2 people with piles…

[sleepy3]

How to pick up pile moorings with only two people on board? I’ve read “better boat handling” in YM and various other top-tips from the experts but we have never managed the operation without gritted teeth, harsh words and a frosty atmosphere until well past supper. I still have nightmares about ropes not being long enough, running up and down the deck to tend to two ropes at once, stern rope round prop etc.

Be very grateful to hear from people who manage, as a couple, to pick up pile moorings without wondering whether an afternoon in the divorce court might be more fun.

Thanks,

Sleepy

 

[JamesS]

I can't offer more advice than plan what you are doing and then proceed slowly. If things go wrong - stop - recover then start all over again.

There is something very satisfying about carrying out this sort of manouver without loosing ones rag!!

Perhaps the most important point is to make sure your warps are long enough. About a fortnight ago we were in Yarmouth mid-week and one by one the local sailing schools came into the harbour to practise pile moorings.

Without fail every one made a well executed manouver only to fail at the last moment because their warps wern't long enough!!

Cheers

 

[WayneS]

Depends if it is your permanent mooring or not. I keep my boat between piles and pick up and leave single handed. However, my warps are permanently attached and on leaving the mooring they are left stretched between the piles with a buoy in the middle.

However, when I pick up a visitor pile I still find it to be quite easy.

1. Always do it heading into wind.
2. Prepare both warps well in advance.
3.Have you crew hold the loose end of a long stern warp while they stand as far forward as possible
4.slowly motor up to the stern pile and while keeping way, have the crew feed the warp through or around the pile (Just a temporary arrangement for now) and pass the loose end back to you while they shoot to the bow
5.you continue forward, feeding out stern warp until the crew can do the same on the bow.
6. hey presto, you are now secure at least. You can either hop in the dingy to sort things out properly or just pull yourself up to one pile, sort that out, pull yourself back to the other pile, sort that out and then set yourself up in the middle.

Of course, it is a bit more difficult wind-against-tide or if the wind is blowing across the piles. However, the principal is the same. Do it slowly and crab the boat into position.

Good luck

 

[AndrewB]

Aproach uptide, on leeward side of posts (all posts are placed in direction of tide flow).

Crew takes a really long warp from stern. Pass close to first post, loop it around, pass the end to the helmsman.

Crew goes forward. Helmsman motors very slowly forward against the tide, steering so the boat effectively goes at an acute angle between the posts from the leeward to the windward side. As he does so he pays out the stern line. He should aim to stop the yacht with the leeward side of the bow (which should be fendered) just pressing against the front post. Crew puts a loop around, and can normally push back to stop to boat actually touching the post.

Its usually easiest to loop the ropes around the slider pole, and then sort out picking up the mooring rings properly once front and back are attached.

The commonest mistake is not to put a long enough line on the stern. It needs to be almost twice the length of the distance between the piles. Care is needed paying it out so that it runs smooth but does not risk fouling the prop.

The cheat's method is just to pick up the the forward pile. Then row the stern warp out in the dinghy. You may think you can just slip back on the tide with the forward line attached until you can reach the aft post. Believe me, it never works!

 

[MapisM]

Nothing to add to the excellent technical suggestions.
I found that another good way to avoid the divorce is just accepting the wife's critics about your maneuvering skills, without replying that she should rather loose some weight to jump more quickly from one rope to another...

 

[Guest]

>Be very grateful to hear from people who manage, as a couple, to pick up pile moorings without wondering whether an afternoon in the divorce court might be more fun.

God, this rings true. You might find we're the couple behind you...

"Whoops... I'm falling in love with narrowboating..."