3 or moored....

neilda · 23 May 2009, 00:01

I happened to be in Portsmouth earlier this evening and as the sun went down over the what-not, I was musing about various things - as you do!

I looked at a pontoon with some RIBs tied up for the night and they were 3 deep - I guess in the summer on a busy pontoon, it could be many more deep.

How the hell do you get your boat out I wondered?! If you returned from a leisurely lunch somewhere to find another 3 boats tied up to yours - what's the technique (and the etiquette) for getting out? It's not something you could do on your own I suspect.

I imagined me having a real Mr Bean moment and seeing someone else's RIB floating off as I was dealing with a mess of ropes and RIBs.

Pete7 · 23 May 2009, 08:40

All part of the fun, regular occurrence in Yarmouth or Cowes Town Quay. Some spare long ropes to cast the raft adrift a bit whilst you move out helps.

Marinas pay students pocket money to help out during the summer, if I am on the yacht solo going into the likes of Haslar I ask for assistance, that's part of the service you are paying for and saves crunching yours and someone elses boat.

Pete

JSP · 23 May 2009, 09:14

Yeah rafting can be a pain if your on the inside.
If you have to walk on peoples boats to get off/on It's courtesy to walk around the bow of the boat next to you and not straight over on such as sailing boats.

PeterM · 23 May 2009, 10:02

As said can be a pain but the only way I find to do it is to take it very slowly & get help. I always think about it when I stop somewhere as getting lines over the A-frame & VHF aerial is a pain so I always try & ' back out' if possible - and always make sure I am bow in if if looks like it might happen.

Dont panic if you do 'loose' a boat - you will get it back !

I have found endless mud / dirt etc all over the boat when I have got back to at places. I one day hope everyone will show a bit of care for other peoples kit - but I cringe when I think of the shoes I have seen people standing on my tubes in ...........

JSP · 23 May 2009, 10:17

Brothers girlfriend had a nasty accident once. They had rafted up against two other sailing boats. Brother was securing everything and locking up so his girlfriend decided to go a shore. Getting off their boat she walked around the front of the mast of the middle boat. Climbed over the stanchions and and put one leg onto the inside boat. Stanchion that she was holding onto mid stride broke away from the deck and she fell in between the two hulls. Only thing that stopped her going into the water was both hulls going under her arm pits. Luckily it was a calm day, some wind and she would have been crushed.
Poor girl was stuck, guy who's stanchion was broke was throwing a fit at her with no offer of help. Brother heard her screams for help and rushed to her aid. Feel it for the bloke who's boat was damaged as he had all 6ft 7 of JSP's brother flying across his spray rail to show him how upset he was after his girfriend had been lifted out.

Doug Stormforce · 23 May 2009, 10:47

Identify which way prevailing forces (wind and tide) are going.

Assume in this example for the moment tide is the prevailing force.

Untie the downtide end of the raft from yours and slip out down tide so that tide is not taking the raft away from the pontoon/dock.

If there is two of you your mate can pass the line over A frame etc while you are driving out and secure the rest back to the dock.

When tying a RIB to a raft I always take my bowline to the shore so that there is less need for anyone to detach me from them while the manoeuvre out. I also try and secure around the base or leg of the cleat rather than over the top of other lines, again so that others have less need to untie me to get their own boat/line.

On Cowes Town Quay in the summer a lot of RIBs tie only to the dock with a long bow line, this is far preferable to them all being rafted to each other with bow and stern lines as individual boats can get out easily.

m chappelow · 23 May 2009, 11:48

IF you have to raft ,and some people are using eye loops on the ends of mooring ropes dropped over a bollard mooring post ,in order for you to move off without disturbing the others ,thread your rope eye up from the bottom inside the others loops then drop it on top of the mooring post .

neilda · 23 May 2009, 16:52

I took a friends RIB out to Bembridge today (with him guiding me) and, low and behold, we had to raft up against 4 small yachts.

He knew what he was doing, but it was a bit of a nightmare clambering over the yachts to get in.

That accident sounded nasty, I can imagine it happening...

Nasher · 23 May 2009, 20:10

My fave pic of a few of us rafting at Yarmouth on a Rib.net cruise.

Nasher.

neilda · 24 May 2009, 06:50

I'm sure I'll get used to it, but being on the inside with a load of others tied up to you, looks like a lot of effort. I'm not completely sure how you'd get out if you were on your own.

I ordered a little inflatable dinghy today as some of the time I can see us dropping anchor and rowing in!

Rick · 27 May 2009, 18:38

A Redbay raft at the annual Ardbeg gathering

neilda · 27 May 2009, 18:58

Yes, that's just the sort of nightmarish vision I have!

Bigmuz7 · 27 May 2009, 22:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasher

My fave pic of a few of us rafting at Yarmouth on a Rib.net cruise.

Nasher.

Thats a good un Nasher I'd be comfy with that set up

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

A Redbay raft at the annual Ardbeg gathering

I take it the outer mark dropped an anchor

.. mind you the tide is not great round those parts iirc