Pontoon berthing strategy

SteveGorst

SteveGorst

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Hi all, now that I have become super profficient at picking up swinging moorings I have been allocated a pontoon berth. I'm talking about the kind where the boats are in effect all "parked" one behind the other in a long line. Now I've got to learn some new skills. I don't want to start wiping out all the boats around me while I am on my learning curve so could anyone give me some advice to speed up the process and help me to be a good neighbour.

The difficulties with this particular berth are that both an eddy current and the prevailing westerlies are pushing me away from it. At least the fenders have an easy time. The main current does still run parallel to the direction of the pontoon though so my approach is conventional to start with. I have found that if I try to ferry glide in I get to within a metre or so and then the eddy current pushes me off again. I can force the bow up to the pontoon but this leaves the stern hanging out.

I wondered whether to just get the bow rope made to the right length to hook onto the bow cleat and then use a really long stern rope to pull the stern round to the pontoon. It may look a bit untidy and unprofessional but I think it should be effective. Once these two are attached I can then start on the springs.

Any comments?

Cheers
Steve

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>
 
Steve, maybe if your first shore line was a bow spring, you could use a little
gentle forward gear with the rudder hard over to bring the stern close to the pontoon.
Otherwise if you have managed to get a bow line and a long stern line on how
about putting your stern line on the sheet winch and winching the back in. Its
slower but less strain on your back.

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Put a spring on midships and attach it to a mooring ring aft of the boat. Motor gently ahead and put the tiller over towards the jetty. This will keep the stern in while your crew attaches the other lines. Make sure you have fenders placed appropriately.

John

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Try this...have a line ready from a central cleat or shrouds...take this ashore at the bow when you get the bow in, then shore persons takes this line back to somewhere behind where the middle of the boat will be and lslowly go ahead once the ropes secure, and use engine/rudder to swing the stern in, use the same method to leave, either pivot the bow out on a spring or the stern out ( depends on the shape of your boat on how well the springing off works, but try it usually the engine on tickover will give you enough swing unless the winds really blowing. Fenbders need to be well placed as the engine can squeze you in quite tight. Leave the engine ahead rudder over until the boats all tied up.

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Try this...have a line ready from a central cleat or shrouds...take this ashore at the bow when you get the bow in, then shore persons takes this line back to somewhere behind where the middle of the boat will be and lslowly go ahead once the ropes secure, and use engine/rudder to swing the stern in, use the same method to leave, either pivot the bow out on a spring or the stern out ( depends on the shape of your boat on how well the springing off works, but try it usually the engine on tickover will give you enough swing unless the winds really blowing. Fenbders need to be well placed as the engine can squeze you in quite tight. Leave the engine ahead rudder over until the boats all tied up.

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There's usually 2 of us but accasionally I take her out on my own. I wouldn't like to think that pontoon life will put an end to this :( but at the moment it seems a lot harder work.

Cheers
Steve

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>
 
Steve as everyone has descrided, a spring is the easiest trick. The longer the spring the better. Either from your bow to a cleat further aft on the pontoon or from your midships to a further aft cleat on the pontoon. Once the spring is made gently motor forwards, with the helm stearing the boat slightly away from the pontoon. This will tuck the stern in nicely. If once alongside you leave the boat in forwards with the helm still stearing away from the pontoon, it will sit there quite happil.y while the crew takes their time over the bow and stern lines.

To make your crews life even easier sert up the original spring as a lassoo, then he/she need not even step ashore until you have the boat completly alongside.

Have a go it works very well.


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Thanks all for the advice. It gives me something to think about and plan. We did intend to use the spring from amidships but there didn't seem to be enough room fore and aft of us to allow us to do much motoring forward. There is about 2m at each end. A spring from the bow may work better I hadn't thought of that. As you say we could lassoo it as we pass the centre mooring cleat and once attached the stern should tuck in nicely.

My crew will have to practice their lassoing skills on one of our local sheep....

Cheers
Steve

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>
 
If wind and tide are at 90 ° away from the berth in a tight spot I come in stern to wind and tide fenders both sides Steering to put the transom in the center of the berth initially.

Once the stern is made fast you can pull her into position using the bow and stern lines.Either by hand or with the sheet winches .
Look on the bright side,leaving the berth is going to be simple!

This wont work on all boats so experiment first.

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I've used this method to get 45 footers alongside pontoons on my own. You said that you can normally get within a metre or so.
If you have a pontoon cleat that is in the midships position and a ships cleat in about the same position.
What you need to do is make off a line around your cleat, then feed the end through a spinaker block and clip it to the toe rail leaving a nice big loop to throw over the pontoon cleat, then take the end of the line and pass it around your main winch.
When you come alongside simply throw the loop over the pontoon cleat and grab the line round the winch and walk from the cockpit forward. You will be suprised how much purchase you can get and the boat will move v.easily sideways onto the berth bringing both cleats together.

If you don't believe me try it on a nice quiet day?

Peter

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We thread a spring through the centre of our midships cleat, have one end with bowline loop and pass other end back to cockpit.
Boat (hopefully)goes in the right gap between fingers (although this would work alongside too)
Pam steps off at shrouds with said bowline loop and drops it over midships cleat on pontoon.
I grab armfuls and wrap round starboard primary.....pull or winch in depending on accuracy of helmsman/positioning and way on boat
Engine left in ahead slow and spring cleated off....the rest is done at leisure.....Pam passes stern line up from pontoon (we have permanent lines on the finger in the marina) - I make fast......same for bow lines.
Engine into neutral and springs relaid.
Works for us, irrespective of wind/tide (so far anyway!!!)
Good luck
Nick

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