Med mooring

[Mike k]

just been to Antibes, Nice ,Cannes Monaco- why do boats moor stern in and anchors out front? Would have thought with the money down there that pontoons would be a nailed on certainty.

 

[jrudge]

The front is a bow line secured to a large chain on the bottom of the marina no an anchor.

Pontoons cost and take up mooring space and are not needed in the med as it is not tidal.

Med mooring is simpler than pontoons in any event. It’s always the same with no faf of springs , fender heights etc

 

[Mike k]

The front is a bow line secured to a large chain on the bottom of the marina no an anchor.

Pontoons cost and take up mooring space and are not needed in the med as it is not tidal.

Med mooring is simpler than pontoons in any event. It’s always the same with no faf of springs , fender heights etc

Thanks so its a pick up buoy arrangement? Fendering looked a major issue to me between boats.

 

[petem]

I thought I was going to hate Med mooring (St Carles is UK pontoon style) but in reality it's OK.

In Hythe, we had a neighbour with a wooden sailing yacht who used to stand on the bow staring at us whist we moored the boat. He didn't have a single fender out to protect his boat and I have no doubt that the slightest touch would have resulted in a phone call to the marina and his insurers. What a dick.

In the Med, it seems that touching your neighbours boat is a fact of life and with fenders set at the correct height no damage is caused. So providing you manage to get your stern in then you're home and dry.

Here's a photo of us in our berth...

 

[julians]

Thanks so its a pick up buoy arrangement? Fendering looked a major issue to me between boats.

The front line is usually attached to the concrete quay, so you reverse in, put the stern lines on, then pick up the front line from the quay and walk it down to the front,pull it tight and tie it on a cleat. On the home mooring most people have a permanent loop in the front and rear lines at the correct length to save faffing around getting the length correct and tieing onto the cleat correctly. With a permanent loop you Just put the loop over/through the cleats and your done.

Touching the neighbours boat on the way in/out is a given on smaller boats at least, the spaces are too tight to not touch, no big deal, fenders roll along the boat allowing it to happen without damage.

You do need to be correctly fendered ,but that's not hard to figure out.

 

[petem]

Also, with posher marinas if you call them when your coming back into the marina they will head to your berth and take your lines, fender off, etc. Some even send a rib round to give you a push if you get it wrong!

 

[Mike k]

The front line is usually attached to the concrete quay, so you reverse in, put the stern lines on, then pick up the front line from the quay and walk it down to the front,pull it tight and tie it on a cleat. On the home mooring most people have a permanent loop in the front and rear lines at the correct length to save faffing around getting the length correct and tieing onto the cleat correctly. With a permanent loop you Just put the loop over/through the cleats and your done.

Touching the neighbours boat on the way in/out is a given on smaller boats at least, the spaces are too tight to not touch, no big deal, fenders roll along the boat allowing it to happen without damage.

You do need to be correctly fendered ,but that's not hard to figure out.

thank you for the explanation- I wondered how it worked. It does looks all very tight though especially as parts we went to were a bit windy.

 

[Mike k]

Also, with posher marinas if you call them when your coming back into the marina they will head to your berth and take your lines, fender off, etc. Some even send a rib round to give you a push if you get it wrong!

cant be bad - spose that gives extra time in the casino

 

[Portofino]

Most of the marinas were purpose built in the Cote d Azur in the later 60 ,s early 70 ,s - for the then typical boat size .They have benefitted from the growth of tourism .

Beauty of stern too is it’s very easy and nowadays quick to re adjust the beam ( usually upwards ) as boats over the various decades have evolved .
Some where extensions of existing small fishing ports ,St Tropez being a good example , most the maritime eq of green fields sites .

As said by J Rudge there’s no tide to be bothered about and most Med boats have always had some sort of functional bathing platform so it was with smaller boats easy to just to step on/ off from the stern .
As size evolved then the Passerelle was invented .
Initially a fixed bridge , then hydraulic a whole industry developed.

Functionally I think it’s very clever as the rub rails normally are about the same height as next door ,so as the name suggests it’s rubs .This has got to be better than fendering on your gel coat sides lower down ?

The bow line are trailed to the quay ,they sink when released .You pick them up with a boat hook and lead to the bow .

Big boats have two .So when all 4 lines ,the sterns and two bow it’s pretty solid if tight .
How ever having said that there’s always someone who leaves them slack .In a blow there boat will move about more than the rest often skewing the boat sideways , pressing on a neighbouring boats .Or if the wind is on the bow ,pushing this loose boat into the quay .= gel coat chips .

View attachment 73912
Here highlighted with green lolypops are the bow lines trailed to the quay .

View attachment 73913
And there’s the other end .It looks like two lines but it’s one , up from the quay to the bollard , pulled tight with the chain .Then is just left dangling - that leads back to the quay .

The berths are rented or purchased based on beam .Sometimes some marinas are flexible with L if your boat fits .
They demand something like a 20 cm allowance for fenders .Remember neighbours too .
Eg a 5 M berths will be able to take a 4.6 M boat .Marina operators are quite particular on this for obvious reasons . You can’t fit your 5M beam boat in .

Over the years as lessure boats have increased ( still doing it btw ) in size then what’s happened is this .
Every now and agian they reconfigure.
So when someone leaves re rearrange the bollards ( easy with rack n rail ) and absorb the width .
There’s usual financial consequences for the remaining berth holders as they have more beam now .
So fast forwarding the net number is decreasing as the boats are getting bigger .
This over the decades along with increase of affluence in the EU has lead to a supply / demand - price inflation.More so in popular places like where you have just been .

Fr Gov owns the coast , leases of various types were issued in the 60/70:,s .These like any lease have an end date ,those dates are starting to come up , some now very short .
Antibes 2021/2022? Or something??

Ours is up in 2019 ,now the longest on the CdA we managed to negotiate two 5 y extensions recently and I understand there’s a cunning plan for another- !
We are all share holders in our Co .Shares based on sq M of water the berth is .
So we can get involved AGM ,s suggest hire / fire etc , see the accounts etc.
They are all managed slightly differently no two marinas are the same .

The only common denominator is the Med mooring style .
Seems to work

Long rental contracts are hard to come by , so here in the CdA factoring where you are keep it is imho 1/2 the work / thought process , choosing the boat is the easy part of the equation.

 

[Portofino]

Double post deleted

 

[Paul_S123]

Coming from pontoons in Scotland, I thought i would hate it, but it's actually not bad at all.

Here is a great how to explanation.

 

[petem]

I watched that video before we moved from SCM, very helpful (and the bit with the shopping trolley is v funny too)!

I did however get caught out as I didn't realise that there were two ground lines that were both attached to a single lazy line. I think the Marineros thought I was simple or something.

 

[markc]

I did however get caught out as I didn't realise that there were two ground lines that were both attached to a single lazy line. I think the Marineros thought I was simple or something.

I think that depends on the marina. At our home berth the port and stbd lazy lines link to the same bow chain, albeit with 2 lines making a bridle, however in Antibes when we visited a few weeks ago the port and stbd lazy lines appeared to be attached to seperate port and stbd bow lines

 

[Mike k]

thanks very much for posting the replies, pics and video all most helpful- I understand it now.

 

[petem]

Can someone confirm the correct names for the lines?

Is the lazy line the section of lighter rope that goes from the quay to the main line that's attached to the chain? If so, what's the correct name for the thicker line that you tie off to your cleat?

Also, is there a rule of thumb for when you should use fairleads as opposed to trying the line directly to your forward cleats?

 

[Bouba]

I call it a ‘slime line’ and it leads to a rope or a chain

 

[MapisM]

what's the correct name for the thicker line that you tie off to your cleat?

Also, is there a rule of thumb for when you should use fairleads as opposed to trying the line directly to your forward cleats?

I heard folks calling it either "bow" or "ground" line.
But if you happen to be in IT, you can safely call it "trappa".

Ref your second question, it depends on the boat.
If cleats and fairleads are properly designed/positioned, I see no reason for not routing the trappa rolleyes through the fairleads.

 

[MapisM]

why do boats moor stern in and anchors out front?

Wrong question. The right one is, "why not"?
And the answer usually is "because you only can in non-tidal seas". :encouragement:
In fact, in the N Adriatic, which is indeed tidal (even if not as much as you are used to, of course), the mooring technique is different.

 

[jrudge]

Can someone confirm the correct names for the lines?

Is the lazy line the section of lighter rope that goes from the quay to the main line that's attached to the chain? If so, what's the correct name for the thicker line that you tie off to your cleat?

Also, is there a rule of thumb for when you should use fairleads as opposed to trying the line directly to your forward cleats?

Unless the line is too thick I always use the fairlead. Given the lines always goes forwards I am not sure there would be any other reason not to use it.

Bear in mind if it is thick it is probably long and defiantly heavy so put it on the winch !

 

[petem]

Bear in mind if it is thick it is probably long and defiantly heavy so put it on the winch !

What winch?!