Broads boaters are being asked to moor side by side at certain Broads Authority moorings to meet the demand for mooring space.
Responding to feed-back from boat hirers that they sometimes have trouble finding moorings the Authority has identified 20 locations in the northern and southern Broads which are suited to double mooring.
Five free 24 hour moorings are being trialled in the northern Broads, and 15 in the southern Broads. They include Great Yarmouth Yacht Station, Norwich Yacht Station and Reedham Quay.
The moorings have been selected by taking into account the river width and strength of tides and new signs have been put up to encourage boaters to welcome others alongside.
Trudi Wakelin, Broads Authority Director of Operations, said: “New moorings can be very expensive and complex to get permissions. So one of the options we looked at to ease the pressure on mooring was to see which of our 63 moorings met our byelaw criteria for double mooring. We would encourage all boaters to be helpful and considerate to those who haven’t found a bank side mooring space and welcome them alongside.”
The trial follows the Environment Agency’s successful campaign on the River Thames to encourage boaters to moor alongside others.
Tony Howes, Secretary of the Broads Hire Boat Federation, said that his members have been constantly reminded by hirers of the difficulty in finding mooring places at busy times on the Broads.
He said: “This development should be very helpful if all boaters are made aware of the new rules. We will shortly be distributing a notice for use at handover and in Skipper's Manuals to advise hirers of the opportunity to moor in this way - and the "etiquette" involved.”
Richard Card, chairman of the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association(NSBA) which represents private boaters, said: 'The NSBA's recent survey of members identified shortage of moorings as a major problem. It is being addressed but the solution will take time. The Broads Authority's initiative in identifying locations where double mooring is possible is to be welcomed as a short term mitigation of the problem. We would encourage skippers to behave considerately by maximising the capacity of popular moorings while treating fellow boaters with courtesy.
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