Dear readers,
Unfortunately, there seems to be no other way. I think marinas, or at least the jetties, should be cordoned off. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel that people are becoming increasingly distant. Obvious non-sailors make themselves at home on jetties, gawp into cockpits, take selfies with other people's - our - boats in the background. Or they even climb onto the bow or stern and have themselves proudly photographed. I experienced the crowning glory last summer in Fjällbacka on the Swedish west coast. We return from an excursion to our boat moored alongside the jetty, and on board in the cockpit are three middle-aged, friendly smiling Asians, she at the helm, he busy taking photos. The distance and tolerance limits were exceeded, the issue was almost impossible to resolve verbally; they trolled off in protest, without any sense of shame or understanding.
Young people with a taste for adventure populate the harbour facilities close to the water, making noise that is only surpassed by the Bluetooth speakers they bring with them, leaving rubbish behind and climbing around on the yachts to jump into the water while bawling. The problem is not exclusively caused by minors. The barbecue areas and playgrounds are occupied by tourists or local residents who have no connection to the harbour or the marina and who are neither club members nor (paying) visitors. In the best Mallorca style, the benches at the barbecue are reserved with tablecloths and cushions. Well, this bad habit is also common among sailors, but it hurts even more when it's external people.
Why not regulate access to the harbour? This would also counteract the theft of equipment such as outboard motors and increase subjective personal safety. Of course, no sailor or motor boater wants to isolate themselves and be perceived as elitist or segregating. But they do want their privacy and property to be respected.
Boats are not just a means of transport and harbours are not just parking spaces for them. They are personal spaces for communities, for socialising and sharing among like-minded people. If this space is disrupted by carelessness or ignorance, it also loses its function. By regulating access, we not only preserve material values, but also the togetherness that is so crucial to the maritime lifestyle.
In times when respect and understanding for such spaces are more easily ignored, the clear separation of public and private space seems desirable. In other words, barbed wire. Harbour operators should take measures to ensure both the safety and well-being of sailors and motor boaters. Incidentally, cordoned-off marinas are not unusual; they can be found in many places from Flensburg to Lake Constance.
And now I take my Cobb grill and sit down with a few friends at the ninth hole in the Hamburg Golf Club and roast a few steaks, accompanied by a crate of beer and good music.
Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of YACHT
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