Cruising Association warns of scam whereby seemingly helpful locals hit you with a fee
Beware handing your lines to locals on the quayside in Greece. That’s the warning from the Cruising Association after a local man demanded €50 from one of its members for helping him moor.
The incident happened at Naplion in the Peloponnese. Simon Gill was mooring his 21.5m steel motor yacht when a man helpfully offered to take a line and loop it round a bollard, only to then demand the exorbitant fee for doing so.
Simon said: “He presented me with an invoice for €50 claiming he was a member of a union entitled to charge for rendering assistance. Luckily I had a Greek friend on board and after arguing the point we went to the Port Police who confirmed the union has the right to charge but the police were not aware of the tariffs.”
Soon a second union official arrived who threatened Simon with court action unless he paid up, but eventually left when the Cruising Association member refused.
Stuart Bradley, President of the CA, said: “There is a well established tradition of taking the lines of yachts as they come in to moor and that’s especially welcome in areas such as Greece where mooring stern or bows-to is the norm.
“It is a sad and worrying development if one has to be cautious about throwing a line to someone on the quayside for fear of being handed a bill. We are monitoring this and hope it does not develop into a more widespread practice.”
If this has happened to you, the CA is asking that you inform them on office@cruising.org.uk
