[UP]
Short handed pontoon mooring - without grief
With only two persons on board, mooring alongside our berth is made easy
by adding an extra mooring line and repositioning a fender. All we do is.......
position a fender on the bow so it does not hit the pontoon, if the bow springs
in, and use a fixed-length bow-spring to prevent our bow hitting the pontoon.
When we come in to our berth we drop the bow-spring loop over the center pontoon
cleat and tie up the stern line. If the the wind is blowing the bow off the
pontoon we use forward engine power to spring the bow onto the pontoon.
Details.........
First we make a fixed-spring......
With the boat alongside, we take an extra mooring line with a loop
at one end and attach the loop to the boat's bow cleat. we make sure the
fixed-spring is as long as your normal lines. We tie a bowline to make another
loop to fit over the pontoon center cleat. We make the loop large enough to fit
over the center cleat (but not too large, else it may jump off the cleat), we position the loop so that the line stops the boat's bow from hitting the pontoon
when the rope stretches under load caused by forward motion of the boat.
Now we test the fixed-length spring.......
We make sure that the boat is moored with
bow and stern lines to the pontoon, we have the lines slack to enable the stretch
of the fixed-spring to be tested. We hang a fender on the pontoon side of the
boat's bow to prevent the bow springing in and touching the pontoon. We use
the boats engine to gently stretch the spring, ensuring the spring does it's job
under estimated maximum load (caused when the fixed spring stops the boat
when coming along side). In practice we stop the boat with the boats
engine.
We practice.....
with helmsman and 1 crew. Before coming along side we fit
fenders, bow and stern lines as normal, and the bow-fixed-spring. Coiling
stern line for helmsman to pass/throw. The bow-line is lead back to shrouds and tail
is hung over life-lines. Bringing the boat alongside, our crew is at the shrouds ready to
step off with the fixed-length-spring. The crew steps on to pontoon, drops the loop on the
fixed-spring over the pontoon center cleat, then walks back to take the stern
line from the helmsman. By now the helmsman has stopped the boat using the
engine. Crew ties up stern line, helmsman can use the engine to keep the bow
sprung on too the pontoon if required. Crew takes bow line hanging over rail and
ties up the bow.
No dent's in our bow!
Taranaki
[UP]
