Someone keeps adjusting my dockline

[Sealaskan]

I would inform the harbor master about this and let him know when you think it is happening. I would run the lines back to my boat and post a no trespassing sign. If you don't want to try a friendly confrontation then I would put a sign out that says "I'm watching you." Sometimes just knowing they have been caught will make people stop.

[socaldmax]

I'm baffled. No clue why anyone in their right mind would do that, so that leaves someone not in their right mind.

I vote for starting a conversation, but keep your distance, a phone with you and some sort of defensive weapon handy in case cuckoo goes cocoa puffs.

Keep us updated, this is bound to turn out interesting. Good luck!

[mf70]

Wow! 76 responses in 12 hours! I'm in the "just talk to them" camp. Or set the lines the way you want them and sieze the docklines at that point. It is very convenient to be able to come into the slip and drop the lines in place.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Cadence]

Are you not sure it isn't paranoia? Not meaning to be mean but if you know when they are out there ask. It is probably just someone with good intentions.

[JPA Cate]

Since you've been stalked, I think you might be more prone to fearing the interaction than if you hadn't been.

My suggestion is that you have a friend be with you at the time of day the event usually happens, then have your, "Hello. Why are you messing with my dock line?" conversation with an independent witness. This will also help your confidence level. I think the gender of the friend is irrelevant to this plan.

Then, if you don't feel you have got rid of the problem, involve the harbormaster of the marina, and if you still feel threatened after that, you might want to hire someone to take care of the situation.

I suspect that it will stop when you confront the perp, because there is a good chance there is some innocent deal happening that none of us have thought of.

Ann

[Valmika]

My Dockmaster will move my boat if he thinks my bow is hanging too far over the dock. He will pull it back and send me a nasty note telling me how dangerous it is. Are you backed into a slip? Do you have a neighbor who might think you're impeding on his space?

[tankersteve]

While I do consider a strong ability to defend oneself important, in this case I see asking as the appropriate course of action.

With that being said, every now and again, someone posts about wasp spray. Unless you are treating wasps actively, you are likely going to get into trouble doing that, AND being surprised about the lack of effectiveness.

Oklahoma Personal Defense - The Myth of Wasp Spray

a less than scientific look:

snopes.com: Wasp Spray for Self-Defense?

and for those of us with a little imagination, have you or anyone you know ever received an accidental dose? It is underwhelming:

Does Wasp Spray Work for Self-Defense? - Urban Legends

for those who like to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgC5TQWIF2k

the bubba version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR19OmAfQLc

What's my point? I don't like urban myths and bad advice perpetuated off of internet legends. If you seriously intend to have something to defend yourself with, get what is known to work.

Tankersteve

[Tayana42]

SassySailor, I can understand your concern as a woman alone on a boat, particularly since you don't have friendly neighbors readily close by your slip. The suggestion to have a friend along when you speak to this person sounds wise to me. I would expect no more trouble than a person who means well but is overstepping his bounds. If after a friendly conversation you still are troubled I would let the Harbormaster, security and whichever police force has jurisdiction know. At that point it's not just messing with your lines, it's messing with you.


S/V B'Shert

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by zboss

What is the tide like in your location? Maybe it just happens to be that the tide is going down and pulling at your cleats so the guys is doing you a favor.

This was my initial thought - non-floating finger and some weird good Samaritan.

But I know Sassy is smarter than that and knows how to tie a boat.

[Ex-Calif]

Here is my "real thought...

Typical of CF we have gone from a completely benign situation where a 2 minute conversation would suffice to setting poison traps and setting up machine guns on the boat.

No offence Sassy but you are way over thinking this thing - Just ask the person...

If the following example of overthink seems sexist blame Dave Barry...

Let's say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.

And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"

Read full entry

And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.

And Roger is thinking: Gosh. Six months.

And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward . . . I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?

And Roger is thinking: . . . so that means it was . . . let's see . . February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means . . . lemme check the odometer . . . Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Elaine is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed -- even before I sensed it -- that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.

And Roger is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.

And Elaine is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.

And Roger is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90- day warranty. That's exactly what they're gonna say, the scumballs.

And Elaine is thinking: maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.

And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their ......

"Roger," Elaine says aloud.

"What?" says Roger, startled.

"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have . . Oh, I feel so......"

(She breaks down, sobbing.)

"What?" says Roger.

"I'm such a fool," Elaine sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."

"There's no horse?" says Roger.

"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Elaine says.

"No!" says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.

"It's just that . . . It's that I . . . I need some time," Elaine says.

(There is a 15-second pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)

"Yes," he says.

(Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand.)

"Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way?" she says.

"What way?" says Roger.

"That way about time," says Elaine.

"Oh," says Roger. "Yes."

(Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)

"Thank you, Roger," she says.

"Thank you," says Roger.

Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it.

The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it, either.

Meanwhile, Roger, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Elaine's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say:

"Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"

[Celestialsailor]

The only thing I can come up with is that your boat overhangs the dock and they are loosening the lines to allow your boat to drift backwards.

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by Passages

I think Dave hit it. Some do gooder sees your stern close to the dock not knowing you want it that way, and recenters it for you.
Probably OCD with a symmetry fixation.
He probably doesn't know you're a liveaboard; probably doesn't even know you're onboard. In most of the marinas I've been in, the do gooders outnumber wackos. People do nice things for lots of reasons. Think of the glass half full (i.e. young, handsome, smart, rich, available)

I really want to believe this, but last week when said "do gooder" messed with my stern line three times, I never once re-adjusted it because at the time I didn't understand what was happening. So they just keep loosening and loosening it. I can see an adjustment if I had gone back and "corrected" it, but this hands on guy is touching my dock lines 80% more than I am.

Everyone is pretty aware that I live aboard. I've got two white fluffy dogs who are pretty popular and are often up on the deck when I'm doing work. People see me and together we're pretty recognizable.

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

The only thing I can come up with is that your boat overhangs the dock and they are loosening the lines to allow your boat to drift backwards.

I make sure I don't overhang, I don't want my anchor to catch on anyone. Sadly not the issue here

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

SassySailor, I can understand your concern as a woman alone on a boat, particularly since you don't have friendly neighbors readily close by your slip. The suggestion to have a friend along when you speak to this person sounds wise to me. I would expect no more trouble than a person who means well but is overstepping his bounds. If after a friendly conversation you still are troubled I would let the Harbormaster, security and whichever police force has jurisdiction know. At that point it's not just messing with your lines, it's messing with you.


S/V B'Shert

I was thinking the same, I have a neighbor I could invite over to at least be here with me and also be a witness. Thanks for the kind words and understanding the situation!

[SassySailor]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

I'm baffled. No clue why anyone in their right mind would do that, so that leaves someone not in their right mind.

I vote for starting a conversation, but keep your distance, a phone with you and some sort of defensive weapon handy in case cuckoo goes cocoa puffs.

Keep us updated, this is bound to turn out interesting. Good luck!

Thank you, I'm so confused as well! I like your advice, and I do have some mace and I wouldn't have thought to have that nearby as well.