We get lots of questions on our courses about where we can stop and tie up our boat. Specifically which of the different coloured moorings can we use.
There is some logic to the mooring types and colours but of course, the exceptions and crossovers make it a bit more complex.
Navigation markers can be fixed (poles) or floating buoys.
They include channel/lateral marks, cardinal marks and special marks.
It is illegal to moor up to a navigation mark of any kind.
These can be used by anyone. They are pink beehive shaped buoys that look like this and are marked on the charts with this symbol.
They have a plate on them telling us how long we can stay and how big our boat can be.
There is no booking system - if it is empty you can use it.
There are some anomalies and exceptions. The two biggest are that the courtesy moorings in Ku Ring Gai national park are yellow, and at the spit bridge there are four public moorings that are reserved for sailing vessels only.
These are blue beehive shaped and are reserved for use by the authorities such as NSW Maritime, Water Police or Marine Rescue.
They are used to secure vessels that are damaged, disabled or in some other kind of trouble.
As 'normal' recreational boaters, we have no right to use these moorings.
These are yellow (recreational - administered by Transport for NSW) or Orange (commercial - administered by a business like a marina, shipwright or other commercial venture) or red (administered by a club)
All of these mooring types are allocated to a person, vessel, club or company and if you are not that person, vessel, coub-member or company representative, then you have no right to use that mooring and should not pick it up.
To confuse things, the public courtesy moorings put in place in Ku Ring Gai National park on the upper reaches of are yellow rather than pink!
There is some logic to the mooring types and colours but of course, the exceptions and crossovers make it a bit more complex.
Navigation Marks
First, be sure that you are looking at a mooring and not a navigation marker.Navigation markers can be fixed (poles) or floating buoys.
They include channel/lateral marks, cardinal marks and special marks.
It is illegal to moor up to a navigation mark of any kind.
Moorings
There are three main categories of mooring around Sydney:1. Public Courtesy Moorings ✅
These can be used by anyone. They are pink beehive shaped buoys that look like this and are marked on the charts with this symbol.
They have a plate on them telling us how long we can stay and how big our boat can be.
There is no booking system - if it is empty you can use it.
There are some anomalies and exceptions. The two biggest are that the courtesy moorings in Ku Ring Gai national park are yellow, and at the spit bridge there are four public moorings that are reserved for sailing vessels only.
2. Emergency Moorings ❌
These are blue beehive shaped and are reserved for use by the authorities such as NSW Maritime, Water Police or Marine Rescue.
They are used to secure vessels that are damaged, disabled or in some other kind of trouble.
As 'normal' recreational boaters, we have no right to use these moorings.
3. 'Private' Moorings ❌
These are yellow (recreational - administered by Transport for NSW) or Orange (commercial - administered by a business like a marina, shipwright or other commercial venture) or red (administered by a club)
All of these mooring types are allocated to a person, vessel, club or company and if you are not that person, vessel, coub-member or company representative, then you have no right to use that mooring and should not pick it up.
To confuse things, the public courtesy moorings put in place in Ku Ring Gai National park on the upper reaches of are yellow rather than pink!
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