Med berthing and related stuff

[Nick_H]

So the boat arrives in Toulon on Saturday or Sunday and I get on it, then what? Answers to the following questions much appreciated:

1. How do you berth stern to, do you secure the bow or stern ropes first? Is it obvious which lazy line to use, is it always port or stbd? Anyone care to give me an idiots guide.
2. Best web site for weather forecasts for South of France
3. Is there a generally accepted procedure for requesting a visitor berth
4. I've heard of certain restrictions on speed, waterskiing in some bays, etc., are these all written down somewhere?
5. Is it different enough from UK boating to warrant an instructor for a couple of days?
6. Any different etiqette when anchoring (someone mentioned hailing a diver to place your anchor!)
7. Whats the right number of blocks of ice to put in my G&T

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

[ QUOTE ]
So the boat arrives in Toulon on Saturday or Sunday and I get on it, then what? Answers to the following questions much appreciated:

1. How do you berth stern to, do you secure the bow or stern ropes first? Is it obvious which lazy line to use, is it always port or stbd? Anyone care to give me an idiots guide.

go stern to in the berth, if the berth has one rope for each side put a turn on the cleat then secure the bow, if the rope will be with a messenger line give the aft rope to the marina guys
tight the back first leaving some space and control from the flybridge till you have the bow secured

2. Best web site for weather forecasts for South of France
just check google

3. Is there a generally accepted procedure for requesting a visitor berth
Yep call the marina in it;s channel and request a berth for the night, try to be precise on the time you are spending in the marina

4. I've heard of certain restrictions on speed, waterskiing in some bays, etc., are these all written down somewhere?

I think it is not more then 5 knots close to the coast 200 metre, but may be different from place to place, ask the marina stuff usally they know all the rules in the surrounding area

5. Is it different enough from UK boating to warrant an instructor for a couple of days?
I don't know how good of a skip you are /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

6. Any different etiqette when anchoring (someone mentioned hailing a diver to place your anchor!)
LOL its a good idea, just be sure it's a safe distance especially with VAR winds, checking the anchor is always a good safety procedure whatever the place....

7. Whats the right number of blocks of ice to put in my G&T
LOL i take it without ICE /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

 

[LordJohn]

I can only answer 3 of your questions

3 in my experience which was one week with a skipper last June it was almost impossible to get a visitor berth which has put me off SoF boating

6 diver, no much too expensive and not necessary
7 3 good sized lumps

 

[captainalex]

I think it's debatable as to whether etiquette when anchoring exists in the South of France?
Imho you should pick it up quite quickly..with practice. Just try and avoid berthing in a Mistral!.

I havn't come accross many regs and speed limits down there, just the Bay of St Tropez and Cannes Lerins etc .. The Waterskiing regs around St Tropez are only really enforced in July and August. You're alright before 10 o clock and after 7pm.

 

[Nick_H]

[ QUOTE ]
in my experience which was one week with a skipper last June it was almost impossible to get a visitor berth which has put me off SoF boating

[/ QUOTE ]

Do the marinas make room if there's a storm on the way, or are you expected to ride it out at anchor somewhere?

 

[B175Chris]

In my experience there's a storm almost every night in July/August and lovely again in the day - not sure about the marina situation but make sure you have the covers firmly secured!

 

[thefatlady]

Things may have changed since I left the Nice area four years ago, but I found the best SoF weather forecasts were:

Channel 68 - continuous (yes, continuous) Italian forecast in English and Italian for 12 hours, 24 hours and the 48 hours outlook for all central Med sea areas from Greece to Balearics. You should be able to pick it up clearly in Toulon.

Channel 23 - continuous Monaco Radio forecast in French and English. There may be a station local to Toulon

They make UK Coastguard and radio forecasting seem amateurish.

As for the rest, it's easy and common sense. You'll soon get used to it. You don't need an instructor, but getting someone to show you the wrinkles of picking up and securing the laid lines at the bow could be useful, especially taking the hard work out of it by using your winch.

 

[B175Chris]

that reminds me , i find in all the french ports i visit, especially Port grimaud, they put the 2 day weather forecast up on the notice boards outside the capitaineries and around the town, has wind speed, pressure, wind direction etc, might be worth looking out for /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Sneds]

7) should read "combien de morceaux de glace dans un genièvre et un toniqueead?"


/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif : /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MaltaBob]

1. Berthing - agree withother suggestions.Usually we temporarily sort out the bow rope(s), then get the stern where it has to be and the set the bow lines.
2. Try www.windfinder.com for forecasts
3. VHF channel - see the book. Even if the weather iffy the French Marina's can be unfriendly, this has happened to me and others many times- for no reason?We all guessed it was the Jolly Roger, opps, sorry the flag.
4.If its significant there'll be a note in the book, other wise no prob's.
5. Not really necessary,
6. Mainly watch for wind and others getting too close.
7. Not too many!!! cubes that is.
8. Paperwork needs to be in 'apple pie' order
9. You'll have a GREAT time -enjoy!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Well I'll try to answer a few of those questions

1) We do it totally the opposite to Dreamtime. We back into the berth, attach both stern lines but with plenty of slack. The lazy lines sometime have berth numbers on them but if it's not obvious which is your lazy line, look at the boats on either side and try to work out which lazy lines are theirs. Anyway pick up the lazy line with a boathook and walk it forward trying not to let it drip mud onto your deck. Best to use crew gloves for this operation as the lazy lines can be crusted with sharp barnacles. Once you've got the lazy line to the foredeck, pull up the bow line and haul it in as tight as you can through a fairlead. This is best done with 2 peeps. Tip - you can wedge the bow line against the fairlead with your foot whilst you tie it on to the cleat. If you need to you can use the anchor winch to haul the bowline also. Then go back aft and haul in both stern lines. What you're trying to achieve is that both bow and stern lines are as taut as possible with the bathing platform positioned say 4 to 6ft off the quay. You certainly don't want to be closer especially if you're leaving the boat for a long period as any strong wind on the bow can blow the boat on to the quay. We aim to position our boat such that we can just step off the passarelle on to the quay when it is at max extension. You can also put 2 cross lines at the stern to take some strain off the stern lines and help position the boat. It is also advisable to get some metal spring or rubber type snubbers for the stern lines to stop them snatching. Make sure you've got some good quality fenders (5 or 6 each side for a 50 footer) and fender socks help protect your gelcoat

2) We use Weather Online for general weather info but I find Wind Guru more accurate for wind forecasts. But Med marinas are pretty good for posting forecasts. Also Navtex is a good idea. A word of warning though. We have experienced 2 completely unforecast gales in the Med and on both occasions we were lucky to be in a marina rather than at anchor. Generally speaking the wind and sea state seems to increase and decrease quicker than in the UK

3) Phone up the marina and ask to reserve a berth as far in advance as possible. Follow it up with a fax if possible. In France you'll have to speak a bit of French but in Spain you'll probably be able to use English

4) Never come across any particular restrictions on speed or watersports myself but you will find yellow buoys designating swimming areas in some bays and you should'nt anchor inside those. Also you may have to follow a designated fairway to get your tender on to the beach

5)No, an instructor is not necessary. It's easier than UK boating because there's no tide and the weather is better. You'll get used to reversing your boat and stern to mooring pretty quick

6) No, just drop your anchor where you fancy although some calas in the Balearics prohibit anchoring. Best to drop the anchor into sand rather than weed as the anchor will probably not bite thru the weed. As a rule of thumb, we use 3 x depth for daytime anchoring and 5 x for overnighting. Also, the bigger the anchor and the heavier the chain, the better for your peace of mind. I've upgraded both on my current boat. I find a Delta works better than a Bruce anchor in the Med but some peeps will argue all night about that

7) I favour 4 blocks of ice from our particular ice maker for a G & T but a warning on ice makers. We find they get a bit mouldy inside in the heat when they're switched off and we think we have had a dose or 2 of gippy tummy from our icemakers so we tend to make and discard 1 or 2 loads of ice before consuming it

From Toulon, go out to the Porquerolles islands, particularly Port Cros and go west to the calanques (sort of small fjords) towards Marseilles. Watch the weather though as the further west you go, the more the weather is influenced by the Golf de Lion and the mistral winds

 

[benjenbav]

On the subject of med berthing, I'm sure I've seen really big stuff (Mangusta 130 etc) dropping anchors in Portofino and reversing against them before fixing stern lines on the dock. Am I imagining this?

 

[Nick_H]

Thanks for the comprehensive advice Mike, and to all others who posted. We're actually going east from Toulon to Antibes, and have a berth there for at least 3 wks, hopefully two months. After that i don't know yet.

 

[MaltaBob]

Some of the 'old hands' at stern berthing are brilliant here in Malta and Italy. They make it look so easy! Down goes the anchor, slow astern to tie up. Job done! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

No, you're not imagining this. it's the traditional form of stern to Med mooring still used in many Med ports and the bigger the boat, the more likely it is to use an anchor forward rather than a bow line. I've been obliged to use it occasionally myself. You do have to put out a lot of chain, maybe 30-40m in my case in 3-4m of water but I am amazed how well it holds the boat. We once moored in Ibiza port with the bows to the anchor and the wind blew up to a F6-7 right on the bow and the boat hardly moved. The fun starts when everyone tries to leave and has to disentangle their chains from their neighbours'

 

[DavidJ]

[ QUOTE ]
On the subject of med berthing, I'm sure I've seen really big stuff (Mangusta 130 etc) dropping anchors in Portofino and reversing against them before fixing stern lines on the dock. Am I imagining this?

[/ QUOTE ]
No your not. I've been asked a couple of times to do this myself (on a 37 footer) One of these times was at Port Cuervo where we also paid a record 120 euros a night marina fee.
Huge risk of crossing anchor lines with this method

 

[Renegade_Master]

Can't add much to Mikes recommendations, just one point, you will probably have to come alongside onto the waiting pontoon when you arrive and show your papers, reg doc, passport insurance etc, before they show you to your berth.

At this point have them arrange for a Marinaro to meet you at berth to a) take the stern lines and b) show you which side the lazy line is.

 

[thefatlady]

Endorse Deleted User's comments on berthing, but would stress how much easier it is using a power winch to haul up the line. If you are going to be in one berth for a long time, it is useful to attach your own ropes to the laid line which are tailored for your boat.

 

[DavidJ]

Some great advice above. The tricky moment for me is when you are reversing in you have, at some point, to stop. At that point there are 'slime' lines hanging underwater. I have to prod the throttle forward to stop but run the danger of catching a line. Although I generally have a couple of ball fenders off the stern, at hopefully the right height, I don't like to rely on 'bouncing' off the quay.

Couple of other points buy 'Bloc Marine' from the chandlers. it gives all the information on marinas, safety, call up channels, telephone numbers for booking ahead etc and I think it is also a legal requirement.
For weather in the Med use the marina notice board but I find Navtex very good which you can also get on the internet
http://www.meteo.fr/marine/naviweb/bulletins/bulletin_MED_LARGE.html

As mentioned above weatheronline is very good

enjoy

 

[blueglass]

good advice here. Just returned from a month cruising this area ( which you will love!) Had no problem getting a berth in any marina, except St.Tropez which you couldn't get a canoe into. Most other places we just cruised in unannounced and moored at the Accueil pontoon or fuel berth if that was occupied, and reported to Capitainerie. Every where was friendly and helpful. marina prices very good compared to UK but admittedly this was June and some marinas don't class June as high season. e.g. Cannes was £19.50 for a 38 footer.
Some places not to miss - Cassis, Port Miou, The Porquerolles, Cannes, Port Grimeaud.