Can a boat have too many mooring lines?

[Daydream believer]

Tell that to some friends who were 50 metres away from this last May.

Torbay Harbour superyacht fire: Wreck salvage operation

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I would not have called that a "super yacht". More a "reasonably rich blokes boat"
Well at least it was before the fire. Now it is just an insurance claim

 

[Sandy]

Yes a serious matter and I was being flippant .Certainly with yachts packed together even super yachts like sardines it’s inevitable that a fire will jump to nearby vessels depending on the wind.Certainly here in Galicia in the summer we have strong northerlies around mid afternoon diving away inthe evening

I knew you were, but with second hand knowledge of the impact of a serous boat fire in a marina thought I'd point out the amount of smoke and why being upwind would be really difficult to do.

The stench of smoke lingered in their boat for weeks.

Looking at the picture and the amount of "stuff" on the pontoon, I wonder if the boat was being worked on?

 

[Stemar]

I call that inconsiderate mooring. I am not a limbo dancer. How do I take my grandson crab fishing off the end of the pontoon with all your washing lines strung out like that?

If conditions are so bad that you can't trust the pontoon cleats - or maybe the attachment of the pontoon, I rather doubt crab fishing will be on the agenda

 

[Daydream believer]

If conditions are so bad that you can't trust the pontoon cleats - or maybe the attachment of the pontoon, I rather doubt crab fishing will be on the agenda

Try telling kids of today that

 

[Stemar]

Try telling kids of today that

Tantrums were easier to deal with when my kids were little. Actions had consequences and, at least in our family, the consequence of a tantrum was NEVER what Little Darling wanted.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Where are all these staff at 0330 hours as the bad weather arrives? You might get one member of staff on duty over night.

A few years ago I assisted marina staff sort out boats one morning as owners had tied up their pride and joy with string. The blue string that was used to tie the boats back up was little better. A long list of people to call and be informed that their boat had broken loose and while now safe should be visited and the mooring lines replaced.

That's not how it works. The marina staff patrol the pontoons every day checking which boats are in, occupied, and out. Anything tied up like a cats cradle or too close to the dock is re-tied, so all the unattended boats are always properly moored. During storms it is just a monitoring exercise in case anything comes adrift ... and they are there at all hours. I've arrived at 2am before and 2 of the staff turned up to find out what I was doing before I got down the companionway steps. The entrance has a barrier with 24hr security and cameras on every pontoon - so all the years I have been there nothing has gone wrong.

 

[Frank Holden]

I call that inconsiderate mooring. I am not a limbo dancer. How do I take my grandson crab fishing off the end of the pontoon with all your washing lines strung out like that?

Not even remotely inconsiderate but rather how the port authority requires you to tie up, the landing pontoon not being considered up to dealing with the strong westerlies.
If you wanted to go crabbing you could simply walk to the end of the jetty although I'm not sure why you would want to - given that Stanley dumped all their raw sewage into this near landlocked harbour until very recently. NB This photo taken 7 years after the first - hence the old pier end seen in previous shot has gone.

 

[dunedin]

That's not how it works. The marina staff patrol the pontoons every day checking which boats are in, occupied, and out. Anything tied up like a cats cradle or too close to the dock is re-tied, so all the unattended boats are always properly moored. During storms it is just a monitoring exercise in case anything comes adrift ... and they are there at all hours. I've arrived at 2am before and 2 of the staff turned up to find out what I was doing before I got down the companionway steps. The entrance has a barrier with 24hr security and cameras on every pontoon - so all the years I have been there nothing has gone wrong.

That does somewhat depend upon the “marina” in question - and suspect your example is a thousand miles away from most people on here. Stern to mooring to lazy lines, and lots of staff 7x24 is a bit different from what many experience.
And many northern marinas - UK and Baltic - are unstaffed except once or twice a day.

 

[capnsensible]

There's a few marinas I remember in the UK had 24 hour staffing. Haslar Marina where we lived aboard, for one.

Away from the UK I can't recall one without. Must be some, I suppose.

 

[westhinder]

None of the marinas that I know in France (west coast), Belgium, the Netherlands have 24h staff on site. I’m in the Baltic now and so far my experience is you’re lucky to find a harbourmaster even by day.

 

[Frank Holden]

None of the marinas that I know in France (west coast), Belgium, the Netherlands have 24h staff on site. I’m in the Baltic now and so far my experience is you’re lucky to find a harbourmaster even by day.

So how is access to the marina controlled?

 

[dunedin]

So how is access to the marina controlled?

Honesty and trust.
Choose a berth with a green flag. Pay at an automated machine - or in many places an honesty box or increasingly send money by bank transfer.

 

[geem]

Honesty and trust.
Choose a berth with a green flag. Pay at an automated machine - or in many places an honesty box or increasingly send money by bank transfer.

In the marina here in Ponta Delgada, you can't get on and off thr marina without an access card. The access expires on the card at the days you have paid for. There is also a daily walk around by one staff member seeing who has arrived/ who is still here. They don't tie up lines or assist on arrival

 

[johnalison]

In the marina here in Ponta Delgada, you can't get on and off thr marina without an access card. The access expires on the card at the days you have paid for. There is also a daily walk around by one staff member seeing who has arrived/ who is still here. They don't tie up lines or assist on arrival

Gated marinas ought to be fine for security, until someone opens the gate and someone else goes through with them. If you open the gate, how many people will ask the second person to show their card (or state the access code)?

 

[geem]

Gated marinas ought to be fine for security, until someone opens the gate and someone else goes through with them. If you open the gate, how many people will ask the second person to show their card (or state the access code)?

Yep, the marina is so busy here and there is a single gate for hundreds of boats. You only need to wait about 1 minute and there will be somebody coming through. Nobody asks if you have a card. We secure the boat every time we go ashore. There is effectively no security

 

[Frank Holden]

Stuff all that - I think I'll stick to the west coast of South America where things are still done proper,.

 

[geem]

Stuff all that - I think I'll stick to the west coast of South America where things are still done proper,.

My thought exactly. We don't do marinas, but few option here. We won't be rushing back into a marina again if we can help it.

 

[capnsensible]

Our local marina has a bit of rope and a clip at each brow.

Plus 24 hour Marinero service and they regularly patrol the marina in a rib. Always active on the pontoons in stormy weather. I guess we are lucky.

 

[johnalison]

Our local marina has a bit of rope and a clip at each brow.

Plus 24 hour Marinero service and they regularly patrol the marina in a rib. Always active on the pontoons in stormy weather. I guess we are lucky.

We don’t get stormy weather.

 

[capnsensible]

We don’t get stormy weather.

Of course not......