berthing courses

[sara]

Although we've had a boat for several years I'm having great difficulty in getting practice berthing under power on a pontoon marina berth. Rafting up is also a challenge. To be honest even coming alongside without a large gap is tricky.

Anyone know of a sailing course devoted to berthing /mooring (or wants to do one too)? RYA Day Skipper/Competent Crew is not exactly what I'm after.

 

[Viking]

I thought you were after a maternity Hospital or Midwife!
Most sailing schools will do a short 'own boat' course for you on the subject

 

[sailbadthesinner]

have to say
a good rya day skip course should give you as much pontoon bashing as you want and various situations right up to sailing on to a pontoon / mooring. just ask. we did and practiced loads.

Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Sara,
You are not the owner that ...............
Anyway you have not completed your details so we do not know your area or boat type which makes your question as difficult to answer as you find berthing.
The only answer I would give is find a marina mid week and get permission to practice. The old adage practice makes perfect is so very true.

All the best.
Trevor

 

[Twister_Ken]

Call one of your local sailing schools and ask if they can rent you an own-boat instructor for a half day. Then spend the morning doing it with an instructor (nudge, nudge), buy him/her a beer and wave goodbye, and spend the afternoon practising by yourselves. Better to do it on your own boat, as all boats have their individual quirks in close quarters power handling.

 

[Chris_Robb]

>To be honest even coming alongside without a large WHISKY is tricky.

 

[tcm]

this is of course the best idea -it has to be your own boat. The brokers may also know a good type. Incidentally, the best at close quarter manoevres may not actually be real instructors. Am I allowed to say that? They could be the boatcleaning guys around the charter compnies, always taking boats in here and out of there. It's a very boring morning that is required.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I resent the bit about instructors are not the best to teach people about coming alongside!! As

a) I am an instructor

b) In order to be an instructor you need to demonstrate some pretty advanced boat handling and your ability to teach it during a weeks assessment at sea.

 

[Reap]

Sara
As an RYA yachtmaster Instructor, I have to say that you are correct to say that the day skipper course is not right for what you want. Despite what others may say. True you do get some intensive boat handling under power during this course but not enough. You could do as another suggested and ask your marina if you can practice....with several million pounds worth of yachts around you, hardly putting you in a position to be able to relax.
What you need is some intensive one on one boat handling under power, most schoools will supply an instructor who can do thhis on your own boat, though not cheap.
This area was is my speciality and as I am currently not working as an instructor (had to earn some real money to buy my own boat) I may be able to offer you some tuition free of charge.
email me if you would like to discuss this (references available).

steve@yacht-links.net

 

[johmal]

Messing around in a small dingy with an outboard - when there is a tide running is a very good starting point!

It gets you thinking about vectors i.e which way you are really going even though you are pointing in a different direction.

Yes - I know - there is the keel - windage - and prop walk - but you will have got the instinct!

John M

 

[Petercatterall]

January's PBO magazine has an article on this. Courses are run by Rob Gibson of Sail UK in Poole Harbour 01202 668 410.

Marinas are certainly a nightmare for me, my boat is difficult to manouver, I can hardly see out of the wheelhouse, there are invariably gin swilling experts watching etc etc.

Good luck with getting a course.

 

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

He did not actually say you were not, he said you may not be the best, but obviously trainers are all faultless when it comes to any aspect of boat handling.

Does this mean you have nothing further to learn from anyone?


<font color=blue> Julian </font color=blue>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ukstaffords.com>http://www.ukstaffords.com</A>

 

[Piers]

Try calling Tom Gregory - 07748 626 710. I have known many people trained by him - no complaints, just praise. Uses your boat.

Piers du Pré
www.playdeau.com

 

[Guest]

Why not go to an empty marina (as most are now) and do your own experiments? I would not worry about it and make your mistakes along the way. Don't forget that everyone messes up now and then.

 

[Reap]

Re. Jools_of_Top_Cat

You are right, he should not have taken offence to that statement. Instructors may not necessarily be the best at it But the best boat handlers may not be able to teach it!!
Incidentally as an instructor occasionally cocking it up can be good for the instructor(reminds you how the student feels) and good for the student (if the instructor can cock it up then they dont feel too bad about getting it wrong)
Teaching boat handlng in close quarters can be very stressful particularly to those new or inexperienced at teaching it, or those that are less than accomplishhed at it themselves!!
A good instructor should be able to demonstrate it well, then allow the student to do it whilst talking them through it, allowing the student to have full control of the boat. Grabbing the wheel from somebody is the worst thing you can do and will totally shatter their confidence. The good instructor can see what is about to go wrong before the student is even aware of it and can usually point this out and get them to take corrective action without stepping in themselves. A good instructor can also sense when the last second is to avoid disaster and then step in. In years of instructing I have only ever had to grab the wheel once.

It is imprtant to point out the difference between RYA Yachtmaster Instructors and Cruising instructors.
Whilst the cruising instructor may be perfectly skilled at this, the Yachtmaster instructor has had to pass the instructors exam, which is 4 days of intensive assesment by the likes of Tom Cunliffe, Penny Haire et al.
The weak instructors are weeded out at this point.
Somebody with weak boat handling skills is unlikely to pass



<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Reap on 08/02/2003 10:46 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[snowleopard]

\'everyone messes up...\'

the best seaman i ever met, who had brought a boat safely home through the great channel gale described in the first edition of 'heavy weather sailing' brought us into camper & nicholsons in his own boat, laid her broadside across the pulpits of all the boats on fingers opposite his berth then wound himself into the berth with the power windlass.

with no sign of stress at all!

 

[peterb]

Boat handling

Our club occasionally runs courses like this, but we don't call them berthing courses. Instead, we call them boat handling courses, and at least the initial part of the course takes place outside the marina. We find that half the problem in berthing is that people don't know how their boat will react to different conditions of wind and tide. Only after we've tried different conditions in open water do we try to apply that knowledge to marina handling.

It's quite interesting. Most people who come on such courses enjoy them, and go away saying that they will do it again on their own. Often we are told that the day has been far more interesting than a cruise to Ostende or Cherbourg. Yet most boat owners never seem to think of deliberately practising their boat handling skills. I wonder why not?

 

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Thank you reap, sorry to jump on you there as it were, I think a large slice of boat handling in close quarters is to have an escape route and know when to abort and use it. If my vessel does not go exactly where I intended I will often come around and do it again, I sit and watch people spend time trying to fix a bad run in and often the mess gets worse and worse.

Having a catamaran with high windage really hieghtens the problems with wind over tide situations, relying on my crew to pull her up with the strops is sometimes a little ambitios, like I said, if it aint going to happen we will drop all and go around, I build this into my plan and have already breifed crew that this may happen.

I can handle a monohull far better, but I am still learning my cat, that's what makes it fun.

<font color=blue> Julian </font color=blue>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ukstaffords.com>http://www.ukstaffords.com</A>

 

[Reap]

Yes..an escape route is always necessary. It is of course important not to put yourself into a situation until you have identified wind and tide directions and their likely effect on the boat. Personally If going into a potentially tricky berthing situation I will stop the boat and get a feel for her 'attitude' and then consider what may happen in certain situations...then I will decide what situation "not" to get myself into and how I will get out of there if things start to go pear shaped.

When instructing handling under power, it is important to give the student lots of different scenarios, and ideally wind and tide situations.
It is one of my favourite areas to teach because it is what most people fear the most and is very rewarding when you see peoples skills and confidence increase.

You can never get too much practice in this area

http://www.yacht-links.net

 

[billmacfarlane]

If you contact someone like Southern Sailing you can hire an instructor for a day or two for a specific reason e.g berthing and manoeuvering.They'll charge you by the day for his services.