Visitor pontoons - how do you moor?

[snowleopard]

If you approach a visitor's pontoon and there is a space for say 2 x 40 footers, where do you tie up? Do you shuffle along so as to leave room for another boat or do you take advantage of the space and park smack in the middle leaving two slots no one can use? If the pontoon is empty, do you go right to one end or in the middle?

Is it like urinals where it isn't done to go next to someone else if there is space further away? Is it about personal space? If there's just one boat moored, do you park as far away as possible for privacy when logic says you should get as close as possible to maximise space for later arrivals?

 

[Boreades]

On the basis that we all like a nice long "approach runway", I go to one end, so it leaves all the remaining space available. Then it's easier for me to exit as well.

 

[Sans Bateau]

I know where you are coming from here, SWMBO and I often comment on peoples either, selfishness, ignorance or, most likely, they just dont think. I remember visiting Bembridge one year, there was very little space, when I saw what I though was going to be room on the pontoon, but there in a 40 ft space was a guy, oblivious no doubt, in a 20ft pocket cruiser. Oh! He has every right to go alongside, but in this case, why oh why did the harbour guys not put him around the shallow side?

 

[Little Five]

Almost all the marinas I have been to have a berthing master whose job it is to organise this sort of thing, esp during busy times. I have noticed that the smaller marinas do this much better than the larger ones- with the person concerned meeting you at your alotted space and taking your lines. They welcome you and give you the info you need to make your stay better. The larger ones almost never do this.

 

[snowleopard]

The one that really P's me off is the council pontoon at Saltash. It's the only convenient place on the Cornish side of the Tamar you can pick up crew at all states of the tide and there is always some twirp in a little speedboat who has parked smack in the middle and gone to lunch in the pub.

 

[snowleopard]

Almost all the marinas I have been to have a berthing master whose job it is to organise this sort of thing, esp during busy times. I have noticed that the smaller marinas do this much better than the larger ones- with the person concerned meeting you at your alotted space and taking your lines. They welcome you and give you the info you need to make your stay better. The larger ones almost never do this.

What I'm talking about here is visitor pontoons in harbours rather than marinas (which I don't use if I can possibly help it).

 

[pvb]

People are just blissfully and selfishly unaware! The pontoon scenario is echoed at my home marina by the lock scenario - where idiots enter the lock and tie up anywhere, without once looking behind to see if another boat is following them in. And don't even mention the fools who take forever to motor up the narrow dredged channel to the lock at about 0.2 knots! No wonder it takes about half an hour to turn the lock around on busy weekends.

 

[Joker]

In the Polish harbour of Swinoujscie [Swinemunde as was], there is a harbour master who looks uncannily like Lech Walesa. He sometimes stands with a whistle, and when he sees you coming, gives a peremptory blast and points to where he wants you to go - which may well not be where you want to go.

I was aiming for a nice clear space of pontoon when he blows and waves me away, pointing at some stern buoys. I didn't want to go there, but he insisted, with further blasts on the whistle.

Needless to say, not being prepared, I make a complete b*lls up of the stern buoy in full view of the rest of the harbour.

 

[Little Five]

What I'm talking about here is visitor pontoons in harbours rather than marinas (which I don't use if I can possibly help it).

Ok- I have been a bit slow this morning. What else are sunday's for. Monday to saturday -am like lightning.

I haven't been into many harbours recently- can think only of 2 in the last 4 years and they were both so quiet that there was no problem. Having said that there is a section of the boating community who are thoughtless. I once saw a large Moody , on entering Rothsay harbour and requesting a smaller yacht if he could move along the pier a bit, get dogs abuse which rumbled on throughout the evening. All quite unnecessary however entertaining it was.

 

[Aries]

Visitors pontoons

One of the problems of visitors pontoons is that often those mooring on them are doing so for a short period. The first arrivals may moor tidily, but if one or more of the boats leaves, the gaps may not be suitable for the next arrivals.
I see that happen mid-week at Bembridge (weekends are more strictly organised), plus mid week at Lymington Town Quay, even wihte red lines making out the spaces).
Of couse there are some people who never conside others, but I have never had a problem, even being shifted or shifting boats if necessary, provided the mooring ropes are redone properly.
Would others object to this?

 

[Poignard]

I try and go on the end so as to make it easier to leave and to have only one 'neighbour' to bump into me instead of two!

Also, if you pick the end furthest from the ramp you don't have people walking past making comments such as "How on earth can they live on that tiny boat?" or "That would be a nice boat if they did a bit of work on it".

 

[Seven Spades]

I always put the boat as close to the boat in front so as to leave room behind for the next boat.

 

[RichardS]

In the Med they get a lot more boats onto the pontoon/quay by using bows to or stern to mooring. This also avoids rafting up and having to walk across other people's boats.

Is this used anywhere in the UK? Is there any particular reason why it's not more common? Would UK sailors like to see it become more common? If not, why not?

No hidden agenda - as a non-UK raggie I'm just interested!

Richard

 

[Seven Spades]

Strong tides preclude the Med style of mooring.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

We have this problem all the time with the lock pontoons coming into cardiff bay. the big sinners are the small mobo fishing boats and speedboats though it's not unknown for a small yacht to moor in a big space rather than raft and let the bigger yacht behind him go alongside.

Stopped worrying. Dont think twice now about rafting our 36 ft alongside a 20 ft speedboat. They don't like it but thats their problem.

 

[exfinnsailor]

Same Problem

We waited for the lock at Ipswich there were a few other boats milling around. As we were about to go in a small old cabin type cruiser with an outboard on the back came up our starboard side and proceeded to enter the lock just where we were heading. They bumped along the pontoon and stopped. Left about 20ft in front and 20ft behind. A quick change of plans and a scramble for lines and we finished up alongside a 40ft sailing schools boat ..

 

[SimbaDog]

On the basis that we all like a nice long "approach runway", I go to one end, so it leaves all the remaining space available. Then it's easier for me to exit as well.

+1

 

[snowleopard]

In the Med they get a lot more boats onto the pontoon/quay by using bows to or stern to mooring. This also avoids rafting up and having to walk across other people's boats.

Is this used anywhere in the UK? Is there any particular reason why it's not more common? Would UK sailors like to see it become more common? If not, why not?

Stern/bow-to with anchors or lazy lines is virtually unknown in the UK I think one reason is that many of our harbours have tidal flows so it would be much more difficult to moor that way than in the med. Firstly you'd have the tide pushing you sideways as you try to moor, then, as the tide falls the lines go slack and the whole raft would drift sideways and if you are tied to a quay it might be level with the deck at high water but 5 metres above at low water. Finally, few people in the UK would know how to do it and there would be carnage if it was tried.

Typical of the situation I'm talking about is a mid-river pontoon 30 or 40 metres long, aligned with the flow of the tide.

 

[Ubergeekian]

If you approach a visitor's pontoon and there is a space for say 2 x 40 footers, where do you tie up?

Depending on the layout I probably tie up initially plumb spang in the middle - I like an easy life - then walk the boat to one end or the other.

 

[clyst]

I know where you are coming from here, SWMBO and I often comment on peoples either, selfishness, ignorance or, most likely, they just dont think. I remember visiting Bembridge one year, there was very little space, when I saw what I though was going to be room on the pontoon, but there in a 40 ft space was a guy, oblivious no doubt, in a 20ft pocket cruiser. Oh! He has every right to go alongside, but in this case, why oh why did the harbour guys not put him around the shallow side?

If he i s onboard shout "Coming alongside " . That should get him too move . If no one is onboard gentle moor outside . No doubt when he comes back he will suggest he moors outside of you .