Berthing Single Handed - bow line tricky in particular!

[onesea]

Some other thoughts for you...

1) I have never understood the need to carry the whole bow rope forward. I drop the coil in the cockpit and pull the eye to go over the cleat forward. Much easier to ensure its outside the right bits. If I was going to put one either side I would carry one with me then place that on the way back...

2) Why throw the stern line ashore? Step ashore with both headline and stern line, then you can decide which one is most important and place the other one where you want... If over running a little, I often use bowline as spring, (round cleat) make stern line fast step onboard slip her in gear and rig spare line as headline...

3) Do not worry about kicking the fenders over last minute, yeah it looks better but if you are to worried about cocking up berthing just get them out early...

4) All this talk of springing her off, single handed I can hardly think of an occasion where I have had to...
With strong onshore breeze on a none finger berth, I would let go the ropes manually move the boat as far aft as I could. Give the stern a firm pull in, this squeezes the fender a bit, when the fender is expanding and the bow moving out I would "walk" the Stern along the pontoon keeping it close until the bow had lifted enough for me to step on put her in gear and drive away... There are similar techniques with finger pontoons.

5) Make sure your headline is in plain sight some where near where your shrouds are. Then if the helper can see it they can lift it off the boat without having to throw it for them.

6) Do not think you have to be moving and steering to rig your ropes. Before I had an autopilot, I often drifted around, till my ropes and fenders where ready...

 

[Neil]

I have midship cleat, with a line from the cleat forming a loop under the guard rail and laid over the top of the rail at the cockpit. The return of the loop goes back round the cleat and back to the cockpit. As I approach the the pontoon, a burst of reverse to stop me and the loop is dropped over the pontoon cleat. The free end of this line can then be hauled in from the cockpit, pulling the middle of the boat hard up to the pontoon. This line can then be secured to a cockpit cleat - the boat now can't really go anywhere. Once tied in hard, get the bow and stern lines out and tie up at your leisure.

 

[LadyInBed]

I have solved my bow line issue by using a longish line with no eyes in and figure of eight the middle of the line to the bow cleat, so I have half the line out each side.
I always rig for coming in either side to, complete with center cleat lines.

 

[Seajet]

When springing on temporarily the boat should be steered away from the pontoon, to keep the stern in.

Step ashore from by the shrouds, at the widest part of the boat.

A ready boathook is always handy, for example at Emsworth Marina there are no cleats on the pontoon ends to loop over, just rings !

I always rig fenders and lines for both sides - even if not berthed the other side the fenders may keep off a bouncing boat or help someone rafting up.

When rigging the fenders - in calmer water approaching port - I put the fenders out of the locker into the cockpit and reach from the deck.

A quick handy alternative to an autopilot is to have a line across the cockpit between the aft mooring cleats, with a clove hitch around the tiller.

 

[Zagato]

Thanks for the tips, I put them into practice this weekend with success. Made the whole thing pretty easy which wasn't the case of a guy in a Centaur who would have crashed into us if I wasn't aboard - his wife was just standing on the bow with a rope not doing anything .

Have to say having a small boat is such an advantage being able to push it out of a finger birth to the correct departure angel etc. I tried my reverse in Chichester Marina up the middle channel from the diesel pump and it just went straight back despite steering, just kept going straight back, no steerage whatsoever, was quite funny really but I can manage without it.

 

[prv]

I tried my reverse in Chichester Marina up the middle channel from the diesel pump and it just went straight back despite steering, just kept going straight back, no steerage whatsoever, was quite funny really but I can manage without it.

Well, going back straight is better than veering off wildly to one side or the other

I know what you mean about the lack of control, as Kindred Spirit was similar. Two things I found helped a little were

1. Don't put the tiller hard over, it just stalls and doesn't steer. Apply just a little bit at first, to try to persuade her to start steering.
2. Apply some reverse power, then once you've started moving put the throttle into neutral and only then apply the rudder. Prop and rudder at the same time seem to work less well.

These aren't magic cures though - it's always going to be a bit hit and miss

Pete

 

[Seajet]

Zagato,

glad to hear it worked out.

One tip is when reversing keep the tiller central until the boat has gathered considerable way so as not to blanket the prop' causing more torque prop walk / paddlewheel effect.

The tiller will require strong arms to prevent it snapping over.

Everyone needs luck on their side though, I remember a 19' Caprice approaching, nervous woman on the front and guy steering yelling above the engine noise ( he didn't realise we could hear so all put all fenders out, maximum shields and hull plating ) " FOR CHRIST's SAKE LOOK NATURAL ! "

 

[Zagato]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll try them next time out but ideally could do with some oars out viking style... also been thinking about increasing the hull speed by adding an aqua foil to keep up with Maxi's or maybe an aqua jet for sneaky covert boosts!

Sounds like a good plan to me, no more smelly little Yanmars, I can skim over the waves seasick free and for tight manouvers my scantily clad oars girls would come in very handy

 

[Seajet]

Hi Zagato,

I was beginning to doubt you with the rowing idea - tried it myself with a chum in the A22 when peniless teenagers, we found the hard way that one needs long stiff sweep one piece oars to have any hope of progress.

However the mention of scantily clad female crew rowing the boat has ressurected my imagination, if not my realistic hopes.