The association will refuse to pass on its members' licence fees to the Crown Estate unless it sees action taken against boat owners who have refused to pay to have their mooring tackle placed on the sea bed.

PBMA secretary Tim Saul told the organisation's AGM this week: "Until we have tangible evidence of action being taken against unlicensed moorings, we reserve the right to withold our members' money in the association's account."

It's not the first time that the association has threatened to withhold money from the Crown Estate, though the latter organisation's recent application to the Court of Session in Edinburgh for permission to take that action against unlicensed moorings has added an extra dash of topicality to proceedings.

Emphasising that the association has "absolutely no intention" of not paying Crown Estates the £40 per member licence fee, Mr Saul likened the Crown Estate Commissioners' lack of action to a situation "where you go into a shop and ask for 28 ice creams and then pay for the ice creams without actually receiving them".

"There are eight or nine unregistered moorings," Mr Saul said, "so we have said we will withhold payment until they are sorted out.

"There are currently 69 registered moorings in the bay, and it is important that valid tags are displayed. They are individually numbered, so if your tag turns up in the Solway Firth, we know someone is 'at it'.

"We know of two inspections already this year and another one is imminent by the moorings officer, who is now the proud owner of a kayak allowing him to view tags at eye level."

However this did not entirely satisfy one member of the audience, Peter Grange, who, clutching an alleged proxy vote, said: "It is a great pity to see a precipitate rush to pay the Crown."

George McKenzie, however, warned that fighting the Crown Estate's application in the Court of Session would require the services of a QC at a likely cost of a thousand pounds a day - and committee member Mick Common pointed out that even if the application was fought, and the terms of the Royal Charters granted to Rothesay in 1400 and 1584 were upheld, the rights would probably pass to Argyll and Bute Council, who, he said, would be even more zealous in charging.