Mediterranean moorings

[Ant550lag]

Hi,

Question from a newbie. I'm chartering a Merry Fisher 855 (9m cabin cruiser with twin outboards) next Spring in Croatia. There will be a total of 2 adults on board, including myself. (I have recently passed my ICC and VHF qualifications)
Looking for some advice on best way to moor up on a med mooring, assuming there's no assistance on the quayside. The "normal" way I believe is to reverse in, but my concern with this particular boat is that the outboards are the things that protrude furthest on the stern of the boat, and I wouldn't want to risk crashing them into the quayside. Approaching bow first, might mean my crew person would be too high up to easily and safely jump down to the quayside?

Any guidance would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Anthony

 

[jfm]

Hi and welcome
You can go in either way and you won't crunch the outboards if you go in backwards with care. Loads of outboard boats go into berths backwards. Go super slow and mostly gliding in neutral with only very short moments in gear.

The decider will be how you get on/off the boat. If there is a gangway at back of boat, or stub swim platforms, so you can get off the boat over the stern, then go in backwards.

If you can't get off at the stern then you must come in forwards and get on/off the boat over the bow. Possibly with small step or step ladder

For sure the hire firm will know so you could ask them.

 

[Grubble]

You will probably find you are trying to squeeze your little boat in between two other moored boats, which gives you plenty of things to grab hold of and just move the boat by hand. If you need someone on the quay you can always drop your crew member off at the fuel berth and they can walk round to meet you and grab your lines.

 

[MapisM]

assuming there's no assistance on the quayside

Wrong assumption.
In most if not all Med marinas, after calling on the VHF they'll send a dock hand to pass you the bow line(s) and grab your stern lines.
Croatia is no exception, and btw there are several restaurants where you can berth FoC in their private dock, but also in that case someone will come along to show you where to park, and help with the lines.
Outboards are not a problem per se (just reverse slowly as already suggested), but I don't think you will have an hydraulic passerelle, because I believe it's impossible to fit one on that boat. So, I guess you will have just a manual gangway or a wooden plank.
Or nothing at all, which means that when mooring stern to dock you must secure the boat pretty close to the dock, to be able to go down through the small lateral swim platform.
I would be more concerned about that, because in some places you can have wash moving the boat, occasionally.
Which means that the boat should be secured at some distance from the dock - ask the locals!

Oh, and beware of the rip-off attitude in national parks, like Kornati and Telašćica… :ambivalence:

PS: welcome!

 

[Bouba]

By far the easiest way to get in is forward. Getting the pointy end in first means you’ll be able to part the boats either side of you if have a narrow berth. It’s also easier to manœuvre going forward. Scrambling over the front railings onto the dock is often easier than jumping a long distance. If the hire company provide a passerelle then come in stern first but it’s good to fender the outboards, a few scratches on the cowlings could be a claim against you. Most important is to have a great holiday no matter how you get off
Welcome to the forum

 

[DavidJ]

Agree with the above but I also remember how difficult a single engined boat, without a bow thruster (I assume you haven't got one) is to maneuver. Suggest as soon as you get within reaching distance of the boat next door to forget driving it but to walk it back with hands and poles.

 

[julians]

The majority of the outboard boats in the marinas I see in Majorca all go in bow first, so if I was chartering the boat that's how I'd do it, not withstanding any advice to the contrary the charter company give you when you arrive.

Having said that, All the charter boats in my marina are taken in and out of the berth by the charter operator and then handed over to the customer at the fuel quay. But these are mainly single day charters.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Looking at pictures of the 855, it seems that Jeanneau have already thought of this problem with the small bathing platform extensions on either side of the engines

You are right to be concerned about crunching the o/b engines on the quay but I dont think you will have any problem backing up to a quay close enough to allow your crew to jump off the stern. I dont know whether your 855 will have the starboard side door but that would be very convenient for the helmsman to reach out and grab hold of the boat next door to hold your boat steady whilst the sternlines are brought back on to the boat by your crew and the bow line brought forward

Mapism is right. Croatia is a superb cruising area. A few forumites have experience cruising in Croatia so if you let us know where you will be picking up the boat, we may be able to offer some advice on places to visit/restaurants to eat at. On the latter subject, Croatia has some restaurants on the offshore islands with their own quays at which you can moor foc providing you eat dinner. These are well worth seeking out and the food is usually good and fresh although dont expect cordon bleu. As for wine, Mapism and I have a difference of opinion here. I think its drinkable but he, being an Italian, thinks Croatian wine is bilge water

 

[MapisM]

Naah, I'm not that sophisticated.
I might even stretch to say that drinkable it is, sort of. When the only available alternative is water, anyway!

 

[Ant550lag]

Thanks for all the replies. There's some really useful advice there, and you seem like a very friendly and helpful bunch of people!

I think I'll ask the charter company's advice whether to go in bow or stern first. I didn't want to look like a complete idiot if this was obvious to anyone with any experience, but judging from your varied replies, it seems it isn't always obvious.

Deleted User, to answer your question, I'm picking the boat up in Trogir, for a week's charter and intend to visit the Dalmation islands, most probably Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and maybe Mljet, Lastovo, Vis, depending on how I get on.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Deleted User, to answer your question, I'm picking the boat up in Trogir, for a week's charter and intend to visit the Dalmation islands, most probably Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and maybe Mljet, Lastovo, Vis, depending on how I get on.

Doable but thats quite a full on itinerary for a week. The weather is generally very settled in summer but you must keep an eye on the forecast for a NE Bora wind which is probably the one weather event that is going to keep you in harbour

All of the islands you have listed are beautiful and worth visiting but I suppose the must do's are Hvar old town and Korcula old town. For Hvar old town you will be very lucky if you can get on the town quay so I would recommend that you head for Palmazana marina https://croatia.hr/en-GB/experiences/nautical/aci-marina-palmizana in the Pakleni islands opposite and take a water taxi across to Hvar. Being moored in Palmazana also gives you a chance to visit one of my favourite restaurants in the area http://www.zori.hr/ which is a short walk from the marina. Also in the Paklenis is another very nice restaurant https://www.antoniopatak.com/home but you will have to anchor to visit it

For Korcula old town you should moor in Korcula marina which is right next to the old town. Can't recommend any particular restaurants but there are loads to choose from but there is a fabulous bar on top of a castle turret which is a great place for a sundowner https://cocktail-bar-massimo.business.site/

For Mjlet, most cruisers tend to head for the national park at the NW end of the island and either anchor in the bay off Polace or stay on one of the restaurant moorings. We had a decent meal here once http://www.dbprof.com/ogigija/

In Lastovo there is only one place to go and that is here http://triton.hr/. I know Mapism will agree with that. Eat the lobster!

For Vis, park on the quay in the main harbour. An excellent restaurant is https://www.rokis.hr/ but it is inland and you will have to call them to pick you up from the harbour. Worth a visit for the lamb peka and to learn some of the cricketing history of the island!

For Brac we used to go regularly to the harbour of Milna at the W end of the island. No restaurant recommendations but check Tripadvisor

And just to throw one last possible destination in, Maslinica at the W end of Solta is a great spot and close to Trogir. This is a good restaurant there https://www.martinis-marchi.com/restaurant

 

[Ant550lag]

Thanks for all the suggestions Deleted User!

Also thanks for the caution about the Bora. I have 3 plans, short, medium and long, to give me options depending on the weather. The short one would only incorporate Hvar and Korcula, and I would do exactly as you've suggested, the marina at Korcula, and the marina at Palmazana.

Even the long plan wouldn't include Vis, Lastovo and Mljet, it would probably be only one of these. But thanks also for the suggestion of Maslinica.

I guess I should point out that I have visited Croatia before and we used the catamaran (Krilo Star) to island hop from Split, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet and finish at Dubrovnik. Obviously having you're own boat opens up many more possibilities and I can't wait to go back!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I guess I should point out that I have visited Croatia before and we used the catamaran (Krilo Star) to island hop from Split, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet and finish at Dubrovnik. Obviously having you're own boat opens up many more possibilities and I can't wait to go back!

Well you know the place then! I discovered how beautiful Croatia was from the seat of a motorbike during a tour with some friends. In fact the tour was so good, we did it again the following year! Anyway, as a result of those tours, I vowed to base my own boat in Croatia one day which quite by chance I managed to do a couple of years later when we bought a boat which was for sale in NE Italy. We then spent 4 yrs based in Marina Frapa just north of Split and enjoyed the experience hugely. There are a few downsides to basing a boat in Croatia but I wont go into them here but suffice to say that, although we've moved on to new cruising grounds recently, both my wife and I have very fond memories of Croatia and have promised ourselves that we will go cruising there again.

Btw we havent even discussed going north from Trogir where there are some other destinations worth visiting but it sounds like you have good plans anyway

 

[Tiger Rag]

Quick tip, not always possible but worth bearing in mind. If you can select a berth next to a boat that is already tied up go for that one but first prepare a short (no more than a couple of feet) midship line. Reverse into the berth and when you are a decent distance from the quay where the engines are safe (say 5-6 feet) then attach your midship line to the boat next door. Now you can relax and get organised taking the bowline forward getting stern line ashore etc.

This works well on even very large boats when leaving the dock. It allows you to drop the bowline(s) and make sure they sink and are out of the way (they dry out in the sun and can take a few seconds to sink fully) get your stern lines in and out of the water, then simply slip the midship line ( I have done this many times from the helm with a little planning when single handed) and then drive out.

 

[Ant550lag]

Thanks for the good advice Tiger Rag

 

[vodzurk]

Sounds like you'll have a fantastic trip!

About 2 years back, after passing our PBL2/ICC/VHF we rented out a Zodiac from Gari Transfer in Dubrovnik. Gotta say, everything about the day was fantastic, everybody was friendly, they picked us up from the Airbnb and dropped us back off. We weren't brave enough to go for a boat that didn't bounce back then (RIB vs hard hull), but it's one of the instances that convinced us to buy 2 months later . Lets see if you end up becoming an owner next year .

This might be an obvious one... but even though some areas look like you might be able to tie up ad-hoc to pop ashore... there might not be much water beneath. I guess with something like a Merry Fisher you'll be playing it safe and only using proper berths though.

Also, with so much of a gap between your learning and the holiday, maybe consider doing a refresher a couple of weeks before your trip, so you're confident right from the go.

You're gonna have the time of your life!

Here's a taster of ours...

 

[MapisM]

In Lastovo there is only one place to go and that is here http://triton.hr/. I know Mapism will agree with that. Eat the lobster!

Yup, below is the proof of my agreement!
That said, based on the suggestions from some old IT boating mates, this summer we gave also this other restaurant a try.
It's in the very same bay, at the southernmost bottom, and at least as good as Triton if not better, depending on each dish.
My updated recommendation would be for staying two nights and try both! :encouragement:

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yup, below is the proof of my agreement!
That said, based on the suggestions from some old IT boating mates, this summer we gave also this other restaurant a try.
It's in the very same bay, at the southernmost bottom, and at least as good as Triton if not better, depending on each dish.
My updated recommendation would be for staying two nights and try both! :encouragement:

Thanks another one to store in the memory banks!