Where old Top Hats retire

[Miker]

Yesterday Gabi and I went for an afternoon sail around Pittwater, up to Winneremery Bay and by the time we'd had lunch the Northerly wind had increased to the point where I didn't want to bash into it all the way back to Careel Bay. So we motored our way through the moorings around RMYC, then into Clareville Beach and Saltpan Cove, past the Avalon Sailing Club and finally into Careel Bay.

There were nine Top Hats, none of which were really capable of going any where. I only recall two names, The Boss and Curly Tops, the rest either had no name or I couldn't read them, the wind was making it tricky no negotiate the moorings. I haven't seen Sonya from Curly around for a while and she's not going anywhere until the two year growth has been shaved off. All the others had bird droppings, a minimum of three years growth and one even had her rig half busted up. The cabin door of another was hanging in the breeze.

I haven't checked Boatsales, or EBay yet, but they don't look like they're for sale, more than likely being used for mooring minders, but one wonders what happens when people just let their boats go like that.

Next time, I'll try and get more names and rego numbers.

[Phillip]

Very sad Michael,

I wonder how many other bays around the country hold hidden resources of disused Top Hats.

When we get the new techie to help on the site I will set a a Top Hat register.

For those who want to start we will need a profile photo and a stern photo showing name & rego numbers.

Phone photos will be great

And of course location.

[Dolphin]

Mike I hope this isn't going to be a name and shame file.
People don't use their boats for a number of reasons. I didn't use Felicite for 3 years at one stage and it only needed a routine cleanup and we were on our way again. On the other hand I used my boat every week and made a point of using it on the longest night of the year. That was pretty lonely actually as there wasn't anybody about and it was bloody cold! One of the guys at the club said that my boat was looking dirty, well that happens 3 months after slipping with a solid slime line around the hull. It just looks unsightly. It was anti fouled 10months ago and its holding up well.
This also has a big effect on the boating industry. The mechanic that put my engine in said he had $40,000 dollars in bad debts, people think its just a hobby, but its his bread and butter.

I'll never knock anyone for the condition of their boat. You probably don't know the full story.

BTW: I've had melanomas removed from mynose and leg (9 stitches in that one) and going over the side to swim in antifoul and krill is out of the question.

What we should do is make up a flying squad, we hunt down dirty boats and clean and polish them on the spot for the owner. Good Idea??

[Ianb]

If only the Boating Service Officers were allowed to tell us the names of owners, people wanting to buy a boat could make an offer. Life has a habit of stopping us doing things we would like to do, but an ability to sell and buy back later when one has time, would be beneficial all round.

[Phillip]

Tried to get that info from RMS but they cliamed privacy and problems extracting the information [anyway!]

So we will have to rely on the mark 3 eyeball [ your camera phone] to get the info.

Working on it!

[woodsy]

I got a chuckle from your post Miker.
I looked at all those T.H's when after my yacht. I left notes on all I was interested in with my no. ...... No replies.
Maritime would not give me any info on owners either.
I eventually got mine from an owner on Scotland island whom I had known for many years . He was reluctant to sell it even though it was unused for 8 years. We eventually came to a mutually happy agreement & those other yachts are still sitting there.

[storm petrel]

I left a note on a nearby Currawong 30 that was looking neglected and 12 months later got a call from the owner who said he appreciated my interest but would hang onto the boat. He had had it for 18 yrs and said he intended to use it more often. That was a few years ago and I do not think the boat has been off the mooring since. The sails and timber is now getting to a state where it would be too expensive to bring it back to life even if you got it cheap. I hope Greg is right and the owner will eventually bring it back to life but somehow I think it is unlikely.

[Miker]

I hear you Greg, I know Sonya is obviously doing something else at the moment. The others are probably even mooring minders, and owned by someone who has had a change in circumstances.

This was never a post meant to shame people, just to outline how many boats there wre left unattended for very long periods. It's a shame, and it would be good to be able to work out a way to keep then up with a Top Hat Flying Squad or something, just so they don't look so poorly.

I wonder if RMS would be able to contact the owners and give them our details, rather than give us the owners details. When I got my mooring, the RMS officer had no problem giving me the owners phone number in order to obtain his tackle...... Interesting.

I'm thinking about a small card, from Top Hat Yachts, that leaves our website and a phone number that can be dropped on board. I can make them easily, so will have a think about how to do it. Then, every time you see a TH that's looking like it may be neglected, you can at least drop a card to let them know we're thinking of them, and may have some interest in helping out in some way. just a thought.

[sam]

it is sad to see potencaly ocean going boats deterioroate that that sort of condition, jilpanger had been a mooring minder for ~7 years before I started working on her

[robf]

Hi Miker
I'm back onto the forum after a few years off in the wilderness.
You must have missed my light blue MkII Isabella II in Salt Pan. She goes well whenever I have a chance to get out on her and was last antifouled Dec 2014 - already booked in for Dec 2015 at the PAC - best to do your own work rather than pay someone to apply watered-down stuff!
Hope to see you out on Pittwater over winter - we've passed a few times over the years,
Cheers
Rob