Rafting etiquette

wonky

wonky

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 Jul 2009
Messages
301
Location
Poole Quay
Visit site
Ahoy Forum, just sat here on the visitors pontoon in beautiful Dartmouth and watching people raft up. Wondering what the etiquette is? I've only rafter once, in Jersey, with lots of help from the HM. I'm particularly interested in the leaving etiquette. What if you return to your boat and someone has rafted and gone ashore? How do you leave, or are you stuffed? (Single handed, I might add!)
 
wonky said:
Ahoy Forum, just sat here on the visitors pontoon in beautiful Dartmouth and watching people raft up. Wondering what the etiquette is? I've only rafter once, in Jersey, with lots of help from the HM. I'm particularly interested in the leaving etiquette. What if you return to your boat and someone has rafted and gone ashore? How do you leave, or are you stuffed? (Single handed, I might add!)
Click to expand...
When I have been in the sandwich, all it means is a bit of rope work to extricate the boat.
 
Enlist the help of other people in the raft or from nearby rafts, people will generally help if asked and if you are single handed you need someone to tie up the other boat after you have left.
 
This was on Tuesday, rafted up in the lock at the Barrage de la Rance in St Malo.
Carnage!

DSCN2272_zps77fdac64.jpg
 
Ended up rafted at a buoy @Dittisham and the guys that rafted against me were great fun. Invited me on board for a trip up the Dart to "the malsters arms" great pub, great company. Bring on the rafting! #iloveboating
 
Rafting can be fairly normal practice over here on busy weekends (ie Lough Derg, Lough Ree, etc). Two or three deep is not uncommon and can be strangely sociable as one gets to meet new folks. If there is no jetty or quay space you just put out fenders and tie alongside a similar height vessel. Most boats carry shore power splitter cables so up to three boats can share one pontoon socket as long as all three don't over do the load. We generally don't bother with shore power when rafted as boat can survive comfortably for 48hrs using batteries (ie fridge, inverter, phones and tablets, rarely tv). Usually skippers make arrangement if inside boats depart before outside, sometimes using power or just roping out depending on circumstances. On long pontoons without fingers stern in reduces the need for walking across boats. If rafted laterally the correct etiquette for crossing boats is to walk across the bow or forward sections where possible rather than across sterns or cockpit areas, affording more privacy to folks on board. It works very well with few misunderstandings or ruffled feathers. The odd selfish prat ties a tender alongside their boat as a sort of 'don't raft here gesture' but that won't cut any ice on a busy weekend in a busy harbour. In some busy locations we've often returned from a meal to find one or even two rafted outside us. If we are planning an early morning departure we usually move to the outside of the raft before retiring for the night.
 
If I am alongside a pontoon or outside someone with no one alongside me and I think some may raft. I will put a post it note saying what time I am leaving on the side window facing outwards.

If there are people already alongside me I will tell them what time I am leaving and discuss it with them and put a note up.

If in France and boats alongside me may be English or French I will put the note up in English and French and time in bst and cet.

At no time do I tie a dinghy alongside me to keep people away or refuse rafting alongside me unless the boat is unsafe due to being far bigger than my boat.

I quite like rafting its sociable and you get to meet people.
 
A `WET PAINT` sign can help - or try BEWARE OF THE PITBULL -or get an old trombone / bagpipes & leave them on deck when you go out !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top