Clearing a mooring

[Capt_Marlinspike]

I keep my boat on a riverbank mooring. The boat is tied fore and aft to bouys that are on poles fixed to the bank that rise and fall with the tide. The orientation of the boat is such that the prevailing wind is off the bank, so getting out is usually easy. However when there is an onshore wind it is rather trickier. A couple off weeks ago there was quite a strong on shore breeze and I made a total horlicks of leaving and almost demolished the landing stage.
Any bright ideas on how I can do this better. Note the river is pretty narrow with moored boats on both sides so I have to leave under power.

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[Talbot]

Bow Thruster?

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[Birdseye]

I take it there is very little current flow so you cant ferry glide. In which case, most boats bows blow off so I would suggest going out backward. Even that wont work against really strong wind when the only way would be to take a rope out to an anchor or to a moored boat on the other bank.

Why not buy a cheap anchor and lay it mid river with a sinking line to your mooring. The pull yourslef out bows first, drop the line and off you go.

Final alternative, buy yourself a supply of Old Speckled Hen and a fishing rod, and sit there fishing and watching others make a horlicks. Might even catch something - if you do, let me know the technique cos I never have.

<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it. <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by birdseye on 14/09/2004 12:10 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[claymore]

How much current is there?

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>regards
Claymore<font color=purple>
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[Nickel]

I'm just thinking out loud: And this depends on how much 'give' there is in your buoys, and whether you can happily manoeuvre around them without fear for your prop.

Can you take a line from your bow, around the outside (riverside) of your boat, attach it to your stern buoy, and then bring it back on board through a stern cleat, then attach to a winch.

Winch in on this line while paying out your bow line. In my mind, so long as your stern buoy is stiff enough to keep you off the bank, and so long as you can stop it fouling your prop, because you will be blown back for a bit, you may [emphasis on the word may] be able to bring the nose up into the wind, at which point you'll be able to motor happily away. Bringing the lines back on board might be a problem all by itself.

No doubt someone will ocme up with something much better!

<hr width=100% size=1>Nickel

Being paranoid simply means - having all the facts.

 

[boatmike]

Assume distance off bank is less than length of boat? If so a line to a boat to windward (or a bouy) temporarily arranged from dinghy might be possible and warp her out. If not a kedge. Otherwise the bushmills and fishing rod sounds good!

Just one other thought, not knowing your boat. Most boats have "prop walk" to an extent which will take your stern to either port or starboard when in reverse. If you moor the right way around to maximise the sterns natural tendancy to sidestep you might try having crew let bow rope out slightly but not letting go entirely while kicking the engine into reverse. Bow will then be pointing shorewards to some extent but still under control. If the characteristics of the boat allow this might give you clearance enough behind to reverse out but make sure crew let bow rope go as soon as the stern is clear and don't get the stern rope round your prop.... Used to get out of close quarters with a long keeled Gaffer like this at one time in a previous life when moored between piles... <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by boatmike on 14/09/2004 12:42 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[SteveGorst]

just a thought. If the buoys are fairly rigid, shorten your bow rope so the boat is tight up against the bow bouy. Motor ahead and steer towards the bank. As long as the buoy is rigid you won't actually go anywhere but your stern will gradually swing out, if it does release the stern rope. Once the stern is out sufficiently engage reverse, steer away from the bank and release your bow rope.

This all depends on your bouy being fairly rigid.

Hope this helps

Steve

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>

 

[snowleopard]

interesting little puzzle. how about this:

assuming you are moored starboard side to the bank, leave the bow attached but pass a line from the starboard bow and attach it to the stern mooring line. the boat is now tied fore & aft by the bow but the stern is free, the wind continuing to hold the stern in.

now put the helm hard a'starboard and put engine in forward gear. prop wash over the rudder will push the stern off until at an angle to the bank, rather like going ahead against a bow spring.

once you have a reasonable angle, centre helm & go astern smartly to back out into the channel.

depends on the mooring being able to cope with the pull when you motor ahead

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[duncan]

gets my vote

<hr width=100% size=1>madesco madidum ..../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Nickel]

Another thinking out loud: How about simply letting loose the bow line. The wind will blow the bow towards the shore - assuming you have enough water room and depth you can wait until you are stern on to the wind, and then reverse out?

<hr width=100% size=1>Nickel

Being paranoid simply means - having all the facts.

 

[Capt_Marlinspike]

Steve
Your suggestion may well work as the bouys are fairly rigid. I think I will give it a try. Probably frighten the dickens out of the boat moored in front of me!
Thanks
Alan


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[SteveGorst]

Alan

I think it should work fine but if you do find the Buoy a bit sloppy and you are closing on the boat in front a bit too much you could incorporate the refinement that Snowleapard suggested and attach a rope from the stern buoy to the bow as well and pull that rope tight so that you can't move forward.

I suppose if there is someone sat on the boat in front you could explain the plan to them first to reassure them.

I have all sorts of problems like this on my mooring and every different combination of wind and current seems to need another solution.

Hope it goes well for you.

Steve

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>

 

[Guest]

My first thought on hearing the question was almost the same, except that I'd let the stern rope go, so the boat hangs by the bow. Then motor out forwards, steering to avoid the post. The wind will help turn the bows, making it even easier. The tide will either help the wind blow the bows round, or make it unnecessary by allowing ferry gliding, depending which direction it's in. Steaming out forwards allows more control than going out backward.

The only assumption is that the posts are not so close to the bank that the stern will hit it whenit swings out. Obviously, shortening the bow warp first may be necessary.

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[Guest]

Oops, they're buoys not posts. But makes no difference to the answer.

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[LadyInBed]

I have also posed this question as I have the same problem on the R Frome at Wareham.
The current mainly flows down river to Poole, so I nearly always park facing up river.
My reverse prop kick is into the bank.
We have to have a jackstay between the buoys (Environment Agency say so).

Method
1 - I ask a passing boat to pull my stern out and down river to overcome prop walk.
2 - If tide is rising and current is flowing up stream, I use the jackstay as a spring and motor forward into the bank till some current gets to the ‘bank side’ of the keel, then motor like hell in reverse with fingers crossed.
3 - If the current is flowing down stream, I spring back on the jackstay and motor out forwards.

I have been thinking about the suggestion of putting an anchor out across the river, as it was suggested to me, it has some merit. A weighted line across the riverbed anchored up stream and made off to the forward buoy would allow me to pull my bow out to avoid the boat forward of me.


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[peterb]

"Springing out" in this way is a common procedure when coming off a leeward pontoon, and it's certainly the first thing I would think of in your situation. But it may involve pushing quite hard on the bow buoy; I think that I would run a permanent line from the bow buoy back to a point ashore near the root of the pole holding the stern buoy. If you adjust the length properly then this should act as a bow spring and take the load off the pole.

Under some conditions you may find it easier to spring the bow off by going astern against the pull of the stern buoy.