Visitor pontoons - how do you moor?

[johnalison]

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, QUOTE]

I don't think he's there now, at least not for the last few yrs. The trouble with managed harbours is that the staff usually knock off around 7 and late arrivals are free to cause mayhem.

One of the problems with mooring pontoons is that many skippers have poor boat skills and want the easiest possible entry. This is all right as far as it goes, and we all choose easy berths when there is an awkward wind, but as implied by other posts, having landed themselves without crashing they are often loth to move within the space available. Luckily for me, SWMBO is a tremendous busybody and will usually persuade them to do the right thing and not stop until she has supervised their mooring arrangements.

 

[prv]

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.

It's a problem when people have moored right in the middle and buggered off, but in the situation you describe I'd have no problem hailing him and politely but firmly asking him to budge up.

I also concur with Aries that sometime people moor sensibly given the arrangement of boats at the time, but after a few coming and goings around them the same position can appear thoughtless. More likely with long pontoons.

Pete

 

[Ubergeekian]

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 ..

There were two of us waiting outside the sea lock at Ardrishaig when I went through the Crinan Canal last summer. When the gates opened a big motor boat who was hovering outside barged past us and grabbed the whole of the port side. Two locks further on he simply moored in such a way that nobody could get in with him and we two sailing boats got to Crinan about three hours later than he did, thanks to some staff lunchtimes.

His behaviour was boorish and selfish, but I am sure it was nothing to do with the boat - he would have boorish and selfish in a Mirror dinghy. Alas the canal staff were quite happy to allow him to get away with it. I suspect that's because he had hired two "pilots", and although they are nominally independent it does seem that it gets you priority for locks, exemption from speed limits ... and forgiveness for boorish and selfish behaviour.

Generally, though, behaviour in the canal is very good.

 

[snowleopard]

I recently met the owner of a 90 ft Dutch barge. He was telling me about a trip up the Thames. Smaller boats were travelling in the saame direction and after each lock overtook him, only to find the keeper at the next lock held them back while inviting the big one to enter first.

 

[mcframe]

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.

Or the twirp with the jet-rib tender visiting Newport last year who *chained* his tender in the middle of a 35' space, thus preventing boats prepared-to-dry-out from mooring on the pontoon :-(

 

[Stemar]

Or the twirp with the jet-rib tender visiting Newport last year who *chained* his tender in the middle of a 35' space, thus preventing boats prepared-to-dry-out from mooring on the pontoon :-(

Needs an old 20-ton fishing boat rafted outside - he'd make a good fender for it.

 

[AllanJ]

Answer?

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?

I think (because it hasn't happened yet) that I would have no compunction about moving a boat that was causing a problem, and no problem if someone moved mine under certain circumstances (e.g. someone had left the berth or aft of me and my moving would make more room).
What do others think?

 

[doris]

I think (because it hasn't happened yet) that I would have no compunction about moving a boat that was causing a problem, and no problem if someone moved mine under certain circumstances (e.g. someone had left the berth or aft of me and my moving would make more room).
What do others think?

But isnt it amazing the number of peeps, some even with well travelled/used boats, that don't have a clue as to how one should tie up. They leave such a mess of warp, multitudinous turns round cleats, jammed up knots etc. Tosssers all. Never do on Shrove Tuesday!

There is also the question of what one does if moving a Dutch or German boat as they believe in taking their lines striaght back onto their boats. Nothing wrong there, just different.

 

[Poignard]

I think (because it hasn't happened yet) that I would have no compunction about moving a boat that was causing a problem, and no problem if someone moved mine under certain circumstances (e.g. someone had left the berth or aft of me and my moving would make more room).
What do others think?

As always in these situations - it depends on the people you are dealing with. Despite any impression you might get from these forums, most people are easy going and tolerant and probably would not object to their boat being shifted a short distance, for a valid reason. Although it could be a bit annoying to return from a pleasant dinner ashore to see your pride-and-joy being borne away on the ebb tide.

 

[jamesjermain]

One hull one side, one the other?

More seriously. it's like parked cars - it always seems that with some sensible parking two more cars could be fitted in. But you have to make allowances for the situation when the guys first parked. They may have been alighed nice and tight at first, but comings and goings with cars of different sizes can make a neat row look boxers teeth.