Double Mooring

[Hylander]

I received an email from the Broads Authority which lets us all know exactly where we stand with regard to 24 hour mooring spots in the future.

•Any vessel who is not prepared to allow double alongside moorings should make alternative arrangements, rather than mooring at one of the sites where it is permitted

•It is for individual boat owners to make appropriate insurance arrangements, and use their boat accordingly. We are advised that a comprehensive policy will cover this issue, but you should satisfy yourself of the position with your own insurer.

•Our policy is clear that any vessel moored to one of the trial 24hr moorings must allow another appropriate vessel to moor alongside, and the guidance that we have produced makes that clear. If you are not prepared to allow any vessel to moor against you then you should not be moored at this location. However, if you have a problem with the ‘unruly’ family that you describe, I would suggest that this is reported to Broads Control on 01603 756056, with details of the offending vessel inc name and number, along with your own details. In the event that a complaint is then lodged against you for refusing to allow a mooring it will provide additional information. The difficulty that we have is that a blanket policy that you suggest of giving the decision to the boater would likely result in exactly the position that we have now, where boaters would prefer to not have to share the facility and so no increase in capacity would be achieved.

•With regard to your comments on fumes etc, I am seeking some external expert advice in order to be able to address this point. However, I would remind you that double alongside mooring has been common practice in the past, and still is in a number of other waterways.

•This policy has been equally consulted and supported by the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association as well as the hire boat industry. The recent NSBA survey reported that lack of moorings was the biggest issue faced by their members.

Finally, I would like to reiterate that this is a trial, and we welcome feedback from boaters on their experiences of using these sites. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would contact me again once you have any factual evidence or experience to relate.

Best regards

Trudi

Trudi Wakelin

Director of Operations

Broads Authority

2, Gilders Way

Norwich

NR3 1UB

01603 756065

07971 156088

trudi.wakelin@broads-authority.gov.uk

[NorfolkNog]

That's very helpful, many thanks for posting.

[goodall_m1]

Looking at the Broads Authority web-site I came across their "Advice for Hirers - Double Mooring"

http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/broads/live/boating/facilities-and-access/double-mooring/Double_moorin2g.pdf

The diagram about how to moor-up the outside boat is interesting...

As a Broads hirer I can see a few potential problems with their advice:

1) In a crowded BA mooring the boats are normally packed in tight bow to stern,

so I think they would be using the posts just in front of the bow and just aft of the stern

rather than posts half a boat length away.

2) The Broads hire-boats that I have hired tend to only have three mooring warps and these are usually quite short

(To minimise the risk of prop-wraps?)

Are they actually long enough to get a line ashore from the outer boat and to allow for the tidal range?

Are the hire companies going to take into account the need for shore lines that are long enough for double-mooring?

3) Personally I would have put springs between the two boats to stop the outer vessel moving fore and aft.

(But then most hire boats don't have sufficient lines for rigging springs anyway)

I would also have rigged shore-lines directly from the outer boat rather then going via the inner boat's cleats.

(Their diagram is probably based on using the end of the bow and stern lines to provide extra shore-lines,

and is probably based on the fact that hire-boats don't have a lot of spare ropes.)

One of the things that I always bring with me to the Broads are a couple of spare long mooring lines (i.e about 60' each)

(Being basically a sea going yachtie I do tend to have a bit more "kit" available than a lot of hirers)

They come in handy for additonal mooring lines and springs and in some cases have been used in

boat rescues where other boats have got into difficulties, either having gone adrift or (two of Ricko's so far!)

or were having problems mooring up due to the weather conditions.

They also make it possible to turn the boat easily using the ropes.

[Dan]

An interesting and useful reply, thanks for sharing it.

I especially like the ending of it, politely and fairly put, even though not quite the reply hoped for I suppose, but more useful and honest than many of the wishy-washy corporate type replies you would get to raising a concern or grievance at many places now

Dan

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Hylander,

Thank you for the email.

Do you know the full list of the trial 24 hour mooring locations? from previous repots I have seen the Broads Authority were talking about 20 locations.

From the email you posted I can see that there is a lot of book passing with regards to insurance, fumes and disruption from unruly crews.

I noted on another forum that a person new to cruising the Broads and on a boat was not overjoyed whilst being moored that another boat still had it engine running turned 11.00pm.

We thankfully do not have weeks on our boat during the 6 weeks summer holiday no doubt when the trial would have come into effect.

I do not have a problem with double mooring and have done so in the past, however with the increase in our excess on the insurance I would have to avoid these situations for fear of any damage done to the boat.

When a boat is shared you have to have regards to all of the owners within a syndicate.

Regards

Alan

[Hylander]

From what I can glean from all of the correspondence that my pal Ms T Wakelin and I have been having the situation is current. There is a list somewhere of all of these moorings and they are even more invasive Darn South being that there are about 15 or so of them. Like you I think if it was restricted to say the holiday high season - bit like the fishing is restricted from 31st October to 31st March at these 24 hr moorings , it would be a much fairer system.

People must make their views known otherwise the BA will not know how people feel - one way or the other.

This matter despite what the BA may think is not by any means 'cut and dried'.

[Guest]

Three things that strike me in the BA's reply:

1) "Another appropriate vessel" - so define "appropriate? I've no problem with hire boat to hire boat or even private to private but if I'm first on a mooring then no way am I allowing a hire boat to come alongside my Viking 20.

2) "If the first moored boat doesn't like the situation, then they should move on". So say it's 8.00pm and getting dark, where do you go to? If I've taken the trouble to moor up early knowing it's going to be busy, then why should I be the one to move on?

3) "Contact Broads Control if you have an issue" - this is a general gripe as during my three weeks hols in August, I tried contacting BC on six occasions at various times between 10.00am and 4.00pm and got the answer phone EVERY time .

Go back to when there were many, many more hireboats on the Broads. Where did they all moor up at night in the olden days?

[Matt]

Go back to when there were many, many more hireboats on the Broads. Where did they all moor up at night in the olden days?

They double and triple moored......

[Alan]

I've no problem with hire boat to hire boat or even private to private but if I'm first on a mooring then no way am I allowing a hire boat to come alongside my Viking 20.

I know what you mean but as a "hire boater" I take great pleasure in handling a boat in the most professional way I can - and though I say it myself, I am quite good. I've seen some excellent manoevres by hire boaters and I've seen some quite disastrous and frankly obnoxious behaviour from private owners. I don't think you can see a boat and decide whether it should moor next to you by whether it's hire or private.

Alan.

[senator]

I have seen the photos of boats double or treble moored at Yarmouth and Norwich but all the boats are hire boats.

The fact is the Broads have changed with the Majority of boats registered now being private and the sea boats now being far more prevalent.

I am sure that the must double moor will go hand in hand with non opening bridges and lack of openings to sea to ensure that the trend is reversed and that the numbers leaving the Broads increase rapidly over the next few years.

That is the beauty of a boat, if you don't like it move it. I am sure that is what the BA are striving for.

[Guest]

I think I might be safe in the double mooring saga as we're only 20 feet. Taken from the BA advice to hirers - "Only moor alongside a boat at least as large

as yours."

[C.Ricko]

1) "Another appropriate vessel" - so define "appropriate? I've no problem with hire boat to hire boat or even private to private but if I'm first on a mooring then no way am I allowing a hire boat to come alongside my Viking 20.

Dispite being the biggest hireboat operator on the broads (for a very good reason ) Private boaters are a very important part of our business,(and the Broads economy) this is why we subsidise private tolls which maintain the moorings.

but would you park your Bentley in a Tesco car park?

[Brian]

but would you park your Subaru Impreza WRC LTD in a Tesco car park?

NOPE

[donnygeoff]

NOPE

Me neither Brian, I shop at Morrisons