Mooring!

andythefiddler

andythefiddler

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So, please don’t give me lots of abuse, but I can’t get mooring right.

Short of selling the boat!

I know I’ve not sailed for 18 months, that’s an no excuse in my book….

What are top tips for coming into a mooring finger?

Frustrated, angry and humble - help….

Andy
 
if your boat allows, slow and steady.
have fenders attached and at various heigjts
If it’s your permanent berth, have lines attached to the pontoon with loops in the ends to simply drop over cleats. I have mine held at guard rail height on the pontoon on home made rests.
 
Three booklets of PBO articles by John Goode and Dick Everitt, entitled 'Handling Under Power' , and 'Stress- Free Sailing' by Duncan Wells, will tell you all you need to know.

Also, a day out with a good instructor would help.
 
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I did a lot of sailing alone and berthing singlehanded. Used a midship cleat and I made up a mooring line with a large loop spliced into it, which was just the right length to stop the boat before hitting the pontoon. I would come in very slow, drop the loop over the cleat at the end of the pontoon and very gently motor forward, push the tiller over towards the pontoon and lash it over. Job done, the boat will stay there all day long. Giving you plenty of time to attach the rest of your lines before stopping the engine.
Use plenty fenders and you can even use the boat hook to help drop the loop over the cleat. I would use the same technique even when I had crew, nobody had to make the jump to the pontoon.
 
Post #6 ...

I am lucky that I have pontoon at bottom of garden - so I am berthing / unberthing various of my boats often .. so much so that its easy to forget how hard it is for newcomer to do.

I usually tell anyone who sails with me and wants to learn ... 1. Time is on your side and you take all the time you need. 2. Slowly and without stress approach with lines ready and laid over guardlines. 3. NEVER jump to quay or pontoon .. if you cannot step onto - then do it again.

On the subject of permanent lines on pontoons / berths ... most popular marinas allow guests to use vacant berths. So you may return to find your usual slot occupied.
It happened to my pal last week ... he went out for a daysail ... came back to find a German boat in his slot !!
 
This is all giving me food for thought.

I like the eye on a rope dropped over a cleat.

I have never liked crew jumping off, no go zone, boats can be repaired.

More thoughts still welcome.
 
What sort of boat? I'm happy to say how I do it (mostly!) on a 26' long-keeler, but that might be completely inappropriate for a 36' fin keeler with a bow thruster.
 
Does your stern slew to one side when you give a burst on reverse gear (prop kick), and does the direction of slew move the stern toward the side you moor to? If not, do you push the rudder over hard as you apply reverse to stop the boat, arriving gently sideways immediately before you touch?

Could you describe the method you are trying today?
 
Crew should definitely not be jumping anywhere, except toward the bar to buy the skipper a drink; step off the boat. As above; hire an instructor for half a day, or if you have a willing experienced friend who would volunteer, spend half a day practicing coming alongside until you are heartily sick of it.
 
Jissel didn't have a centre cleat, but she was only little, so a line around a stanchion did the job. On my new toy, an 8m Catalac with 6 tons of momentum, I'm less confident about the stanchions. However, I used that centre line as a Get it Ashore in a Hurry Line. Once that line's round a cleat, you can take your time about the rest. How you get it ashore is up to you - crew steps off, loop on the boat hook or whatever works. I once took got onto the pontoon by clambering over the stern because wind and tide were both being difficult. I have a Moorfast, but only ever found it useful where they have those pestilential rings rather than proper cleats.

Going into a finger, fender up both sides. If wind and tide are against you, better to get in slowly and lay alongside the other boat that try to keep speed on to keep her going straight. I've seen a few do that and be unable to stop as quickly as they expected.

Finally, always have a bailout plan, and don't be afraid to can it if it isn't working
 
Permanent lines are useful but a centre cleat on your boat and one on the pontoon too will help a lot. Finally if your not happy going on to your finger go onto one that's easier.
 
A supertanker is berthed very gently and that is what you should be doing. Try and work out where your centre of effort for your boat is as this is what you need to know as this is the course to steer into a berth. If you are in a tidal marina with any cross tide, use two fixed points e.g. masts, to check any sideway drift. Standing outboard as far as possible makes it easier to guage how far you are off the finger.

Having lines already on the pontoon is a big help. I have one line fitted loosely to both ends of the finger pontoon with two loops splced into it to drop onto the midship cleat and 2 breast ropes. Picking up the line with the two loops with a boat hook first is best as it will stop you travelling to far into the berth and then dropping back. Then pick up the stern breast rope, followed by the bow breast rope. I do all of this singlehanded and it is very easy.

When visiting a different marina to home, my trick is to use one line that is 3 times the length of the boat. It is marked in the middle. Each end is cleated at the bow and stern respectively and the middle marker is cleated on the midship cleat so it just in front of the cleat. So you have two big loops, one in front of the midhsip cleat and one aft. Each loop is a combined spring and breast rope. Loop each section along the lifelines to ensure it does not drop in the water. Come in to the berth very slowly (¼ knot) and step down (not jump) on to the pontoon finger and, if bows in first, take the aft loop and use it as a spring to brake the boat on the cleat at the end on the finger and then use the balance as a breast rope. Then walk forward and grab the forward loop and cleat it as a spring and then the balance as a breast rope. Job done in about a minute, so the boat should hardly have moved. You may need to adjust the exact position in the berth later. I have used this method for over 40 years and it works brilliantly in virtually all marinas. Having 4 separate lines I find is a right pain as you cannot hold a spring and breast rope easily whilst cleating one of them. This way you always have a spring and breast to hand.

It can be useful to have another line with a loop at the end which is run round the midship cleat and back to a winch as this can be dropped over the cleat on the end of the finger and used as a spring you can motor against on tickover -the boat will hold itself in position if the rudder is straight. This will allow you time to position your lines.

The only finger pontoons that are very difficult are the French ones which are short and only have a loop at the end. Then using a line with a small folding grapple anchor is the answer. Have this closed, but not locked, on the end of your line and drop it through the loop and stop it so the anchor opens and use as in the paragraph above.

Getting training is useful, but just practicing going into and out of a variety of berths, preferably mid week, will also give you plenty of confidence. So, practice, practice and practice. Do not forget trying reversing into a berth. Being prepared is the key to successful mooring anywhere.
 
Concerto said:
A supertanker is berthed very gently and that is what you should be doing.
Click to expand...
Whilst i agree with the supertanker part it does not always work for some boats as they can suffer from total lack of steerage below 3 knots or have huge freeboard and and the slightest puff has them off course.. Sometimes a boat needs a little speed to be able to have control..
But then we have some that will never get the hang of it and others that can do it with their eyes closed.
 
Rappey said:
Whilst i agree with the supertanker part it does not always work for some boats as they can suffer from total lack of steerage below 3 knots or have huge freeboard and and the slightest puff has them off course.. Sometimes a boat needs a little speed to be able to have control..
But then we have some that will never get the hang of it and others that can do it with their eyes closed.
Click to expand...
Using my mooring system is very easy in a strange berth. I remember about 6 years ago going in to Hamble Point Marina on a Wednesday. This massive floating boat park was deserted and I was allocated a berth very close to the main ramp. Passing down between 2 long pontoons, only one had anyone onboard. As I slowly passed, one of them got up and started walking along the pontoon towards the shore. He guessed which berth I was going into and stood ready to help. As I stepped down and braked Concerto using the aft loop and fitted the stern breast. Then walked forward and fitted the forward spring and breast, before he even moved. He said it was like watch a master class in berthing. He explained he had a Malo 37 and everytime he came in to berth, it was lots of forward and reverse, plus bow thruster. He could not believe I did not even use reverse. He wanted to know how I did it. Having told him about not rushing things and ensuring the position of the boat was most important in berthing, I then explained the rope system I used, he could see the massive benefits of the combined spring and breast rope having no loose ends. He said he was going to buy a long line and try it.
 
Another convert to midship cleat & pre-measured spring line (for home berth) here, what a revelation! Once the line is on leave engine in tickover forward & turn boat hard over away from the pontoon finger side. You then have all the time in the world to get your mooring lines on.
I also made sure I had a berth that allowed me to use the significant prop walk that my boat has to advantage when coming in to the berth. Plenty fenders, dock fender in case you miss and the bow nudges the pontoon.
Think it through before you do it based on the conditions on the day, do it all as slowly as conditions allow and above all else practise, practise, practise. I think most of us find it a bit nervewracking especially in an unfamiliar place, you are not alone...
 
Don't beat yourself up about it, its takes practice to get it right.

Go in with a plan, if it starts to deviate then back out and adjust plan.

As suggested a half day with a sailing instructor might well be just the ticket.
 
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