Line ashore anchoring - how its done?

[superboots]

Line ashore anchoring - technique and equipment
This year I intend to brace myself for some anchoring with a stern line to the shore. In the past being short handed and with a heavy dinghy I have had difficulties in carrying this manoeuvre off so have avoided it. But that limits possibilities to anchor - need for swinging room in crowded anchorages and significant depths so time now to see how I can do this. Would be interested to know experience of others both on technique and equipment - assuming only 2 on board.
Sequence - anchor . check its set, launch dinghy, position boat stern to shore with engine, long line in dinghy, run to shore under outboard backwards paying out line, tie to a rock, return to boat in dinghy.
Is that correct ?
In my case getting the dinghy and outboard on the water takes time, with a cross wind how easy/practical is it to ho;ld the boat in position. I assume a floating rope is best - what length? diameter? ( boat is 11 tons) Should I have a rope spool on the stern for ease in paying out the rope ? In case or urgent departure is there a way to release the shore line from the boat?

 

[Norman_E]

Common practice in Turkey. I fitted a rope spool which held about 50 metres of good quality floating rope, which was also a bit stretchy, and at the end I had about 15 metres of braid on braid polyester cut from an old sheet. The latter I regarded as sacrificial, as it would be abraded by rocks. I would always try to find a spot where there was not a serious crosswind. I also had a decent length of light floating line which I could tie on and swim ashore with because getting the dinghy out, pumping it up and launching it was often too much of a faff, particularly if just anchoring for lunch. In Turkish bays around Gocek there are a few bollards as you are forbidden to tie to trees. If I found one free I would swim with the light line, pass it round the bollard and swim back, pulling the rope so that it was doubled and could be retrieved without leaving the boat.
EDIT, I later changed my piece of old sheet for a longer length of floating three strand with an eye splice on the end where I tied it to the main rope which was octoplait.

 

[Crisby]

We regularly long line in Greece as a couple in our 42’ and our technique depends on the water temp! In the summer when the water is warm enough we, my wife, swims ashore with our upwind floating line (50m 18mm) and ties it off whilst I try and hold the boat in position. If there is any crosswind it is always easier for us if it’s from our starboard side as our prop walk pulls that way in reverse so I can just hang off our anchor, generally with 50-60m chain if we have space. A decent amount of chain also allows me a certain amount of manoeuvrability if needed.
My wife is a fairly strong swimmer although we are rarely more than a few boat lengths from the shore and she wears beach shoes and gloves just in case there are any sea urchins etc.
If it’s too cold to swim then we use the dinghy generally with just the oars.
once we are attached to the shore I tighten the line and then we can take our time with the downwind line, be aware that in Greece and a lot of the med it is illegal to tie to a tree so a lot of the time we will be tied to a rock so if more than a few days we might use chain to attach the line to avoid chaffe.
I think over the years the times when it hasn’t gone smoothly have been when we have rushed and not flaked the line out on deck properly, we have a large aft deck so prefer to use that for the line as it just gets in the way in the dinghy if it’s too cold to swim. Preparation is key!
If you back in next to another boat downwind of you make sure you get far enough back and don’t end up drifting onto his bow, if you have to pull out there is a high chance of hooking his chain with your rudder, we see that happen a lot with charter boats in crowded places and for some reason people often don’t use their fenders when long lining………

Chris

 

[Crisby]

If we have to leave in a hurry and reset we just tie the lines to a fender and leave them attached to the shore if we are intending to re anchor in the same spot

Chris

 

[RJJ]

The usual form, similar to fore/aft anchoring at the limit of your rode, is to take the entire line in the dinghy, secure ashore, and then return to the yacht. It's hard to pay out the line from the dinghy if it's attached to a gyrating yacht, and there's a greater risk of entanglement, and it may be convenient to have the yacht engine still in use.

The yacht can be manoeuvred stern first towards the dinghy if space and skill permits.

If it's an emergency I would ditch the line from the yacht and then dispatch the dinghy to recover it while circling the bay.

I think a floating line is a bit moot. It's still a hazard to passing boats, and barely more visible. There's less risk of getting in your dinghy propeller, but only slightly. The more important thing is to attach fenders or other floats or even flashing lights or lightsticks, for visibility, depending on probability of traffic and proximity to shore.

Breaking strain of line is (for planning purposes) similar to anchoring, if you want to withstand severe weather. As with anchoring, you can easily use less if it's calm, moderate winds, and well sheltered.

Consider chafe ashore. A rock can mince through 18mm nylon in minutes, given a F6. A tree marginally better. Solutions could be chain, sacrificial webbing, or (best) securing a separate lashing under tension between two points to triangulate the line and minimise travel at the chafe points themselves.

 

[Iliade]

What I have done: Tie rope to boat, put rope bag** into dinghy, motor ashore and secure to rock*, return to mothership and adjust. If a rapid departure is needed, or when the crosswind is making the boat roll annoyingly, just buoy the end and cast off for later retrieval, or tie another length on and drop to seabed (what could possibly go wrong?)

Floating rope will be visible but will cause obstruction, whereas a sinking rope can be eased to let small craft pass over.

* Optimally use a sacrificial piece of rope or even chain for this as it may wear or jam.
** Flake rope into a rope bag or bucket lest you spend half your time sorting out tangles.

What I have also done: Wrap rope around rudder & sterngear while laying it out , so I now initially tie further forrard, when I remember...

In some places it is illegal to tie to trees. (Skandinavia?)

[edit: All three posts crossed]

 

[Roberto]

This can be a nice addition, I think it's called tree fork (?) it is used by arborists.
Only the sling is passed around the object ashore, the mooring rope leaves the boat, passes inside the two rings and goes back to the boat.
When leaving, the small plastic ball is tied with the lanyard to the end of the mooring rope which goes to the bigger ring, one begins pulling the standing part of the mooring rope, the free end of the rope comes out of the two rings freeing the fork sling, the plastic ball passes through the big ring but it's blocked by the smaller ring, allowing to recover everything onboard.
Much better than having to pull half length of the rope around the tree/rock/bollard whatever is used.

 

[Crisby]

We like to avoid quaysides for the peace and quiet………..!

 

[Refueler]

I prefer bow to shore .... that way - I can cast the anchor .... pay out the anchor rode as I gently motor fwd till bow nudges shore / pontoon ... secure anchor rode. Smartly to bow ... make line fast and make sure it comes through fairlead ... take end back to cockpit easing it as I go back so bow does not pay off ... I then put an easing turn round sheet winch and then start shortening anchor rode till bow is pulled just enough of shore .... make rode fast ... keeping bow line taut - I go back to bow and make it fast.

No dinghy ... all single handed ....

If you want to be stern to .... I have moored as above - bow to .... then using messenger lines transferred the bow and stern lines to
'opposite' ends and simply flipped boat round ... sounds hard - but actually easier than first imagined. You do need a clear diameter area round you of course ... if not - then its back the boat out till clear of others and then do the swap lines ...

I have never had to deploy a dinghy to Medi Moor ..... bow or stern to single or mob handed.

 

[jordanbasset]

I prefer bow to shore .... that way - I can cast the anchor .... pay out the anchor rode as I gently motor fwd till bow nudges shore / pontoon ... secure anchor rode. Smartly to bow ... make line fast and make sure it comes through fairlead ... take end back to cockpit easing it as I go back so bow does not pay off ... I then put an easing turn round sheet winch and then start shortening anchor rode till bow is pulled just enough of shore .... make rode fast ... keeping bow line taut - I go back to bow and make it fast.

No dinghy ... all single handed ....

If you want to be stern to .... I have moored as above - bow to .... then using messenger lines transferred the bow and stern lines to
'opposite' ends and simply flipped boat round ... sounds hard - but actually easier than first imagined. You do need a clear diameter area round you of course ... if not - then its back the boat out till clear of others and then do the swap lines ...

I have never had to deploy a dinghy to Medi Moor ..... bow or stern to single or mob handed.

But won't work if approach to shore is shallower than the boats draught, as it is in many places

 

[Refueler]

But won't work if approach to shore is shallower than the boats draught, as it is in many places

Fine ..... so be it ...

I sail in area that its unusual to have it shallow that you cannot bow to.

 

[jordanbasset]

Fine ..... so be it ...

I sail in area that its unusual to have it shallow that you cannot bow to.

Understand, for your area it works, but in many anchorages that wouldn't work

 

[BabaYaga]

This can be a nice addition, I think it's called tree fork (?) it is used by arborists.
Only the sling is passed around the object ashore, the mooring rope leaves the boat, passes inside the two rings and goes back to the boat.
When leaving, the small plastic ball is tied with the lanyard to the end of the mooring rope which goes to the bigger ring, one begins pulling the standing part of the mooring rope, the free end of the rope comes out of the two rings freeing the fork sling, the plastic ball passes through the big ring but it's blocked by the smaller ring, allowing to recover everything onboard.
Much better than having to pull half length of the rope around the tree/rock/bollard whatever is used.
View attachment 153195

Neat idea. I suppose it works best when tied to a tree or bollard, as I imagine the big ring could easily catch when pulled behind a rock.

Timber is a great chafe protector:

 

[NormanS]

On the very few occasions that I have done this, I rig it similarly to a Bahamian Moor. This means that the line from the shore is made fast to the anchor chain, which is then lowered so that the attachment point is down below keel level. The crucial advantage is that irrespective of the wind direction, the boat always lies head to wind.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We do it quite often. Our technique is to drop a stern anchor a suitable distance off, pay it out til the bow touches. I get off via the outrigger bow, my wife hands me the anchor, and I wade ashore. If I’m careful I can do that in my sailing boots without wet feet.

 

[Refueler]

For rocks ...... I use what a lot of Swedish boats use .... L shaped plates that slip into crevices / cracks in the rocks. The horizontal part of the L faces away from the boat with line attached. That way the line pulls the plate INTO the crack ...

 

[LadyInBed]

long line in dinghy, run to shore under outboard backwards paying out line, tie to a rock, return to boat in dinghy.

I prefer to do it the other way around. Anchor (Grapnel) and long line in dinghy, run to shore, seat the anchor then pay out line on the return to boat.

 

[Roberto]

I have very mixed feelings about lines ashore.
Tiny anchorages for example, four lines to four points ashore are ok, provided ropes/attachment points are sufficiently strong. Not very friendly towards other people but there are places where it's ok.
Anchor +shore lines along a stable wind direction (or light winds), I have no problems. Meltemi in Greece, trade winds, etc.
Anchor +shore line when there is a possibility of cross wind, for me no way. After having been taken by surprise a few times by night neverins (sudden violent squalls) in Croatia then Yugoslavia, try and hold a boat perpendicularly to a 40-50+ knots of wind and there is something that will break; fortunately we could let the shore line go and remain on the anchor alone, otherwise if the anchor drags it's the loss of the boat; really not ready to live that again.

 

[superboots]

Thanks so much for all the comments - plenty to think about. Roberto I like you tree fork gadget - is there a video showing it in operation? (only to be used on rocks!)

 

[Roberto]

Thanks so much for all the comments - plenty to think about. Roberto I like you tree fork gadget - is there a video showing it in operation? (only to be used on rocks!)

I just discovered it is also called "friction saver", one video among others
There is a lot of information about setting it etc, just look at the retrieval