Getting from land to my boat

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by geoffr

Yes the steps at BYC are good when the water is high, but not when low. What can work is a long 2x6 board with two lines tided on one end. Tie off the lines to the cleats on the each side of the bow. (this worked well on our Mirage which didn't have an anchor right on the bow).

If the slope of the board is too steep in the spring or late fall you can add some 1x1's across to stop your feet from slipping.

I have seen others use this "ramp" at the top of the stairs you've shown in the photo.

A second option is to get a ramp built which floats at the side of your boat - I know there were one or two built for the big boats...

Macbeth,

You can make the above approach work, adjust the length for the tidal swings you expect. I like leading a spinny or genny halyard to the center of the bow pulpit so you have an extra thing to grab onto when coming aboard.

In Europe these are called "passerelle", and maybe "boarding boards" in the US. Try Googling on those and look for ideas and enhancements.
Ann

Ann

[Juho]

How about having a ladder in the bow? Note the two sets of plastic covered hooks for adjusting the height of the ladder.

[Dockhead]

Bows to the quay mooring is almost universal in the Baltic. It has a number of advantages over Med mooring - rudder protection, privacy, easier maneuvering, no problem with davits. You need a split pulpit and a ladder like that depicted above.

Sent from my D6633 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Tie a line between the two bow dock cleats. Use low streach line and make sure its tight. In the middle run another line, as thick as you have, from the dock line onto the bow cleat of your boat. You could have two lines, one onto each bow cleat.

When you stand on the thick line the boat will come in a bit, reducing the gap and you can step off.

BTW if you stand on the line for too long you will get that sinking feeling, so adjust the stern lines appropriately.


Mark.

Not sure I understand this. So I tie a line to the two bow cleats. Across the top of the deck ? Call this line A. Then I tie another thick line (B) to the middle of A and to the harbor wall ? Then I stand on B and it brings the boat closer to the wall ? If I understand this correctly, this would be very awkward on my boat. The line would go over the anchor and I'd have to clamber over the front to be able to put a foot on line B.

As I understand, it's normal practice to have the two bow lines going at about 45 degrees to the shore. Not much point in standing on them. But maybe an extra thick line from a bow chock (which are to the sides) straight ahead to the wall might work. Leaving the dock would be OK, just let this extra line dangle. On returning to the dock, retrieve the two bow lines, then the "dangling" line.

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by geoffr

Yes the steps at BYC are good when the water is high, but not when low. What can work is a long 2x6 board with two lines tided on one end. Tie off the lines to the cleats on the each side of the bow. (this worked well on our Mirage which didn't have an anchor right on the bow).

2X6 ! Bit narrow for me ! 2x10 maybe. Doesn't the board swing from side to side ? Even then, all this does is bring me the face of the pulpit rails. My legs are not long enough to swing one over the top rail ! The upper pulpit rail sticks out about 2' from the tip of the deck, and about 3' high off it. The lower pulpit about 1' and 14". So if I put one foot on the lower rail for example, I'd have to lean backwards and try to swing a leg over the top rail. Hmm, wish I was 25 years old, but I'm not. (Nearly three times that !)

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by Juho

How about having a ladder in the bow? Note the two sets of plastic covered hooks for adjusting the height of the ladder.

Nice if you have a walk -thru bow. I don't. With my pulpit, I'd be halfway up the forstay to get over the upper pulpit rail, and how would I get down once over the upper pulpit rail !?

[JPA Cate]

Macbeth,

I'm gonna talk turkey to you, a bit. I'm older than you. Let's assume you have at least 10 yrs., maybe 20, left to spend sailing, and you don't want to get hurt getting on and off your boat.

What is going to keep you in the best nick is to bite the bullet and have a new bow pulpit made, with a pass-through. Then you can either make or have made a light weight but strong enough for your weight passerelle (probably of aluminium) with a rail or at least pipes and a hand line. Now is only the beginning of the problem. You will become less limber, less well balanced, and less strong with the passage of the next coming years. It is the human condition, and even working out 4 times a week will only keep you fit till the first time you get the flu or something, and the condition drops off you like humpty off the wall. You might need a passerelle now. You'll need it for sure in the future. You won't handle the situation any younger, either. It is doable: this is a problem with a solution. Be grateful for that.

I hate telling other people they need to spend more money on themselves than they feel comfortable with, but really, if you want to keep doing what you love, I sure don't see another way. Sorry if this grieves you. I can tell you I really hate it as applied to myself.

Good luck with it.

Ann

[Colin A]

Here is a few pictures from Dashew's site of some he's seen out in the wild.
SetSail » Blog Archive » Passerals Part Two

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Colin A, thank you for posting those pictures. If you Google on "passerelles" there are many concepts shown, but good on you for the link!

The passerelle based on the aluminum ladder looks really good.

The OP, macbeth, might prefer one with a hand line, really up to him.

Ann

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Macbeth,

I'm gonna talk turkey to you, a bit. I'm older than you. Let's assume you have at least 10 yrs., maybe 20, left to spend sailing, and you don't want to get hurt getting on and off your boat.

What is going to keep you in the best nick is to bite the bullet and have a new bow pulpit made, with a pass-through. Then you can either make or have made a light weight but strong enough for your weight passerelle (probably of aluminium) with a rail or at least pipes and a hand line. Now is only the beginning of the problem. You will become less limber, less well balanced, and less strong with the passage of the next coming years. It is the human condition, and even working out 4 times a week will only keep you fit till the first time you get the flu or something, and the condition drops off you like humpty off the wall. You might need a passerelle now. You'll need it for sure in the future. You won't handle the situation any younger, either. It is doable: this is a problem with a solution. Be grateful for that.

I hate telling other people they need to spend more money on themselves than they feel comfortable with, but really, if you want to keep doing what you love, I sure don't see another way. Sorry if this grieves you. I can tell you I really hate it as applied to myself.

Good luck with it.

Ann

Thanks Ann. Appreciate your posting. I agree, a passerelle will be absolutely necessary. I think I can run a board from the shore to the RHS of the Pulpit. I'm thinking of having a small step at the end of the board, with a corresponding small fold-up removable step on the foredeck. With these, I could step over the rails.

The distance from the shore to the pulpit is about 4 feet. I was thinking I would get a 8' plank so to make it easy to span the gap, i.e. the weight of the back part of the plank would stop the front end from plunging into the water ! Any other suggestions for pushing out the passerelle from the shore ? And how do you push/pull the passerelle away from the boat, once on the boat. I thought of attaching a rope to the boat end of the plank to a pulley on the shore. Pull the rope from the boat and the plank goes backwards onto shore. Similarly, on approaching the shore have a loop of line at the boat end of the plank, so I could pull it out.

In other words, it's all very well to say a passerelle is a necessity, but how to handle it from boat and shore has to be considered/invented.

Comments or suggestions welcomed.

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

....... or at least pipes and a hand line.



Ann

What do you mean by "PIPES" ?

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by macbeth

What do you mean by "PIPES" ?

Look at the picture in the link to Dashew's pictures of passerelles. The one at berth 5007 is a long fold-up one, with two "pipes" that support a hand line.

It will be a chore to deal with, I'm afraid. You'll be taking it with the boat and deploying it each time you dock. And you have to figure out a way to stow it. You need to be able to secure it on deck, so it'll ride okay on the dock, so possibly some pad eyes and straps.

Maybe you have room in a quarter berth to stow it suspended from the overhead? It could live lying on straps, and you just haul it out as needed. It is going to be important to keep it light, to be handled practically.

Ann

[macbeth]

Thanks for all the responses, especially from Ann Cate. I won't need to carry the passerelle around with me, as I only have one dock to contend with. I have devised a method whereby I can leave it on the dock and get it to the boat when necessary. Thanks again.

[JPA Cate]

GOOD ON YA! macbeth, well done!

...and thank you for the kind words.


FWIW, I think the poster who gave us the link to Dashew's pictures did a great job with that, tool, and I say THANK YOU, sir!

Ann

[roverhi]

Same kind of tie up at the Marina. Used about 5' of heavy chain from the buoy and line there after. The weight of the chain keeps the boat closer to the buoy. At the bow, have two side lines and a line from the bow to the dock. Haul the boat in as far as I can with the center bowline, wrap it around the cleat, lean out and grab the bow pulpit and then walk up the bow line.

Don't have a bowsprit which could complicate matters if it is angled upward so that it sits way above the dock level. With our tides, the bow goes from a 1' or two above the dock to a 1' or two below. Boarding at high tide is challenging as the stern line is effectively shortened so it's hard to pull the bow in really close to the dock. Have to lean way out to grab the pulpit.