THE MOORING LINEBROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MARITIME SERVICES TEAM AT WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL

Summer 2020Issue 10

WELCOMEHappy New Year and welcome to the tenth edition of The Mooring Line.

There are more than 800 moorings in the Waikato, which means you are part of a large community of mooring owners who may or may not live in the Waikato region. The Mooring Line newsletter is a helpful way to keep up to date with the region’s news, local information and tips on ways to keep our beautiful harbours and inland waters safe for everyone.

Please pass this newsletter on to anyone who you know is looking at renting or buying a mooring.

Safe boating this season!

The Maritime Services team

IN THIS NEWSLETTER• New marine pest at

Great Barrier Island• Mooring for sale or rent? We can help. • Tips to avoid mooring mishaps• 2020 mooring inspections• Tairua mooring update• Things mooring owners should

regularly do• Check your inflatables• MarineMate

NEW MARINE PEST AT GREAT BARRIER ISLANDA new marine pest, Clavelina oblonga, a sea squirt commonly known as “little bottles”, has been discovered at Great Barrier Island.

This type of sea squirt is newly detected in New Zealand, with the only known population at Great Barrier Island.

These sea squirts form dense, clear and gelatinous looking colonies which can overgrow mussel and oyster farms and compete with other plant and animal species in the native environment.

The long distance spread of Clavelina oblonga is through vessel biofouling, ballast water or aquaculture stock movement.

So, as always, ensure you have a clean hull as this will help prevent its spread. Remember: clean below, good to go.

If you think you’ve seen something suspiciously like Clavelina oblonga, take a photo, collect a sample, record the location and call the Ministry for Primary Industries on 0800 80 99 66.

Photo: Xavier Turon and Maria CassoPhoto: Samantha Happy, Auckland Council

North

Tairua/Pauanui/WhangamataStephen Wise - 021 594 563

Thames/Coromandel (town)Rod Edwards 021 877 52Stuart Crawley - 027 480 9767 WhitiangaPeter Head 027 476 2651 Barry King (deputy)021 913 679

Lake Karapiro to Port WaikatoWest Coast - RaglanToby Kemp - 021 705 642

Inland - Lake Arapuni to AratiatiaWest coast - Kawhia to MokauChris Bredenbeck - 027 677 2107

Lake Taupo - Department of Internal AffairsPhone: (07) 378-7176Email: harbourmaster@dia.govt.nz

HARBOURMASTERS

Paeroa

Whitianga

Pauanui

Ngāruawāhia

Mangakino

Tirau

Lake Karapiro

Putaruru

Morrinsville

Whangamata

Coromandel

Benneydale

Ōtorohanga

Pirongia

Tokanui

Huntly

Meremere

Port Waikato

Piopio

Mokau

Kāwhia

Raglan

Tuakau

Hamilton

Taupō

Tūrangi

TOKOROA

Thames

Te Kūiti

Taharoa

Taharoa 0800 800 401

WAIKATO REGION Waikato region

TIPS TO AVOID MOORING MISHAPSMooring owners need to be vigilant of who is using or renting their mooring over the busy summer period and should contact their harbourmaster if there is an unauthorised vessel on their mooring.

For safety reasons, any vessel tied to a mooring must be of suitable length and weight as stated in its resource consent. This will help to ensure the vessel doesn’t break off and cause danger to people and neighbouring boats.

Things to remember when renting out your mooring:

• Contact your local mooring inspector or harbourmaster to confirm suitability before lending/renting out your mooring.

• It is the mooring consent holder’s responsibility and liability to ensure the mooring is suitable for the vessel it holds.

• Before renting out your mooring, you must check:

– the length of the vessel for your mooring

– the swing room your mooring allows for the vessel

– that the weight of the block can hold the weight of the vessel

– what hardware is suitable for specific vessels

– whether your mooring is suitable for multi or mono-hull.

Always check your resource consent or latest inspection report for details.

MOORING FOR SALE OR RENT? WE CAN HELP. We are now offering mooring owners a new web service to list their mooring for sale or rent. It’s simple to use and an easy way for renters or buyers to view essential information about moorings.

The website also offers safe mooring tips to help prevent mooring mishaps.

See www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/moorings-4-sale-or-rent for more information.

MOORING INSPECTIONSAll mooring areas are unique and this sometimes determines what type of wearing occurs to a mooring. Some areas are on the open sea and are affected by swells and winds, while others are located in harbours which can experience flooding from rivers and an influx of debris. These are just a few of the things to consider when maintaining your mooring to ensure it stays in good condition.

Moorings located in Flaxmill Bay and Cooks Beach are due for inspection from March 2020, and most of Whitianga Harbour moorings are due later in the year. Now is a great time to start engaging with your local mooring service provider and booking your mooring in for a service.

A worn mooring chain that hadn’t been inspected in over three years

IS YOUR MOORING INSPECTION DUE?

Your local service provider will be available to provide an inspection service for your mooring. They will check all parts of the mooring during the inspections and look out for components that show considerable wear. The top chain, shackle and swivel are all parts that move underwater when there is a boat on a mooring.

Your service provider will generally give you a call and recommend replacements according to compliance with council requirements and the safety of your boat on the mooring.

The Maritime Services team will be posting out reminder letters along with booking forms on behalf of Trojan Marine and Bay Marine Works this month. If your inspection is due, it is worth taking advantage of the group service offer as you will generally get a better rate.

WINDY BUOYS Pick-up buoys are commonly run over or cut off by other people in the area. Contractors recommend adding a windy buoy to their mooring. A windy buoy helps to:• find the mooring• pick up the buoy in the event it does get cut off• make it easier for you to pick up as you will not have to lift

the chain off the seabed.

COOKS BEACH AND FLAXMILL BAY MOORINGS

Moorings in Cooks Beach and Flaxmill Bay are mainly affected by the swell and choppy sea conditions, which cause them to be constantly moving. With this constant movement in water, the metal components are gradually eroded and can wear down below Waikato Regional Council’s minimum recommended specification.

We also find that the moorings in these locations get a lot of heavy marine growth on the buoys, ropes and chains. While this will be cleaned during an inspection, we do recommend the mooring owners regularly check and clean off any shell growth to prevent damage to the rope where it attaches to the chain. A rubber protection sleeve on the chain helps to prevent shell growth

TAIRUA MOORING UPDATETairua mooring inspections were completed in December this season. Most of the moorings are still in great condition because of the quality of hardware used and lack of wear.

We spoke to Laura Gilmore from Trojan Marine Services, who gave us some insight into what they found. She said:

“The only piece of main hardware we had to replace was one shackle as there are minimal components that wear easily on the moorings in this harbour. In Tairua, each mooring consists only of a weight, bottom chain, top rope and pick-up buoy. Extra shackles, a top chain and swivel are not required in this harbour as moorings require less swing room so it eliminates the need for the lighter metal components that wear faster.”

It’s great to see the high rate of mooring compliance in Tairua, and we appreciate those who continue to keep the harbour safe for everyone.

For more information call Waikato Regional Council on 0800 800 401 or visit waikatoregion.govt.nz.

Summer 2020

H E A LT H Y E N V I R O N M E N T

ST R O N G E CO N O M Y

V I B RA N T CO M M U N I T I E S

HE TAIAO MAURIORA

HE ŌHANGA PAKARI

HE HAPORI HIHIRI

CHECK YOUR INFLATABLESThis old inflatable lifejacket was one that was surrendered at a Coastguard Old4New lifejacket event last season. The owner had been using it for a number of years without frequently servicing or checking it. His kids had also worn it out on the water a number of times.

When it came to activating the lifejacket, it was

discovered that the canister was severely rusted and not screwed in. When the owner saw this, it was a difficult moment for him to imagine what would have happened if it was needed in an emergency. He was devastated.

However, with the Old4New upgrade campaign he was able to swap it for a discount on a brand new inflatable which he will now be sure to check each season.

Remember, your inflatable lifejacket is your biggest hope of survival in an emergency. Unfortunately, it’s also what most people forget to check.

Regularly check your inflatable lifejacket to make sure:

1. the canister is free of rust, not punctured and is screwed in correctly (canisters can be bought at your local marine retailer)

2. the outer cover has no holes or signs of wear

3. there are no leaks/holes in the inflatable bladder (fully inflate it and leaving it overnight, if it’s soft the next day then you have a leak)

4. the straps are not worn or fraying.

When purchasing an inflatable lifejacket, always read the instructions.

For more information and to view a servicing video visit waikatoregion.govt.nz/lifejackets

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OCEANS, RIVERS & LAKES

ALWAYS BRING YOUR MATE!

THINGS MOORING OWNERS SHOULD REGULARLY DO• Keep your pick-up buoy clean of marine growth – this will allow it to float better so that

boats can see it and not accidentally run it over.

• Check your mooring rope regularly. We have had some very strong winds over the summer, and these cause boats to swing around on a mooring in a different manner. Check to see if the rope is rubbing or chafing on the anchor or fairlead. If it looks like it may be damaged, get in touch with the harbourmaster or your mooring contractor. It’s much better to take a few minutes and have a look than have the rope break in the next big storm.

• Number your mooring to ensure harbourmasters and contractors can easily locate it.