Don't let this happen to you, or me

[sagablu]

Just was minding my own business, working from home when I start getting frantic texts and calls for my neighbor. One of the neglected / abandoned boats in the harbor behind my house broke off and was leaning against my seawall and banging against my dock gangway. I managed to get a line tied around the furler, that was all I could reach. Drag the line to my next door neighbor and managed to pull it off my ramp. Super fun, the wind chill is about zero F. I assure you, pulling a 30 ft boat upwind by hand, not so much fun.

Boats breaking off seems to be a yearly occurrence, sometimes two or three. My town seems to feel that there should be no cost to drop a mooring, and no requirements to maintain insurance. So instead of working as I should have been, I had three calls with the Coast guard, two with the town harbor patrol, then a visit from the local police and then an in person visit for a good hour with the harbor patrol. The wind is blowing like crazy, probably gusting to 50 knots, so no one is coming today to resolve the issue, nor would I want anybody to take that risk The boat owner also eventually arrived, he promised to reimburse me $5,200 for my gangway, I'm not holding out any great hope of that. Seems not to have much financial resource hence the piece of crap boat. I further wrote a letter to the mayor of my village, I'll see how they want to deal with this known hazard. Disappointing owner not maintaining his property, even more disappointing town administration.

[hugosalt]

Suprised, as here on Manhasset bay no one is allowed to winter over on a mooring.
Even so seems every year there are one or two boats left out.
Last year one was left on a exposed mooring on the sound, you know how that ended.

[sagablu]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Suprised, as here on Manhasset bay no one is allowed to winter over on a mooring.
Even so seems every year there are one or two boats left out.
Last year one was left on a exposed mooring on the sound, you know how that ended.

I'm not too far from you, Northport. On the other side of Huntington Bay, Huntington harbor requires a mooring permit. I believe also they require a professionally installed and maintained mooring, Northport is completely unregulated.

[hugosalt]

We enjoy going to Northport, my daughter has friends behind Bird Island (guess that's Centerport). You mean anyone can drop a mooring without a permit?
Not a big fan of gov. regs. but happy that here in Manhasset bay they require moorings be
pulled ever 3 years and oked by harbor master. Also need permit.
In my summer mooring (on sound right outside the bay) the moorings are pulled every year and gone over.

[sagablu]

Not a big fan of government overreach, but what you described in Manhasset is just plain common sense. Clearly not a requirement of our political leaders, local or otherwise.

[Kd9truck]

Oyster bay mooring CB-3 chiming in, oyster bay, the town has mooring permits and the moorings must be pulled and maintained every year before December and they can not go back in till April. A bit of a scramble for OBMC, they have to coordinate with the town who has paid their permits with putting boats back in.

The upside is the moorings are pulled power washed and inspected every year so unless a boat breaks free with a failure from mooring painter from chafe or the cleats on deck give way no stray floating wrecking balls.

The cost of insurance in all the harbors on the NS of LI are crazy compared to other places and no wonder, in Huntington the boats are so close together I am sure it keeps the insurance adjusters busy.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by sagablu

Not a big fan of government overreach, but ...

A common opening, sort of like "everybody watch this." Also an element of "be careful what you wish for."

The difficulty is having it both ways. Freedom when you want it and rules when you want them. Restrictions on anchoring and mooring a real problem some places.

But yes, we understand the problem.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by thinwater

A common opening, sort of like "everybody watch this." Also an element of "be careful what you wish for."

The difficulty is having it both ways. Freedom when you want it and rules when you want them. Restrictions on anchoring and mooring a real problem some places.

But yes, we understand the problem.

I like to think of it as rules that exist because they were proven necessary versus rules that exist because someone thought it was a good idea or wanted to restrict something they didn't like.

[sailingharry]

Here on the Chesapeake Bay, laws set out a few very simple prohibitions on where not to set a mooring, having to do with channels and impeding access and such. And then there are a very few harbors, such as Annapolis, that are highly regulated. The vast vast majority of Maryland waters, no permit is required, no inspection is required, no notification or involvement of government bodies is required. In the creek in front of my house here in Solomon's Island, I could set a 15 lb mushroom, run 1/4" nylon line to the stipulated size and color mooring ball, tie up an aircraft carrier, and I would be fully within my rights.