Single handed marina mooring

ghostlymoron

ghostlymoron

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Now that I'm living it up in Pwllheli Marina, I need to learn new skills compared with my swinging mooring. What's the best way of leaving a finger pontoon single handed (and returning). My boat's a 20' bilge Keeler with outboard in a well so not exactly The Queen Mary.
 
At 20' the book will be overkill. If you need to spring off it be probably be too windy to go :-)

When leaving just pin youself to the finger with a central cleat so you can remove the other lines at your leisure and shove off

When you return do the same in reverse or lean over and attach a stern line if the pontoon is long enough and stick the boat in gear with the tiller over to hold you there.
 
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Chaktoura said:
At 20' the book will be overkill. If you need to spring off it be probably be too windy to go :-)

When leaving just pin youself to the finger with a central cleat so you can remove the other lines at your leisure and shove off

When you return do the same in reverse or lean over and attach a stern line and stick the boat in gear with the tiller over to hold you there.
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If the pontoon is long enough.

The pontoon I have my 24 footer on is cross tide and often cross wind so when returning it's easy is I'm being pushed onto the finger as I just have to get the boat into the berth, stop the boat with reverse then wait a few seconds. If it's off the berth that's trickier and I have to step off at the stern with bow and stern lines, put a few turns round the stern cleat quickly then walk forward pulling in the bow. With a small boat that's all possible. I find leaving the berth neatly a bit harder.
 
There is not going to be a one size fits all solution as the variables of your boat, it's engine, the berth, the tides and weather will all have their influence on the best method for your particular circumstance.

I'd echo the above, the Duncan Wells book is very good. For me, it's all about careful preparation... think it all through, stay calm and have everything (lines, mooring device, fenders etc) laid out well in advance. A plan 'B' is always a good idea. And remember, if it all goes horribly wrong, you won't have been the first :)
 
i use a boat hook to pull in to the finger then throw a looped line over the pontoon cleat from the cockpit.

you should realise that in my experience the success of this technique is hampered more by the number of spectators than by wind or wave.
with a significant crowd of three or more it can take several attempts by which time you will be dripping with sweat.

once successfully moored my solution to this phenomenon is to to quickly go below and batten the hatches for a couple of hours before scuttling off home. a tipple helps.
 
Chaktoura said:
At 20' the book will be overkill. If you need to spring off it be probably be too windy to go :-)
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My thoughts exactly - the book is great, but at that boat size I'd just stand on the pontoon, shove the boat in the right direction, hop on and thrust off. In light winds I do this with my 40 footer too :)
 
Also if you put fenders on the other side of the boat - at gunwale height if you do drift across to your neighbour it's no big deal and you can sort yourself out at leisure.

I sometimes find it easier to come in astern as that way there's less distance between me and the cleat for a stern line with a loop - - then in ahead she'll pin to the finger - - - going in astern also means the length of the finger is not so critical.

There's also a tip in Duncan Wells book for leaving using a long line inboard from the cockpit out over the side of the boat forward - round the forward pontoon cleat and back to the cockpit outside everything else - this line you gently motor against in astern. Take off all the other lines then when ready let go the long line (the outside end ) and pull it in as the boat moves out. I've used the technique a few times and find it works although you may have to modify for a particular boat.

It's good fun this marina lark - - we've all got it wrong one time or another.
 
best with your permanent berth to find a method that works and attach lines permanently to the pontoon and finger with eyes at the correct position for when the boat is moored. with a small boat like that there is no need to get off it, just reach over and pick up the key line, usually a spring as you pass. Once the boat is secure you can then pick up the others and open your beer without ever leaving the boat.

Departing you can reverse the procedure, but with a small boat like that there is merit in standing on the finger, pushing the boat so it is angled to leave and climb aboard.
 
Crowblack said:
There's also a tip in Duncan Wells book for leaving using a long line inboard from the cockpit out over the side of the boat forward - round the forward pontoon cleat and back to the cockpit outside everything else - this line you gently motor against in astern. Take off all the other lines then when ready let go the long line (the outside end ) and pull it in as the boat moves out. I've used the technique a few times and find it works although you may have to modify for a particular boat.
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I tried that for the first time this year and it works very well; especially if you have an engine like mine that's slow to pick up speed. As soon as you slip the line you're moving astern and there's no chance of the line getting round the propeller.

Crowblack said:
Good fun this marina lark - - we've all got it wrong one time or another.
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Never a dull moment, especially with a long keel and a BUKH :rolleyes:
 
I use a mid cleat spring line with a bit of flexible plastic pipe over the end to keep the loop open.
As you approach. drop / throw the loop over the pontoon end cleat, and use the tiller / engine / drift ( depending on conditions ) to let the spring bring you into the pontoon.
Then just step off and set bow and stern warps and your done.
Not my invention, I've got an article I can send you if you want?
 
I've started single hand sailing late last season to my pontoon berth and my first few trips were conducted with, ahem, varying degrees of success but the only damage I actually did, even with the boat diagonally across the mooring, was to my pride.

I now have it reasonably well figured out. Duncan Wells's book has been a great help. You may not need it on a 20 footer but there is lots of good stuff in it and I'd recommend it regardless.

Returning to my berth is quite difficult because the prevailing wind pushes me off the mooring and very little wind makes a big difference. Steep angle of approach and then a mid cleat line onto the pontoon as the boat comes to a stop. The boat is not stopped for long and will swing out across the mooring unless I am quick to motor against it as others have described. Have done this a fair few times now, both home and away, and it's worked really well except once when I caught a line round my foot!

The leaving trick using the line out the bow and then in at mid ships works really well, I have a line that I use only for this which I know is the right length.
 
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The problem comes when you want to berth on a typical French marina catway, with no cleats on it just a horizontal curved tube at the end! But Duncan Wells has an answer for that too - drop a grapnel into it :encouragement:
 
Single handing, a centre cleat is your friend. On short pontoons, once you throw your loop from the centre cleat over the pontoon cleat, you may need to motor against it to keep the bow in, if the wind is blowing you off, otherwise you might find the boat rotating about the end of the pontoon. As above to leave the pontoon.
 
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