Marina Paranoia

jcwads

jcwads

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So, servicing done, antifouling done and a few more things to finish before my T40 is up to where I want it to be.

I am now placed on my new permanent berth at Port Hamble. I have been at this marina now since July 2016 and it ticks all the boxes - close to the village, nice location, good amenities and it keeps my wife very happy. However... I have noticed something that is playing on my mind.

My last boat was 26ft and seated in its berth happily and out the way. My T40 is big (to me anyway) and sits on its berth sticking out at the bow a bit. I was down for a few days at the weekend and couldn't help notice several far too near misses from charter boats passing by. One catamaran had left about 1 inch as it fought the tide up the aisle.

It has just left me totally paranoid that given the rather entertaining tidal stream, my larger boat is well exposed to someone smashing into it at anytime!!! My berth is quite close to the end, near the river, which is great as it is out the way, and gives a nice view. However it seems it is at the mercy of those steaming in at god knows what speed fighting the current to get into the aisle.

Perhaps I am over thinking it, but I didnt like what I was watching, thats for sure!
 
Hmmm... I think the reality is that your boat is quite exposed... sorry! I've moored up as a visitor there many times and the Hamble is tricky with the tide running, add into the mix an inexperienced Skipper and they could well end up with your anchor fending them off. If someone whacking you is going to ruin your day, as it would mine, I would try and find a better mooring in the marina. You could fit CCTV to your boat, but although it would be useful to find someone who'd hit the boat, I'd rather it hadn't happened in the first place.
 
Friend of mine had same size Boat in a small marina in France.

He put large (very) day lo orange ball fender on the front. Not going to help stop damage but it does make it highly visible.

CCTV is now very cheap so a camera from helm could do no harm.

At the risk of the obvious can you ask to move berth. ?
 
It's definitely not paranoia. Our boat was hit twice last summer while moored, once in Ireland and then again in the UK. I wrote about it on here. No damage from the first incident where a yacht tangled up with our anchor, but a nasty chip in the gelcoat (now repaired) from the second incident. Recently two couples we know both wrote on their blogs about crunches. One couple watched a narrow boat hit a motor yacht in St. Katherine's Dock and the other couple suffered their gelcoat being scratched quite badly by a converted lifeboat which simply could not turn effectively in a confined space. In 2014 my wife and I watched a Rodman struggling to berth in a marina - I remember my wife saying, "He's going to hit that yacht!", and moments later his stern side-swiped the yacht with a tremendous bang. Marina accidents do happen and I have no idea how to stop them. I reckon boats are at more risk of damage in marinas than on the open sea. If our boat was in a berth where the risk of being hit seemed above average I would try to find somewhere else. If you decide to stay where you are would it be possible to berth bow-in? It might be easier to protect the stern with numerous fenders. Raked bows are very hard to protect.
 
The other way round, your bow can overhang the pontoon a bit, and the stern is less vulnerable and easier to fender up??


edit, ....I'm too slow off the mark....
 
It might be worth looking around the marina to see if any spare berths next to larger vessels in the marina whose pontoon overhangs might offer some degree of protection from charter yachts etc. You are right to be worried as a yacht opposite our berth was hit in the stern and suffered damage in just the scenario you fear. Our damage was limited to our round ball fender doing its job on our stern but melting in the process from an aging oyster owner who notwithstanding his fine yacht hadn't learnt to reverse as opposed to trying three point turns in the fairway .
 
Yeah sounds like you need to be on a longer pontoon. if boat sticking out just asking for one of them yachties to hit you.. im in Haslar Marina , i see loads of boats being hit all time.. even had a yacht hit my friends boat berthed next to me, anchor went straight through back canvas, ripped it all and cracked the fibreglass along back.. :nonchalance: Move to better pontoon, you pay enough :encouragement:
 
jcwads said:
So, servicing done, antifouling done and a few more things to finish before my T40 is up to where I want it to be.

I am now placed on my new permanent berth at Port Hamble. I have been at this marina now since July 2016 and it ticks all the boxes - close to the village, nice location, good amenities and it keeps my wife very happy. However... I have noticed something that is playing on my mind.

My last boat was 26ft and seated in its berth happily and out the way. My T40 is big (to me anyway) and sits on its berth sticking out at the bow a bit. I was down for a few days at the weekend and couldn't help notice several far too near misses from charter boats passing by. One catamaran had left about 1 inch as it fought the tide up the aisle.

It has just left me totally paranoid that given the rather entertaining tidal stream, my larger boat is well exposed to someone smashing into it at anytime!!! My berth is quite close to the end, near the river, which is great as it is out the way, and gives a nice view. However it seems it is at the mercy of those steaming in at god knows what speed fighting the current to get into the aisle.

Perhaps I am over thinking it, but I didnt like what I was watching, thats for sure!
Click to expand...

Port Hamble is easy because although the tidal stream is strong it’s very predictable. Unfortunately there are too many people who don’t test the tide before entering the fairway or letting their lines go and their only response when being swept sideways is to add speed. Sometimes they get away with it........
When teaching there I always make people go in and out at the peak of the ebb. I don’t let them stop until they can do it slowly.
I would say the risk of being hit there is quite high because of the “throttle will fix it” brigade. Though the closer you are to the bank the weaker the flow is - and you have fewer boats going by.
Once the marina twerp told me I couldn’t enter as the tide was too strong at it was dangerous. I apologise if you heard my response.
 
volvopaul said:
You haven’t mentioned your service aftercare package on Friday morning.
Click to expand...

Indeed! And what assistance it is to have an engineer on the other end of the line when your steering goes just outside of Newtown Creek!!!! Other than that she is running like a dream!
 
Bouba said:
Can you ask if the marina can put in a longer finger pontoon?
Click to expand...

I can certainly enquire. I beleive I am on a 40ft pontoon, but will check. I may take the advice that going bows in could be the solution for now and fend up the stern. I can then see how it goes!

Problem is, it is a really nice spot!
 
Got clobbered last year by a numpty in a yacht opposite. He denied all knowledge, but it's strange how the 2 scratches in the gelcoat and stripe exactly match the height and spacing of his anchor flukes. Grrrr
 
Port Hamble does have a lot of charter boats and the racing boys and I have seen a few accident there in the past, I filled up with fuel on Sunday and heard a crunch and a vague shout of "no damage skipper..." as a boat jettisoned out into the fairway in reverse with its bow horribly close to a smart looking Trader filling up behind me.. Port Hamble is a nice place, but you need to do something asap, don't wait until you come to your boat and it has been clobbered. But it is very hard when you have a nice berth.. I have just moved after almost 10 years being in the same location, still at Mercury but a few weeks ago it was the final straw as Tulana got covered with antifoul (again) when the guys were jet washing off a boat and the wind was in the wrong direction just after I had spent days polishing and cleaning for the new season.. so now in a different berth and guess what, I actually prefer it! So it is worth having a look around..
 
Elessar said:
Accidents happen. Lies are unforgivable. Sad when it is boatowner to boatowner.
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same thoughts when my car got damaged by another car in a car park, but the owner didn't have the courtesy to leave a note.......unfortunately, this is today's mentality we live in!!
 
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