mooring question CAT & monohulls - too close

All,

I recently returned from the BVI on an 8 day charter. Wonderful experience. We had our captain from the year before who has been chartering for many many years and is very knowledgeable. We were on a 46 foot CAT. We pulled into Peter Island to moor and there was one ball remaining. We pulled up to the ball and our neighbors in front of us on approx. a 40' mono jumped in their dingy and said we were too close - specifically stating that monohulls swing different than CATs in wind and we were going to hit them. Our captain stated that would not happen and for them not to worry.. They were pretty brutal to our captain.

When I got in our dingy I reviewed the situation and their was no physical way our boats could have collided. I will say the boat behind us in a monohull 50' would have swung just right all the way around they could have made contact.

Nothing happened, but I would like to learn from the experienced people here. You have been very helpful.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Did the folks around us have a legitimate concern or was the rum talking? I am thankful for our captain because I would have left due the to pressure and the way they were treating us. Love your thoughts.

We've chatted with neighbors on balls at the very tight Cooper Island field. Once both boats tightened mooring lines and pulled dinghys forward we could no longer walk between the boats without getting wet. When we were done, we shared a cocktail on their big honkin' cat and discussed that even though the moorings can support a vessel up to 60', it doesn't mean that they can be on adjacent moorings. Sometimes an offer of a cold beverage is easier than a confrontation.

Cheers, RickG

I have had this discussion many times. In normal wind conditions the wind will keep the boats off. At some moorings such as the Rhone when I pick up a ball it might be 5 feet off your stern, but once I load it, we will be 25 feet apart.

I have had on one occasion in a no wind condition a boat swing into me as odd currents then prevailed and we ended stern to stern. But generally in no wind, the weight of my bridle pulls me up to the ball (tangling around the ball). Or just ball will just bang on your hull.

Now on the balls at the Caves at Norman it is a different situation, with the current and swirling winds boats bump there often.

I find some people like to scare others off for privacy. If I found a boat coming in to anchor or grab a ball too close when I didn't want company, i would just start showering naked, that would run them off to scratch their eye balls out.

Sounds to me like the folks who gave you trouble were either just being jerks or simply didn't know what they were talking about but felt genuinely concerned, or both.

They are correct that cats and monos do swing differently, but that has little to do with whether they will hit each other in a typical BVI mooring field. Regardless, unless they have approval from the owner of the mooring ball, they have no right to shoe anyone away from it. If they don't like it, it's up to them to leave. Sounds like your captain handled things appropriately.

I find some people like to scare others off for privacy. If I found a boat coming in to anchor or grab a ball too close when I didn't want company, i would just start showering naked, that would run them off to scratch their eye balls out. [/quote]

Better watch out that Out at Sea isn't sailing too close they might help you dry off!
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Curious as to your captain's name? We are sailing next week on a cat with Kenroy. Our third trip with him. Just love Kenroy!

Generally if boats come together on moorings it's because the wind gets very light. The bumps are usually light. Having said that however the rule for mooring or anchoring is first in last out. That means if you do have a conflict the last boat that arrived has to leave. Since I generally don't want to be trying to move a boat at 2 am if I sense a possible conflict I will normally go somewhere else.
George

Were they on a charter boat or mono?

We anchored at Coral Bay in St. John and were behind a mooring - then the boat belonging to the mooring came in and said we'd be too close..etc. Similar situation. So we moved as there was enough room for us to move and it was not a big deal.. Completely unnecessary on their part though and they were either being cautious or just didn't want to be close to another boat.

Most BVI overnight moorings state that they are good for vessels up to 60 feet. To me that implies that the seabed parts of the moorings are at least 120 feet apart. (I am simplifying somewhat and it's actually even greater that 120 feet.)

That is not true!

When they say good up to 60 feet they are only talking about the mooring's ability to hold the boat in place (and I believe that their receipt even has an upper end for wind speed, maybe 45kts). When the wind goes slack and currents get funky, boats start to swing differently, and can indeed touch in some locations.

I agree with the comments - they 'shouldn't' bump if both boats are reasonable with their bridle lengths, however it is first in, last out

I totally agree with the first in, last out concept. However, that does not give the first boat in a mooring field the right to dictate what goes on at all of the mooring balls around them. After all, they are just renting the ball for the night, they do not own it. The boat in front simply had no right to tell the later boat in that they could not use the mooring behind them. The captain of the first boat in, if they felt it was truly unsafe, while the captain on the later boat in, also paying a fee to the mooring owner (who presumably is a professional with the requisite experience (the boat captain, not the mooring owner)), has a right to use that mooring if in his judgment it is safe to do so. If the captain/owner/charterer of the first boat determines that the situation is unsafe due to the arrival of the second boat, they can either attempt to convince the owner of the mooring not to rent that ball for the night (unlikely), or they can move. Hopefully at some point common courtesy and common sense win the day.

Totally different situation from anchoring, just in my humble opinion.

Agree - however should there be a collision, the later boat would bear a greater share of the burden

Agreed! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Reminds me of once approaching a mooring ball in Great Harbor, Peter Island, it was floating only five feet (really) behind a catamaran already on the next mooring ball. Their crew had big eyes as we approached their stern (close enough to pass a drink) and nicely attached our cat to the mooring. Of course once we were attached we drifted a safe distance behind them. The breeze kept us safely apart, no backwinding. Another time we were about to set a stern line to shore in Little Harbor, Peter Island, when the captain of the boat next to us asked if we would move our boat further away, as his crew wanted more privacy. He was nice about it and seemed a reasonable request, so we moved a little further away.