Downtide, downwind mooring, WNS?

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mcframe

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F4/5 on the reciprocal of the prevailing, neighbouring fore'n'aft berths occupied, narrow channel, dinghy on bow mooring buoy, no pick-up on stern-line sinker.

WNS?
(Judders excluded 'cos he's seen it done before ;-)
 
He's got a fore and aft mooring in a channel too narrow to turn in. He's also got the wind up his chuff, and no way to pick up the stern mooring bouy as he goes past it. What Now Skipper? (I think that's what it means.......)

1. Drop a kedge over the stern as you get near the aft-most moored boat. Pay out the kedge warp slowly to control the boat as it slows to a stop. Then use engine and tiller to manouvre the bow to the forward mooring bouy/ dinghy painter. Make fast, then use the dinghy to tie up to the aft bouy and recover the kedge.

2. Raft up alongside the aft-most boat temporarily, then slowly pay out a stern line to control your boat as you manouvre it so you can pick up the bow mooring bouy.

3. Just come in and slam into reverse at the critical moment in the hope that the prop wash will both stop you dead and kick the stern into position. Then ring up your insurance company, and don't forget to write a little note to stick on the washboards of all the damaged boats.
 
Drop all sail. Run down past the mooring. Let go kedge anchor from bow, (sheering the boat so chain does not mark topsides). When the boat has turned to face the wind and tide, motor slowly ahead whilst recovering the anchor, when alongside the berth, ferry glide into position. Pick up the mooring from the bow.
 
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In another life I sailed my engine less boat into Finisterre harbour,seeing that the space was tight I stowed the main and ran in between the fishing boats on nearing the end of the harbour I LEPT to the mast downed the jib and let go the anchour.She rounded up a treat.I hauled the anchour in and drifted alongside.I had learn the trick whilsy in the MN turning small coasters in small harbours or rivers,quite a hectic time ....
 
one option might be to turn around well before the mooring area, and drift back under control with the engine in ahead to control the backwards drift.
 
srp said:
Not everyone has a boat that is controllable and predictable in reverse, and the channel is too narrow to turn in.
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And unless we know what the boat is and how it handles... The queirie is unanswerable....


Mine would be quite happy hanging off the prop in reverse as she is as manouverable going backwards as forwards... In fact with wind and tide together better still...

But dropping in on a kedge would be a answer and then recovering the hook from the dink afterwards...

Raft up alongside a neighbor and then warp in...
 
photodog said:
And unless we know what the boat is and how it handles... The queirie is unanswerable....


Mine would be quite happy hanging off the prop in reverse as she is as manouverable going backwards as forwards... In fact with wind and tide together better still...

But dropping in on a kedge would be a answer and then recovering the hook from the dink afterwards...

Raft up alongside a neighbor and then warp in...
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In the days of commercial sail warping a boat around a harbour was common practice,yachts men seem loath to fiddle with ropes if they can motor.When we lived aboard in Littlehampton our neighbour was quite adept at getting his boat out from alongside the pontoon by swinging the whole raft of yachts around so he was on the outside,very dramatic and total confidence in the strengh of the rope!
 
srp said:
Not everyone has a boat that is controllable and predictable in reverse, and the channel is too narrow to turn in.
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In that case the correct answer is that the skipper should never have gone in there as there's no way he can safely get back out again.
 
Simondjuk said:
In that case the correct answer is that the skipper should never have gone in there as there's no way he can safely get back out again.
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Depends on the reason he doesn't have enough room to turn around. If the channel is narrow because of LW, he'll be able to turn around at HW.

But, the argument that some boats don't handle well going backwards a bit weak. If he turned around before he got into the narrow channel, he won't necessarily be going backwards, other than in relation to the moored boats.

If the tide is going past the moorings at 3 knots, he can go forwards at 1 knot and still pass the moored boats at 2 knots :D
 
Simondjuk said:
In that case the correct answer is that the skipper should never have gone in there as there's no way he can safely get back out again.
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Disagree. If he had one of the first two plans of action in mind that I suggested in my first reply (and echoed by Photodog) then it is quite acceptable to head off up a narrow channel. A bit of common sense, fenders in the right places and there will be absolutely no problem. If the worst comes to the worst he can always head off away from the moorings to the the edge of the channel and stick it on the putty to avoid anything nasty happening to other boats.

Of course, in practice it would have to be a very big boat and a very narrow channel if you couldn't actually turn round, especially with a bit of tide to help swing it round. I have almost exactly this situation on my own mooring at low water, and haven't hit my neighbours yet despite several years worth of opportunity.
 
parsifal said:
So obvious that it was suggested in post #6
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Have to admit that I have just re-read your first post properly, and understood it! Interesting, as it was used all the time by the old Thames barges according to all I have read (probably lots of other sail-only vessels as well) - called drudging I think. Another useful technique which works well ( with my boat anyway) is ferry gliding - i can make my boat go sideways in the Medina when the tide is running, with no forward or backward movement at all. Never anyone around to appreciate it when I have to do it in anger of course.
Time the OP or Judders told us the answer I think......
 
srp said:
If the worst comes to the worst he can always head off away from the moorings to the the edge of the channel and stick it on the putty to avoid anything nasty happening to other boats.
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I think I'd be looking for an alternative mooring if one of my considered options when returning was to stick it in the mud and spend a week living on my ear whilst neaped. :)
 
got to presume the engine will not start - or will cut out - (mine would) so a case of dropping the sails and then the hook - and warping in - prob have to get dinghy out to get a line on
 
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