Help trying to moor my boat

[mainsail1]

I would add a note of caution about trying to go into a berth stern first down tide - it usually does not work and leads to embarrassment! The tide is rarely running exactly up and down the berth and when you have any form of cross wind you will wish you had waited for the turn of the tide.

The real answer is to plan to return when the tide is in the right direction. If you really cannot do that, a fore spring in a large loop with both ends secured amidships onboard can be dropped over the first cleat on the pontoon but is can be a bit nail biting and stressful as there is no certainty that you will not miss the cleat and there is no time for a second go.

 

[whipper_snapper]

Practice ferry gliding in an easier situation with more space. Once you learn to trust and use the tide, it is amazing how much control you have. Look sideways at a fixed pint on the pontoon and steer relative to that.

 

[wotayottie]

I have a Moody 346 center cockpit and sail short handed with my 9 year old.

As you can hopefully see from the attached image when I come into my berth I often have a 3 kt tide up my stern and a crosswind trying to stuff me into my neighbour.....

Anyone got a bright idea how the heck I can control this and get tied up safely please?

Changing berths is not an option

Thanks

View attachment 28245

Fender yourself well and dont worry about leaning on your neighbour.

 

[onesea]

Fender yourself well and dont worry about leaning on your neighbour.

+1

Also you may also get by with making a loop from midships cleat (or even the bow if you do not have one midships) to the stern or jib sheet winch. Then teach your son to use the boat hook to loop it over the relevant cleat then "steam" on that. Could be a useful trick bow or stern to...

 

[Vega1447]

Practice ferry gliding in an easier situation with more space. Once you learn to trust and use the tide, it is amazing how much control you have. Look sideways at a fixed pint on the pontoon and steer relative to that.

Tragic to tell, looking sideways at a "fixed pint" has been on occasion my undoing... First looking then unfixing...

 

[zambant]

thanks all for the help and ideas.
going to start practicing

 

[BelleSerene]

Tragic to tell, looking sideways at a "fixed pint" has been on occasion my undoing... First looking then unfixing...

The pint doesn't stay fixed on the bar for very long when I look at it.

 

[jbweston]

Fender yourself well and dont worry about leaning on your neighbour.

+1 - except I'd positively intend to come to rest alongside him, get a spring on him and then go ashore to sort out my own lines.

If the neighbour isn't there, nick his berth and warp across to yours at leisure.

If you go in astern as advised in other posts and are aiming for your own berth, you've got to get a line from your centre cleat ashore right snappy. If you can make it very short and get a turn on the shore cleat really quickly, you should be OK. But that isn't a job for a nine year old - or for anyone other than a fit and competent crew member - because if the crew misses the cleat or is too slow, you're in trouble.

 

[Tranona]

Just one more tip. Mount a pole at the end of the pontoon with a hook on the top. Make up permanent lines with loops on the end exactly the right length. A midship one and a bow an stern spring. Hang them on the hook as you leave. Pick them off as you go past attach the midsips first and motor against it while you attach the other two in the right order to control any swing. No jumping on pontoon or trying (and missing) to lasso the cleat.