Marina courtesy is necessary when boats and people are jammed into a confined area. Everyone is
entitled to have a good time, but not at the expense of others. Co-existence can be a social
pleasure or a disaster, depending on the respect boaters how for each other.
Many harbors issue a printed list of house rules, but enforcement is almost nonexistent when
marina employees leave the premises about 10 p.m. Therefore, it is up to boaters to exercise
common sense and use some consideration for fellow boaters with or without written reminders.
Some of the bothersome situations I have encountered could have been avoided if boaters has
used common sense and consideration for others.
1. Do not use loud hailers within the harbor.
2. Turn the volume down on radios, TV’s, CD’s and VHF radio-telephones. Never leave them
turned on when you go ashore.
3. Use searchlights sparingly and only when necessary, as when docking in a strange harbor.
4. Do not steal shore power from other slips. If your slip doesn't have sufficient outlets, do
without rather than stealing from another slip- even if it is unoccupied. The boater who
arrives late and pays for the rental of a slip expects shore power to be on hand. To find a cord
plugged into the outlet and running down the dock to another slip is maddening.
5. Generators should not be run in crowded harbors or anchorages, especially after 10 p.m.
6. The overboard discharge water from air conditioners and bilge pumps can be annoying to
others who are trying to sleep in a nearby boat.
7. Quiet hours begin at 10 p.m. in most harbors. Respect them. Other boaters may retire early in
order to depart at dawn. Voices carry late at night, especially when returning from a night on
the town.
8. Loose halyards that bang are inexcusable. I heard of marinas that cut them, another fines the
owner $50.
9. Kids and pets are the responsibility of adults and should not disturb others. Pets that have
just completed an eight-hour ride may have difficulty waiting or knowing exactly where the
pet run begins. If an accident occurs on the way to the pet run, please clean it up.
10. Finger docks are to be entered only by the crews of boats docked in that slip. Many boaters
disregard this because they figure it doesn't apply to other boaters. The final note is a safety
concern more than a courtesy. All marinas forbid swimming. On a hot day it seems like
such a nice way to cool down by jumping into the water from the swim platform or stern
ladder. Resist the urge because stray electrical current can electrocute a swimmer very quickly. Stray
current can leak from through hull fittings, rudders, and shafts of a boat with an improperly
grounded electrical system.This is why shore power plugs use special prongs and can only be
inserted in the power supply in one way. Improper wiring can occur on the boat itself or can
exist in improperly wired dock boxes. An electrical field can be created between the source
(boat) and the harbor mud bottom. When a swimmer enters this field, the current flows
through his or her body. To reach into the water to help the person in trouble will only add the
helper to the circuit. DO NOT SWIM IN HARBORS.
