Rafting Up

[misterg]

merecats

How apposite

Andy

 

[jonjo]

The skippers will have been on the boat all the time.

Ok, one mystery solved thankyou.

But it raises a follow on question about where the 40 event skippers come from. I doubt they are all on the monthly payroll so it must create a drain on the total Solent sea school freelance skipper pool.

 

[fireball]

40 skippers .... any idea how many ppl live in the portsmouth area, let alone the surrounding areas .... and then you've got potential into London and the wider area as well... 40 skippers won't dent it at all!

 

[snooks]

That would go down well with my SWMBO!

The only thing I would add is to stand off if the boat you are rafting up to has only just gone alongside themselves. Twice this year I have had boats trying to pass me lines before I have even got my own made off.

There's never anything in the oven! But it give a legitimate reason for her to leave what she's doing. I don't boss my girlfriend around and I certainly won't have anybody else doing it.

Re standing off: Saw a great one on Yarmouth, one boat was trying to raft onto another before the first crew had tied on! Surprisingly both boats moored at the same time and it went without a hitch, not summut I'd recommend tho

 

[curve]

Do you actually go into any other harbours other than Yarmouth?

 

[Poignard]

Do you actually go into any other harbours other than Yarmouth?

__________________________________

 

[snooks]

Do you actually go into any other harbours other than Yarmouth?

Same weekend

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Rafting can be a convivial rewarding element during cruising, one of the best days on my Brittany 2009 cruise was an evening invitation to join a French family in their saloon. This invite would not have happened if it were not for rafting

Absolutely!

We ended up rafted alongside a French boat last year in Normandy with two elderly and well weathered old boys on board, and during the evening, one opened a bottle of wine, invited us all over, and then got out his fiddle, which he could play with a fair degree of talent.... in the mean time, his partner recovered two fishing sets from below, handed 'em to my kids, and we had the most marvellous of evenings with them drinking several bottles, and with him 'instructing' the kids on how best to fish in full on Franglais.... all because we rafted alongside them... wouldn't miss that kind of chance occassion for all the tea in China...

 

[Achillesheel]

We (Achilles 24) arrived at Falmouth Yacht Haven a few weeks ago a few minutes ahead of a Bavaria 37. We were going into the last space on the pontoon when the Bav skipper asked if we would mind letting him in there, and we would be very welcome to raft up against him. So we did; he helped us with our lines, and even supplied a step for SWMBO (4'10" in her crocs) to get off the Bav onto the pontoon. They have stayed there for several weeks, and as the YH is a regular stop for us we have rafted up to them a couple of times since, and are made very welcome.

Very sociable, very civilised, and exactly how boating should be.

Incidentally, nobody tries to raft up against an Achilles 24, we are too small!

 

[fireball]

Ah - the small/large boat syndrome - we used to have a smaller boat and rarely got rafted on the outside, now we've got a Bav37 we're getting used to it - it's not a problem and yes, we have a step and grab line to make getting on and off easier (please don't pull on the stantions - they're like the keel - pull to hard and they'll fall off! ).
Rafting can provide quite a bit of entertainment too - the crew was amused when a school boat skipper crossed between us and the boat inshore to us ... well - nearly crossed and nearly ended up in the drink ... I was below in my bunk and on hearing the crash, listened for the splash - didn't hear one so went back to sleep!

 

[l'escargot]

...Incidentally, nobody tries to raft up against an Achilles 24, we are too small!

Don't go into Lymington - it is not unusual to see 35-40 footers trying to raft up on smaller boats. School boats seem to be the worst for it as well.

 

[Poignard]

(so often sporting blue ensigns, need one ask!).
PWG

_____________________________________________

Oh dear! Just when we getting along so well!

It was me sporting the blue ensign (undefaced as well).

Maybe they thought I had nicked it from a gentleman's yacht.

 

[fireball]

Oh yes - Lymington - we rafted against a 31'er so we were a few feet bigger, then a Sunsail came alongside us ..... I did think about the little boat for a few seconds, then decided as it was a Moody S31 it could probably withstand the onslaught! (so did the owner!)

 

[Goldie]

Exc

Joining a raft

• If there's someone on board I'll always ask if it's alright to come along side
• I'll hand them the shortest length of rope that we can comfortably moor up with (i.e. enough to get to the cleat, do a fig of 8 and still have a foot or two left over) or just tie bowlines in the end and ask them to drop them over their cleat if they are coming to help us in.
• I won't hand them a snake wedding and ask them to tie up our boat for us
• I'll use bow and stern springs, asking before boarding their boat if they are on deck.
• I'll only use a cleat to tie a rope onto, or ask if they are happy for me to use their winch.
• I'll never use their chainplates
• I'll put on shore lines (if possible), if there isn't a cleat visible I'll run a rope between two cleats and use that.
• If they offer to help pass shore lines across, I'll warn them that they smell of diesel and we are happy to do it ourselves, fortunately these rope they only see the light of day when I need a shore line
  
• I'll usually use all 4 cleats and/or winches on my boat so I can adjust each line independently from on board, and it stops anyone OXXXXXXXOXXOing their ropes on my cleats

When I cross I'll walk on the side of my feet so I'm not landing flat footed on a deck, I'll lower my weight down slowly and I won't twang the rigging, I'll cross as far forward as possible, and never step on a hatch.

Accepting a yacht

• I help accept lines, move fenders etc
• If anyone hand me a bundle of 200ft rope I'll make the end off with a bowline and politely suggest they take in the slack
• If I catch my girlfriend having to pull too hard or being told to adjust ropes by someone else for them, I'll take over from her and ask her to check on the oven. Then I'll make off the end and politely ask them to take their slack on board. I use having undersized cleats as a good reason - they are not, but it makes the neighbour think
• Once all tied up, and I'm happy with their lines, I'll have a chat
• I'll take my jib sheets to the bow cleats leaving the foredeck free from obstructions

Excellent ground-rules from Snooks; but if may, I'd just like to add:

- Ensure that no ropes are running in across unprotected wooden toe rails.

- On accepting a boat alongside, politely request that they DO NOT push on the guard rails (I'm fed up of having them bent).

- Invite crews to cross my foredeck as required, but in the expectation that, by and large, they cross as a crew and not in repeated dribs and drabs.

 

[Poignard]

A horrible thought has just struck me - some of these people might be serious!

No - couldn't be. Anyone with such a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder would be confined somewhere.

 

[Chris_Robb]

reply to Goldie


- Ensure that no ropes are running in across unprotected wooden toe rails.


Actually this is sometimes quite difficult, and I am always wary of coming along side a boat with Varnished toe rails - I know, I had them on my last boat! never again.

 

[Ubergeekian]

The solent just seems to be stuffed with too many people on some sort of mission. Mission to what I have no idea, but it invariably doesn't include good seamanship or basic manners!

Indeed. I would be quite happy to see some form of compulsory licensing on the Solent, as long as there were suitable mechanisms to stop licence holders going anywhere else.

 

[jason -and the arguenauts]

No-one has ever rafted outside me. Is it because I smell or something?

Really. I used to find with a cat that people rafted to me in preference to others. Seemed to see the boat as an enormous pontoon.