Probably no other topic has been the subject of so much discussion recently: is it allowed, for example in a quiet Croatian anchorage, to lay a mooring line in addition to the anchor gear and attach it to a tree on the shore, for example – or not?
Turkey introduced the mooring line ban in 2008, and Croatia followed suit. The protected legal interest is in particular the trees and shrubs, which can be chafed or even torn out completely by the strong, constant strain of the lines, but also the entire environment. The problem is that hardly any recreational skipper adheres to it.
On the contrary: this season, several cases have come to light in which the crews of larger motor yachts had set out extra-long lines across popular Croatian anchorages, some of which were up to 100 meters long. This simply made it impossible for many other smaller boats, for which there would have been enough space in the bay, to moor.
Shore lines are quick to deploy and can provide added security. They also save space in the anchorage.
Shore lines are quick to deploy and can – in addition to the regular anchor gear – provide added security. Above all, however, it is a convenient and usually space-saving method of mooring.
For years, it was common practice among recreational boaters (and still is today) to simply drop a bow anchor and then use a dinghy to find a suitable tree near the shore to make a land connection with a bowline knot.
Sometimes this makes perfect sense, for example, if you have to anchor on a steep, rocky bottom. In this case, it is often the only option to wedge the anchor into the rock at the front and secure it at the back with a line to the shore, because otherwise the anchor would lose its hold when the boat swings.
If all the other boats have dropped anchor and you are the only one to additionally secure it with a (long) shore line, you will become a disruptive factor.
However, a shore line is often unnecessary, and it is appropriate to opt for a different mooring option, for example in a bay with many other anchored boats. If everyone else has dropped anchor and you are the only boat to moor with one or more stern lines, you will automatically be a major nuisance.
But the question many sports skippers ask themselves is: are shore lines attached to shore trees allowed at all? Croatian law says no, they are not.
In the “Pravilnik o uvjetima i načinu održavanja reda u lukama i na ostalim dijelovima unutarnjih morskih voda i teritorijalnog mora Republike Hrvatske”</strong , which translates roughly as “Regulations on the conditions and manner of maintaining order in ports and other parts of inland waters and the territorial sea of the Republic of Croatia”, issued by the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, is referred to in relation to the problem.
Croatian law prohibits the laying of shore lines if they could endanger the environment.
Although the regulation does not explicitly mention a ban on shore lines, Article 45 states ( firstly, in general terms) that it is not permitted to tie boats “to things that are not intended for mooring”; in particular, boats may not be moored in such a way that “the environment is endangered in any way”.
Furthermore, the coast must not be affected (endangered) in any way, which probably also includes dropping the shore line directly on the shoreline “under water”, for example by dropping and wedging a stern anchor in the rocks.
Finally, Article 49 generally stipulates that anchoring “must not interfere with the navigation of other boats” (as in the above example with the extra-long line running across the anchorage).
The Croatian Inland Boating Regulations Prohibit “Tying or Pulling” on Trees
The inland boating regulations, although they actually refer to inland areas, also address the issue of shore lines. Article 7.04, for example, stipulates that “tying or pulling on trees, stakes, fences, boundary stones, pillars, iron steps or ladders and similar objects is prohibited”.
This regulation also makes a clear statement on the problem of anchoring on the shore (Article 11.19): “Anchors and similar objects may not be used to moor a boat to the shore, except in an emergency.” Similarly, this regulation could be applied by the authorities to other waters.
The Croatian authorities rarely enforce the ban on shore lines and even less frequently penalize violations. Often, one gets the impression that the shore lines that have been set up are tacitly tolerated. However, this does not change the fact that the legal situation is clear and that the authorities can punish violations of the shore line ban if they want – which they occasionally do.
Violators may face severe fines
The fines imposed for violating the above-mentioned regulations are based on the Croatian Navigation Code (Pomorski Zakonik) and can be quite drastic in some cases. For example, a “fine between 398 and 6,636 euros” is due if the skipper or a crew member fails to carry out their assigned “tasks on the ship, yacht, or boat in the area of shipping safety, protection of human life at sea, and protection of the marine environment” (Article 133).
In this respect, a SeaHelp member was lucky that the authorities only demanded the equivalent of 796 euros for mooring by land line in the Limski Canal during an inspection.
It is important to note that the above-mentioned regulations were not introduced by Croatia on its own, but that this is a harmonization with EU law already in force. In other European countries, the shore line ban has been in force for quite some time.
In some cases, the practice is in stark contrast to the official bans.
So much for the legal situation. However, the practice in Croatia often looks different. The fact is that – at least in the high season – there would not be enough space in many anchorages for the many boats if they had to limit themselves to anchoring – the swing circle, which can be known to be up to 360 degrees, would make it simply impossible.
An example of this could be the anchorage Uv. Krivica, which is equipped with buoys, Krivica on the southwestern side of the island of Losinj: in the main season, there are often up to 100 yachts between 20 and 70 feet in length here. Without the (actually not permitted) shore lines, there would only be room for five to ten yachts.
Another example of an anchorage without buoys is the passage between Planikovac and Marinkovac, south of the city of Hvar. Here, too, there are often 100 yachts between 40 and 120 feet in length in the high season – without appropriate shore lines, this is impossible.
The list of anchorages where only the use of prohibited shore lines makes it possible for many yachts to moor at the same time could be continued almost endlessly.
The argument that the laying of a shore line can certainly be a safety factor, for example in unfavorable wind and weather conditions, is certainly valid, even if one could then cite as a counterargument (from the authorities” point of view) that it is better to follow the weather report and aligning the cruise planning accordingly – so that you as a skipper do not get into such an unsafe situation (or emergency, see above) in which shore lines have to be deployed as “Plan B”.
Some skippers and their crews also prefer to anchor with an additional shore line for the sole reason that they can see turquoise water and, above all, the ground below them when swimming at the stern of the yacht. However understandable this argument may be, it does not, of course, stand up against the applicable legal situation and cannot be used as an “excuse” in the event of an inspection.
Regardless of the general ban on shore lines in Croatia, there are a few basic rules that should be observed if it should be unavoidable to set up a shore line:
- Shore lines should never be attached to trees or shrubs.
- Shore lines should always be marked with buoys or fenders if the distance to the shore is greater than 15 meters.
- The lines should not be too long when they are deployed; as a rule of thumb, the maximum length of the line should be about twice the length of the boat.
- On beaches and busy coastal sections, you should generally avoid deploying a line.
- Once again: every skipper should be aware that shore lines are generally prohibited in Croatia, even if the word “shore line” does not appear in any of the legal texts mentioned.
It doesn”t have to. Therefore, if someone criticizes the mooring line(s) that have been set out, whether it be the crews of other boats, the authorities or locals, it is better to remove them immediately and, if necessary, simply look for a new anchorage.
Perhaps we could take an example from Scandinavian countries or Turkey: here, partly by the locals themselves but also by the authorities, metal posts or eyelets have been driven into the ground or cast in concrete in popular anchorages (where there is also a ban on landing lines), to which you can securely moor your boat with a landing line without damaging the environment.
By the way: some sports skippers sometimes try to circumvent a designated anchoring ban by casting two shore lines – at the front and rear (in smaller coves with opposite banks) – without success. In this case, the skipper or the crew member in question may even have to pay twice: once for violating the ban on anchoring and once for violating the ban on landing lines – regardless of whether or not landing lines make sense.
