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Old 17-05-2017, 19:51   #1
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Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I'm a cruiser, presently anchored in Tampa bay. I'm well anchored, and am aboard, especially in foul weather. My boat is my most precious possession. Tonight we've had a bit of weather, seas running 2 maybe 3 ft,winds gusting to 30, mph . For me,not a big deal. Though I do occasionally pop my head out to see what's going on around me,and to be sure I'm holding. Others around me are not so diligent. I had a 25 ft boat blow down on me,and his anchor caught my anchor line. I did what I could to fend him off,and get a fender between us,with the intention of tying a line to his bow,and letting him fall off behind me. Just wasn't possible, and at the first crunch,I cut him loose. He's drifted to a relatively safe place in the mangroves,and isn't a hazard to navigation, or any personal property. I fail to see that I had a choice. I did take some very minor damage. Comments ?
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Old 17-05-2017, 20:39   #2
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

Very interested in what others have to say about this.

I want to say that I would never cut the anchor line of an unattended boat unless it was causing serious damage to my own. I'd probably attempt to hail the USCG/local authority long before doing so and get them to come help me out.

If that failed (as in they couldn't be reached/come), maybe I'd eventually conclude, as you did, that there was no better option. It'd probably have a lot to do with the condition/value of the other boat (whether it was derelict or someone's pride and joy).

Given that he was dragging, he may have ended up in the mangroves eventually anyway. Did you save his ground tackle? If so, might be a worthwhile gesture to try and splice it back together and get him reset, or at the very least report the loose vessel to the USCG/local authority.
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Old 17-05-2017, 20:45   #3
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

My catamaran was hit in a marina in New Zealand, and the person denied he hit me. Later that year, he ran up on a reef in Fiji and lost his boat. Maybe he had a bit of bad karma coming his way.

I never did anything to him after he hit my boat.
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Old 17-05-2017, 21:14   #4
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

As I've stated. His anchor fouled on mine. One concern I had was his anchor cutting my line,and then we're both adrift. The boat appears to be in decent shape ,but as to value, I'd say $5,000 or less. It wasn't anything I wanted to do. As I also said,after I've looked at it ( it's night here),the best I can say is the damage to my boat seems minimal, but at what point do I say enough? When I start taking on water ? I attempted to get fenders between us,and attach a line to his bow (at least that was the plan),release his bow line,and let him hang off my stern. Had he been aboard his vessel,as I am mine,we could have handled it. No problem. When I heard fiberglass crunching, that's when I cut him loose. As I've said, presently he's in the mangroves, and from what I can tell,seems to be ok. I've checked,and continue to check,that he hasn't moved. I've got a 7.5 ft rowing dinghy,so I'm not in a position to tow him to a better spot. I draw 5.6 ft,and there's shallow water all around me,so I can't go after him with my sailboat. Another fact is,since the boat arrived a month ago,I haven't seen the owner. I've ridden out 3 hurricanes,and several tropical storms, and when my friends ask if I'd like to stay at their houses,I always ask,If I do,who's gonna take care of the boat? I did drag in Hermine last year. I woke up at 3:00 AM,100 yards form where I started,and nearly beached in 70/80 mph winds,broke my key off in the ignition, hot wired her,and drove the boat for 6 hours,till things calmed down,and reset the anchor. Believe me. I did not want to do what I did,and first thing in the AM,I'll see what I can do to help rectify the situation. As for his ground tackle I'm guessing it's fouled on mine. I've called cruising friends,and the consensus is I acted appropriately. I don't feel great about it but,my first concern is the protection of my only major asset. My home. I can only assume, the owner of the other vessel,doesn't have the same concerns because ,if he did,he'd be here.
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Old 17-05-2017, 21:25   #5
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

It sounds like you did your best to act rationally given the circumstances. I'm not at all judging you, it's difficult to place myself into that position as it is one that I have never been in.

Bottomline is, it isn't your fault that the owner was not prudent in the protection of their (or your) property. Given that, I don't feel like you can be blamed. Any extra efforts you made or do make are out of courtesy and not ethical requirement.

It's very possible that in the same situation I would have avoided cutting him for so long that it would cause more damage to both of our vessels.
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Old 17-05-2017, 21:28   #6
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I think that you acted appropriately. You did what you could to not cut him loose, but in the end, it sounds like you were left with only that course of action.

I would have done the same.

After the fact, I would say that seeing if he has another anchor would be a good thing to do, then contact SeaTow/ boat US, etc and get him re-anchored would be a gentlemanly thing to do, but not your responsibility.

This assumes that the boat has a registration number that can be tracked down and payment by the owner arranged by the towing service.

Anyway, I wouldn't lose sleep with the situation as you describe it.

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Old 17-05-2017, 21:40   #7
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I can't see how you had any other options. You did what you needed to to protect your boat. If the other owner was as responsible, the incident wouldn't have happened in the first place.
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Old 17-05-2017, 21:48   #8
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I'm not particularly proud of the way things turned out. I'm hoping there's no more damage to his boat than there is mine. I'll pop over the side, retrieve his anchor, return it to him tomorrow,and explain what happened. I doubt SeaTow will be necessary, but who knows? Just thought it was a topic to put forth in this forum. Since I plan to haul out in a month, or so , I'll deal with the damage then. Pretty superficial, but I was reluctant to wait for it to get serious. If our rigging had gotten tangled up, I'd have hated to do it,but I'd have grabbed the bolt cutters. I guess my point is,I take a hands on approach to minding my vessel. I can't say the same for those around me,and if I could have,I'd have taken him on,and dealt with it tomorrow. I build yachts. My boss will understand my absence. Probably won't sleep a lot, because I'll be keeping an eye on someone else's boat. C'est la vie....
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Old 17-05-2017, 21:51   #9
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

Appreciate the feed back. Still feel kinda like a heel.
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Old 17-05-2017, 23:26   #10
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I think you are entirely blameless. But in this nasty litigious world I would think carefully about what you say to the owner - the law and justice are not synonymous.
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Old 18-05-2017, 00:21   #11
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailinbob1 View Post
Appreciate the feed back. Still feel kinda like a heel.
Hi Sailinbob
I would think about it a little differently...
"Ethics of protecting yourself and crew when an abandoned boat drifts down on you"

Dont know if you were alone, but you could have been seriously hurt or drowned, trying to save a boat that the owner had left unsecured.
You did right!....people first!
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Old 18-05-2017, 04:03   #12
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

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Originally Posted by sailinbob1 View Post
Appreciate the feed back. Still feel kinda like a heel.
No need to feel like a heel. Most wouldn't have done what you did and would be screaming bloody murder at the absentee boat owner and how his boat caused all this work and damage to your boat. "Ya did good"! I also stay aboard during storms for the same reason you posted. She can't fend for herself..

Cheers!
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Old 18-05-2017, 04:22   #13
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

I agree with the above posts. You did what you could to protect his boat until it posed a threat to yours. I can't imagine doing anything differently. The hard part might be explaining this to the owner when he sees his cut anchor line. For this reason I would see about filing an official statement with some local authority in which you explain the event. It may sound paranoid, but in the land of litigation one can't be too careful.
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Old 18-05-2017, 04:45   #14
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

In the land of litigation, admit to nothing! Without witnesses, I'd never bring the "authorities" into it. They'll look for something to charge you with, and you can bet on that.

There's a reason for the fifth amendment to your constitution.

Agree with cutting the line, you did what you could.

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Old 18-05-2017, 04:52   #15
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Re: Ethics of protecting your vessel at anchor.

Given your scenario sailinbob1 I think your actions are perfectly reasonable and justified. I too would have attempted do what I could for the other boat, but not at the serious risk to my own boat, and certainly not if a person (me!) was placed in significant danger.
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