Passerelles & pulpit ladders

Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

We use a boarding ladder on the bows, which hooks onto the anchor. Made by Max at Inox Almerimar. It is small and easy to stow. We prefer the privacy we gain to the option of a paserelle.
Wouldn't be without the bimini - ours is in two parts, one which covers the helm and can be used when sailing, the extension zips on to provide more shade when at anchor or in a marina as it almost meets the spray hood. Has seen some pretty strong winds and stood up to them. Made by CJ Textiles.
 
Apparently I didnt make a sound, (other than the splash), even when climbing back aboard.

I think I would have been cursing myself for being a bloody idiot!

I was last ime I fell in. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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I think I would have been cursing myself for being a bloody idiot!

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Those were the very words which haunted me for days after /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

No one was hurt and it gave us something to laugh about - Janet is delighting in telling all our friends about it ..... and I'm sure she isnt telling the whole story, where she rolled over to doze off again, and laughed like a drain when she saw me.
 
Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

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Ultimately I was forced to lower my chain, resulting in my transom colliding with the quay.

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I know we are wise after the event, but would using the engine in ahead have kept you off the quay ..... I'm quite confident that my ropes would take up to 2000 revs without difficulty. Add the dinghy as a fender, and the job could be a good 'un?
 
Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

That's what I should have done, although how effective that would have been with about 10 tons of boat leaning on me in 25 knots of wind I don't know. We had a large fender on the transom but it wasn't large enough to protect the whole lot. We were the last boat on the quay, so nobody else to lean on.

In my defence I will say that it was a particularly difficult moment. The offending boat had tripped two anchors upwind of us, so my wife was trying to fend off the two mobos that had been held by them. The skipper of the Greek boat was clueless, his passarelle was making mincemeat of my furled genoa, his dinghy on davits was almost on my deck and I just wanted him off! Fortunately the damage was not too bad.
 
Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

I had the same thing happening in Marmaris, a cross wind and a boat double our size (42ft) on our side began dragging its two anchors

He begun pulling and pulling with the windlasses on the anchors /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif (I think it is the only time I made a comment on someone else's boat handling), until 25m of steel boat came upon us, our transom was going crunch crunch on the quay, our bow anchor was being pulled by its bow leaning upon us
he eventually went away, waving hands with an ironical smile (and raised middle finger, to tell the whole story) when we indicated we had half the transom broken and some water coming inside
By chance the port captain wasn't too far, he called the army patrol boat and they eventually obliged the big boat to anchor nearby and captain to come ashore to... discuss what had happened, and a colourful discussion it was /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

"In my defence"

No need to say that. You were in a particularly unpleasant situation in a smaller boat with lots of high forces around and a big risk of injury. Much better to accept a bit of boat damage to relieve the pressures quickly. Boats mend quickly without after effects. People are soft . . . and break very easily.
 
Re: As if by magic - Affinite II!

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"In my defence"

No need to say that.

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Agreed - It's one of those times when you do what you do instinctively.

With the benefit of hindsight, you can add something to your solution next time a similar thing happens.
 
Ours is 195 x 21 x 4 cm. This is slightly too short and slightly narrow so intend replacing it at the beginning of next year. It is useful to drill the holes to match the spacing of the stanchions where it will be attached to the boat.
 
Re: Passerelles & pulpit ladders

Lots of boats use planks with cross pieces but the disadvantage of a plank is that you cannot raise it. This means there is always a risk of rats, cockcroaches etc getting on board. You should therefore always pull it ashore or on board rather than leave it in place when it is not beign used.

I would go for a passerelle. Don't know about western Med but they are cheaper in Greece than UK.

Same for a bimini. Get a recommendation for someone who makes them and you'll get one very cheaply here.
 
Re: Passerelles & pulpit ladders

I intend to have the outer end on a halyard with the inner end hinged. That way, it can be raised, drawbridge style, at night or when not being used.

An earlier post told of a bridle on the outer end with a crosspiece above head height to keep the two sides of the bridle apart. Sounded like a very good idea.
 
Thickness - I guess ours is about 3cm thick. We don't have non-slip as such, but we ended up doing our best to make it look like a piece of teak decking - it behaves like it too.

Most of the time we can contrive to have it set pretty much level, so non-slip isn't too much of an issue. Suspended like it is, the end is usually a foot or so off (above) the dock, so little furry invaders isn't an issue either, and we can raise it like a drawbridge when we want...
 
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Suspended like it is, the end is usually a foot or so off (above) the dock, so little furry invaders isn't an issue either, and we can raise it like a drawbridge when we want...

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Do you have a picture? I need to make something like this and there's no point in reinventing the wheel.

Cheers

Richard
 
This was Grehan's arrangement when we were in the Med.
We always moor bows-to a) because we prefer the privacy b) because we have a dinghy in the davits on the stern and c) because Grehan's a bit choosy about going back'ards.
We bought the cheapest shortest aluminium ladder from a travelling brico lorry in France and added 3 groovy decking planks to it. We can then always unlash the planks and use the ladder for something else.
passarelle.jpg

Across the bows is a short metal hollow fence post (again, sold for not much in a brico warehouse) lashed down to the cleats and projecting out past the pulpit (which is bent, I know - that's why the pic got taken). The ladder is lashed to the projecting bit so that it rotates without hitting anything. The quayside end has a couple of cheapy nylon roller wheels on it, so it don't squeak. Well that's the theory. Partially successful. A halliard lifts it up off the quay and it's very easy to simply cleat off up, or wind a few turns around the quay end to raise it up when one goes off somewhere.
However lots of people use a bungy line with a halliard so the passarelle is normally lifted off, except when someone steps on it.
Because its outside the pulpit rail-work one can hold on 'alongside' whilst negotiating most of its length. And one steps on the boat past all that pointy stuff clutter right up front.
It worked very well for us, and much much cheaper than some of the stainless steel artwork one sees around.
 
My arrangment was identical, except the plank was plain wood, used either astern or in the bow, and supported by strong bunjees leading up to a spreader bar which attached to a halyard.

The deck attachment hinge was just a couple of rope lashings, and since the shore end was only in contact when it was being used, didn't bother with castors or anything like that.
 
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