FORMER YACHT CLUB CAPTAIN SUED FOR £20,000 OVER HOUSEBOAT DISPUTE

Stefan Oloffs, formerly cruiser captain at Greenwich Yacht Club, faces a £320,000 court battle after being accused of harassing commodore Richard Phillips over an 80-foot Dutch houseboat. Mr Oloffs alleged that Mr Phillips received "preferential treatment" when securing a mooring for his vessel, Verandering, and claimed the commodore misused his position to avoid substantial mooring fees. The alleged campaign included publishing claims on a WhatsApp group with 230 club members, lodging a written complaint to the Port of London Authority, and creating a website named "Barge Gate". Mr Phillips is seeking £20,000 in damages for harassment, citing "significant distress, loss of sleep, anxiety and public embarrassment".

Mr Oloffs, a 54-year-old foreign language teacher, is attempting to have the harassment claim dismissed, describing the legal action as "wholly unnecessary" and motivated by Mr Phillips' desire for "recrimination and financial oppression". The dispute originated in June 2023 when Mr Oloffs criticised Mr Phillips for allegedly underpaying mooring fees for the 80-foot barge, which Mr Phillips had relocated to London with a view to selling. An internal club investigation found no impropriety by Mr Phillips, who runs a health service software company. Mr Oloffs was expelled from the yacht club in 2024, whilst Mr Phillips resigned from his commodore position this year.

Legal fees in the case could reach an additional £300,000. The High Court in London is hearing the matter. Mr Phillips previously served as the club's head of IT before becoming Rear Commodore and then full Commodore in December 2022.