Med Mooring in heavy surge

[CookiesnTequila]

I'm sure this topic must have been discussed on here somewhere, but I can't seem to find it!

We are relatively new to Med Mooring (living aboard a Catana 50 Cat for 1 year) and am just experiencing our first fairly uncomfortable surge conditions. We are moored stern to a concrete pier and have the luxury of 4 lead lines (because we have two spots). The problem is the surge coming in is causing a forward and backward motion which occasionally has us jerk fairly hard when the lines tied to the pier snub up from a particularly large surge.

There is very little tide (in Crete).

My question is: Is it better to make the lines very tight, or leave it room to move?

Thanks

[Hoofsmit]

http://newcontent.westmarine.com/con...l/11160652.jpg

That's what these are for



Sent from my iPad.......i apologise for the auto corrects !!!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by CookiesnTequila

I'm sure this topic must have been discussed on here somewhere, but I can't seem to find it!

We are relatively new to Med Mooring (living aboard a Catana 50 Cat for 1 year) and am just experiencing our first fairly uncomfortable surge conditions. We are moored stern to a concrete pier and have the luxury of 4 lead lines (because we have two spots). The problem is the surge coming in is causing a forward and backward motion which occasionally has us jerk fairly hard when the lines tied to the pier snub up from a particularly large surge.

There is very little tide (in Crete).

My question is: Is it better to make the lines very tight, or leave it room to move?

Thanks

Have your stern lines slack enough for her to ride the surge and set up an extra line to pull you in to step ashore or have visitors

[TheThunderbird]

I had similar problems in a harbour with strong streams along the dock, some waves in, and possibly a slack chain.

Adding line to lines, very tightly so, didn't work at all, even using lines from midship, X -crossed lines etc.

It worked better loosing that all and keeping the stern 8' afar from cement dock (that wall is the damned thing!)

[wrwakefield]

CookiesnTequila,

I have a couple more considerations for you in addition to the good advice you have already received:

1) If you are using your bow anchor with all chain rode and don't already have a bridle, make sure you install an appropriate length stretchable bridle [e.g., nylon 3 strand...] on the chain so you aren't putting those surge loads on the anchor... [I'm sure you don't want the quay moving toward you...]

2) If you don't already have springs or rubber snubbers on your stern ties, and if they are double-braid, consider replacing them with 3-strand nylon as well.

To increase stretch [and strength] in times past I have had success tightly twisting two lengths of 3-strand nylon for each tie. That improves strength and give you a quick way to add some stretch if you have no alternatives at the moment... [One method is to secure the middle of a long enough length of 3-strand to the quay, then lead the 2 bitter ends to the boat. Twist the two secured lines together from the boat as tight as you can and cleat it off as a single line. Repeat for the other shore ties.]

I suspect these may all be things you already do, but I mention them just in case and for future readers to consider...

It sounds like it is not an ideal day for baking that soufflé... I hope it ends soon for you...

Cheers!

-Bill

[CookiesnTequila]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Have your stern lines slack enough for her to ride the surge and set up an extra line to pull you in to step ashore or have visitors

So do you make them as tight as possible, but just enough to ride the surge?

[CookiesnTequila]

Thanks - I purchased 4 brand new 12mm galvanized springs - one broke this morning, making a not too bad damage on the hull! I have the rubber ones (as shown above) I took the steel springs off and used a length of 24mm 3 strand nylon made into a triple loop over each of the 4 bollards, and then tied all of our lines (2 straight back) two crossed back and two midship springs back and loop tied them all to the rope loops over the bollards.

I am confident they will be okay, and have as much spring as I can get in rope - but we are still jerking quite hard occasionally - I think I will try tightening so we don't move as much....

[CookiesnTequila]

Originally Posted by CookiesnTequila

...hull! I have the rubber ones (as shown above)

Sorry - I have 2 rubber ones - one on each midship spring

[dana-tenacity]

Move.

[CookiesnTequila]

I feel very silly!

20 minutes snugging lines (should have gone with my first instinct instead of listening to others!) and we are riding quieter than we have all day!

The answer certainly seems to be as tight as possible - just room to lift with the swells.

Thank you all! I may actually be able to sleep tonight!

[Boatguy30]

I would run some long spring lines to the bow 5/8" rigged so they stretch a good bit before the stern lines take up tight.

[moseriw]

Originally Posted by CookiesnTequila

I feel very silly!

20 minutes snugging lines (should have gone with my first instinct instead of listening to others!) and we are riding quieter than we have all day!

The answer certainly seems to be as tight as possible - just room to lift with the swells.

Thank you all! I may actually be able to sleep tonight!

Well unfortunately not as the lines and claps will be noisy.

[bobnlesley]

I'm with Dana-Tenacity: Just move.

Throughout seven years cruising in the Med. it never ceased to amaze me how otherwise sensible-seeming people happily chose to anchor/moor their boats off a quay in an onshore wind, particularly a strong one; you're voluntarily putting your boat only 3-6' off a lee shore FFS!

We once sat (anchored off) in Vathi Bay on Ithaca watching the floor show during a well forecasted 30+ knot blow: It was high season, the quay was packed and all the boats on the quay were bouncing, with skippers/crews frantically racing around fending them off the wall and each other. About once every 15-20 minutes one of them would finally concede defeat, drop their shorelines and motor away, some to join the fleet of comfortably (in a relative sense) free-anchored boats and others leaving to try their luck elsewhere. What we found most non-sensical however, was that whenever a boat left the quay, one of those anchored-off - who'd had an equally good view of the antics on the quay as we had - would immediately lift their anchor, crash/bang their way onto the quay and see if they could do any better; none of them did.

[stillbuilding]

Waste of time and effort. Get out of there!


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn

[vtomanov]

as other say - JUST MOVE - better of on anchor then hitting the concrete.. I have number of nights in my life that I was too lazy to move and next day seriously regretting it...

in general you need to have the anchor VERY WELL IN - leave about 3-4 meters at least between stern and concrete and two old car tyres in the middle of the lines e.g. one line shore to tyre and one tyre cleat - should have plenty of old tyres in Greece on shore