mainland property

[Jaeslynn]

If you buy coastal mainland property can other people block your access to the open sea?

[Rolig Loon]

Not if it's truly coastal property.  I am not aware of any shoreline property that is behind a line of barrier islands, but there may be some in SL. Otherwise, the seas on the mainland continent are all public (Linden Lab prpoerty) and open to all.  No one is allowed to build structures in public land.

[Theresa Tennyson]

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Jaeslynn wrote:

If you buy coastal mainland property can other people block your access to the open sea?

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The only way you're assured of unblockable water access is your lot borders Linden-owned "protected" water (it will say so in the About Land description of the protected water lot.) If you have water on your lot but there's another buyable lot between you and "protected water", you can ask that landowner to give you access through their lot but they don't have to do so and can even deliberately put up a wall to block you.

[Lindal Kidd]

Sometimes, water areas needed for navigation ARE privately owned, and they can cause considerable frustration when the owner decides to block the waterway by building on it or terraforming the land.

My first Mainland was half of the Lebettu region, and neighbors owned the parcels to either side of me.  All of us had some water on our parcels, but the neighbors were able to build up their water areas and prevent me from traveling away from my home by watercraft.  They weren't being malicious, they just had uses to which they wanted to put those watery square meters.

To keep from having your access to the water blocked, you want to look for "protected" waterfront.  Right click the water parcel adjoining the land you're looking to buy, and select About Land.  Look at the General tab.  If it says the owner is "Governor Linden" and the seabed is designated as "Maintenance" then you have "protected waterfront land," a very desirable thing.

Besides just checking your immediate neighboring parcels, also look closely at the Map.  Note any narrow passages, and visit them to check their ownership as well.  If you are well up a river, your access to the open ocean may be less assured than if you can find an oceanside parcel next to a whole open water Linden Ocean region.

But even if you can't find your ideal water property, don't despair.  There are many places where you can rez your boat, only a mouse click away, even if you live on the top of a snow covered mountain.