Marina Berthing... without the stress?

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corbu

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Guys

Does anyone have any tips on reducing stress levels (improving competence) on Marina finger pontoon berthing/ leaving?

I finally took up sailing two years ago after half thinking about it for nearly 40 years (growing up and living on the Clyde Coast) and I absolutely love it. We bought a lovely old 28 foot cobra 850 and have her on a swinging mooring on Fairlie.

I also thoroughly enjoyed doing my day skipper practical and yachtmaster theory and feel steady if slow improvement on all areas; except on my occasional forays into Largs or Portavadie Marina.

Reading a few books on boat handling, I think I understand the principles but on too many occasions I seem to have to rely on the kindness of others to either get in or out of marina berths. No crashes but plenty of embarrassment! My crew is typically two young teenage daughters. Sailing on and off the mooring is no problem, springing off fuel pontoons in F5's go like a dream but finger pontoons are giving me no end of grief! (Even my attempts at Mediterranean mooring in Croatia earlier in the summer went better.)

Is the answer to just practice, practice, practice?

Costal skipper practical coming up in a month so I really want to nail this.

(First post after two years of regular lurking, all tips or words of encouragement welcome!)

Cheers
 
You have answered your own question, yup practice practice & practice ;) I found that coming off a swing mooring was a daudle, but finger pontoons were a different story and always a group of people around. I found that the turning circle on my boat was very wide using the outboard, which caused some concerns at times. Though since the inboard has been rebuilt the handling is a lot better.
 
Always check what the wind and tide are doing before you start (look at the windexes on moored boats, and the water moving past the pontoons). Don't fall into the trap of assuming that what worked well in that place last time is still the right choice, if wind or tide are now different. Other than that, yes, just plenty of practice.

Pete
 
Thanks Guys, I suspect that I do need to practice more on my own boat. I got a good instructor when I first started and the practice attempts went very smoothly, also no issues on day skipper course. I was beginning to think I was a natural, experience since with my girls had firmly confirmed otherwise! I might head over to the Cumbrae pontoon for a bit of slightly easier practice this weekend before facing up to Largs next weekend.

On a specific point have you found slipping the lines from on board or a crew member 'walking' the boat out to work best with a small/ weak crew? (I have had varying results with both approaches.)
 
There are so many variables, wind, tide, width of alleyway, length of finger, direction of prop walk etc that it's difficult to give you a 'fix-all' BUT from our sailing days:

If you haven't got a central cleat, get one. With a spring line on that taken back along the pontoon finger, the engine still in gear and the helm held over to keep the boat alongside you will have all the time in the world to sort out other lines and your boat won't go anywhere. Useful to have an extra fender up at the bow.

We also used to use this for departure. Line on ready to slip, in gear, all other lines off , you can sit there indefinitely perhaps waiting for a lull in the wind.

Oh, and NEVER let your crew jump. If you can't get close enough keep trying. I've seen too many crew in the water.
 
corbu said:
Guys

Does anyone have any tips on reducing stress levels (improving competence) on Marina finger pontoon berthing/ leaving?

I finally took up sailing two years ago after half thinking about it for nearly 40 years (growing up and living on the Clyde Coast) and I absolutely love it. We bought a lovely old 28 foot cobra 850 and have her on a swinging mooring on Fairlie.

I also thoroughly enjoyed doing my day skipper practical and yachtmaster theory and feel steady if slow improvement on all areas; except on my occasional forays into Largs or Portavadie Marina.

Reading a few books on boat handling, I think I understand the principles but on too many occasions I seem to have to rely on the kindness of others to either get in or out of marina berths. No crashes but plenty of embarrassment! My crew is typically two young teenage daughters. Sailing on and off the mooring is no problem, springing off fuel pontoons in F5's go like a dream but finger pontoons are giving me no end of grief! (Even my attempts at Mediterranean mooring in Croatia earlier in the summer went better.)

Is the answer to just practice, practice, practice?

Costal skipper practical coming up in a month so I really want to nail this.

(First post after two years of regular lurking, all tips or words of encouragement welcome!)

Cheers
Click to expand...
Hi & welcome
it your own berth have fixed lines made up with eye splices on the pontoon, all ready to pick up with a boat hook upon arrival
 
Hello, 'corbu' and welcome....

The other guys have buttoned it, so I'd add only a comment on the benefits of a 'stabilised approach' - which is aviation-speak for 'established on the right approach line, at the minimum safe control speed, early....'
 
oldbilbo said:
I'd add only a comment on the benefits of a 'stabilised approach' - which is aviation-speak for 'established on the right approach line, at the minimum safe control speed, early....'
Click to expand...

That's a good point. I know what the "sight picture" for a good approach looks like in my boat, and I know that when the edge of the pontoon disappears under the gunwale (as seen from my usual position standing on the seats for a good view) it's time to round up, putting the person at the shrouds right next to the pontoon and ready to step down. Sometimes in a tight spot or strong wind/tide this might have to be modified, but it's useful to have a standardised base to start from.

Minimum speed good as well - your rudder will probably still work while going so slowly you're barely moving. Although in some wind conditions it's important not to go so slowly that the wind takes charge.

Don't expect your crew to wrestle the boat to a halt with the warps - use the engine for that. Although it's worth making sure they know how to take the strain on a warp if required - with the rope hooked round a cleat, not playing tug of war bending forward at the waist desperately hanging on.

That and more practice :)

Pete
 
+1 on the advice about fenders. If you have enough fenders correctly positioned on the disengaged side and go slowly enough then if you mess up it's just like rafting up.

If the conditions are windier than you're comfortable with (and it's when it is windy that you end up having to be a bit heavy handed with the throttle) don't feel the need to do what you're not comfortable with. Pick somewhere easier and move later. Deliberately go alongside the next boat. Or pick the opposite pontoon then warp the boat across.

If you're going to abort, abort early.

If you can find some empty pontoons (and there's lots of marinas have them these days), just practice & practice again.
 
LadyInBed said:
Rig both sides so you can go either side to.
Learn to use your centre cleat.
If you haven't got centre cleats, get them fitted.
Don't rush things.
Click to expand...

+1

Fenders and lines both sides, centre line to end cleat on pontoon and (as others have said) motor against it with opposite rudder. If very strong wind blowing you off, intentionally lay against the next boat and rope it over.
 
As others have said, practice, practice and more practice. If you can't persuade the crew to spend a whole afternoon going into and out of a pontoon berth, do it single handed. You don't actually have to leap ashore with the lines - just practice getting the boat close enough to the pontoon and slow enough that someone would be able to step onto the pontoon. You will also, by doing it this way, gets lot of practice of withdrawing from the pontoon without having docked. I've been sailing for 9 years now and still every now and then have to back out of my space and go around for a second try because I didn't end up close enough to the pontoon.

Also helps if you are able to approach a pontoon so that your prop walk brings the stern against the pontoon when you give that final burst of reverse to stop the boat.
 
Going alongside is usually easier than reversing out, if short handed it is easier to choose a finger you will be blown on to obviously. Getting steerage way on in reverse is best accomplished by large very short bursts of throttle so the prop walk is minimised (unless you want it), once the boat is going backwards without throttle she should respond to the rudder.
 
Last edited:
Another thought, re centre cleat to aft pontoon cleat.
If you use a line with a built in end loop, pass the end loop over the line to form a sliding noose, this is the end you put over the pontoon cleat, use a boat hook to place it over the pontoon cleat rather than try to lasso it.
If the rope hasn't got a loop in the end, make a large loop with a bowline.
Make off the rope to the centre cleat OXO style so it can be adjusted if necessary.
For smallish boats, if you don't have a centre cleat, you can make off to a shroud but not a stanchion!
 
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