How to moor on piles. (sounds painful)

[Pisces]

I am hoping to get down to Bucklers Hard this weekend. I will probably have to moor on the pile in the river. I have never done this before and would welcome any words of wisdom. It is likely to be busy as it is Cowes week.

What do you do if there are already a couple of boats on the pile you are to use?

What is the best method of tieing off - back onto you own boat?

Do you also tie onto the boats inside?

Any local know how far the post are apart? - my dock lines are only about 10m and about to be replaced.

Probably best to assume I am stupid - A generally safe assumption.

Ta

 

[Talbot]

if there are boats on the piles you will use, the easy way is to just secure alongside that boat, and then put the dinghy in the water to secure to the piles. you must be secured to the other boat as well.

mehod of securing to the piles depends on the weather and how long you will be there.

If light winds, you can get away with just passing the rope through the ring (ring will normally be secured to a piece of rope that you can haul up and slides up the bar of metal on the pile) and then securing both ends of the rope back onboard. You will need to do this anyway before you leave - but does increase the chafe on your lines.

In strong winds, you are better off securing one end to the ring as it will decrease the chafe. But you can do this once secured between the piles.

recommend that you at least double up one of your lines for the initial rope to the pile to give you the distance necessary to get back to the next one. If the wind and tide are both in the same direction, you could attach one end to the windward pile, and allow boat to hang from that pile while getting the dinghy to attach the other end.

 

[AIDY]

Don't worry it's easy similar to tieing up to a pontoon. you should be met by the HM on arrival.

if there is knowone on the piles he will help you with your lines (ie.. for one boat just a bow and stern pile line is needed, and just try and get the boat central between the posts the piles are different distances apart to take big and small boats)

if there is a couple of boats already there just moor up along side as normal. bow and stern line and a set of springs. then get your rubber duck out and put a line fore and aft to the ring in the pile looping back to you boat if poss saves undoing from the pile on departure

have a great weekend

 

[castaway]

I go with what the previous guys say, except that if you arrive a high tide it can be tricky to get yr fwd line either through the 'ring' or through the 'slider', due to the fact that there is only a a little bit still above water!

I would then just chuck a loop over the pile to secure the bow and sort it out with the slider from the dinghy later.

The young lads in the HM dories will always give a hand if required, but I suspect that almost certainly you will be rafted up against someone if visiting on a summer weekend.

Have a good one . ( I might be there m'self)

Nick

 

[Pisces]

Thanks All.

It all sounds simple enough - we will see how well I can do it later.

If any one is there - come and find us - we in a 1970 orange topped
super seal - Claudia Jean. If all goes to plan I will be in the pub....

 

[Windfall]

We're going too, this evening infact. At first it will be just two 'girlies' (we're swapping) so I hope the harbour master is around to give a hand. As I've got the faster boat I'd love to be all tied up sipping my g&t by the time HWMO arrives. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Look out for us...we're travelling in a threesome with 6 children between us!
We are a tatty but beautiful She 31b called Sheba.

I haven't skippered this boat yet so am a little hyped today...(so maybe you should definately look out for us!)

 

[Rustyknight]

Agree 100% with Castaway about throwing a "loop" over the pile if the height of tide allows...... if not, then pass the rope through the bar the ring slides up and down on and get moored fore and aft. The warps can be sorted out later to go through the rings.

A common mistake is to fart-arse around trying to get the rings first go.... with wind and tide pushing you all over the place! (Hope I'm not teaching me Grandmother to suck eggs if I say approach into tide, and do the stern line first... then motor slowly up to the next pile)

I was there for a few nights last week, and saw boats trying "down tide"....... and then pushed sideways onto the pile! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

As mentioned, the harbour masters are normally running about in Dorys, and are happy to help.... but if not, the piles furthest away from the marina (upstream) are about 32 foot apart. The gap increases as you get closer to the marina!

Price for our 25 footer was £11 a night on the piles, as against £23 if we'd gone for the marina.

Alternatively, the harbour guys might find you a vacant swing mooring further up river.... even moor peacefull.

 

[andy_wilson]

dock lines are only about 10m

They are unlikely to do, your foresail sheets might do the trick, but would end up dirty and possibly chaffed in the process.

You need the first line passed through the ring or bar on the pile, then doubled back on board and let out as you approach the other pile to make fast. Ideally you need the same on the other pile but you can manage with just a single line on one - though at risk of a total balls up on departure.

 

[snowleopard]

I'll go along with the recommendation to use a loop. On my YM exam I was asked to moor between piles. I tried to be too clever and thread a slip line through the rail. The crew had a problem with it and stuck head and shoulders between the lifeleines to reach out further. The boat started to fall back with the wind and he was about to be guillotined between a stanchion and the pile when I aborted. My advice for picking up piles if not already occupied is:

1. Lay out 2 lines with big bowlines, one aft near the cockpit, the other forward.
2. Approach the after pile to bring it alongside by the cockpit. Drop a loop over it and pay out the line as you motor forwards.
3. Approach the forward pile until crew on the bow can drop a loop over it.
4. Secure both lines. You are now moored securely but within reach of the forward pile.
5. Pick up the ring on the forward pile and secure to it, then remove your original loop.
6. Ease back, taking in on the stern line until you can reach the after pile. Secure to the ring and remove the loop as before.
7. Adjust your position between the piles leaving enough slack for the rings to slide up & down.

Each line needs to be length of gap - length of boat and a bit extra for the loop. 10m is going to be pushing it.

 

[Pisces]

Hmm - a quick trip to the chandlers to get new lines looks in order. What is a good length for a 26 foot boat? is there some rule of thumb?

Thanks for all the advice - I expect I will b***ls it up first go - but at least I will try and do it slowly.

 

[bumblefish]

If you have a bowline loop over the aft pile what do you do if you have any sort of problem, such as missing the forward pile by misjudging the wind and getting blown off?

 

[LadyInBed]

12 mtrs min. 15 mtrs great.

 

[snowleopard]

Option 1: haul in on the stern line till you can lift/flick it off
Option 2: use a slip rope instead (needs double the rope and risk of jamming)
Option 3: using a floating line, drop it and pick up next time round
Option 4: get it right first time /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[nigelhudson]

Yarmouth Harbour Guide (download here http://www.yarmouth-harbour.co.uk/Yarmouth_Harbour_Guide.pdf ) has a RYA pictorial guide of how to moor between piles. I've printed it off to keep on the boat as an aide memoire.

 

[bob_tyler]

"At first it will be just two 'girlies' (we're swapping) so I hope the harbour master is around to give a hand".

With the Girlies?