Need to confess.

More recently I was motoring down the winding channel from our mooring to the sea when a large mobo came the other way. I moved to the starboard side to pass him port-to-port and got a mouthful of abuse for no reason I could work out, maybe he was a drive on the left merchant. His chavette companion then gave me the benefit of her very extensive command of obscenities.

Surely if you were motoring down the channel to the sea You should have moved to the port side. The vessel motoring up the channel should have moved to the starboard side.
 
It doesn't work like that, your actions are gonna get forensically scrutinised now regardless :p :D

Anyone can cock up a manoeuvre, but I am a little puzzled why you wouldn't put fenders along the whole side in the first place, if expecting to raft up?

Pete

Just seemed obvious to me that we would both be pointy end in so only contact would be at bow. Twit.
 
Just seemed obvious to me that we would both be pointy end in so only contact would be at bow. Twit.

I suppose that would be the case if you both lashed your stemheads tightly to the buoy. On any reasonable length pendant, two boats on one buoy will lie parallel, as it seems you discovered :)

At risk of ruining next time's entertainment, do also remember to make sure that you end up with your mast either ahead or astern of your partner's, not side by side. I saw a textbook example of why this is important last summer, with one boat actually losing the upper section of their mast and the other limping carefully away with a slack cap-shroud, hoping the stick would stay up till they got to a rigger.

Pete
 
Just seemed obvious to me that we would both be pointy end in so only contact would be at bow. Twit.

They can be arranged like that, get the full 360 & you have a sunflower raft, however this one is arses in rather than out, easier when breaking up & leaving.

rafting%20ayc508279325.jpg
 
They can be arranged like that, get the full 360 & you have a sunflower raft, however this one is arses in rather than out, easier when breaking up & leaving.

rafting%20ayc508279325.jpg

:-)

Following evening, we put all fenders out when another boat was going to raft up to us - skipper said as came alongside (very good humouredly) 'did we look like we didn't know what we were doing'.
 
:-)

Following evening, we put all fenders out when another boat was going to raft up to us - skipper said as came alongside (very good humouredly) 'did we look like we didn't know what we were doing'.

It's a courtesy if the receiving boat puts a couple out, but for the arriving boat it is an obligation really. The best thing is to take their lines with one hand & offer them a beer with the other. Nothing will make people feel more welcome, even if they are teetotal & give you the beer back. Having the kettle on helps in the latter situation.
 
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Is rafting common up at Dittisham then? One of the roughest nights I've had on the boat was moored to a bouy there with a southerly gale blowing against the ebb tide. The sailing school Wayfarers were upside down on their moorings the next morning. Glad I wasn't rafted that night.
 
Surely if you were motoring down the channel to the sea You should have moved to the port side. The vessel motoring up the channel should have moved to the starboard side.

I'm still learning and I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this but if we did that on the Itchen I don't think it would end well. What am I missing?
 
I'm still learning and I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this but if we did that on the Itchen I don't think it would end well. What am I missing?

Me Neither!

Maybe the person who posted this thinks we drive boats on the same side as cars, oir maybe he drives his car on the other side of the road?:confused:
 
I assume that you mean the side marked by port hand buoys, but I have never heard of a waterway described thus. Most of us only refer to P & S in relation to vessels.
 
....and got a mouthful of abuse for no reason I could work out, maybe he was a drive on the left merchant. His chavette companion then gave me the benefit of her very extensive command of obscenities.


Probably someone you know....

Did they fly ( wear? ) a defaced blue ensign, by some mischance?
 
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