Berthing Single Handed - bow line tricky in particular!

Zagato

Zagato

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The hardest part to single handed sailing for me is easily coming up to a visitors birth especially when my reverse power is next to useless!

At the moment I already have my fenders tied on, laying on the side decks and just flip them out before I enter a port. The stern line is easy as it can be hooked on the relevant boat cleat and thrown to any helpful soul. The bow line is trickier... after throwing the stern line I run up front and do the same with the bow line, not ideal. Keeping it up front untethered for speed but secure so it doesn't go over board whilst heeling is tricky. I could run it back to the cockpit but am not always sure which side I will be berthing on. There is always the chance that despite by manic shouting that I need assistance or will crash into your nice boat with my bowsprit one day no one will be around. Berthing in tight spots can be tricky :o

I somtimes leave with a single spring on the boat cleat amidships, I wonder If I could do something similar in reverse but would have to have two set up either side as you don't always know which side you will be berthing!
 
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Use your midship spring to keep the boat in. Attach that to the cleat on the end of the pontoon. Keep it short so that the boat can't go forward enough to hit the pontoon. Angle the bow in towards the finger and leave ticking over in gear. You can then attach your bow and stern lines at leisure. Needs a bit of practice but you will soon get the hang of it.
 
Ah thanks 'T' I had the right idea then. Coming onto a finger pontoon is easier I think than trying to fit into a gap along a straight pontoon but the same principle could apply. I hate using boat hooks etc as they are awkward but think some kind of system will need to be devised.

With my poor reverse I will have to make sure my bow doesn't pivot slam into the pontoon also, if kept tight the fender will do it's job but it doesn't always go to plan does it - hence my hernia trying to stop the boat by hand :rolleyes:.
 
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Zagato said:
Ah thanks 'T' I had the right idea then. Coming onto a finger pontoon is easier I think than trying to fit into a gap along a straight pontoon but the same principle could apply. I hate using boat hooks etc as they are awkward but think some kind of system will need to be devised.

With my poor reverse I will have to make sure my bow doesn't pivot slam into the pontoon also, if kept tight the fender will do it's job but it doesn't always go to plan does it - hence my hernia trying to stop the boat by hand :rolleyes:.
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I knew there was an advantage to having a 17ft boat! :cool:

(Probably the only one though! :()
 
I did it in the Drascombe Drifter 22' last year Giblets, weighs 2000LB... Coming onto a finger pontoon and just reached over and grabbed the pontoon cleat :rolleyes: Did a similar thing this year with the Crabber holding onto a lock chain as the boat reverse is poor against lock flow still going out :mad: and strong wind behind. Have to do the same tomorrow to fill up with diesel :( not looking forward to it, hope the experienced lock staff are on hand this time around...

The spring is now the answer in both situations :D Now I have pretty well mastered leaving a birth in various conditions/situations I need to practice reversing the boat more for berthing. Oh and still have hernia, can't afford time of work and it's no bother even with my hard physical work.

A 17' boat sounds just the job Giblets, a lot less hassle ;)
 
I tend to berth singlehanded most times. In my 25' folksong its quite easy but the Moody 34 I also sail a little bit more tricky. On both boats, the technique is the same.

I will rig two bow lines and bring them back to the shrouds on each side, with the stern warps to hand in the cockpit and a loop midships.

On approach, drop the midships line over the end of the pontoon cleat, either by tossing a loop (practice this by lassoing your winch) or placing with a boat hook.

Once this is fast, you can motor gently against this which will keep your boat against the pontoon.

Then make the stern warp fast, walk forward on the pontoon and your bow line will be within reach (its by the shrouds remember) make fast then make your springs.

Return to cockpit, stop the engine, then have a proud swig of your coffee or tea if you prefer. Pratice makes perfect as they say and go as fast as you need to, but as slow as you can get away with.
 
Zagato said:
The bow line is trickier... after throwing the stern line I run up front and do the same with the bow line, not ideal. Keeping it up front untethered for speed but secure so it doesn't go over board whilst heeling is tricky.
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It sounds like you're trying to leave the mooring lines rigged while you're sailing. That's what narrowboats do, but is not a very good idea on anything else. Mooring lines should be stowed in a locker - especially bow lines which you may not notice trailing overboard until it has wrapped itself round your prop.

What I always did was to put the tillerpilot on, throttle right back to tickover, then go and rig the warps and fenders while slowly approaching the marina. Kindred Spirit (and so no doubt Thallassa too) has a good steady old-fashioned hull shape that doesn't get blown all over the place by the wind. Keep an eye on where the pilot is taking you and you should have plenty of time to get everything rigged up. Bring the bow line back to the after shroud, outside everything and loosely hitched to the shroud. If you don't know which side you'll be berthing, rig lines both sides - the ones you don't use can then be moved to become springs once you have both breast lines on.

Pete
 
VicS said:
The trouble with a small light boat is that as you "run" forward to the bow the boat moves backwards!
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Lol :D

Thanks Scruff very useful info, I will be trying all this in the morning Pete, so if you see a fireball coming from the Chichester area it means I've ploughed into the fuel pump :eek:
 
Im with Pete re the tiller pilot. I bring the bow line to the cockpit and run it around the winch so that its where I can reach it.

Bit of thread drift but I think its on a similar topic.

One problem I had until last week was letting go of the bow line, esp if I was needing to use it as a sping.

What I have done is put a double block on the foredeck so I can run the warp from the cockpit - over the deck - through the block - out of the fairlead and round the pontoon cleat - then back through the fairelad / block and back to me in the cockpit. I can then cleat it off (using the sheet cleats) and use it to spring but still be able to release it and pull it in from the cockpit.

I have tried it in moderate weather but not in anger. Anyone see any problems with this??
 
PhillM said:
Anyone see any problems with this??
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Only that that's a lot of line to potentially get snarled up. Even a bare end (no spliced eye) can sometimes whip itself into a knot on a cleat as you pull many metres of it rapidly through. Not that you shouldn't do it for this reason, just something to be aware of.

I never found I needed to spring KS off - she was small enough that I could just give a good shove on the shrouds, step aboard, and motor away. But I had to spring Ariam off for my only (so far) single-handed outing, and the solution I used was to hook the eye in the line only round one horn of the cleat.

I rigged up the spring line and applied tickover ahead with the wheel hard over, so that the line, engine and rudder were holding the boat in place. The eye was pulled hard against the cleat by the forward thrust of the engine, no way it could fall off. I rigged a big fender right at the bow, took off all the other lines, and climbed on board. Unclamped the wheel and spun it the other way, and the stern obediently pivoted out into the aisle. Changed to reverse, and the eye slipped off the cleat and fell into the water (but far too short to come anywhere near the prop). Motored out into the river and retrieved the line and the fenders, then away. All very neat, controlled, and stress-free.

Sadly on the return from that trip I failed to snag the cleat with my first line ashore, and made an absolute horlicks of an arrival, which would have been even worse had my neighbour not jumped to help. So I still have a lot to learn in handling the bigger boat :)

Pete
 
I use a midships line with a big loop going through some plastic tube which keeps it open. Soon as I know which side I am coming in to I pop it on the midships cleat and use a boat hook to drop it onto the dock cleat. Once secured a bit of throttle plus appropriate helm keeps the boat steady while I sort out other lines. Works for me on a 39 footer and my neighbor on his 35 footer.
Bit of a pisser in Cherbourg though.
 
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doris said:
I use a midships line with a big loop going through some plastic tube which keeps it open.
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Surprised no-one else has mentioned use of a breast or amidships line. My previous boat (25') did not have midships cleats or fairleads but I got around this by rigging up lines through the genoa cars and a bowline over the winch. Often rigged one each side if I was unsure which side I was coming alongside. Come alongside and made fast the boat is not going anywhere and plenty of time to make fast bow and stern lines. Not used Doris's method myself but also a valid solution. Current boat has midships fairleads & cleats which make setting up easier.

Leaving a berth I just reverse the procedure , take off bow and stern lines leaving just breast line attached, the slip that and away.
 
I always stear the nose away from the pontoon once I have a forward spring on, but my spring is from a cleat closer to the aft of the boat.
 
prv said:
... the solution I used was to hook the eye in the line only round one horn of the cleat.

I rigged up the spring line and applied tickover ahead with the wheel hard over, so that the line, engine and rudder were holding the boat in place. The eye was pulled hard against the cleat by the forward thrust of the engine, no way it could fall off. I rigged a big fender right at the bow, took off all the other lines, and climbed on board. Unclamped the wheel and spun it the other way, and the stern obediently pivoted out into the aisle. Changed to reverse, and the eye slipped off the cleat and fell into the water (but far too short to come anywhere near the prop). Motored out into the river and retrieved the line and the fenders, then away. All very neat, controlled, and stress-free.
Click to expand...

I thought I had invented that technique! Never heard of anyone else using it. :)
 
Yep, we have a similar tool, but ours has a peice of plastic pipe on the rope to hold it with. when its applied, we drop the whole thing come to a gentle stop, then motor forward on tickover and see what the bow is doing depending on the current and conditions - sometimes you need to steer in, sometimes out a bit. Once all is settled, we stick the stern line on, then the bow - job done. Dont use it much, but it can be very useful in a tight berth or in blustery conditions.

doris said:
I use a midships line with a big loop going through some plastic tube which keeps it open. Soon as I know which side I am coming in to I pop it on the midships cleat and use a boat hook to drop it onto the dock cleat. Once secured a bit of throttle plus appropriate helm keeps the boat steady while Insort out other lines. Works for me on a 39 footer and my neighbor on his 35 footer.
Bit of a pisser in Cherbourg though.
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A couple of useful techniques for grabbing a cleat - (a) A big bowline in the end of the warp And a boathook to hold it open and place it over the cleat (b) The method often used for lassoing a buoy - a small coil in each hand thrown outward so the warp lands on the pontoon and can be reeled in snagging the cleat (especially useful with high freeboard).
 
Had about 8 people seeing me off last week and they even turned the boat around for me by hand - luxury :D Just a pity I wasn't looking were i was going :rolleyes:

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