Dutch Box Moorings

[stuartwineberg]

We have chartered a 37 foot Bav on the Isljelmeer in a couple of weeks and I am expecting to have to deal with box moorings which I have never seen before. Any hints and tips to prevent too much entertainment of the locals?

Thanks

Stuart

 

[Piers]

Don't be tempted to have fenders out - they add too much width and may jam on entry. Have lines rigged fore and aft both sides. If entering stern first, loop your bow lines around the outer piles as you pass them so you don't get out of reach!

 

[sailorman]

no probs
a box consists of 2 wooden piles + pontoon

enter the 2 piles loop over a line from each side of the boat , keep hold of the loose end & fix to stern cleats. tie-up the bows to the pontoon adjusting the stern lines to suit distance from pontoon.
fenders can be a prob as they tend to get in the way of the piles on the way in ( the Dutch often use a thick line from the bows to the stern each side to fend-off the piles)
take you time plan ahead
have a good holiday

 

[johnalison]

Not a problem in calm conditions, but a wind from the quarter can be tricky.
Have fenders ready tied on lying on the side-deck; you may need them in a hurry if there is a boat next-door.


Dont try to put a loop over the pile; have a line with a bowline at the end, and the bitter end tied to your cleat.

If short-handed, the crew should concentrate on putting a bowline over the windward pile while standing at the boat's widest point. If the other crew or helmsman cannot get a line over the other, no harm will occur.

The helmsman then takes the windward line and controls the boat's forward motion if necessary. The locals will have a line of the correct length for this, of course.

The crew then casually walks forward to get the bow line ashore, to windward first. Often another sailor is at hand to receive your lines and this can be helpful if they are on your wavelength.

With a bit of luck, you should now have a line from each quarter to the piles, and one controlling the bow, to weather.

If there are enough crew, the fenders can be kicked into position after your maximum beam passes the piles.

In very difficult conditions, choose a box with a boat alongside to leeward and just charge in and let your boat settle against the neighbour, as you might do in a difficult finger-mooring.

There are some occasions when an incoming boat will lie across two piles and manhandle his way in. This is often used by sailing-boats without engines. If the box is oversized and you cannot reach both piles, you can enter the box obliquely and settle against one pile, giving time to get both lines on.

There is plenty of scope for creative seamanship and you can have a lot of fun doing it well or badly and watching others do the same.

 

[stuartwineberg]

Thanks all - as always the answers are here

 

[PeterGibbs]

And here comes the postscript!

Your boat has a goodly beam. Not so many boxes will accommodate you. What to do?

If the piles are wooden, you can push in gently, with fenders well out of the way. The piles will yield to a degree, and the boat will come to no harm. If the piles are steel do not even contemplate this trick - they will not yield!

Crossing your mooring lines at the rear - stbd line to port rear pile etc, will give you good stability in the "stall"

have fun!

PWG

 

[BAtoo]

Don't lie about your beam - you will be often offered a berth in to which you just fit on your declared beam; if you dont fit you will have to confess....
Always get your windward ropes on first..
if you have a typical UK boat where it is easier to get off from the stern then reverse in - your boat handling skills will improve immensely!!

 

[AliM]

The locals are usually very helpful, speak beautiful English and are much more likely to get off neighbouring boats to take lines and help than they ever do in the UK. The IJsselmeer is a delight to sail in - enjoy!

We have crossed lines, each with a huge bowline loop draped over the stern, cleated on and a bow line ready. The helmsman would get the bow into the box and one of us would get the line onto the windward pile. They you can often manhandle the boat in, using the piles. In off-pontoon wind, a small amount of forward engine helps, in on-pontoon wind, you can control the drift by paying out the line from the pile. In a cross wind with neighbours, your crew should have a roving fender, just in case, but provided you are moving very slowly, you probably won't need it. After a couple of tries, you realise that it's as easy or easier than the UK systems. Rig the fenders after you get yourself moored up.

 

[ditchcrawler]

If you go to www.woodbridgecruisingclub.co.uk & click on "resources" then "how to" you will find an article by Ted Evans called "Boxes & Lockses".It may be of help.Ted & Diana have great experience in Holland, Denmark etc in their 8T Hillyard.

 

[mollyoxford]

Just watch you don't pick a box that is far too long, then get one of your stern mooring lines caught on some sort of protuberance on one of the stern posts, causing you to come up short, and then go somewhat sideways as it acts as a spring.

I did just that in Enhuizen a couple of years ago. Swam out and unhooked it once we had some looong bowlines on.

In the right sized space it's quite straightforward, as explained by these good folks.

 

[roger]

It's a lot easier if you have more than two active crew aboard. With just two, the helmsperson has to steer, control boat speed and both stern lines. Halberg Rasseys and similar boats have sacrificial metal capped stand offs each side. YOu can also buy thick (c. 3 cm.) dia warps of about 6 m. length with thinner lines for securing fore and aft as a substitute. We have an all round thick black mooring rope we got surplus from the Navy Surplus attached to the toe rail. The same system is useful in locks too.
Don't do what I did once, went in too slow with a cross wind, ended up parallel to the pontoon, pinned by the wind and no way out but backwards past all the posts to clear water. Bot does not like backwards so wiped off the port bow light.
It really is not easy to judge from outside whether the piles are far enough apart- be prepared to back off and try elsewhere.

 

[davidfox]

Why not give the marinas a miss and moor in the town centers, nearly always get in, no box moorings and much nicer, nearly always get power and water as well if required. good advice about getting the windward lines on first.

 

[peterb]

The system works well, and you'll find it simple after two or three goes. So much so, that you may get queries as to why we don't use the same system in the UK. The answer, of course, is tidal rise and fall.