Do you help others with mooring?

[Poignard]

No, I don't help at all. I send swmbo to help them.

 

[onesea]

Personally I avoid helping unless it has all gone completely tits up for the other boat.

Help offered falls into 3 categories in my experience -

1) The stanchion bender. "Please don't do that!"

2) Give a man a rope and he'll either a) pull it as hard as he can, or b) play tug of war with boat while ignoring your request to cleat it off.

3) Occasionally you get lucky when you need a bit of help and someone with some sense appears. They pass your rope back having looped it round the cleat then leave you to it.

My thoughts on these
1) They really Pee me off, particularly when you are coming in nicely. Bit of a swing, come astern gently using prop wash to stop the swing, then the perfectly timed shove and they punting 3' off the pontoon.
2) My preferred type leave them to it I can sort out the stern whilst they do what they want, then politely take the rope of them.
3) Often particularly when solo I REALLY do not want that just hold it a second till I have secured a rope astern and ask for it.

The one that grates me most is the one that correct my crew to do it a different way to the way I asked them. Classic being wind and tide astern coming into berth often my instruction to crew "Is take the headline as a spring till I get the stern rope on. Then tie up like normal." Person "helping" takes it forwards against crews wishes, often leaves the crew feeling they do not know what they where doing, when they did:ambivalence:.

Nothing that cannot be corrected just frustrating.

When helping or taking a rope, I normally gesture what I think they want you either get thumbs up or some instruction.

Then again I have been peeved when I have offered to help, and ended doing most of the work whilst the wife/ crew chats to there buddy on the pontoon/ boat next door...

In my experience 90% of people are more of a help than a hindrance and I rarely refuse.

 

[Poignard]

I like to come alongside with a midship spring led to the outermost pontoon cleat. Lash to tiller toward the pontoon and leave the engine running slowly ahead. A lot of people don't realise the boat can sit safely like that all day. Instead and they dash about getting head and stern ropes on as fast as they can. They do no harm and it's kind of them to help. What's the point of hurting well-meaning people's feelings?

 

[Roberto]

I always offer help and usually say to the person at the wheel "what would you like me to do" (or similar).

+1 absolutely, always try to help in the least intrusively way.

On finger pontoons I often found the best low profile help is to just grab the bow pulpit and (try to) keep it still with the bow at a convenient distance from the main pontoon, while people onboard take care of all the lines and stuff... difficult to be accused of over-acting

 

[snooks]

I'll usually offer a hand, it's all part of sailing, and meeting people. Only exception is when it's obviously a school boat or one with enough crew.

Everyone has their own way of tiding up their boat, so I'll follow any instructions.

There have been times when we've been grateful for a helping hand, and what goes around comes around.

 

[LadyInBed]

I will go and hold their bow, if they hand me a line I will make it off.

 

[alan_d]

Am I missing something, or are options 3 and 4 essentially the same?

 

[Greenheart]

Surely there's an option missing in this vote, the best option by far...

...approach in an observant manner along the quayside, but don't say a word - don't assume. If there's an appearance of inability aboard, roll your sleeves up and look ready to help.

That way there's no danger of butting-in uninvited or insulting volatile egos. Any skipper who knows he needs a hand will yell when he sees you're standing ready and attentive.

 

[James_Calvert]

+1 to all who say holding the bow (in a finger berth). Well out of the way of the boat's crew/skipper scampering around with ropes their own way, and you can wander off when it's clear the boat is secure, without worrying or getting involved in issues of which ropes should go (or go back) where.

 

[Summer Sailor]

My standard action is to instantly make a bowline in the end and drop it over a suitable cleat, thus leaving the crew in control. The exception is where the crew is clearly a complete newbie who would have no clue what to do next; then I might take control from the shore (and hope their end of the line is made fast on board!)

Whatever happens, helping someone else or stepping ashore myself, I always get the line onto a cleat ASAP. A half-turn round the body of the cleat then up round one of the horns is applied instantly, gives freedom to haul or ease or move to a different cleat, and by putting a toe on the line where it crosses the top of the cleat it will hold pretty firmly.

Pete

If I ever hand you my lines then please don't do that! (unless of course I ask you to). The skipper should maintain control of the yacht not the 'helpful' person ashore.

 

[Poignard]

I will go and hold their bow, if they hand me a line I will make it off.

Perfect, just what's needed.

Very occasionally you encounter some po-face who seems to take being offered help as a personal insult. I once had an offer of help rejected rather curtly by one of these types and, hearing raised voices as I retraced my steps back to my beer and Kindle, I looked back to see po-face's boat drifting away from the pontoon. I then had the exquisite pleasure of hearing his wife giving him a public b-llocking for being 'too f-----g proud to let that nice man help you'.

I tried to ease his embarrassement during the rest of his stay by giving him a big grin everytime he walked by but he seemed determined to avoid eye contact, and kept his Tilly hat pulled firmly over his eyes..

 

[prv]

If I ever hand you my lines then please don't do that! (unless of course I ask you to). The skipper should maintain control of the yacht not the 'helpful' person ashore.

Don't do which? I described three possible actions in that post.

Pete

 

[Zen Zero]

Here in the Med, particularly in Greek harbours where attendants are hard to find, if you see a boat coming in to moor you tend to go and dither about on the quay just in case you can help. Usually the help consists of taking and passing back a line, sometimes two lines if you're particularly enthusiastic or there's more than one of you.

It's a useful service, once there's a line ashore and the anchor is firmly planted in the mud ahead, the skipper can take all the time in the world to sort the boat out.

 

[JumbleDuck]

If John Walker hadn't know how to tie a bowline and been willing to do so, or if Jim Brading had been too proud to ask for help when a mooring pick-up went wrong, We Didn't Mean to Go To Sea would have been a very much shorter and less interesting book.

 

[Ripster]

I don't always help, but I almost always offer.

+1 and make a point of asking/speaking to the crew, about what they would like me to do. Such as cleat and hold, cleat and pass back or lock off. Obvously if things are going titsup then its often ones best endeavours but, communicating is always good practice.

 

[mjcoon]

Perfect, just what's needed.

Very occasionally you encounter some po-face who seems to take being offered help as a personal insult. I once had an offer of help rejected rather curtly by one of these types and, hearing raised voices as I retraced my steps back to my beer and Kindle, I looked back to see po-face's boat drifting away from the pontoon. I then had the exquisite pleasure of hearing his wife giving him a public b-llocking for being 'too f-----g proud to let that nice man help you'.

I tried to ease his embarrassment during the rest of his stay by giving him a big grin every time he walked by but he seemed determined to avoid eye contact, and kept his Tilly hat pulled firmly over his eyes..

Lovely story! Did you get a high-five from the wife?

Mike.

 

[Summer Sailor]

Don't do which? I described three possible actions in that post.

Pete

All 3.

My point is that I wouldn't want you to take control. The skipper should maintain control of their own boat which includes the lines when passed ashore. Getting a line onto a cleat quickly may not be what is wanted. If you are catching my lines then please ask first before you tie me off!

 

[JumbleDuck]

My point is that I wouldn't want you to take control. The skipper should maintain control of their own boat which includes the lines when passed ashore. Getting a line onto a cleat quickly may not be what is wanted. If you are catching my lines then please ask first before you tie me off!

He didn't say he'd tie you off. He said he'd get the line round a cleat ready to do whatever was required with it.

 

[prv]

He didn't say he'd tie you off. He said he'd get the line round a cleat ready to do whatever was required with it.

Well, actually I did say I'd tie him off 90% of the time. But I'd do it with a bowline in the end of his warp, so his crew still has control of what to do with it. I will ask which cleat they want if it's not blindingly obvious. If the skipper didn't want the warp secured ashore at all, why did he send it?

This is precisely how big ships work with linesmen provided by the port, no common language even required.

Your comment is quite correct in the remaining cases, though, where for a couple of specific reasons I am planning to provide some control. Unless the boat is very light, one cannot effectively control it without involving a cleat.

Pete

 

[PhillM]

I'm just a nice friendly guy. I always offer neighbors and am glad when they offer me.

I offer strangers, especially if they are going into the tricky inner berth.