The Rules of Salvage

[Siochair]

I came across this link in the YBW forum and thought it might be of interest here too.

http://www.nash.co.uk/news_articles_lawofsalvate.htm

From the few posts on the subject very few people would bother with recompense, other than a nice bottle of happy juice, with one or two saying that they would like any fuel used paid for. What's the consensus on here about giving a tow etc?

David

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Siochair

I came across this link in the YBW forum and thought it might be of interest here too.

http://www.nash.co.uk/news_articles_lawofsalvate.htm

From the few posts on the subject very few people would bother with recompense, other than a nice bottle of happy juice, with one or two saying that they would like any fuel used paid for. What's the consensus on here about giving a tow etc?

David

Does this really happen in the real world in the world of a small leisure boat ? Options are risk it , join seastart or call the RNLI ?

I feel that I would try & do assist/tow anyone I could ( as long as I dont endanger myself/ my boat or crew) for nothing . This is on the basis that one day it could be me & I'd like to to think someone would do the same for me.

Last summer they did help me & when I see them again a large number of tins of beer will be deposited in their boat !

I have had notes thrust into my hand before when towing someone in , but refused them its not about money for me - just trying to help people out who are clearly having a less than good day .

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Does this really happen in the real world in the world of a small leisure boat ? Options are risk it , join seastart or call the RNLI ?

I feel that I would try & do assist/tow anyone I could ( as long as I dont endanger myself/ my boat or crew) for nothing . This is on the basis that one day it could be me & I'd like to to think someone would do the same for me.

Last summer they did help me & when I see them again a large number of tins of beer will be deposited in their boat !

I have had notes thrust into my hand before when towing someone in , but refused them its not about money for me - just trying to help people out who are clearly having a less than good day .

That's about the top and bottom of it

Jim

[BruceB]

I towed a hardboat in last year with a blown up engine, like most folk it didn't cross my mind to ask for money for doing so.
It might be me next time.......

[tonymac]

I agree with others - I'd tow someone in (if I could) and expect nothing on the hope that if it happened to me someone would do the same for me. However people are clearly aware of their rights and exercise them!
Seems a bit mean to me - if you find someone in genuine difficulties, saving them and then asking them for money for the privilege of doing so?
Its like finding someone in the street who had tripped and fallen - ringing the emergency services and then holding on to their coat until they paid you the money for the phone call!!

[Nos4r2]

I'm with those above-BUT...
Having heard of some really rude people (and ben on the end of a couple who didn't even acknowledge that we'd gone 5 miles out of our way to tow their empty drifting speedboat that had broken it's moorings back.)

Who'd be tempted to claim salvage if the boat owner/crew were snotty and didn't even say thanks after cutting your day by half and costing you a load in fuel?

[JSP]

Have only learnt about this very recently and I was bloody shocked! Fair enough if towing someone in has sent you well out of your way and they offer something towards the fuel then all is good. But to charge some poor bugger?
If how ever it turns out to be a thankless job like Nos describes then I would be thinking of ventilating the bottom of there boat late one night

It's nice to be nice, furry muff?

[Bigmuz7]

Thats the thing .. I've towed in a few and been offered a few bob and refused, and then some who havent even given me a thanks or the time of day and some cant seem to resist getting in trouble so we know who to not bother about next time .. trouble is when the CG gets involved .. we all pay anyway .. I have found the odd bottle of whisky tucked under my seat before now

[Doug Stormforce]

A few years back I was out in a Feeling 36 foot sailing yacht and we heard a pan pan from a boat in Hurst narrows whose engine had failed. I was teaching pile moorings in Yarmouth Harbour and their was a strong falling tide. I called up the Coast Guard and offered to assist. Turns out the boat was a Moody 38 (sailing yacht). We set of to pick him up unsure exactly what the problem was.

While we motored downtide at about 9 knots SOG he was drifting down at 2-3 SOG, I called him and up and told him to try and get to the side of the channel and slow down his drift- His reply was “don’t be stupid man, are you trying to put me aground”.

I replied- “No, Just trying to help can you not get into slightly shallower water and drop the hook while we catch up with you”.

He said he did not have an anchor.

Eventually we caught up with him and set up an alongside tow in the vicinity of the Needles. As soon as we had the bow spring and bow line on we put her into forward and started to stem the rush of water trying to squirt out of the Solent. We made for the Island shore to makes thing a little easier and were initially doing about 1 knot over the ground with this lump on our side and a falling tide. As we slowly crept forward on absolute full revs we picked up another knot. Just as I finished arranging fenders etc I notice a nice shiny anchor sitting on the bow roller of his yacht.

His wife was very grateful, he was pretty grumpy with us, saying this was wrong, that was wrong, watch you don’t scratch my hull etc.

I told him we were bound for Yarmouth and we were going to be a long time with him on the side. I added that if it helped I could take him over to Lymington instead. He replied, “ No we are going to Southampton”.

I explained that we were not and that I would drop him in Yarmouth or Lymington. (At this point Lymington would have been about 4.5 hrs of my day). He again said, “No, I want to go to Southampton”, this continued for a few minutes until I eventually instructed my crew to untie him.

At this point we were at the North end of Alum Bay and its about 1.25 hrs since we first responded to his call. I jumped on his boat, told my helm to let the revs of and I dropped his anchor over board. I payed out plenty scope cleated it off and jumped aboard my yacht. The helm steered us of and as we set of leaving him behind shouting his head off I went straight down below to call the C/guard and say he had refused our assistance but he was now safely anchored in xyz position.

I got quite a shock when I came up on deck and discovered his wife had jumped onto my yacht behind me rather than face stuck on an anchor with him. She kept apologising for him and said it served him right. We returned to Yarmouth and moored up on the wall for the night. The bloke’s wife took as all to the pub for a couple of rounds before she jumped in a cab for Cowes Red Jet

I would love to lie at this point and say she was some bombshell, but she w about 55.

Anyway he was about the most un grateful bastard I have ever had the misfortune to meet. I’ve no idea how long he staid there but we did keep an ear out to see if he called the Coatsgurd up again. I’ve also no idea why he did not have any sails up, it was light winds but not that light. We had after all been sailing on and off the piles.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Doug Stormforce

What Doug Said...

That's shocking!