Panel revokes three moorings over Rule 11 violations

Other Committee · Meeting of October 19, 2026

OLD SAYBROOK — An Old Saybrook mooring commission resolved a round of Rule 11 violations Monday, forfeiting three North Cove moorings and warning three other holders. Members accepted voluntary forfeitures from mooring holders identified as Mark and Andrew, and revoked a third mooring from Chris Dorsey after he gave "absolutely no response" to a violation notice, calling it "a knockout." Rory McKinnon, a mooring holder identified as Eisler, and Nicholas Chiappo each received first-offense "strike one" warnings rather than losing their moorings. A fourth case, involving Lincoln Wright, was set aside pending verification from a town official identified as Scott after Wright said he had been on the mooring all season.

No formal vote was taken on any of the determinations; members said one was not required.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,306 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of October 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

Call to Order and Minutes

The commission opened at 7:09 p.m. with a roll call of members present identified only by first name: Lou, Rob, David and Paul. No members of the public offered comment on business before the commission. Members approved the minutes of the prior meeting on a unanimous voice vote without discussion, a routine procedural step that consumed less than a minute of the meeting.

Administrative Report: Openings, Training and Budget

A member participating remotely, confirmed to be audible after a brief check-in ("Can you hear us, Dave?" "Yes."), delivered the meeting's administrative update. The member reported tracking how many mooring spots are currently open, noting a couple of openings in the Northfield mooring field and one in Northbarn, with a fuller count expected once the Rule 11 cases were resolved later in the meeting. The member also flagged that the town's online mooring registration system is holding its annual user training this year, with dates circulated to the commission, and said residents interested in learning the system should email Matt Caloro. The same report included a brief mention that the mooring budget had been updated, though the member offered no supporting figures or further detail. This item was informational only; no vote or formal action followed.

North Cove Dredging

Asked directly whether there was any update on dredging in North Cove, a member responded that there was nothing new to report. The exchange lasted only seconds and the commission moved on without further discussion, indicating the dredging project remains in a holding pattern with no new developments to report to the public at this time.

Rule 11: Violation Responses and Possible Actions

Background and stakes: The commission's Rule 11 process governs how the town responds when mooring holders are found in violation of mooring-use requirements, typically for failing to use an assigned mooring. A staff member identified as Jennifer compiled a violation list, a cover letter, and copies of individual response letters from affected mooring holders, which members reviewed from what one member called "the packet." Resolving the list carried a practical deadline: Jennifer needed decisions quickly because the town's online mooring system processes renewals, and unresolved violators need to be removed from, or confirmed in, that database before renewals go out.

The question before the body: members needed to decide, case by case, whether each cited mooring holder would forfeit the mooring, receive a warning, or be cleared of the violation.

Substantive content: Members described the top half of Jennifer's list as informational, covering mooring holders who had properly applied for and received Rule 11 status; it required no action. The bottom half listed actual violation notices and required a decision on each. Members grouped the cases into "easy" and "more difficult." The easy cases were three: Mark and Andrew each elected, in their written responses, to voluntarily forfeit their moorings rather than contest the violation. Chris Dorsey did not respond to the violation notice at all, which members treated as an automatic forfeiture, calling it "a knockout."

The more difficult cases involved mooring holders who had responded with explanations. Rory McKinnon cited engine problems that kept him from using the mooring and said he should have reached out to the commission sooner, apologizing for the delay. Members determined this was McKinnon's first offense and issued what they called "strike one," a formal warning rather than forfeiture, consistent with the commission's stated practice of giving first-time offenders a warning rather than pulling the mooring. A mooring holder identified only by the surname Eisler similarly responded to the violation letter with an explanation and received the same first-offense warning. Nicholas Chiappo also received a first-offense warning; members noted that Chiappo plans to take a sabbatical from boating the following year, but agreed the strike would still apply when he resumes use of the mooring. A fourth case, involving Lincoln Wright, was removed from the active violation list after Wright stated in writing that he had been on the mooring all season. Members said they could not confirm that claim themselves and would need to check with a town official identified only as Scott before taking any further action.

The deliberation: Discussion moved briskly through each name, with members largely in agreement on outcomes once the facts of each written response were summarized. The clearest friction point was less a disagreement than an acknowledgment of uncertainty in Wright's case.

"We're taking him off the list because he said he had been on the mooring all season," one member said, adding, "Unless we find out from Scott that he hasn't." Another member responded, "I don't know what the story is. We need Scott to figure out that one any further," before the commission agreed to take no action that night.

Procedural steps and outcome: No formal roll-call vote was taken on any Rule 11 determination. When one member asked, "We don't need to vote on this, do we?" another answered, "No," and the commission proceeded by consensus. The practical result: two mooring holders (Mark and Andrew) forfeited voluntarily; one mooring holder (Chris Dorsey) was deemed to have forfeited by non-response; three mooring holders (Rory McKinnon, Eisler and Nicholas Chiappo) received first-offense warnings but retained their moorings; and one case (Lincoln Wright) was held open pending verification from Scott, with no further timeline specified.

Implications and what is next: The three forfeited or lapsed moorings add to the open-spot count the commission is compiling for Northfield and Northbarn, meaning additional mooring space may become available to residents on a waiting list. The three warned mooring holders now carry a first-offense mark that would factor into any future violation review. Wright's case remains unresolved until the commission can confirm his mooring usage with Scott, with no date set for that follow-up.

Kayak Racks and Meeting Close

Before moving off North Cove business, a member noted a related tracking effort: counting usage of the kayak racks, with a plan to share the data with Jennifer. This was mentioned briefly as an informational update with no decision attached. The meeting's audio and video grew unstable shortly afterward, with members exchanging informal remarks that included references to a vacation ("Happy vacation," "Good luck, guys") before the recorded transcript trails off into an extended period of no audible content. No additional business, motions or votes appear in the available record after this point.

Lou — member, present (roll call) Rob — member, present (roll call) David — member, present (roll call), participated with an audio/connectivity check during the meeting Paul — member, present (roll call) Jennifer — staff role apparent (compiled the Rule 11 violation list and cover letter); not confirmed present in person Matt Caloro — cited as the contact for the online mooring system's annual user training; role/affiliation not further specified in the transcript Scott — referenced as the town official who would need to verify mooring holder Lincoln Wright's claim of mooring use; not confirmed present Mark, Andrew, Chris Dorsey, Rory McKinnon, Eisler, Nicholas Chiappo, Lincoln Wright — mooring holders whose Rule 11 cases were reviewed; none confirmed present, discussed via written correspondence only

Online mooring system — the town's mooring registration platform; cited regarding annual user training and renewal processing tied to Rule 11 database updates. Rule 11 — the town mooring rule governing violation notices and enforcement actions, the subject of the meeting's main substantive item. Violation list and cover letter — compiled by staff member Jennifer, distributed to the commission ahead of the meeting and used to review each mooring holder's case. Individual response letters — correspondence from cited mooring holders (including Rory McKinnon, Eisler and Nicholas Chiappo) included in the commission's packet and cited as the basis for warning versus forfeiture decisions.