What should I do if I find another boat tied to the moorage I have reserved?
Stay calm and verify details: reservation date, coordinates, listing photos and identifiers. Hail the other captain and explain the situation—most cases are honest mistakes. If unresolved, document with photos, message help@onbuoy.com, and contact Support to help locate an alternative moorage and address the offender.
First of all, don’t worry or get upset. It’s OnBuoy’s goal for our members to have a peaceful time on the water so we’re here to help. Misunderstandings happen and anyone can make an honest mistake, so we always recommend giving your fellow boater the benefit of the doubt. Follow the steps below to ensure a constructive resolution to the situation.
Step 1: Confirm your information
- Confirm your reservation date and coordinates for the moorage in the reservation
- Confirm that you are at the correct location for that moorage. Many buoys look alike and oftentimes the exact location of a buoy can be slightly different than what is listed on the OnBuoy site.
- Confirm the identity of the moorage using the photos of the moorage in the OnBuoy listing along with any identifying marks on the moorage (e.g. registration numbers painted on a buoy).
Step 2: Hail the other captain and explain the situation
- Once you are satisfied that you have the correct moorage, hail the other captain and explain that you think they may be moored to a buoy you have reserved through OnBuoy.
- Nine times out of ten, you’ll find that it the other captain was just leaving or their presence there was either an honest mistake.
If the other captain refuses to leave the moorage or you are not able to resolve the misunderstanding:
Step 3: Document the situation
- Take photos of the moorage in question and the other vessel moored to it.
- Send the documentation to us at help@onbuoy.com so we can investigate and take appropriate action with the offender.
Step 4: Contact us at help@onbuoy.com so we can help find you an alternative moorage.