Single handed mooring - a disaster ?

[Guest]

As a beginner without any sailing friends (sad eh) can anyone give me any tips on single handed ways of tieing up to a berth, picking up a mooring, and dropping anchor ?

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[snowleopard]

ok, here\'s a few...

let's say you are coming alongside a pontoon port side to: tie a line to a midship cleat or failing that, the base of a stanchion and pass it outside the rails and back to the cockpit, tieing a loop in the end. come gently alongside postioning yourself alongside a cleat. reach over with hand or boathook depending on the size of your boat and drop a loop over the cleat. now put the tiller/whell hard-a-starboard and put the engine in gear, dead slow ahead. the boat is now held firmly against the pontoon while you walk round putting on head and stern lines. impresses the spectators no end.

for picking up a mooring, leat a line from the bow, outside the rails, back to the cockpit. steer to bring the buoy alongside the cockpit then reach over as before and slip the line through the ring on the buoy. put the engine out of gear and walk forward pulling on the end of the line until the buoy is a few feet from the bow then tie off. you may need to modify this depending on the type of buoy. the important thing is not to be running forward trying to grab the buoy before the bows drift too far away.

there are lots of ways of doing these manoevers but the ones i've described work pretty well. i'm sure others will have different solutions.



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[maris]

I usualy tie alongside a pontoon or other boat using a temporary single line from a mid-point. A springer cleat is ideal.
When tying to a mooring I run a rope from the bow roller ( outside the railings) to the cockpit, I can then thread it through tthe ring from the cockpit.
When anchoring I pick my spot, stop the boat, give it a gentle nudge astern go forward lower the anchor and slowly feed out the chain. Once you are sure the chain is clear of the anchor it can be fed out fairly quickly and made fast.

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[chriscallender]

Depends on the size of boat how feasible this is. I manage OK in most conditions in a 28 footer but would struggle if it gets windy (Force 6+). I did a lot of single handed sailing on a 21 foot boat before which is more like a big dinghy and quite easy to park alone in any conditions that you would want to go out in.

1) Anchoring. Prepare everything beforehand, get the chain/warp laid out neatly on the foredeck and cleated off. When you arrive at your chosen spot, turn into tide/wind (look at the direction any other boats are lying). When you come to a halt, nip onto the foredeck, lower the anchor and let the wind/tide drops you back. When all is laid out, go back to the cockpit, and dig in/test the set of the anchor by building up power astern whilst watching a transit to see if you are hooked. Lifting the anchor alone in a strong blow is often more challenging than dropping it (wind/gravity are against you in that case!).

2. Mooring buoy. Attach a line from the bow and run it back to the cockpit before you arrive. Come alongside the mooring buoy so that you can pick up the buoy from the cockpit, feed the line through it and drop it back into the water. Take the loose end of the line up to the bow, so that you have a loop from the bow to the mooring buoy and back to the bow, then pull the loop in. I could tell you a story about trying to moor up in Braye (Alderney) one windy night last September on my own but I might put you off! The mooring buoys there have no small pickup buoy attached to them and seem large enough to moor the QE2. But usually its not so hard. I've tried sailing onto them single handed and that is difficult!

3. Pontoon.... the hard one. Never try to do it alone with any tide behind you because you will be too slow to get everything done. If the marina assigns you a downtide berth tell them you can't/won't do it. If its calm, and lots of space then just motor up to the pontoon, step off with both the bow and the stern line and make them fast. If you have a centre cleat on your boat, then its possible to attach a line to this with a loop held open with some plastic hose on the other end. Then slip this loop over a cleat on the pontoon using boathook and motor gently forwards to pull yourself in. But in anthing like tricky conditions be prepared to ask for help, if you motor alongside the pontoon then there are usually people around who will take the lines for you and make them fast, especially if you are alone. People at marinas are often very helpful, and besides if it all goes wrong its better to have them involved than as spectators!!!

Good luck

Chris

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[phanakapan]

Thankyou for asking this question- I've wanted to know how to do this for a while now. I have had a go at mooring onto my finger pontoon using one long line attached bow and stern- long enough to make fast at both ends-(theory being if I dropped a bit it wouldn't be a disaster) and I also dropped the guardrails to make stepping off quicker and easier, which worked well-( I tied the fenders to stanchion bases) but it was pretty calm. On other occasions me and my partner practised pretending the other one wasn't there- using snowleopard's tip no 1 /chriscallender's tip no 3- but the wind was blowing us off the pontoon, our boat juts out the back of the pontoon , and it proved a bit tricky to time getting the boat in near enough, then going forward a bit to drop the loop over the cleat and back again in time to put the tiller over- and our bow still got blown off. Any suggestions? Few more revs forward?

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[paulrossall]

Important that you do all these manouvers as slowly as possible. It is time well spent if you can practice coming alongside an empty mooring. Practice makes perfect. It is vital you are well prepared with fenders and mooring lines standing ready. It is amazing how many fully crewed boats come to a pontoon or lock all poseing for the spectators and then the helmshan/owner panics when they realize boat is going much too fast and no-one has lines ready as all are thinking "what drink am I going to have at the bar?"

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[peterb]

If the wind is blowing you off the pontoon then (assuming that you are using a marina finger pontoon) it will be blowing you on to the opposite pontoon. Berth temporarily onto the downwind pontoon, then use your warps to pull the boat onto the pontoon you want.

If there's another boat already there, then, using plenty of fenders, first raft onto her. Better to arrive alongside her properly fendered and with intent than to arrive alongside without fenders and by accident!

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[phanakapan]

Thankyou! thats exactly what I suggested to my partner that we should do- I can't remember his reasons for not agreeing with me at the time. But as we're still quite new to the game, we are constantly saying "I suppose we could always try abc" and neither of us know if it's a good idea or not. I'll try being a bit more assertive when it's my turn to be skipper!



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[davidwf]

Best training I've ever had was to do a full days mooring in the marina with a local Sea School, we spent the entire day practiceing berthing until we were too knackerd to continue. It was suprisingly reasonably priced as I used my own boat.

For single handed berthing in my own berth I use a made up line from midship cleat that I can drop onto the end cleat on the pontoon and power against it.

After 30 years of sailing (Dinghys first 20 and yachts last 10) I still reckon its the hardest part of sailing.

My best tip is when it all goes pear shaped (and it will sooner or later) don't try to power out of trouble. Shut the throttle and let your boat settle where it wants fending it and others as it does so. Then sit back and think about how you are going to get the boat out of where its ended up. Its much kinder on your boat and the neighbours than swiping every boats stern in a run as you try to power out.

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[Myango]

I can't count the number of times I have been in a packed marina and a boat will come in at speed - usually with a shouting moron driving it. More noise, less control.
It is a small point but I think very useful to spend some time learning how your boat will behave in tight situations - particularly how she goes astern.
I have a long keeled boat which cants to port so I know I can make very tight turns to starboard or three point turns by bending into empty slots. You will get it wrong sometimes - who doesn't, but you can limit damage by doing everything at a snail's pace. If you have to hit something hit it gently.

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[Sybarite]

I would use N° 3 (pontoon mooring) method except there is no pontoon cleat, just a horizontal hoop at the end. I could try fishing with a metal hook at the end of a line but this would not be accurate.

I often thought that if the finger pontoons had a 5 foot pole at the end it would be a simple matter to drop a loop over it as you passed and then berthing would be child's play. This would also give you something to hold when there is a crosswind.

John

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[LadyInBed]

It's more or less all been said, but just a point on preperation.
If you are going onto a pontoon, always rig lines and fenders both sides so you are ready to go either side to.
Don't take the coiled line up to the bow, put it on the cleat and feed it back. Instead, flake the line out in the cockpit, then walk an end up to the bow, outside everything and feed the end in and onto the bow cleat.
The same goes for the stern lines. You are then left with the line ends in the cockpit ready to step ashore with.

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[steffen]

But....

My berth is head or stern on to the pontoon, no fingers, just two poles at the outside of the box, other boats on both sides (or not when gone). What now?
SWMBO used to jump backwards onto the pontoon, but since she jumped to early and into the water -thank God not onto the edge of the pontoon, could have been much worse- she is a bit scared of that action. So, basically i have to dock single handed in that situation.
Any advise on that???

Happy sailing, Steffen

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[jimi]

My major concern if single handed would be going through the lock .. any advice?

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[Peppermint]

Does the Hyth lock have floating cleats or stepped?

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[jimi]

unfortunately they're not floating, just lengths of rope from the top, and the occasional bit of vertical chain encased in plastic hose.

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[Peppermint]

Re: And

The advice regarding warps is sound in general and a mid point cleat is good to have. Though if you've got plenty of room a stern cleat can be used provided your hull shape isn't extremly narrow at the stern and that you place a fender a bit further back than normal.

In a tidal stream from ahead or with the engine running ahead the rudder can be used to hold the vessel at the desired angle to the jetty.

Think about reversing in to your berth if tide (and keel type) allows. This gives you a better view of the job in hand and you can hook up your sternline more easily.
The secret to backing in with control is to start reversing from much further away than you might think.

Use lots of fenders both sides because when it goes wrong single handed it takes longer to sort out.




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[qsiv]

Re: But....

I'd work it like we used to on our fore and aft trot moorings.

Leave lines attached to the poles, put light 'tails' on them back to the pontoon, maybe with schock cord to keep them tight. As you go in (astern or ahead), fish the lines out with boathook, drop over a friendly cleat. If lines are right length you should be able to leave engine ticking over gently holding you close to pontoon, against the lines, whilst you sort out the pontoon end (which could very well be part of the same continuous line).

We used this mechanism for years very succesfully. Not our system, but everyone seemed to use the same system.

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[LadyInBed]

Re: But....

If you string two reasonable size lines from the pontoon to each side post. Then string a 'running line', with a large snap shackle in the middle, across the berth and free running along the lines first described.

When you leave the berth, you slide the 'running line' back out to the poles, then when you return, attach the snap shackle to the bow. This will hold the nose centre so all your effort can be concentrated on retrieving the stern lines from the posts.

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[LadyInBed]

Depends a lot on whether the bottom end of the rope/chain is secured.
If they are, tie a loop in the bitter end of your stern line, then as you pass the aft vertical slip your stern line behind it and drop the loop over your winch or onto a centre cleat if you have one. Make your way forward and when you reach the forward vertical, loop your bow line round it and make it off.
Adjustment of the length of the stern line will arrest the boats progress just as your bow reaches the forward vertical.

Failing that, wait for another boat to go in first, then tie up along side him/forums/images/icons/cool.gif//forums/images/icons/blush.gif.

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