in the area. Talk to the person and let us know how it works out.

[nimblemotors]

Get a camera and have it record the dockline.

[vmattiola]

Thinking this through though....several concerns immediately arise. 1- We're talking about a substance that would have to administer it's toxicity via skin contact alone, not ingestion or injection. Off the top of my head: ricin, tetrodotoxin (TTX), maybe botulinum toxin, some intense millitary-grade neurotoxic gaseous agents (Agent Orange, or VX for example), mycotoxins (from small fungi), or maybe mercury. Obtaining these, while also illegal, would be extremely difficult...and you'd seriously be endangering yourself by handling them. 2- This bag of money would need to be easily identifiable as a "bag of money" and not just a bag of ???? - so therefore it'd either need a big "$" on the outside of it, or be clear. Assuming it is a clear bag - because it's not 1850 and people don't look for burlap sacks with dollar signs on them anymore - you will have the unfortunate issue of getting any substance to properly bond to the clear plastic surface. If it is a light mesh bag, then you are essentially soaking the money in the substance. Which brings up # 3- The money would essentially be sacrificed, and you'd never be able to touch it again. What a waste. 4- Being in an easily identifiable place on your boat would mean it's got to be hanging maybe near the companionway, or in the galley somewhere or salon...perhaps hanging from a handhold. Given that the "poison" can inflict it's toxicity on physical contact, you and your guests will have the displeasure of constantly avoiding contact with this easily identifiable toxic bag of money. Think about this typical situation: upwind, pounding away, trying to walk to the v-berth and banging into everything in the cabin, you brush by the toxic money bag. You die. 5- Inhalation. Assuming you can avoid touching the money bag, you still have the issue of inhalation to deal with. If you've "soaked" the bag with a potent substance in liquid form, it will still vaporize slightly, and even inhaling trace amounts will endanger you. If you've used a gas, say a highly concentrated form of permethrin (a neurotoxin used as a pesticide), there's an even larger risk of inhalation from vaporization. 6- Storage - If the bag falls to the ground inadvertently, you've just contaminated the floor and possibly bilge of your vessel. You will have to dispose of your shoes daily or neutralize the substance somehow. I can't think of any suggestions how...

In conclusion, given the immense personal risk you are undertaking with this endeavor, I find it highly unlikely that you have a poison soaked bag of money on your boat. If you do, be careful. Wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, replace your clothes regularly, a hairnet is a good idea, goggles, and obviously a respirator too. I work in a research lab, if you want I can help you obtain these items. Best of luck.

Tangent complete.
---onto the original post: I'd be pretty confused if someone was only loosening my stern line too. My guess is you're rubbing the dock and squeaking pretty loudly...annoying somebody I suppose. Reminds me of the folks who walk onto others boats at night to tie their halyards away from the mast to stop the slapping. While definitely not a boat-savvy thing to do, I guess I can see where they're coming from.

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I agree that's just plain weird. And I don't want to insult your intelligence or boating ability. But I've made mistakes and jumped to conclusions before, only to learn later that there was a simple explanation. Here are a couple that come to mind. You'll know if either one is even remotely possible:

When the sun low in the sky, anything between you and the horizon could be casting a shadow. A bird, a car, someone walking on shore, etc.

I assume you know how to set your lines to keep either the bow or stern from angling away from the dock when the wind or current shifts. But I know I've been amazed how much the boat moved, even after I thought I'd made up all the lines correctly.

Assuming it's nothing obvious like that, I'd be ready to confront the marauder. Since it's happening in daylight, it's just a curiosity at this point. If it happened at night I'd be much more alarmed.

I was thinking the same as you when I started noticing this, it has been going on for a couple of months now. At first I was writing the shadow off as a plane passing by, or someone walking by the boat on the main dock, etc. and when I noticed the boat getting farther and farther away I would think "gee, I mustn't have done a good job when I came back to the dock last time I took the boat out".

I just didn't want to believe it. As I paid more attention, it became clear that someone was right outside my boat. (Plus, sometimes one loud mouth dog will notice and do a muffled warning bark before she actually starts to go ballistic. Hasn't passed that point.) As I noticed the shadow three times last week I thought "what the hell is someone doing down at the end of the dock?" I just didn't get it. It started raining a few days ago and the doggies hate being wet and are really hesitant to jump from the ladder to the boat with the boat being so far away (as it clearly wasn't before). I couldn't tighten the stern line enough to make it a comfortable distance to me, which means they're messing with other lines too and I need to go around and adjust them all to be able to properly re-set the boat again. I've done this several times since moving to the marina thinking I was doing something wrong. It's a new boat to me and much bigger than what I was used to, but now I feel like a dummy for not realizing this sooner.

What they're doing to my dock lines is putting my boat way out of whack.