Helping people at the pontoon.

nigelmercier said:
It wasn't the woman who caused the problem, no way could she build up that much momentum. It was the helmsman motoring against the fixed line, causing the bow to describe an arc.
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Yes I wondered if the boat was still in forward gear too, there seemed to be little or no attempt to stop using reverse. Maybe what we dont know is that the gearbox had failed?
 
dancrane said:
Shocked to say, I've no idea what was done wrong in that video. All looked typical of every hour I've ever spent watching boats come alongside quays.

I read the comments here first, then watched the clip expecting horrors...didn't notice any though! :apathy:
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If you have a boat I'll take you out and show you as some other posters have mentioned. Pass line not throw line. Step off, not jump off. Etc actually that would be fun with some others :-)

So the answer in my view: people at the dock are only as good as the instructions you give them. Let them loose with your lines and you can get into all sorts of trouble. The best dock people (like me) ask what the skipper wants if not briefed in advance of the operation. The worst dock helpers do what they want.

As mentioned in the quote above: this brings me nicely onto the subject of 'can you safely command your boat'. We all dream of parking up nicely and leaving dock like a pro but often it's blowing a gale or the tide is this or the engine has failed and we are sailing into the dock what ever the scenario you have to know your boat and be cool under pressure.

The video: The woman made matters much worse, she could have very easily let out the bow line, but she didn't hence the boat pulling hard to the dock.

The 'Richard' with the stern line does what most Richard's do. Think they can hold a boat with their body weight and strength. There is a cleat right there, use it!! Had he done so earlier enough the stern would have pulled in so minimising the damage the woman did.

Now as a general rule of thumb. Call up in advance. Give orders for what lines etc and do one at a time. Master the aft midship line too

Or go on a RYA course with a chap who used to work on say a 60- 100ft yachts. So you get a good balance of experience. Too much 20-40ft yacht sailing will put you into bad habits and beliefs for when you buy your Oyster 655 :-)
 
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single said:
I lost the thread with the poll about 'do you help' but this is a classic example of the woman causing the problem,not the vino!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA-07umSUXw
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What was she supposed to do - let the boat crash into the one in front?

Overall I'm with Dan on this. Skipper overcooked it a bit, woman stopped a crash, skipper and other bloke got the stern in, job done. A bit undignified, maybe, but no worse. Incidentally, having spend many years on a mid river pontoon with 5kt+ tides, I suspect that he was coming in down-tide and didn't realise.
 
JumbleDuck said:
What was she supposed to do - let the boat crash into the one in front?

Overall I'm with Dan on this. Skipper overcooked it a bit, woman stopped a crash, skipper and other bloke got the stern in, job done. A bit undignified, maybe, but no worse. Incidentally, having spend many years on a mid river pontoon with 5kt+ tides, I suspect that he was coming in down-tide and didn't realise.
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+1
 
Jamesuk said:
If you have a boat I'll take you out and show you as some other posters have mentioned.
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That's most kind! But I only said that the manoeuvre's imperfections weren't remarkable, relative to hundreds of landings anyone might witness in a year.

What's the phrase for holding the end of a line that's under load, by wrapping it round a cleat, such that it can run out if you slacken-off, or be halted if you tension? Is it swaging?

I thought it was "swaging-off way" - gradually absorbing the momentum of a yacht slipping past, without stopping the rope fast and causing a damaging snub. I guess that's what madam on the pontoon should have done, while the dockside chappie on the stern line should have put it round the cleat at his feet. All of which would have been easier if the helmsman hadn't apparently decided so late, to stop there.

Terribly easy to criticise with hindsight, isn't it. ;)
 
Wow! Bunch of perfectionists commenting! Heavy long-keeled live-aboard, worn out reverse gear, prop-kick the wrong way, strong river current, no room to turn ... that's exactly how I would have come in.

I think that's the woman who runs the moorings at Whangerai - she knows what she's doing, believe me. Most would have stood there dumbly just holding the rope until the yacht crashed into the one ahead. Incidentally the guy on the stern line also handles it well.
 
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JumbleDuck said:
What was she supposed to do - let the boat crash into the one in front?

Overall I'm with Dan on this. Skipper overcooked it a bit, woman stopped a crash, skipper and other bloke got the stern in, job done. A bit undignified, maybe, but no worse. Incidentally, having spend many years on a mid river pontoon with 5kt+ tides, I suspect that he was coming in down-tide and didn't realise.
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I concur. Of course we blame the woman and the foreigners don't we? I would be delighted to see some of the pompously critical posters above try to park my heavy, long keeled (and with a serious kick to port in astern) boat in that space. I would have been grateful for the help, myself. The guy on the pontoon should have surged the line on a cleat, sure, but the woman did pretty much what you would have expected.
 
Thank you JamesUK. I have been reading this thread with interest and it took a long time before a sensible answer appeared.

Through several bad experiences I am always reluctant to pass mooring lines to people on a pontoon as they seem to want to take command and usually cause more problems than they solve.

Different skippers have different techniques when mooring. It's difficult enough to educate the crew and practically impossible to inform casual pontoon helpers what the skipper's intentions are. Mooring lines are generally for holding a vessel in place not stopping it so should not be made fast until the vessel stops unless instructed to be the skipper.
 
BelleSerene said:
Shocking skippering job. Shocking crewing, too, just t throw the line ashore: the boat wasn't in a ready position for the line to be taken in.

The woman ashore did what you'd expect her to. The problem was created before she was thrown the line, and she had no way to salvage the situation other than to abandon the line, which would have left her open to blame.

I'm constantly surprised by skippers everywhere who seem to have no fine motor skills to place the boat stationary and parallel to the pontoon and let the lines be passed ashore rather than chucked to well-meaning but uncontrollable passers-by on a pontoon!
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totally agree. It amazes me the number of yachties that leap ashore too and some instructors even teach it. The other video in the thread shows the perils of that. I don't pass lines and that's that.
 
I've got 10 minutes to kill before a meeting, thought I'd share this with you via my most excellent sketch below....



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Elessar said:
totally agree. It amazes me the number of yachties that leap ashore too and some instructors even teach it. The other video in the thread shows the perils of that. I don't pass lines and that's that.
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I watched a small sports boat trying to berth in Bucklers hard last week. The helm had absolutely no concept of "steer before gear" or needing power on an outdrive to change direction. On his third approach still doing about 3 knots and at 45 degrees to the finger, a passenger managed a spectacular leap of about 6 feet, fortunately landing on the finger, closely followed by the helm doing a similar leap having decided to desert the steering gear and throttle in favour of mooring lines too - leaving 2 other bemused crew stood on the bathing platform.. A short while later they "assisted and advised" a sailing boat coming in alongside the other side of the finger which was almost as entertaining to watch. :D
 
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