Every year boats breakaway from their moorings. This is most often due to insufficient maintenance of the mooring. Several of these have been failure of the sinker chain to lower riser shackle. There are currently 17 boats on moorings on which I have not been provided with information that this shackle has been checked /replaced over the last ten years.
The club goal is to to get all moorings upto a good standard to prevent breakaways but the current way of doing things is unlikely to achieve this. However it is clear that full length mooring repairs are too difficult for some members to attempt as it physical and potentially hazardous work. Others have only limited time to do the work. I also feel there should be some reward for those prepared to do mooring work on the mud for others as it like no other task at the club in terms of effort and time.
To date it has been the expectation that a member will take part in the repair of their mooring but we are considering systems of allowing the member to not take part but allow other club members to repair their mooring for payment or reward.
This could work in one of two ways;
1. A club member is considering making himself available for the work for direct payment to himself. An estimated cost at this stage would be in the region of £250. However this would be unlikely to start before August of this year.
2. A member could apply to the club for work to be done and pay the club directly and assuming 2 persons doing the work the individuals would be rewarded with credits to their club account against their own fees. Fee to be established
In either case photographs of work done would be sent to the mooring master and user.
The above proposals alone might not encourage members to arrange the work. Any system will include a mooring loss/ breakaway fine greater than cost of paying for the repair.
At this stage we are only considering down to the sinker chain repairs/checks. However if successful future plans may include top of the tide annual checks. Once repaired to the sinker a full length check should not be necessary for several years.
I would appreciate feedback from all members on club moorings on how you may arrange your mooring repairs in future . This may include doing the repair yourself with help you have arranged at no cost to yourself, or one of the two systems outlined above which would involve payment. What would you consider a reasonable payment?
The club will continue to provide the necessary equipment.
Please reply to the mooring master or Commodore email account.
Below is a list of boats that I do not have information on repairs or checks to the sinker chain shackle for the last ten years. If your boat is on the list please provide approximate date and detail of the repair. My apologies if you have already done this and I have failed to update my records. I’m aware that some of these have had recent repair work and the lower riser is considered good but it is the sinker chain shackle that I wish to know about. Some of you may also think your boat should be on the list bit isn’t. Please advise if so.
Breakaway, Bumblebee, Colanna, Essex Girl (new mooring 2012 but check due) Foreness, Girouette, Inkonk, Kia Kia, Micawber, Moksha, Nellie, Pandemonium, Pugwash, Rhiannon, Solstice, Tender Touch, The Pie, Tiki.
Graham
HI Graham,
Re : TIKI
Sounds like a very good idea.
My mooring was checked from the raft – with both you and I on the raft – either last year or the year before – and we replaced some damaged chain.
I went out on the mud on my own last year and checked my mooring chains – and at least two shackles needed replacing to upper chain section – but you didn’t have any in stock at the time when I asked. I didn’t get quite as far as the sinker when I excavated – it was at least a foot down.I was planning to have another go this season with the help of a member.
I’d think £250 for a member to have their mooring sorted would be good value, and I’d be keen to pay that for my mooring to be put in order. All best, Ralph B
Hi Ralph,
I would be happy to give you a hand with that some time. I’m away most of April.
Stephen
Hi Graham,
Surely we do not need to choose between Options 1 and 2?
Option 1 could work on a supply-&-demand basis: members advertise their willingness to check and repair moorings and those who want help can arrange for it to be done. Is there any need to fix the price when it can be agreed between the members? Mooring a long way out or in soft mud are more difficult and the remuneration should reasonably be higher.
Option 2 has the advantage that the member who needs his mooring done only has to ask the Mooring Master to organise it and would have no further responsibility.
But having the organisation for Option 2 would mean that the Mooring Master could serve notice to members who have neglected their moorings, and therefore whose boats pose a threat of becoming breakaways, that unless they do the job by some deadline, the club will inspect and repair the mooring and charge the cost in the annual fees.
Nick
I tried getting to the mooring last year but the muds to soft for me to get on. Maybe if we had some sort of platform we could use to access. Like the rnli use to cross mud, I think I som kind of roll up inflatable path
Hi Graham
I see that I’m on the naughty list – you and I replaced the top section two years ago. I checked it last spring and it was fine, but I may not have submitted the form. Apologies for that. I will be checking down to the ground chain in due course.
I have severe concerns about the club getting involved in one member paying another to do some work. This can potentially lead to all sorts of arguments and disputes, and seems to go against the long-standing ‘self-help’ principal of the club. And who sues who when a mooring breaks and an insurance claim arises? I suggest that those members willing to be paid to manage others’ moorings can make themselves known and the two parties can then arrange it between themselves.
Stronger action needs to be taken against long term offenders, but I recognize that there are difficulties here. Maybe fines, or lifting a boat out and charging punitive storage rates, but this could lead to ‘false accounting’ so needs careful consideration by the committee.
Regards Michael
Hi GFraham,
Firstly thatnk you as ever for your amazing efforts for us all. As you know I (Colanna) have recently moved moorings so I have no idea how long ago THAT mooring was last checked – do you…?
I checked my previous mooring in August 2018 (four years ago), and on your advice did not dig down to the concrete – the shackles above the mud, and a couple below that I managed to clear mud off to inspect were all in a good state.
Can I again recommend using my Mudders (they fit over your wellies) to everyone. They make it easy (and fun) to walk around on the mud and thus it is far far easier to check a mooring carefully, dig a little down & take photos etc, especially if alone. The mudders are in the clubhouse on top of the lifejackets in the store room.
Best, Brooke
Like Michael I’m uncomfortable with the idea of the club facilitating payments of this kind between members.
One simple idea that might nudge members who do not submit their mooring condition report to the mooring master would be to add 50 quid to their next renewal demand as we do with non attendances at work parties.
This is unlikely to get all the moorings checked but might get more than we have at the moment – and might generate a little money for the club
John Williams
Thank you for commenting John. I see your point but there is already a presumption of some recompense if small with the existing volunteers. The plans are to appeal to those unable, for whatever reason to be present when a mooring is repaired. This puts a greater duty on the repairer which is worth payment when you consider full length mooring repairs is one of the most unpleasant tasks at the club.
I’m not sure a non check fee doesn’t look like we’re okay with non checking , but a rapidly escalating year on year fine may have the desired effect if it were to to cost more than the cost of a repair, but a punitive breakaway fee should have the same effect. No doubt we’ll discuss further.