I like and support the idea of being able to reserve a ball in advance, as long as the anchorages are monitored. This lets us enjoy more of the day sailing the boat vs racing to catch the last mooring by noon. As for paying in advance, that's no different from making a reservation for a mooring or a slip elsewhere. We had to walk away from a "paid for" reservation this summer due to weather. What's key is that the policy is clear and easy to understand. Besides, after paying for the cost of flights and the boat, a $35 mooring fee is not going to make or break the vacation.