Moorings

[trev]

I have twice in recent weeks e-mailed Marine Scotland with questions about installing a mooring. I have yet to receive any response. Is this normal? Have they closed for the summer to go sailing? All I want is information, I'm not actually asking them to do more than answer a question. Does'nt seem unreasonable to me.

[cpedw]

I would get in touch with the secretary of WHAM - details http://www.whamassoc.org.uk/html/contacts.html

There's also a Marine Scotland email on that page - is that the one you have used?
Derek

[Mavanier]

Pick up the phone to your local Marine Scotland office, most likely Oban for the areas you are considering.

I think you only need to contact Marine Scotland directly if laying an individual mooring- if you are going to join a mooring association (which is usually much cheaper) then WHAM are the guys to speak to.

Note, though, that in some areas you may find a moorings association to be a bit of a closed shop and not very communicative.

Our mooring is laid as an individual private one and we had a lot of hoops to jump through and seemed to keep sending off cheques for three figure sums. Had to have an ad in the paper etc. This was partly because SWMBO is the senior fisheries officer (i.e. Marine Scotland) up here and kind of had to be seen to do everything completely by the book. Nobody else bothers though, even the boat trip company I work for doesn't bother having licensed moorings.

[trev]

Laying an individual mooring is exactly what I am intending to do. I would like to do the thing properly if I can. If it costs a few pounds then I'll pay (not happily, I'm a Yorkshireman) - It can't cost as much as a years marina fees (which appear to be almost double what I pay Royal Quays on the Tyne). As far as I know there is not a mooring association for Loch Eil (but I may be wrong). I understand the need for a level of control over this but apart from a few dinghies on moorings of some kind on North bank there are no boats moored on the Loch - it is something of a dead end. What is the anchoring situation - can I anchor there without having to jump through all these hoops?

[cpedw]

What is the anchoring situation - can I anchor there without having to jump through all these hoops?

You can anchor there but you'd have to take the anchor away with you whenever the boat goes away. Otherwise it's a mooring and those hoops are yours to jump through.

You could ignore the rules and, provided no-one gets obstructed, it's likely to be a long time before the authorities get round to doing something. There are rumours that they are getting more inclined to enforce but devolution of Crown Estate will mean they are more concerned with meetings and paperwork in the near future.

There are MAs at Roshven, L Ailort and Fort William (Lochaber YC) http://www.lochaber-yacht-club.co.uk/vi ... ch-linnhe/

Derek

[trev]

I've been on the Fort William Yacht Club site and they seem to have the process nailed down, they don,t mention how much it costs - but I can always dip in SWMBO's purse if its a bit expensive. All I need now is someone to buy my house. We've just changed estate agent so fingers crossed. If I read it right the mooring is done through or by a moorings association. My next problem will be actually carrying out the move with the different processes of house sales and purchase. I have a sort of feeling it will involve living on the boat for a few days, but that's cheaper than a hotel, which could be a problem with a brace of Labradors and a geriatric cat.

[aquaplane]

Mooring associations are OK if they are the only option, I would prefer to pay the full wack to the CC instead of the discounted price through a mooring association. Democracy isn't always the best option.

My mooring was laid by North West Marine, as are lots of others. The mooring association has a list of approved contractors which I have to use to lay the mooring and do the annual inspections, which I would do anyway but I resent being told I have to and who I can use.

[trev]

I take a slightly different position. It is my intention to move to Scotland to live and what I do not want to do is to start off by putting myself in a situation at odds with local practice and local people. Having looked at some documentation surrounding mooring. it is, to me, unnecessarily complex and bureaucratic, but it IS the system that the people who were born and bred there DO use, and I think it would be inappropriate for me to ride roughshod over it simply because, like you, I would prefer a simpler (and probably cheaper) system. Add to that, until some nice person appears and buys my house I am 300 miles away, and will not be doing anything in the immediate future. One final thought that without the help of the fellow sailors on here I would have struggled to get this far.

Cheers

Trev

[marisca]

It is always possible that by following the official routes you do inadvertently put yourself at odds with the locals who may have managed happily without such formalities and may not wish the evil eye of Mordor, or Crown Estates as they like to be known, to swing in their direction. If in doubt, ask the locals.

[cpedw]

The mooring association has a list of approved contractors which I have to use to lay the mooring and do the annual inspections, which I would do anyway but I resent being told I have to and who I can use.

Ooh that's draconian. Here in Connel, we must sign a form annually to say the mooring is inspected and insured, but by whom isn't specified or verified. That's in spite of recent history: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6751&start=15

But then our MA secretary is in the same family as me so it's bound to be more relaxed.

Note to Trev: It's not unusual to lay your own mooring and deal direct with CE. Many find it less hassle with a MA. But I'd follow Marisca's suggestion.

Derek

[claymore]

Personally, I think it is advisable to use an approved contractor. The cost isn't prohibitive and the peace of mind is more valuable. Moorings are heavy and can be tricky especially in a tideway. A colleague of mine almost perished checking a mooring and he was a cautious knowledgeable man - the risks really do outweigh other considerations.
When a mooring association tells you who to use, perhaps it should be interpreted as advice and as such, well intentioned - not draconian.
If my boat were to be damaged by another whose mooring had parted, had they had that mooring serviced professionally, I think I would take a more kindly stance than if some have a go merchant had made a hash of things.
No Trev, not calling you a have a go merchant.

[trev]

Be assured I have no intention of doing a bothched job of this (don't know where you got the idea I was) I have exchanged e-mails with a very nice lady at Fort William Yacht Club and once I find a buyer for my house and confirm purchase of the Scottish house I will have them go ahead and fix a mooring for me. Moving heavy weights close to the surface of the earth (or bottom of the sea) is not on my CV.

At least not unless SWMBO gives me one of her looks.

More seriously it was always my intention that the job would be properly done.

[trev]

It is always possible that by following the official routes you do inadvertently put yourself at odds with the locals who may have managed happily without such formalities and may not wish the evil eye of Mordor, or Crown Estates as they like to be known, to swing in their direction. If in doubt, ask the locals.

I take your point. However as far as I can see driving along the lochside there are approximately zero other moorings, at least on the South bank. There are, on the North bank, a few moorings for small boats, sailing dinghies by the look of them, and thats it. Add to that the positionof the mooring will be very close to Corpach end of the Loch so people involved will have no need to go further up the loch.

[Mavanier]

I would worry that if there are no moorings in a location, it might be unsuitable- you will need to seek local advice.

On contractors, i would definitely use a pro outfit if available as otherwise it may be impossible to get insurance cover. It wasn't an option for me (fish farm boys did the actual work but they aren't insured for any liability towards me) so my boat is, sadly, not insured on her mooring as I cannot find an insurance company who will take on that risk. I have sleepless nights when the wind gets up, but I check her every week and the gear is really heavy, not much else I can do really.

[aquaplane]

Personally, I think it is advisable to use an approved contractor. The cost isn't prohibitive and the peace of mind is more valuable. Moorings are heavy and can be tricky especially in a tideway. A colleague of mine almost perished checking a mooring and he was a cautious knowledgeable man - the risks really do outweigh other considerations.
When a mooring association tells you who to use, perhaps it should be interpreted as advice and as such, well intentioned - not draconian.
If my boat were to be damaged by another whose mooring had parted, had they had that mooring serviced professionally, I think I would take a more kindly stance than if some have a go merchant had made a hash of things.

I agree with all you say, I am happy to use North West Marine, I don't have the skills to do other wise.

But if I was a diver with all the gear and a good idea, I would at least want to do inspections even if I had to get NWM in to do the work replacing worn gear.

I agree about the suitability of a place with no existing moorings too, there is probably a good reason.
There are quite a few off Fort William Yacht Club though, we spent a night on one some years ago.