A question for those in the know about NSW legislation.

I am working on the Pacific Connect project based in Maclean and have been living out of the back of my ute for almost a year and it is wearing a trifle thin. I am looking at purchasing the sister to my boat Minke which is going for a song so that I can live aboard on the Clarence but the owner has given me the heads up that the powers that be have taken to policing folk who choose to live off grid on boats.

I am a little out of touch having been off boats for a while and also out of the country.

Is it doable?

Only way to do it is to have a private mooring or a commercial one or a berth in a marina.
If the BO wants to get nasty, there are also restrictions on how long you can live onboard with a private mooring.
If you just anchor you fall foul of Reg 17A which only allows 28 days anchoring in "one place" and a total of 90 days in any one year in NSW.

Good luck.

NSWsailor has covered it well. I would ad that it depends a lot on your local BO and your attitude as well. The BO will want you on your own mooring and if you keep your boat tidy and don't hang washing about the place, make a racket, get pissed and upset the pensioners etc you can get by. If your on a steel or concrete boat the BO will be watching you closely. Moor out of sight of the pensioners who have nothing better to do than cause trouble.

Thanks guys, pretty much what I expected.

As a teetotaller cum 12 hour plus per day worker I will not be drawing attention although I am interested as to why concrete or steel would?

There are quite a large number of prawn trawlers along the banks of the Clarence tied up to jetties, many of which appear to be makeshift. Also are quite a few vacant ones. I am going to put an ad in the local rag today to see what sort of result I get.

Select to expand quote

japie said..
Thanks guys, pretty much what I expected.

As a teetotaller cum 12 hour plus per day worker I will not be drawing attention although I am interested as to why concrete or steel would?

Some BO take a dislike to concrete and steel yachts simply because they regularly sport rust streaks. There are steel yachts and concrete yachts here that are not easily recognized as such and the BO never bother them. Unfortunately the live aboards boats are not that well maintained and they get regular visits. They are also heavy drinkers and tend to make a nuisance of themselves and attract attention to themselves.

I have to ask, what is a BO? Is it referring to an authority, or do you just mean Boat Owners?

Select to expand quote

shaggybaxter said..
I have to ask, what is a BO? Is it referring to an authority, or do you just mean Boat Owners?

Sorry, BO is Boating Officer or that annoying Msb bloke!

so legally how long can you live on a private swing mooring in NSW???

Select to expand quote

fishmonkey said..
so legally how long can you live on a private swing mooring in NSW???

Legally, I believe not at all, realistically, as long as you are not obvious and causing problems for the locals, for as long as you want.

ah, that's what i thought.

Say you park your boat on a leased mooring in an area/town remote from your normal land base (house).
Then visit and stay on the boat for (say) two nights every week,
Can marine authorities in any Australian state object to that ?

You would get away with that but remember only the boat registered to a private mooring may stay on that mooring, in other words to lease/rent the mooring it would have to be a commercial mooring. You would have to be the registered owner of a private mooring to legally stay onboard.

Thanks Sailor. Just to clear things up - when you say "would get away with it", it sounds like you're saying it is technically illegal. Is it ?

I mean you would think it ok to stay overnight on your boat after having a sail on a Saturday every weekend. So if you stayed another night, it's too much ?

At this point in time there's no set time you can be on your boat you just can't live on it. Ie I've got a land base but I spend a lot of time onboard, maintaince and cleaning is a time consuming activity and you are obliged to keep the vessel up to acceptable stand ( what ever that is ) then of course there's time for recreation because after all that's the reason to own the vessel. So as yet we aren't required to log on when ever we are onboard

Select to expand quote

woko said..
At this point in time there's no set time you can be on your boat you just can't live on it. Ie I've got a land base but I spend a lot of time onboard, maintaince and cleaning is a time consuming activity and you are obliged to keep the vessel up to acceptable stand ( what ever that is ) then of course there's time for recreation because after all that's the reason to own the vessel. So as yet we aren't required to log on when ever we are onboard

From what I have seen the best is to be on a marina mooring. The theory is that you use the marina shore facilities and do not pollute. You also need to keep a low profile, like no obvious external signs or noise. Blackout blinds on windows. You can expect to pay around $350/month for a typical 28 footer in Sydney, probably less in the North.

Select to expand quote

Karsten said..

Thanks Sailor. Just to clear things up - when you say "would get away with it", it sounds like you're saying it is technically illegal. Is it ?

I mean you would think it ok to stay overnight on your boat after having a sail on a Saturday every weekend. So if you stayed another night, it's too much ?

Yes RMS has limits on how long you can stay onboard your yacht on a private mooring, mind you I have never heard of anybody being told they can't. Remember the BO's mainly work 9 to 3, and not every day, on the water, so if you arrived at your boat after work, well who's to know if you do what Yara suggests.

In curembene creek I've been spending about 4 days a week living aboard but also in Jervis bay. There is a family living aboard right near my mooring. The father tenders the kids in to school every morning. The bo is vigilant in this area and I'm sure he would know who is living aboard . The over regulation in Australia has beaten me down personally and now I'm in New Zealand currently sitting in my car on 90 mile beach watching people back their fishing boats off the beach into the sea. It's amazing how much more freedom there is here regarding pretty much everything. I think you should be able to live aboard and Don I believe if you're discreet and no one notices you'll be fine. If anyone notices I'd be tactful in getting to know them and befriending them.

Select to expand quote

Sectorsteve said..
In curembene creek I've been spending about 4 days a week living aboard but also in Jervis bay. There is a family living aboard right near my mooring. The father tenders the kids in to school every morning. The bo is vigilant in this area and I'm sure he would know who is living aboard . The over regulation in Australia has beaten me down personally and now I'm in New Zealand currently sitting in my car on 90 mile beach watching people back their fishing boats off the beach into the sea. It's amazing how much more freedom there is here regarding pretty much everything. I think you should be able to live aboard and Don I believe if you're discreet and no one notices you'll be fine. If anyone notices I'd be tactful in getting to know them and befriending them.

I run a Facebook page for the local yachts. Most of the yachts here are owned by people that live elsewhere and it's a means of contacting them. The head local BO uses it too and contributes. He is also a boating enthusiast and does regular "patrols" on a jetski. His father lives up the creek a bit from your mooring. He really knows what's going on! If he has not been bothering you then you have been keeping a low profile and not attracting attention to yourself. Most of the time the BO will be reacting to complaints from pensioners living on the waterfronts.
Would not surprise me if the local BO knows now where you reside!

Select to expand quote

Ramona said..

Sectorsteve said..
In curembene creek I've been spending about 4 days a week living aboard but also in Jervis bay. There is a family living aboard right near my mooring. The father tenders the kids in to school every morning. The bo is vigilant in this area and I'm sure he would know who is living aboard . The over regulation in Australia has beaten me down personally and now I'm in New Zealand currently sitting in my car on 90 mile beach watching people back their fishing boats off the beach into the sea. It's amazing how much more freedom there is here regarding pretty much everything. I think you should be able to live aboard and Don I believe if you're discreet and no one notices you'll be fine. If anyone notices I'd be tactful in getting to know them and befriending them.

I run a Facebook page for the local yachts. Most of the yachts here are owned by people that live elsewhere and it's a means of contacting them. The head local BO uses it too and contributes. He is also a boating enthusiast and does regular "patrols" on a jetski. His father lives up the creek a bit from your mooring. He really knows what's going on! If he has not been bothering you then you have been keeping a low profile and not attracting attention to yourself. Most of the time the BO will be reacting to complaints from pensioners living on the waterfronts.
Would not surprise me if the local BO knows now where you reside!

I am residing in NZ and i told him, Terry and the neighbours at Wollamia i would be away for 6 months from Australia. They all have my details. I think Mick is ok and doing his job well. He did get me about a year ago for my life jackets not being serviced/dated but thats totally fine as it made me do it. He came and checked me out near Vincentia about 3 weeks ago and i showed him the jackets and told him id dated and serviced them myself. he was totally fine with that and didnt check.
I guess id have a problem if i was there and using my boat 3/4 days a week in the bay and he was keeping a tally of this, then telling me i can no longer do it as id used up 28 days. Ive barely used my boat since 2017. Shes been in Terrys yard for a bit and had no motor since August. Id only just got up the confidence to go up and down the creek at night. That section 17 rule is a bit of a worry for boaters in NSW as you could easily break that rule/or have a boat that sits for ages on a mooring waiting til the following calendar to use your boat.

I have a question about mooring in Jervis Bay.
I live in Nowra and wish to buy a sailing yacht but have to moor it somewhere.
Does anyone have some advice please?

Select to expand quote

Bassilbrush said..
I have a question about mooring in Jervis Bay.
I live in Nowra and wish to buy a sailing yacht but have to moor it somewhere.
Does anyone have some advice please?

If your just starting out in yachting I would suggest this as a starter boat.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/callala-bay/sail-boats/windrust-wildfire-23-trailer-sailer/1213665916

It's a good boat to sail. Has an excellent trailer you can use to refresh the antifoul. But most importantly has a mooring in a good spot. Update to a larger boat later and improve the mooring. New mooring will cost about $1500 and there is a waiting list at Callala and in Currambene creek. No waiting at Greenwell Point. The $1500 is for a mooring for 30 footers+. Larger boat moorings will be extra. PM me if you want specifics.

^^ That boat is tremendous value with trailer and mooring.

Buy the trailer and mooring for $5,000, get the boat for free.

Wildfires will handle just about any weather. I got caught out in mine when it blew up gusting 26 knots with full sail, a beat home and inexperienced crew.

I just squeezed her up in the gusts and rode them out. Amazing yachts.

You knew I would respond didn't you Ramona?

Select to expand quote

cisco said..
^^ That boat is tremendous value with trailer and mooring.



You knew I would respond didn't you Ramona?

Yes I did! I kept quiet about it hoping my son would buy it. No joy there so I passed the message on. The mooring is in a prime spot.

I didn't want to fit vomit bags all around it if I looked at it while sailing...

I have "lived" on my boat tied to a dock, right next to the local BO's boat. We were always polite, clean, looked after all the other boats trying to sink and break off their docks, and were generally helpful and never got any grief. I used to joke as I sat on deck on a Saturday morning, sipping tea. "Time for some early morning maintenance" as the BO stepped aboard - with a wink.

Select to expand quote

santanasaga said..
I have "lived" on my boat tied to a dock, right next to the local BO's boat. We were always polite, clean, looked after all the other boats trying to sink and break off their docks, and were generally helpful and never got any grief. I used to joke as I sat on deck on a Saturday morning, sipping tea. "Time for some early morning maintenance" as the BO stepped aboard - with a wink.

Mate, I believe that's the way to do it

I sent you a message Japie