Mediterranean Mooring

[weavis]

I'm really anti social in small coves. I stay on the outside and try not to anchor near anyone else. I will stay in the tidal stream before dealing with mooring issues. You would think the GRP boat was magnetic the way people surround it. Flip that for a game of soldiers.

Ive been married.... It ruins it for anyone else giving me criticism or offering a comment regarding placing an anchor...... sorry about that.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by weavis

....

Ive been married.... It ruins it for anyone else giving me criticism or offering a comment regarding placing an anchor...... sorry about that.

It's completely inappropriate and irrelevant, I know, but for reasons I don't pretend to understand I had a sudden flashback to hearing the ex wife of a UK politician whom the tabloids had caught philandering (IIRC) prior to their divorce (yeah, I know, what else is new).

I had to share it because I thought it might well be one of the best reprisal throwaway one-liners in the history of public life.

When asked if their conjugal relations had been mutually satisfactory, she thought for a bit and said pensively

"Imagine having a rather large wardrobe fall over and pin you under it ...

with a rather small key in the lock"

(At least that's the gist of it. E&OE)

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

It's completely inappropriate and irrelevant, I know, but for reasons I don't pretend to understand I had a sudden flashback to hearing the ex wife of a UK politician whom the tabloids had caught philandering (IIRC) prior to their divorce (yeah, I know, what else is new).

I had to share it because I thought it might well be one of the best reprisal throwaway one-liners in the history of public life.

When asked if their conjugal relations had been mutually satisfactory, she thought for a bit and said pensively

"Imagine having a rather large wardrobe fall over and pin you under it ...

with a rather small key in the lock"

(At least that's the gist of it. E&OE)

I remember that comment...... it was typically understated British and deeply damaging.....
Loved it.
G

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by weavis

I'm really anti social in small coves. I stay on the outside and try not to anchor near anyone else. I will stay in the tidal stream before dealing with mooring issues. You would think the GRP boat was magnetic the way people surround it. Flip that for a game of soldiers.

Some way of escaping the crowd can be to find one-boat cove. Not always doable, unhappily

I mentioned it once upon a time... Beata - My Dearest Highest Authority and Beloved Wife - invented some kind of deterring tactic for the boats trying to anchor way too close. While we are outside the harbour, and the day is nice and sunny (standard for the Med season), Beata almost always is on the deck in her birthsuit (+ UV blocking sunscreen cream) only. So when intruder is sighted, she just goes sunbathing on the most exposed place on our boat's coachroof.
She is really well looking and eye catching girl, looking beautifully resting on the coachroof... Obtaining an eye contact with the skipper of offending boat does not take Her long... Even shorter time is necessary to the woman on other boat to start a rant with a skipper... After few minutes they are busying themselves with reanchoring or even leaving for other anchorage...

Sometime this does not work, but somehow it does not work mostly with a people nice enough to share a drink with...

[DoubleWhisky]

MED MOORING AND BALTIC MOORING – A LITTLE DIFFERENT THINGS

Anchoring Your boat with a stern anchor, tying the bow to the shore is often called Baltic mooring. It is very similar to the Med mooring, but there are some differences.
In Baltic You are using this technique mainly in the places completely sheltered from waves (not necessary from the wind). Just think about Swedish skerries, with thousands of isles, islets and rocks. You can find the highly protected places there where the water is really undisturbed. So You can set Your stern anchor and close the rock or islet by Your bow, not risking the damage to the rudder. Of course, the boats are generally equipped for this, carrying decent stern anchors.
It is somewhat different in the Med. Med mooring inside the harbour is often about being safe from being thrown to the wall by wave entering the harbour. Any boat is designed to move easily forward, much less backward, so it is more easy to push to the quay the boat moored bow – to. Next thing are the anchors. It is quite rare for a boat in the Med to have a stern (subsidiary) anchor of the same holding power as a bower. To some extent small flotilla charter boats are exception, being often equipped with somewhat oversized stern anchors of Danforth kind. But for a majority of the boats stern anchor is just too little, to be on the safe side mooring bow to the quay. Last (not least) – when mooring bow to, many are tempted to close the quay too much, to facilitate the disembarking and embarking the boat. It is rare to have a bow passarelle at all, to have one long enough is even rarer.
So mooring stern to should be preferred, in my honest opinion, at least in the harbours, where the bigger waves entering the harbour are the actual possibility.

[DoubleWhisky]

To be not so serious in this thread…
May be some of You will find this story amusing a little

Some time ago we were moored at Rethimno on Crete, waiting for the opportunity to sail to Athens, as I needed to visit our embassy there. Winds were unfavourable for sailing towards Saronic Gulf, so we were waiting patiently for several days. One Monday we slept quite long and then went for late breakfast/early lunch. We found WiFi working in the nice tavern at old Venetian harbour, and checked the Poseidon for the forecast. Et voilà! The wind was changing and it looked we can reach Hydra or Poros sailing shallow arch at about 60 – 70 degrees to the true wind. Boat was ready, so we left in an hour or so. Sailing was fantastic, with 20 – 20 + of apparent over the deck, autopilot steered us well, set for the steering to the wind. Night was beautiful exceptionally, so even taking watches, we slept almost nothing. In the morning we were somewhat tired, so I decided not to beat harder to the wind and go for southern tip of Hydra. Beata was busy with persuading our four legged Deck Security to use the toilet matt. He lost the skill during the many days of harbour hopping. In the channel between Hydra and mainland the wind died almost, so we motored up. Poros was our intended destination, but passing the Hydra harbour I decided to have a look into, hoping for a place, as it was end of season time. Unexpectedly harbour was half empty, so we decided to moor there.
There was a good slot between two boats near the head of breakwater, and next a whole stretch of empty wall. We felt tired after 24 hours sailing with almost not sleep, so I decided to moor not between the boats, but to go easy way and take place to starboard of both of them. We moored properly, had a lunch of fish in our favourite tavern, walked the dogs and were ready to get some sleep. At this moment charter flotilla appeared… The leading boat moored at some distance from us, and next the crew of three started to direct other boats into. The flotilla skipper was on the breakwater, directing boats by handheld VHF, and two others were ready to help with lines. First boat dropped its hook halfway between us and the leading boat. It was quite substantial crosswind and they backed just to our boat. We were well fendered and ready, so we just caught the flotilla boat’s stern and drove her to the quay. There the flotilla crew took the lines and moved the boat upwind, to the proper place – not so difficult with 32 feet flotilla boat. Next boat dropped anchor a bit closer and also backed on us. Small boats or not - after the fourth we were a little off our legs… As next boat was only entering the harbour, I jumped to the quay and went to the flotilla skipper, with the intention to ask him to better instruct his charterers. Guy was standing back to me and not knowing I’m closing. And I heard him, speaking to his handheld: “Do You see this big blue hulled boat with big white fenders? You see? O.K., just bump on them and they will take You to the quay!”.
How I overcame the urge to call for a Deck Security to bite a guy’s ass I really don’t know…
But, as You can see, there are different techniques for Med mooring…

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by Palarran

That is a great suggestion.

Usually our neighbor is on deck adding fenders when we come in and he/she can either be smiling or going S$%t, he's not going to fit here.

I do admit that sometimes I look at the massive ball fenders on mega yachts and think how useful it would be to have a few of those but problem is nothing else would fit on board . There does seem to be a few yacht owners whose idea of med mooring is the equivalent of bump parking into a tight space in cars - I don't mid so much when they come in parallel but when they come in at an angle it is hard to protect the hull. I am always happy when I have a boat secured on both sides of me as then I feel I can go ashore without worrying about who is going to hit me next.

My proudest moment this summer was successfully med mooring on my own in a cross wind with only about 18" to spare either side and a very worried owner of a beautifully varnished yacht on one side running backwards and forward clutching a fender. He didn't need it. Felt good although my pulse rate was elevated

TwT

[Andrew Troup]

My dream yacht has flared topsides and inflatable pontoons like a big RIB, sectional but full length

Could conceivably double as flotation, and/or water ballast enabling trim control

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Toys_with_time

I do admit that sometimes I look at the massive ball fenders on mega yachts and think how useful it would be to have a few of those but problem is nothing else would fit on board . There does seem to be a few yacht owners whose idea of med mooring is the equivalent of bump parking into a tight space in cars - I don't mid so much when they come in parallel but when they come in at an angle it is hard to protect the hull. I am always happy when I have a boat secured on both sides of me as then I feel I can go ashore without worrying about who is going to hit me next.

My proudest moment this summer was successfully med mooring on my own in a cross wind with only about 18" to spare either side and a very worried owner of a beautifully varnished yacht on one side running backwards and forward clutching a fender. He didn't need it. Felt good although my pulse rate was elevated

TwT

Same. Nothing worse then having a side exposed for the charter boats to hit.

Dave


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[atoll]

i just love having an alloy boat with no paint at all on the topsides........i get some really funny looks from charter boats as they crash into me and i shout .........."watch my paint!"

[weavis]

Originally Posted by atoll

i just love having an alloy boat with no paint at all on the topsides........i get some really funny looks from charter boats as they crash into me and i shout .........."watch my paint!"

As previously stated, Im keen to keep away from people when mooring.

Last year I joined an Anti Social support group.
We havent met yet.

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

My dream yacht has flared topsides and inflatable pontoons like a big RIB, sectional but full length

Could conceivably double as flotation, and/or water ballast enabling trim control

Interesting idea

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by atoll

i just love having an alloy boat with no paint at all on the topsides........i get some really funny looks from charter boats as they crash into me and i shout .........."watch my paint!"

L O L ! ! !

[DoubleWhisky]

CROSSED ANCHORS

In most of the harbours where the boats are Med moored, the crossed anchors are just a fact of life.
Even if You moored properly, with Your chain aligned with others, Your own chain can became crossed. Even if You did Your best with anchoring it is possible You crossed unknowingly the chain of other boat, not aligned properly. It just happens.
For the first thing – try to know the circumstances. In many harbours water is clean enough to reconnoiter in the dinghy, if You have any doubts after observing the chains for some time.
Sometime the snorkel mask or other object with glass bottom can help to see the bottom.
If in doubt – just assume the chains are crossed. Better to think the worse scenario than better one.
If Your chain is over another, better to leave first, but it is not always practicable. Even if other chain is over Yours, You can be fouled if other boat will be not cautious enough. Remember that most of the crossings is due to inexperience of one (at least) crew. This experience didn’t build up overnight, so more amusement is probably on order.
If the boat having the chain crossed with Your is to leave her berth, You should be well prepared for this. First, have the engine running and the leeward mooring line loosed well. You may need to keep Your station by engine only. If You have the bow thruster, make it ready. Man the windlass. If You have other trusty hand on board, one of You should be at the wheel and controls, other one at the windlass. When other boat is leaving, and Your chain is the lower one at the crossing point lower Your chain completely, keeping own boat at station by engine (and possibly bow thruster). Your chain should by laying on the bottom all way to Your bow, preferably with some excess length in the water.
It is good chance the other boat will not catch Your chain by her hook, but it is still only a chance, as many inexperienced crews tend to trawl all the bottom by their anchors during improper retrieval, catching anything possible in the process.
If Your chain is the upper at the crossing point, keep it as tight as possible, as long as You are not sure that Your chain was caught by the anchor of leaving boat. You can hope for other skipper be skilled or lucky enough to pull his chain and hook from under Your chain. Unhappily this hope is rather faint.
If other boat retrieved her hook without the tangle, You can tight Your leeward mooring line again, and put Your chain into normal working order. If not, the only thing You can do is to put out as many chain as possible and give the other boat the possibility to untangle the mess, hoping for Your anchor not to be retrieved.
There are some techniques (and even special tools) for untangling the anchor from other boat’s chain. Mine own is as follow;
While leaving the berth I have a line fastened on one of bow cleats. The line is older mooring line, cut to the length: from the cleat to the water, back to the deck at another cleat + 2 meters. The boathook is always ready. If mu anchor became tangled I try to contact the involved boat and ask for chain to be released completely. Next I’m pulling all mess to the water level by short bursts on windlass. When other chain (or, unhappily, other anchor) is at water level it is necessary to drive the line (using the boathook) under the other chain and back to the deck, to fasten it on the spare cleat. Now other chain (or anchor) is hanging on Your line at the side of Your bow and You can put Your own anchor down. It will swing back to under the bowroller and You can retrieve it.
If the chain was what You were hooked to, You can just uncleat one end of rope and down it will go.
If You retrieved another anchor You need to position Your boat bow to the wind swiftly (while threehand, You can keep her such a way all the time), and give the retrieved anchor a ride to the best possible poition to be dropped back to the bottom. Doing so, You are giving the other boat best chance of anchor resetting, without the necessity to remoor completely.
Dropping the retrieved anchor at random position must be avoided. It can lead to multiple cross on the bottom and sometime to substantial damages on other boats. Be sure – when You were busy untangling the anchors, other were busy also – noting the details of Your boat for insurance claims.
And even without the claims, just care about others, may be they will care about You sometime…

[weavis]

I just use plastic anchors and elastic lines.
Cheaper to just leave 'em there.