Yachting and Boating World forums: New and need a manoeuvering tip

Hi

You will get lots of driving tips - but a couple of extra things we find (we moor stern to with a lazyline) is if it is windy, we take our bimini top down before mooring - it acts as a kite! or at least for us can provide unpredictable movement if the wind catches it.

Second is I found slooow is better, as mentioned above, you have a huge boat and so it is less effected by winds than a smaller boat. Just very small gentle nudges works for me, a second or two in gear then out again, and the boat pretty much maintains its line and angle. It is also easier to correct - I do misjudge it still, and just take it back out, get lined up and do it again slowly. Dont get hassled by people watching, just ignore them, no matter how many times I do it, I still feel like its my first time! We are opposite a busy cafe (bistro de mar) so we lierally drive up to within 100 yds of the tables, before reversing. No pressure then!

I think it was JFM who gave me a good tip, which I always use - think of the controls as a circle or arc, so when you look down on them, if you nudge the port control down into and out of gear, the effect on the boat is to move the stern back and right, if you nudge the port control down same time as the starboard control forward, the boat will turn pretty much on its axis, again reflecting the 'circle' of the controls. Since I have used that method, its very rare that I need my bowthruster.

I am sure someone can explain it better than that, but for stern mooring in any wind, with or without boats around me, it works every time. And really just nudges, any faster and you cannot so easily correct it.

We had a day boat handling lesson when we first got ours, and it really helped - mooring is just half of it, it gets harder when you have to refuel, whilst the wind blows you onto the fuel quay, and you have large boats either side of you - I found the 'how the heck do I get off from here' lessons quite helpful.

The problem you can get is when you dont have boats either side of you, if they are out for example, then just be more aware that you need to use your bowthruster a little more whilst someone gets the lazy line, or ensure the lazy line is picked up reasonable quickly so that the bow doesnt swing, and you end up at an angle!

Thr first time we moored on visitors mooring in Pollenca, we had no one near us, and the wind was blowing us onto the moorings, as we left we realised we had left something on the berth, so went back in gently, one of the children got off, picked it up, and just as I kicked off, I used the wrong control, whack - the bathing platform took the brunt of the hit, shattering a small area of fibreglass. We were absolutely distraught, but 500euros later you would never know, and it taught us a good first lesson about planning getting off was as important as planning getting on.

Hope it all works for you!

MartynK

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