Mooring Posts

[petedg]

Any advice on the best procedure for mooring between stern posts, bow to the shore? These are typical in Baltic marinas. Only two people only on board.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[snowleopard]

It depends whether you are prepared to climb over the pulpit to get ashore for the sake of extra privacy and/or ease of berthing. It's a little trickier to reverse in (unless you have a long keeler in which case it's a lot trickier) but a lot more convenient while you're there.

With only 2 of you on board it's probably easiest for the crew to drop a loop over the outer pile on one side from amidships as you pass, cleat it then walk to the stern to put on a line to the quay or inner pile. To pick up the second outer pile you have 4 options -

• Lasso it as you would a buoy by throwing two coils.
• Leave slack in the other lines and use wind, bow thruster or engine to move the boat within reach of the other pile.
• Use the dinghy.
• Get outside help.

 

[Icarus39]

We used to be very dubious and cautious going in to pile moorings. By watching the locals and now we have much more experience, the following works for us -

- much easier to go bow in (unless there is little wind and you can have a good run astern to get speed on, line up, etc). For sure go bow in when there is any kind of breeze
- important - have all your fenders on deck ready to throw over. Don't have them over the side. If you get too close to one post your fenders will catch causing you to either have to stop or risk ripping your guard wire off. Drop the leeward fenders over once they are inside the 'box'
- have your mooring lines all ready. Have 2 bow lines ready on the bow. Have your stern lines cleated off and run to mid ships.
- have a good speed on when you enter between the piles so you don't get blown on to the piles.
- as the beam passes the windward pile, throw it over the pile and pass back to the cockpit (usually me on the helm
- as the bow approaches the pontoon give a good blast astern and tighten up the stern line you have
- person at bow jumps off and secures the windward bow line
- Job done, you can now pull the boat about and put on the other stern line / use a boat hook, etc

Sounds like a lot, but pretty simple and effcient once you have done it a couple of times. The key points are decent speed (be brave !), fenders on deck until past the posts and have a windward line as minimum ready at the beam.

Good luck