stern-to mooring, solo, any tips on deploying the anchor?
Maybe a silly question, but just chartered in the Med, and was wondering if anyone had any tips on one point.
I was single handed on a 40 ft boat, with the standard arrangement of an anchor deployed over the bow with an electric winch. Fine for anchoring off a beach or whatever but I couldn't think of a good way of handling a stern to mooring, reversing into a harbor or marina without lazy lines set up, and at the same time putting down the anchor. As a result I avoided such harbors.
Is there a good way of doing this, or is it just a case of coming stern to and then rowing out the anchor?
Any tips or what works for you much appreciated...
Set up to reverse in, drop the anchor and allow the chain to pay out. Stick boat in reverse up to quay. Then put temporary (looped) mooring warps over the ballard or through the ring and put boat in forwards. Pick up the extra anchor chain until tight, tighten off the rear warps at right distance.
Not fool proof and you have your heart in your mouth sometimes (especially in wind) but it has worked for me.
Paul
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Maybe a silly question, but just chartered in the Med, and was wondering if anyone had any tips on one point.
I was single handed on a 40 ft boat, with the standard arrangement of an anchor deployed over the bow with an electric winch. Fine for anchoring off a beach or whatever but I couldn't think of a good way of handling a stern to mooring, reversing into a harbor or marina without lazy lines set up, and at the same time putting down the anchor. As a result I avoided such harbors.
Is there a good way of doing this, or is it just a case of coming stern to and then rowing out the anchor?
Any tips or what works for you much appreciated...
Frankly, single handed, I would deploy a kedge off the stern and come in bows to the shore. Much easier and you can usually rig the kedge to one of the sheet winches in the cockpit. It also gives you privacy. Fenders either side if you are in a tight gap and usually someone passing will catch your bow rope. If not lie against another vessel temporarily while you get ashore. when it's all secure for'ard tighten up on the kedge. Careful not to get rope around prop though. Floating nylon line helps!
Location: Nottingham .. About as far as you can get from the sea
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Anchoring Stern To ..
Whilst enjoying a beer rafted up .. .. The following story was told ..
They had been sitting on their boat watching the world go by when a large motor cruiser entered the harbour .. Lined itself up with the quay and prepared to drop anchor across the anchor of a German boat .. The German couple stood and looked on in disbelief as he let go his anchor and motored backwards towards the quay .. He then sorted out his shore lines .. and adjusted his anchor
The German couple who were getting ready to depart then started their winch and gradually pulled up their chain .. Along with the other boats anchor and chain on top .. They hooked his chain with a boat hook .. Retrieved theirs and then dropped his chain and anchor over the side and departed .. All done in a very seaman like manner ..
The crew on the large motor cruiser then realised to their horror that they were no longer being held off the quay by their anchor ..
He did say that he had never seen anyone depart as fast as they did ..
They were in such a hurry that they left a couple of mooring lines behind ..
Suppose the moral to this one is watch where you drop the anchor and try it somewhere quiet first ..
..
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Remote control for the windlass (or is that regarded as cheating?)
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Down here in Greece there's no other way to moor but stern -to not because it's the rule but out of a habit to the point that the couple of times that i went bows in i was feeling rather insecure because my stern was all over the place with the kedge.Now for the advice ,prepare fenders and let them hang outside unless you're planning a 'tight' entry in which case keep them on deck cause as soon they'll meet the fenders of the other boats they'll stop you from going in but keep a couple by your side for an emergency. -Mooring lines ,keep at least the winward one at hand where you can grab it and jumb ashore if all alone otherwise give allways that one out to whoever is helping and point to where you want it tied that way the boat is immediatly secured from bumping other boats .Allways notice the direction of other boat's anchor chains and do your best to lay yours in between them.Give yourself space to build momentum as you go backwards and slow down as you feel the rudder steering the boat and not the wind.If too windy pick the spot where you'll drop the anchor and let out enough chain for it to hold then use it to turn the stern.Keep your cool and if you're in doubt try again.It just takes practice and believe me even experienced skippers get it wrong sometimes.
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Remote control for the windlass (or is that regarded as cheating?)
That absolutely is the answer. My windlass came with an up/down switch that is mounted right next to the morse control (although I have foot switches on the foredeck as well). Berthing astern is made considerably easier when everything is controlled by the helmsman, no need for the 'bit more, bit less' shouts to the foredeck. Crew stands on the stern platform with the warps and steps ashore when convenient. Continue powering astern, controlling distance from the wall with the up/down switch.
Unlikely to be possible on most charter boats, but that switch is one of the best bits of kit on ours.
Location: 'ang on a mo, I'll just take some bearings
Posts: 17,178
Vyv - presumably your remote is hard-wired, rather than wireless?
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You're alone at the back of the boat, backing up to the dock but without a crew at the bow to pay out careful amounts of anchor chain.
Ah, the life of a single-hander!
One remedy is to have a sturdy warp pre-rigged from a cockpit cleat, running forward through the bow fairlead and looped back over the pulpit with a snap-shackle on the end. When you drop anchor, shackle the warp to the chain (like a snubber, but nearer the hook) and set the windlass to pay out freely. You can then control the anchor line and the stern lines from the binnacle.
Rope with hook or shackle to chain, anchor lowered with brake off the capstan, long rope to one of the genoa winches, back in, drop and let rope run, using engine or anchor to slow/stop the boat, shore line on and tighten chain/rope all from the cockpit.
Same for leaving, pull up the anchor from the cockpit.
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Vyv - presumably your remote is hard-wired, rather than wireless?
Yes. In general I avoid wireless things on the basis that I can fix a wire but not a radio.
Some of the comments re free-falling the warp are windlass dependent. Mine can only be made to free fall by unscrewing the clutch using a winch handle. Others can be set to do this electrically, which is far easier. I far prefer to motor the warp down as it can be controlled by me at the tiller.
The key is getting the anchor set so that you can use it to control the progress of the boat backwards. Obviously easier with crew in control of letting out chain but does need good signals rather than shouting!
Remote wireless is a good idea - I keep mine at the helm and someday may be brave enough to use it to lay chain. Also have main control on a wander lead from the forecabin rather than foot switches so crew can move around on foredeck.
I actually find lazy lines more problematic if you don't have an agile crew to pick up and dash forward. You have more control if going back against the anchor.
All of this assumes you have a boat that steers in reverse. I had 7 years on a boat that had a mind of its own in reverse there for when faced with a med moor situation I had to do it bow first.
Get set up with all fenders deployed, bow lines set up with loops on end in case you have an inexperienced helper on shore and anchor dangling from the stern, get lined up with berth spot, drop anchor motor in stop with bowsprit over the dock. To be continued.
Version 1 Tie off anchor line Amble to bow, step ashore drop prepared loops over bollards, return to boat and adjust line lengths. Smile at my neighbors and pour myself a well earned Cuba Libre.
Version 2 Realise that am about to hit the dock, hit reverse, propwalk takes the boat sideways towards smaller and more delicate neighbor, fend off from boat, run to bow to realise cat is now on bowsprit planning her version of the great escape, cat jumps ashore, throw line to helpful passerbye. Run to stern to tie off anchor line. Passerbye organises tug of war team on rope and boat starts to accelerate toward dock, smallest member of team realises that boat is going to hit dock and rushes forward to fend off boat with her leg. I reailse that the boat is about to crush pretty lady shout at her to get the leg out of the way hit reverse again, fend of from neighbor again, explain to shore party that they should just drop loops on bollards, shore party comply but drop both loops on same bollard. Boat now at 45 degree angle in berth. Realise cat is trying to make friends with local pit bull, shout at cat, get ignored as usual. Neighbors on both sides are now on deck with extra fenders and advice. Jump ashore retrieve cat, reset mooring lines, return to boat and adjust lines while apologising to neighbors. Disappear below and drink bottle of rum to forget.
Location: 'ang on a mo, I'll just take some bearings
Posts: 17,178
TQA,
They don't teach you that in the Yachtmaster syllabus!
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There are three kinds of people:
Those who learn by reading.
Those who learn by observation.
Those who have to pee on an electric fence for themselves.
Whilst enjoying a beer rafted up .. .. The following story was told ..
They had been sitting on their boat watching the world go by when a large motor cruiser entered the harbour .. Lined itself up with the quay and prepared to drop anchor across the anchor of a German boat .. The German couple stood and looked on in disbelief as he let go his anchor and motored backwards towards the quay .. He then sorted out his shore lines .. and adjusted his anchor
The German couple who were getting ready to depart then started their winch and gradually pulled up their chain .. Along with the other boats anchor and chain on top .. They hooked his chain with a boat hook .. Retrieved theirs and then dropped his chain and anchor over the side and departed .. All done in a very seaman like manner ..
The crew on the large motor cruiser then realised to their horror that they were no longer being held off the quay by their anchor ..
He did say that he had never seen anyone depart as fast as they did ..
They were in such a hurry that they left a couple of mooring lines behind ..
Suppose the moral to this one is watch where you drop the anchor and try it somewhere quiet first ..
..
This sounds like an apocryphal story. Could you really pick up the anchor and chain of a large cruiser that was tight with a boat hook? However, in case this ever happens to me I have a large trip hook that I have yet to use in anger.
In the Western Med, mooring lines (AKA lazy lines) seem the norm. Also not easy if single handed and no passer by on the quay to take a stern line.
I noticed the Sunsail smaller boats had dedicated stern rollers for the kedge, as they didn't expect them to stern-to.
Some sort of boat hook mounted mooring aid might help in the case of no passers by. And could be taken as kit for chartering. Since specialised kit is unlikely on a charter, dropping the hook on a long warp (the one you asked for for mooring to the trees on some island) with the chain free running (hopefully attached at the bitter end) and the warp run back to a cockpit winch, plus the stern looped lines or the 'mooring aid' so as not to leave the boat in the process. Flaw here might be if the hook doesn't set with out the pull/weight of the chain or fouls on the chain dropping too fast in a heap. So perhap set up the kedge on the rope and dinghy out the main hook later if worried.
Just musing..... Wishing I was out there trying it.
A
Many thanks all, especially for the warp to anchor chain idea, perfect... Looking forward to trying it!
And in answer to the question on what charter company would charter to single handed, I was also surprised, but it didn't seem to cause any problems. I probably shouldn't say what company it was.... And in my defence I had actually chartered a 33 ft boat specifically because I knew I was going to be single handed and it would be easier to handle. But when I got to the charter base they told me the boat I had asked for had been damaged in storms the previous week, and they gave me the bigger one, telling me how lucky I was...
I noticed the Sunsail smaller boats had dedicated stern rollers for the kedge, as they didn't expect them to stern-to.
Some sort of boat hook mounted mooring aid might help in the case of no passers by. And could be taken as kit for chartering. Since specialised kit is unlikely on a charter, dropping the hook on a long warp (the one you asked for for mooring to the trees on some island) with the chain free running (hopefully attached at the bitter end) and the warp run back to a cockpit winch, plus the stern looped lines or the 'mooring aid' so as not to leave the boat in the process. Flaw here might be if the hook doesn't set with out the pull/weight of the chain or fouls on the chain dropping too fast in a heap. So perhap set up the kedge on the rope and dinghy out the main hook later if worried.
Just musing..... Wishing I was out there trying it.
A
Well yes... Thats what I meant too. Obviously things have changed since I last chartered in the Ionian but most boats went in bow first with a kedge over the stern then. The advantage is that it gives you privacy in your cockpit. I really can't see why the stern should swing about if you have the kedge through a fairlead or stern roller fitting. The disadvantage is that you need to rig a bow passerelle to get ashore or have a step to lower from your pushpit which is awkward compared to going over the stern but I can't see any other reason for going in stern first.... Someone want to enlighten me?
Well yes... Thats what I meant too. Obviously things have changed since I last chartered in the Ionian but most boats went in bow first with a kedge over the stern then. The advantage is that it gives you privacy in your cockpit. I really can't see why the stern should swing about if you have the kedge through a fairlead or stern roller fitting. The disadvantage is that you need to rig a bow passerelle to get ashore or have a step to lower from your pushpit which is awkward compared to going over the stern but I can't see any other reason for going in stern first.... Someone want to enlighten me?
I think ease of access is the main reason, as you've already said. Bow first gives you privacy but makes you an anti-social git .
I also think that far more Med Moorings, particularly in small Aegean and Ionian harbours, have been made safe for stern-to mooring in recent years (i.e. there are fewer places with tons of ballast sloping out from the quay to knacker your rudder when gentle zephyrs ruffle the surface of the water and your boat starts to impersonate a rocking horse).
Well yes... Thats what I meant too. Obviously things have changed since I last chartered in the Ionian but most boats went in bow first with a kedge over the stern then. The advantage is that it gives you privacy in your cockpit. I really can't see why the stern should swing about if you have the kedge through a fairlead or stern roller fitting. The disadvantage is that you need to rig a bow passerelle to get ashore or have a step to lower from your pushpit which is awkward compared to going over the stern but I can't see any other reason for going in stern first.... Someone want to enlighten me?
I think the bow to is more common with smaller boats that don't go well astern and don't have an open transom. The kedge is also under the control of the helm and smaller boats tend not to have a windlass.
However once you get above abot 34ft and open transom - which is now the norm, stern to becomes much more practical, particularly if you have a saildrive engine which makes going astern much easier because of lack of propwalk. On this size of boat the bow tends to be higher making the foredeck work much harder.
My wife and I manage reasonably well provided the anchor sets OK and there is not too much crosswind. Can be a bit scary though when I step ashore with the lines and look back at this huge 6 tons plus relying on me to tether it!
I think ease of access is the main reason, as you've already said. Bow first gives you privacy but makes you an anti-social git .
I also think that far more Med Moorings, particularly in small Aegean and Ionian harbours, have been made safe for stern-to mooring in recent years (i.e. there are fewer places with tons of ballast sloping out from the quay to knacker your rudder when gentle zephyrs ruffle the surface of the water and your boat starts to impersonate a rocking horse).
Well I probably am an anti-social git in terms of not liking rubbernecking tourists looking into my main cabin, but that aside I see your other point about safety. One reason I always avoided going in stern first was the possibility of grounding rudders. If you are sure there are no obstacles then it's an OK thing to do. I probably would still go in bow first with my cat though as the rudders are right aft and very vulnerable. Also the wide solid bridgedeck for'ard make getting ashore from the bows easy. Horses for courses I guess....
I think the bow to is more common with smaller boats that don't go well astern and don't have an open transom. The kedge is also under the control of the helm and smaller boats tend not to have a windlass.
However once you get above abot 34ft and open transom - which is now the norm, stern to becomes much more practical, particularly if you have a saildrive engine which makes going astern much easier because of lack of propwalk. On this size of boat the bow tends to be higher making the foredeck work much harder.
My wife and I manage reasonably well provided the anchor sets OK and there is not too much crosswind. Can be a bit scary though when I step ashore with the lines and look back at this huge 6 tons plus relying on me to tether it!
Many marinas now have mooring lines which help a bit. When I chartered a lot I used to take a collapsable bow ladder with me in my luggage. This makes getting on and off much easier if you do go in bow first.
If there is a big cross wind, it can be easier to simply drive into a gap, however getting the kedge drop right is tricky.
If going in stern first and there is a mooring line, one can use the windlass to take up the slack of the line. Good trick when its windy. Finally if singlehanded and going in between two other boats, you can always squeeze inbetween and then tie to one or other via a midships cleat. Then you can sort out stern lines and mooring line at you leisure.
You comment about the strength needed to tether your yacht. I was taught to use the engine to help. With the lines set approximately and without great tension, go into reverse and see if your anchor/mooring line stops your yacht at the right distance from the quay. If you are too close, loosen the stern lines as much as you can so that taking up the anchor/mooring line does not require great strength, then reverse again. Obviously if you are too far away, letting off bow line/anchor is easy. Once the bow line is right go into reverse to and take up the slack on the stern lines while the power is on. Me and SWMBO manage with a much heavier boat. Ideally, the stern lines are thrown to a passer-by and passed back so as enable me to adjust without getting off the yacht until the distance is correct/safe.
Tudorsailer. You do much the same thing as me. I prefer going in astern because you can control progress with the anchor if it has dug in and then just balance in reverse so it is just a case of stepping ashore with the lines. However there is still potentially a brown trouser moment when stepping off before you get the line on a bollard. We have shallow draft of 1.4m so don't have a problem with getting close to the quays.
Once the stern lines are on it is easy to set the boat up using engine and windlass and the same with a lazyline once your crew has done the running forward bit before the wind blows the bow off!
Great fun when you get it right - especially when you do it in front of a German charterer with his two certificates, but brown paper bag over head when you get it wrong in front of a packed quayside audience!
Neither I or SWMBO get off the yacht until the lines are secured. If there is no-one to take a stern line - which is rare - we then lassoo a bollard. Much safer.
I was going to try to insert a scanned copy of some instructions that I wrote in Skiathos back in 1997 for an Italian skipper who had watched my anchoring system and was interested in understanding it however I can't figure out how to do so so have created a web page in which I have inserted the images.
I first noticed this system used by caiques in Hydra and a number of other harbours so finally perfected it after a few tries. As I usually sail along I go forward and hang the anchor over board ready to run as soon as I hit the button on the windlass control which has a long wander lead which I can operate from the cockpit. Oh, yes, I also get the mooring lines ready and hang them over the pushpit ready to throw ashore.
My prop will pull my stern to starboard and can almost pull the stern laterally if the revs are too fast so I have to be carefully to keep the revs slow enough so the movement in reverse is equal to the amount of chain released.
I have heard comments when explaining this system that the chain will damage the hull which is nearly impossible because the chain would have to be bar tight to be lifted on the bottom high enough to touch the hull. Once the bow has been turned a few feet off the line of travel the chain will lift a bit in a line from the bow to it's location which will be to port or starboard of the hull and keel.
Once the lines are ashore I use the motor and windlass to position my yacht where I want - no point in using muscle when power is so readily available.
I think this system was written up in one of the yachting magazines by a skipper from one of the Ionian flotillas years ago.
Cheers
Squeaky
Last edited by Squeaky; 10-11-09 at 17:50.
Reason: adding one line
stern-to mooring, solo, any tips on deploying the anchor?
.. The following story was told ..
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