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Old 16-03-2016, 15:16   #1
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Virgin islands Moorings

We just got back from the Virgin Islands and the BVI and I was amazed at how many Mooring balls were around every island that we went to. I know we're having a big anchor fight here in Florida I don't see why we just can't do what they're doing and put Mooring balls everywhere they were easy to use and there was no fighting over then people were coming and going all day I was really impressed on how well that system seem to work.

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Old 16-03-2016, 15:52   #2
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Virgin islands Moorings

I don't know the particulars of the issues in Florida. A negative to the mooring balls in the BVI is that it gets pretty cost prohibitive for cruisers. Moorings are $30/night which hits $900ish/month. That's much more then I pay for my slip with power and water. Many moorings have been placed where many of us used to anchor for free!! In deep water moorings do allow more boats to be more densely packed than if they were anchored. Many charterers in the BVI don't have good anchoring skills so it is easier for them just grab a mooring. Moorings do protect coral and turtle grass. Overnight moorings can be installed by whomever received the permit to do so. Most are installed and maintained by one company and they do a good job. Unfortunately others are maintained to the whim of the installer and appear to only get attention after they fail...

Coincidentally today I was forwarded an email from the owner of a charter company on Tortola. Amongst some other changes the BVI is enforcing, is a $1000 fine for anchoring where coral could be damaged. If the charter guest doesn't pay the fine the boat will be confiscated. I'm all for protecting coral. Two very large company's guests have already been hit with fines. As is typical, fines/policies are randomly enforced without notice down here.


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Old 20-03-2016, 06:29   #3
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Have sailed in and out of the Virgins for many years.
Ironically one of the reasons I don't want to go back is because of all the moorings! There are relatively few places to anchor anymore. And if you do want a mooring better get there early. Also don't like trusting my boat to a mooring that may not have been properly maintained. Have personally dove on some moorings that were very risky in my opinion. I suspect you might have been on a charter boat and you just might have a different opinion when on your own boat.
That said the Grenadines are fast approaching the Virgins on the clustering of moorings although they still have some room for now.
I as most do not want to destroy coral. Been a diver most of my life and have personally witnessed the devastation to many reef structures. I was born in the Cayman Islands and some of the beautiful reefs that I dove on as a child are dead. Today in Cayman if they catch you anchoring on a reef it is a very large fine. Ironically when the cruise ships come in (and there are many) they anchor over beautiful coral in the harbor and plow up a tremendous amount of reef with their very large anchors. This is accepted because of the dollar.......go figure.
Sad but moorings are becoming a necessity of life in populated areas so maybe it would be a good thing for Florida. My suspicion is if more places do put in moorings it will just be yet another way to tax boat owners with escalating costs as time goes on. A good example of this is try pricing a simple mooring in Nantucket!
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Old 20-03-2016, 06:48   #4
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

One correction/addition to my previous comments. The mooring fees in Great Harbour have been raised from $30 to $40 per night. I assume others will follow this trend soon enough. http://www.traveltalkonline.com/foru...ge=0&fpart=all


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Old 20-03-2016, 14:13   #5
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

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Originally Posted by caradow View Post
Have sailed in and out of the Virgins for many years.
Ironically one of the reasons I don't want to go back is because of all the moorings! There are relatively few places to anchor anymore. And if you do want a mooring better get there early. Also don't like trusting my boat to a mooring that may not have been properly maintained. Have personally dove on some moorings that were very risky in my opinion. I suspect you might have been on a charter boat and you just might have a different opinion when on your own boat.
That said the Grenadines are fast approaching the Virgins on the clustering of moorings although they still have some room for now.
I as most do not want to destroy coral. Been a diver most of my life and have personally witnessed the devastation to many reef structures. I was born in the Cayman Islands and some of the beautiful reefs that I dove on as a child are dead. Today in Cayman if they catch you anchoring on a reef it is a very large fine. Ironically when the cruise ships come in (and there are many) they anchor over beautiful coral in the harbor and plow up a tremendous amount of reef with their very large anchors. This is accepted because of the dollar.......go figure.
Sad but moorings are becoming a necessity of life in populated areas so maybe it would be a good thing for Florida. My suspicion is if more places do put in moorings it will just be yet another way to tax boat owners with escalating costs as time goes on. A good example of this is try pricing a simple mooring in Nantucket!
Own my boat. I think the exact reason for the fines is why wet need to stop anchoring where we should not or there will be no reefs left. As far as cruise ships I have been on many cruise ships that have anchored and did not on reefs, if some are defiantly wrong.

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Old 20-03-2016, 15:47   #6
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Wonder how you know the cruise ships you were on did not anchor on reefs? Did you dive below and check it out?
Like in Cayman they anchor in about 100 ft of water and there is a lot of reef down there with gigantic chunks of coral destroyed. Not really visible from the deck of a cruise ship. Yes they are deep but coral just the same.
Anyway probably inevitable that more moorings will be needed.
Sorry but I am a little sensitive when it comes to the marine envirement. The irony is there are moorings in the Caribbean that are simply on sand bottoms. Prime example is Salt Whistle Bay on the island of Mayreau in the Grenadines.....beautiful spot to drop a hook now hard to find an area that someone has not sunk a mooring down of questionable quality unless you anchor out in deeper water.
Another example wound be White Beach on Jost Van Dyke. These are moorings to make money not to protect reef. The moorings I do support are the ones around the dive sites as they are very important.
Wishing you good luck in Florida.
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Old 20-03-2016, 17:52   #7
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Yea I did see allot In sand bottoms.

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Old 21-03-2016, 07:44   #8
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Really sad ,...all of the above... 35 years ago I anchored everywhere for free... everywhere is turning into disneyland..bummer...glad I got to do it back then...
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Old 21-03-2016, 07:52   #9
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pirate Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Can this be True..??
Do my eyes deceive me..??
American condemnation of Rampant Capitalism...
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Old 21-03-2016, 09:00   #10
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

Quote:
Originally Posted by boatman61 View Post
Can this be True..??
Do my eyes deceive me..??
American condemnation of Rampant Capitalism...
While paying lip service to the "free market" component of the capitalism, American version was never really close to Adam Smith's model. First thing a new Republic has done back in the 1790s was to establish a strong patent and trademark legislation, which being a vestige of the old mercantile model guild protections is about as far from true free market as one can get. Not making a judgment one way or the other but still mercantile/special interests capitalism in favor of the few and supported by the state is a far cry from true free market capitalism. Notice how it plays out in Florida with anchoring vs. special interests battles. And now coming to your favorite VI anchorages as well.
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Old 21-03-2016, 14:24   #11
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

And all the fees are state run and collected since no one owns the water. not privately. I'm pretty sure that's also not capitalism. What is that called when the government takes your money for distribution.

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Old 21-03-2016, 18:52   #12
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Re: Virgin islands Moorings

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Originally Posted by JTHAW View Post
Really sad ,...all of the above... 35 years ago I anchored everywhere for free... everywhere is turning into disneyland..bummer...glad I got to do it back then...
Amen bro.

I lived on the hook in the virgins mid to late 80s. No moorings, all anchors.
We dove on the anchor every time and made sure it was good sand, no reefs.
Good old days.
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