Someone keeps adjusting my dockline

[fjwiley1]

I would not blame Sassy if she does not respond again. She came on with a sincere personal concern seeking opinions for resolution. Many made good concerned suggestions, but once again as many came back with sarcasm and condescending remarks. If this was a "Joke Thread" I could understand but it was not.

Good Luck Sassy.....I hope you have a peaceful resolution......

[Greenhand]

First, do what you should have done months ago, when you first suspected something: devise a way of verifying that your lines are being adjusted.

Second, be more proactive in general. My dock neighbors only came twice in the first six months, so whenever someone was on that side of the dock, I went out to see what was what. Once they started coming more frequently, they probably thought I was the creepy one.

Third, but most important, if prior abuse is your excuse for not protecting yourself, please get into therapy. You have chosen a male dominated lifestyle, if my marina is any indication, a large number of those males are bitterly divorced and a significant number of both the single and the divorced are immature. That doesn't make them dangerous, but it does make them prone to pranks if you don't deal with them. Luckily, the two most prank prone in our marina also each have another boater who will tell them to knock it off.

[Doug4bass]

Maybe the perp is a cat person?


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[scotty c-m]

My thoughts:

1. Talk to the marina office. It's thier job, and they want to know if there are problems. They are usually really nice people. I go out of my way to get to know the people who run my harbor and it has always been to my advantage.

2. Talk to the person if you are comfortable with that. Non-confrontational. If you're not comfortable, don't. If you can identify them, tell the office.

3. Reverse your dock lines so that they are only adjustable from the boat. If that solves the problem then that's a good thing.

4. Ignore the suggestions on this thread that look violent or confrontational. I can only imagine that these are not ment seriously, but for those that are serious, the downside to confrontation is that it easily escalates a situation. That is not in Sassy's best interest.

Good luck to you, and don't let anyone run you out!!

[Cadence]

It would appear, unfortunately, things are deeper than dock lines?


Maybe a cry for help, not related to dock lines. I hope she gets it.

[Dustymc]

Originally Posted by vmattiola

Agent Orange

Great idea! Nothing says "STOP, NOW!" like defoliated docklines and a slightly elevated risk of medical problems over the next several decades!

I like the machine gun idea. Is there a machine gun that will fire catamaran anchors?

I suppose if you somehow fail to kill them and/or any allegedly-innocent bystanders you could resort to the really drastic and talk to them.

And now I'm wondering which of my neighbors are actively plotting my death for something they imagine I'm doing.....

[rwidman]

I wonder if it's still raining?

[hellosailor]

"Otherwise there is no law covering this. "
Dunno about FloriDUH but the other states all cover it under "trespass". Sometimes a violation or misdemeanor, sometimes more. It could so be considered "malicious mischief" and other actionable specific charges.

So you take off the dock lines, and get your kraken to grab the cleat and play possum 'till that fellow comes along.

"Officer, that fellow was harassing my kraken!"


Before there were UV dye powders, there was a common way of identifying "touchers". You make up a paste with potassium permanganate powder mixed into it. Purple crystals that easily grind into powder, smeared onto the dock lines, and then leave a rather permanent brown stain on skin. Look for the boater with deeply stained hands in the morning.


That is, if the kraken leaves anything behind.

[markpierce]

For the first time I've noticed, my forward docklines were squeaking today. Superficial observation disclosed no reason. Next visit I'll loosen them a bit. Photo not taken today.

[JPA Cate]

Funny thing about squeaking fenders. I have never been bothered by someone's fenders squeaking before, but I was a guest aboard a motor boat last night, and across the dock from us, the fenders on a sailboat set up a horrid screeching sound. Now I know SassySailor doesn't have squeaky fenders, but I was amazed how loud such squeaking can be. And I can imagine easing a dock line to shut off the noise, or placing an old T-shirt over it. It was difficult to hear the other guests speaking to me over that noise. Odd.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"Otherwise there is no law covering this. "
Dunno about FloriDUH but the other states all cover it under "trespass". Sometimes a violation or misdemeanor, sometimes more. It could so be considered "malicious mischief" and other actionable specific charges.

Unless OP's boat or lines are damaged I don't see it satisfying "actual harm" provisions. May be if the dockline adjuster's activities pushed her to seek medical help then it would qualify. Definitely harm if the boat is damaged, even minutely due to loosened lines, etc.

However, the dockline adjuster's activities may constitute trespass against the marina. And marina's damages may be the loss of OP as a customer and/or diminution of the value of that dock space due to adjuster's prowling.

Generally, trespass to chattels possesses three elements:

Lack of consent. The interference with the property must be non-consensual. A claim does not lie if, in acquiring the property, the purchaser consents contractually to certain access by the seller. "[A]ny use exceeding the consent" authorized by the contract, should it cause harm, gives rise to a cause for action.
Actual harm. The interference with the property must result in actual harm. The threshold for actual harm varies by jurisdiction. In California, for instance, an electronic message may constitute a trespass if the message interferes with the functioning of the computer hardware, but the plaintiff must prove that this interference caused actual hardware damage or actual impaired functioning.
Intentionality. The interference must be intentional. What constitutes intention varies by jurisdiction, however, the Restatement (Second) of Torts indicates that "intention is present when an act is done for the purpose of using or otherwise intermeddling with a chattel or with knowledge that such an intermeddling will, to a substantial certainty, result from the act", and continues: "it is not necessary that the actor should know or have reason to know that such intermeddling is a violation of the possessory rights of another".
Remedies for trespass to chattel include damages, liability for conversion, and injunction, depending on the nature of the interference.

[JohnnyMack]

Just an idea, maybe the perp is some senile elderly person who used to have his boat tied at this location and he used to regularly adjust his lines at this time. I used to know an elderly gentleman who even though he had been retired for 30 years used to get up in the morning and head out the door to work unless someone intercepted him. Something may have changed in his life recently with respect to his guardianship which is enabling him the freedom to make his way to the marina.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, JohnnyMack.

[rwidman]

I'm beginning to wonder about this entire thread. Is it for real?

[fjwiley1]

I'm sure this Thread is/was real but why would SassySailor wish to continue with all the bashing.

Life is good if you Keepa Smilin...😊




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