NPT Mooring status for trip in 2 weeks

Curious if the NPT moorings are still present at:
Great Tobago
Brown Pants
Fallen Jerusalem
Aquarium?

Any recent info appreciated

Thanks

As of the last week or so....
Great Tobago - Yes
Brown Pants - Not sure
Fallen Jerusalem - Yes....2
Aquarium - No

brown pants is a yes

What does NPT stand for? National Park mooring? Thx.

national parks trust I think -- the red balls used for day stops. Sometimes are not present as advertised........

Red mooring balls are generally marking dive sites.

snorkel, dive, visit the beach/baths, lunch stop -- whatever

not really, a dive ball has a 90 minute limit. You are not suppose to camp out on dive balls.

Red balls are often at dive sites, but those are the standard NPT moorings used for day stops by anyone with a permit. 90 minute limit is whether or not one is diving.

Yellow balls are also NPT mooring balls, for commercial boats or diving.

http://www.bvitourism.com/moorings-anchorages
Info on NPT moorings, including colour coding.

Just a point on the color of balls. They change often depending on what is aboard the boat maintaining the balls. If they are replacing a red ball and only have yellow on board it becomes a yellow ball.
The 90 minute limit is correct on all the balls. It's annoying to be waiting for a dive ball and watch the people on the ball eating lunch or sunbathing hours after they pick it up. If someone is waiting I get off the ball ASAP. You can eat lunch drifting or underway. I also make sure the first boat waiting gets my ball when I leave. It amazes me how rude someone can be trying to snake a ball when someone else has been waiting.
G

That drives me crazy too George. Common sense is unfortunately uncommon these days..

We may take longer on a ball if there's a lot open, but if it starts to fill up, we'll leave once our 90 minutes is up or if we're done sooner.

I think there are some places where there are exceptions - such as the baths. If you hike the baths and go have lunch or breakfast at the top, you will likely be closer to two hours. I think its fine as long as you don't take an excessive amount. This is why we always visit from Leverick now too.

I agree with what your saying Matt and do the same thing you do. There is no need to vacate if no one is waiting and the baths is a different situation.
G

Agree with George as well. We always try to be courteous to fellow sailors. It can get a little tricky at the Indians, we always try to get there first thing in the morning and give our ball up to the first boat in the queue after 90 minutes of snorkeling bliss. We wait at the ball and signal them in, then head out when they are coming in.
One year we were astounded to get there at around 8:00 AM and all balls were full from overnighters! Amazing. Some were still sleeping. Curtains drawn.
Our Captain just kept cruising through the field and got some folks up on their decks, after several circles and severe stares, and questions like "are you moving out soon?" some moved out and we were able to grab a ball. Some were still there when we left 90 minutes later. They were not even in the water, a few were eating breakfast.
My question for any of you who care to weigh in, is what would you have done, or what you might you do in the future, if you encounter this situation.
Thanks.

I always speak up. Starting a BBQ at the Indians is just not cool. A little tip about getting a mooring ball is to arrive after 3, we always get a ball.

My severe temptation would be to grab the air horn from the lazarette closest to the helm and deploy it without mercy until it died a natural death. Alarm clock with prejudice. Crank up Iron Butterfly Innagadadavita beyond the reach of any earplugs.

My actual response would be to go back into the Bight mooring field and pick up a mooring, perhaps the one we had just released, invite the crew to brew and enjoy another pot of coffee ( make it Irish, Swiss or Bailey's ) and make some finger food lunch, swish their little laundry items and chill.

Discretion is sometimes the only viable course of action to stay out of [censored] territory.