Scandinavian moorings

[Jacket]

I'm shortly heading off to the Baltic for a couple of months sailing. Unfortunately, one of my crew has had to drop out, which means I'm going to be sailing single handed for a few weeks. I'm happy enough about this, except for the fact that I can't work out how to get into the scandinavian style marina berths single handed.

For those of you who havent seen these berths, you moor bows to a pontoon, with your stern either attached to a bouy or two wooden posts.

From the helm I can easily attach ropes to the stern bouy or posts, but how do I see how far of from the pontoon my bows are? And how do I keep them there long enough to get from the helm to the bows?

If anyone has any experience of this, or at least some bright ideas I'd love to hear them. Otherwise I feel I'm going to spend a lot of time with gelcoat filler repairing holes in the bow caused by hitting the pontoons.

 

[tcm]

single-handed, easiest for stern-to or bows to is to find somewhere alongside another boat, or even better between two boats. Use a short line to at least get attached to something (their cleats) and drop sternline over the buoy if calm, else, quickluy fwd for another line totheir fwd, and take or throw lines fwd. This also handily breaks the ice with new neighbours.

 

[joe17]

I have such a mooring. My solution is to rig a line permanently between the pontoon and one of the buoys at the rear. When coming in I get a line onto the second buoy and then pick up fixed line and pull in on that.

Obviously a fixed line wont be there on the first, and possibly only, time you visit.

 

[roger]

If there arent any other boats theres no problem - just come alongside and work from there. You may need to blow up the dinghy to get a line out to the buoy though.
Incidentally in Scandinavia you can buy a two foot long pipe with an openable hok at one end and a line loop on the other with a trigger for hoook release. It makes it much easier to pick up the stern buoy.
Oh yes do make sure you dont throw out a stern anchor if theres a notice saying dont do it.
A real sneaky mooring system is nose on as before but with the stern attached to a line thats between a submerged anchor behind the boat and the dock. Its usually very inconspicuous!!

 

[charles_reed]

I've had a similar problem single handing in the Med - fairly easy to do - pick up your after lines and nuzzle up to the pontoon until you can get ashore and attach the forrad warp. If you hang one of those large solid foam pads over the bows it saves the gelcoat. Only problem arises when you have a big swell running in the harbour, at which point I chicken out and anchor.