Slapping Halyards

[sailorboy1]

The same boat behind me in the mooring field the past 3 years has had their halyard slapping. It's because they just leave it attached to the main sail so all it does is slap when it gets windly out. This of course doesn't help me sleep at night. They are hardly ever even on the boat so I guess it doesn't matter them.

Do people leave their halyards and other lines slapping around because: 1- they don't know just how much noise it makes, 2- they just don't care!

Would be be considered poor form for me to dinghy over one day and secure all their lines? I could even leave them a note which would say that if I had to do it again that I would secure the lines "more securely".

[cantxsailor]

A couple of bungie cords will do the job nicely. Don't leave them a note or you will be blamed for anything that may have happened to their boat before or since........m

[sailorboy1]

Wasn't going to leave my name!

[MarkJ]

Dinghy over.
I agree with cantxsailor, don't leave a note.
Make it an old scrappy bit of bungy cord too

[roverhi]

You can be really friendly and just cut the offending halyard. Probably not very neighborly, though. Think people that don't spend much time on their boats just don't realize how annoying slapping halyards are. I've climbed aboard and wrapped halyards around spreaders so they wouldn't slap. Didn't seem to register with the owners as they just left them slapping the next time they came down. If I happened to catch the owners, politely asked them to do something about their slapping halyards, suggested wrapping them around the spreaders, and they cooperated. Imagine that there are some jerks out there but most people don't go out of their way to annoy others. They are just oblivious.

[svtadpole]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Dinghy over.
I agree with cantxsailor, don't leave a note.
Make it an old scrappy bit of bungy cord too

Don't even waste your scrappiest bungee .... a few feet of cheapo polyprop line will do the trick ..... tie it off with extra gnarly "popeye" knots & have fun watching them struggle to untie it ....

[Bloodhound]

Why be dickheads about it? Just wrap the halyards around the spreader, tie them off and leave a note explaining (1) how to do it and (2) why they should. Most people aren't even aware of the nuisance.

[zeehag]

in the anchorge i was just in, some folks came in and had flapping halyards -- onloy during 10 kt winds--lol they were always absent with these lil gusties-- and didnt have a clue as to what was going on-- kept the rest f fhe folks cussing and unable to sleep--just as ye start to sleep, BANG BANG BANG. they were only boat in entire harbor with the bang bang blues,LOL...ggrrr---islike no one knows how to foul halyard around the spreaders?? is soooo easy and sooo neighborly.....they couldnt spell name of boat either- sed were synchronicity, yet boat sed synchrony..... oh well.. rant over-- smooth sailing and have fun!!!

[Johnathon123]

Don't leave a note, but do it, padlock the splice to the lifeline - sorry pet peeve

[Cheechako]

They leave the halyard secured to the mainsail? dont know if bungees will help. You need a sharp knife...errr...jut kidding... i think...

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

They leave the halyard secured to the mainsail? dont know if bungees will help. You need a sharp knife...errr...jut kidding... i think...

You just loosen the halyard
Pull slack back to a cleat on boom or tie string to halyard back to something on boom
re tighten halyard

Just do it.

[Mark Johnson]

In a mooring field or a marina, IF the owner has left the boat that way for a long period of time, I use the "anarchy method" as well. Do what you need to do to quiet the situation. Tight mooring situations REQUIRE a higher degree of consideration on their part.

I even had an occasion where someone had taken my WELL marked mooring, when I came back at night. I anchored temporarily, and used my dink to row/tow his boat several hundred feet into the harbor, then dropped his anchor. He came out drunk & confused, but got over it.

In marinas... When hurricanes are coming and it is down to the last 6 hours, with 60 knot winds, I frequently find that about a third of the inhabitants didn't even come down to double up their lines! Then I go secure the boats upwind of mine, myself. If I run out of my own lines, I use "whatever" is available off of their boat.

If I am anchored well for a hurricane, (which took me all of two days), then an idiot zips in at the LAST minute... directly upwind, and drops a small, single hook, then immediately splits... I go put one of my spare anchors on it. When the storm is over, I remove the evidence as quickly as possible.

There IS a boaters etiquette that forbids "messin" with another persons boat, but if they are irresponsible and leave their boat making a hell of a racket, or otherwise endangering your boat, then etiquette takes a back seat to: "forgiveness is sometimes easier to come by than permission".

If you don't damage their boat, DO WHAT YOU'VE GOTTA DO! They'll get over it.

Mark

[CarinaPDX]

Clearly it is wrong to do damage, but it seems it is often necessary to do more than just tie the offending line off. A note would be a very civilized, if unsatisfying, solution. I knew a woman in England who kept a roll of gnarly, cheap orange twine aboard just for the purpose of tying off halyards. Given the frequency with which she was called upon to use the twine I think she was remarkably restrained. It seems most of her "students" learned after the first time - most, but not all. Slapping halyards are second only to running a genset or noisy wind generator late at night for riling cruisers. We like our peace and quiet...

[WillJacocks]

Most marinas have rules against allowing halyards to be slapping against the mast, for that very reason. check into the marina rules and have the harbor master take them to task.

[Greg S]

Once - Tie them off neatly and have a chat. Twice - Old gnarly line with granny knots that have to be cut off.(not the SAME line that you've use on your boat!) Third time - Well, let your own level of civility be the guide. Some people will get a clue, and some never, ever will.