Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
From my very limited experience Northern ( Baltic) moorings are very steep to and with a makeshift passerelle should be possible particularly if to a pontoon. Of course it won’t always be the case.
UK vs Baltic anchoring
- Thread starter Refueler
- Start date
srm
Well-known member
Baltic moor, bows to was the norm on the west coast of Norway. Drop stern anchor, carefully nudge up to the rocks and someone could step ashore onto the rocks with the bow rope. A flared bow or better still a long overhang made this even easier. Normally, one moored with the wind off the land. One evening with a big wind shift forecast we went in to an almost land locked bay. A collection of local motor boats were snugly moored up on the windward side. Being a foreigner who religiously listened to the excellent Norwegian forecasts I anchored and ran a shore line off to the lee shore. Sometime during the night the wind swung round and increased. After much noise and to do all the local boats moved across the bay and joined us.
Med moor is normally stern to using the main anchor in the bows. Possibly because wind is more changeable in some areas so the heaviest ground tackle is used. In my limited experience in Turkey I never saw bows to mooring, always stern to including commercial and fishing vessels of all sizes and (I presume laid up) ships in Mersin harbour.
Med moor is normally stern to using the main anchor in the bows. Possibly because wind is more changeable in some areas so the heaviest ground tackle is used. In my limited experience in Turkey I never saw bows to mooring, always stern to including commercial and fishing vessels of all sizes and (I presume laid up) ships in Mersin harbour.
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Refueler
Well-known member
Yes I read your post - was not trying to be rude .... your post gave impression that only a few builders offered the bow anchor form .. but in fact most did as option ..
I cannot remember which one - but one them was late due to bad weather - was sailing to the UK ... being late - they cancelled and turned back. The other - I don't know what happened .. whether it was or not at shows .. I have feeling it didn't make it either.
Refueler
Well-known member
Yes - the matter is water depth ...
Second is privacy. We are not all Monaco Cocktail Party Boats !!
johnalison
Well-known member
It is something that I have scarcely ever seen over there. Just occasionally someone will moor stern-to in a box, but the chief reason why people don't moor stern-to out in the wilds is that this exposes the rudder to the shallows which are usually rocks. Not only is it much easier entering a box or picking up a stern buoy when approaching bows first, but leaving is actually easier too.
Most box moorings have pontoons at around deck level, making access easy, though low ones are also quite common. We never got around to getting a ladder, and we were jealous of those who had. We found that we could get by by stepping onto the anchor bar (CQR) and if necessary deploying a stout bucket ashore or a folding step. My only visit to Denmark in 1990 in our then Sadler 29 was something of a trial since the 29 has a high prow and pulpit worthy of a 40-footer and we also had folding bikes to deal with. We were younger then.
Neeves
Well-known member
Stern to mooring in the Med is because its always, nearly always? mooring to a stone pier and the water is sufficiently deep to accept the rudder (as when the pier was built it was to accept fishing boats or a ferry).
Most Baltic moorings are to well known islands with rocky shores. It has been found which locations have a fall off sufficient for the bow and as the technique of bow in developed there was never the need to define which few had sufficient depth for the rudder. Its much easier to nudge bow in offering dry access for someone to get ashore. They obviously don't cater for singlehanded yachts nor those with mobility issues.
My recollection may be wrong but our X-99 had no bow roller (I recall that!) and had a step through pulpit with a wooden plinth at the 'step through' with the nav lights slung under the plinth. The X-99 had a single deck cleat in the middle of the foredeck - every sheet or bit of cordage inevitably caught the cleat. Over 250 X-99s were sold most of them outside Scandinavia. My guess is the early X Yachts built more for cruising would have had a similar arrangement.
The prices of X-Yachts did or has shot up - but it has not deterred X-Yachts becoming a very reputable and 'common place' builder, like HR etc
Baltic or Med mooring has a lot going for it as you can hold more yachts in a given location. Its odd it has never caught on elsewhere and mooring alongside, sometimes with rafting up is much more usual.
Jonathan
Most Baltic moorings are to well known islands with rocky shores. It has been found which locations have a fall off sufficient for the bow and as the technique of bow in developed there was never the need to define which few had sufficient depth for the rudder. Its much easier to nudge bow in offering dry access for someone to get ashore. They obviously don't cater for singlehanded yachts nor those with mobility issues.
My recollection may be wrong but our X-99 had no bow roller (I recall that!) and had a step through pulpit with a wooden plinth at the 'step through' with the nav lights slung under the plinth. The X-99 had a single deck cleat in the middle of the foredeck - every sheet or bit of cordage inevitably caught the cleat. Over 250 X-99s were sold most of them outside Scandinavia. My guess is the early X Yachts built more for cruising would have had a similar arrangement.
The prices of X-Yachts did or has shot up - but it has not deterred X-Yachts becoming a very reputable and 'common place' builder, like HR etc
Baltic or Med mooring has a lot going for it as you can hold more yachts in a given location. Its odd it has never caught on elsewhere and mooring alongside, sometimes with rafting up is much more usual.
Jonathan
Attachments
Neeves
Well-known member
I had noted that you would need to have an offset bow roller, but you could lift it onto another teak plinth which would saving cutting the toe rail, which might be structural.
NBs
Active member
Hi,
These two or three items make the stern anchor easy to store and lower. If you wish, you can take the rope to the bow.
1&2
Chain box: Draggkorg Rostfri - SEASEA
Anchor holder:
Kätting 8mmx2m för ankare - SEASEA
And easy ancor drop system swedes style bow to rock:
Ankardävert - Ankerhantering - SEASEA
NBs
These two or three items make the stern anchor easy to store and lower. If you wish, you can take the rope to the bow.
1&2
Chain box: Draggkorg Rostfri - SEASEA
Anchor holder:
Kätting 8mmx2m för ankare - SEASEA
And easy ancor drop system swedes style bow to rock:
Ankardävert - Ankerhantering - SEASEA
NBs
srm
Well-known member
Possibly something to do with tidal ranges.
When faced with a bad wind forecast I try to find an anchorage where I can run a longish line ashore to windward but its rarely possible.
Sandro
Active member
Refueler,
your boat is a thing of beauty, I would not spoil her fitting a long, unsighty bow anchor roller.
At most, for deploying a rode from the bows as has been suggested, only a hawse or closed fairlead could be fitted in place of the eyebolt visible in the photo, always if possible without hampering the boarding ladder.
Of course no anchor resting on the bow.
your boat is a thing of beauty, I would not spoil her fitting a long, unsighty bow anchor roller.
At most, for deploying a rode from the bows as has been suggested, only a hawse or closed fairlead could be fitted in place of the eyebolt visible in the photo, always if possible without hampering the boarding ladder.
Of course no anchor resting on the bow.
Refueler
Well-known member
Thank you Sandro ... I have to say that I do like the racing smooth line of her ..... looks as if on starting marks !
The eye bolt is part of the boarding ladder mount so not changeable ....
The bow does have two fairleads set into toerail (one either side) so leading the rode if rope / tape is not an issue.
sc25 Sweden
Member
This is why you do not moor stern to in a natural harbour.
sc25 Sweden
Member
sc25 Sweden
Member
Sorry no picture - file too large to upload
johnalison
Well-known member
Not difficult to resize, if you’ve not done it before. You can even do it in Windows Media player, but remember to save as a copy.
Refueler
Well-known member
Upload to something like IMGUR .. then post the link ... no resizing ... and it doesn't hog YBW server space !!
syTaika
Member
During last ten years of sailing mostly in the Finnish waters, I have used the bow anchor only once. It was such a rare case that I took a photo.
dunedin
Well-known member
Isn't the pointy bit the bow? Looks like using Stern anchor there?During last ten years of sailing mostly in the Finnish waters, I have used the bow anchor only once. It was such a rare case that I took a photo.
View attachment 181009
johnalison
Well-known member
Give the lad a chance. His anchor may have been stored for stern use but in the photo it is being deployed from the bow. I read it as his little joke, which I enjoyed greatly.Isn't the pointy bit the bow? Looks like using Stern anchor there?
Refueler
Well-known member
Isn't the pointy bit the bow? Looks like using Stern anchor there?
Yes .... obviously he has led the anchor and rode fwd from the stern ..... as the anchor would normally be used as kedge to hold boat off from the rocks.
Use of anchor as he shows - basically using the rock face to lock onto is convenient. But most boats in Baltic will carry rock hooks ... basically an L shaped flat bar metal that slots down into crevises / cracks etc to provide a point to shackle a rope to. The L shape is put into the crevise with top horizontal pointing away from boat - so the line pulls the hook into the crevise. If its put with top facing boat - the line will pull it out.
I am more interested in what is being used as kedge astern !