Mediterranean Mooring

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Fuss

But if you leave it in astern on idle then normally the boat stays in position. the anchor has dug in and the chain has some tension. Then someone else can jump in with the floating line and secure it to the shore.
Helm can then go into neutral, job done or they can then throw you the next line.

I don't see that as particularly unsafe if conditions are calmish.

May be not particulary

The line restricts ones abilities to move around, and - for example - sea urchins are often ready for You... I prefer dinghy and proper shoes to perform the task, however it is doable in real calm, by good swimmer

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by atoll

i tried tell this to my scottish wife when she was 7 months pregnant,swimming ashore with the line in her teeth in turkey........she just shrugged and called me wimp

Remember the last time You were the winner in the disscussion with wife???

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

May be not particulary

The line restricts ones abilities to move around, and - for example - sea urchins are often ready for You... I prefer dinghy and proper shoes to perform the task, however it is doable in real calm, by good swimmer

Shoes are essential. Biggest begineer mistake is no shoes (swimming in Crocs is no problem) . Second biggest bigineer mistake forgetting wet rocks are slippery.

Heavy ropes have a lot of drag and those that do this frequently have a light thinnish floating line that can be used. Once the stern is secure it can be replaced with something more substantial.

It's also worth wearing a face mask as swimming ashore is a good time to check for errant rocks and the general bottom slope.

[mrm]

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

Remember the last time You were the winner in the disscussion with wife???

How was it? (a scene in a bar)

Mr A: "I always have a final word when discussing things with my Wife!"
Mr B: "How do you do that?! What do you say?"
Mr A: "I say 'Yes, Darling'..."




Tomasz, thank you for this thread. Very informative.

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Shoes are essential. Biggest begineer mistake is no shoes (swimming in Crocs is no problem) . Second biggest bigineer mistake forgetting wet rocks are slippery.

Heavy ropes have a lot of drag and those that do this frequently have a light thinnish floating line that can be used. Once the stern is secure it can be replaced with something more substantial.

It's also worth wearing a face mask as swimming ashore is a good time to check for errant rocks and the general bottom slope.

+ 1 on this.
If one really want to swim a line it is possible to take really light lead line, just to bring the proper line ashore, but proper line must be floating one, of course, to do this.

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by mrm

Mr A: "I always have a final word when discussing things with my Wife!"
Mr B: "How do you do that?! What do you say?"
Mr A: "I say 'Yes, Darling'..."

Long, long time ago, my first ever girlfriend told me:

"You should always have Your own opinion on anything, Tom, and after the thorough disscussion You should be persuaded to embrace mine view!"
Nothing to add...

[Andrew Troup]

Thanks everyone, especially Whiskey and Noelex. Great Stuff!

Someone mentioned Patagonia, I seem to recollect.

One key difference between the Southern high latitudes and the Northern hi lats is that there tend to be a lot more trees in the south (not always, or even often, in the subantarctic, but certainly in Patagonia, Staten Land, Fiordland & Marlborough Sounds tall trees are common, and mooring with shorelines is a great way of deriving benefit from the considerable shelter they provide (because generally they are at a nice spacing for optimal wind barrier duty), and this is true to a degree even if they are to leeward (provided you can get close enough)

When there are no trees, it's generally preferable to swing to an anchor well out where there's nothing to hit. Better be a bluddy big anchor. (Especially if you have one of these new-fangled toy chains which look as though they belong on a sink plug )

One problem with shorelines in the really high latitudes is keeping them above any floating ice. It's possible to rig nylon monofilament (say 2.5mm or more, depending on size of your boat) hitched partway along the shoreline up to 'skyhooks', ie halyard snapshackles in the sky. The end of the monofilament brought back to the boat to allow for adjustment and to increase stretch potential. I would secure a decent weight to each halyard end before attempting this in case the monofilament lets go. (It's main strong, though, in these sizes, great for trolling too, just use a sheet winch to retrieve the fish ... usually down my way you have to buy about a kilometre min, though)


There are places in Patagonia where the bottom of a fiord is polished granite from recent glacial action (subsequently retreated)

A sailing acquaintance once told me of a strange experience they had on first chancing on such a feature, unknowingly ...

They motored in to the narrow end, in a light breeze, dropped the anchor, and slowly dragged towards the mouth of the inlet.

The thing was, they were dragging UPwind. With the bow still pointing inshore and the chain leading aft under the keel ...

"Funny..." they thought.
"Is some monstrous marine creature toying with us, like a bored diner with his sorbet?"

After a couple of repeats, they twigged to the fact that there was NO holding, anywhere, and that the anchor and chain were celebrating their light duties by sliding merrily downhill at the earliest opportunity ... so they set about rigging the longest cats cradle they had so far needed anywhere ever, including Antarctica.... it had to span the width of the fiord. I think they might have had to press a couple of halyards into service.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Great postings guys. Thanks for the hard work.

FWIW, on stern ties we always use the dingy and then bring the line from shore directly to the boat. I've seen a lot of sailors get pulled off their feet onto the rocks swimming from the boat to shore to tie up.

Even tying alongside can be a bit of a challenge on occasions

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Even tying alongside can be a bit of a challenge on occasions

Fantastic

This is "Dodo's Delight" on the photo, I presume?

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Thanks everyone, especially Whiskey and Noelex. Great Stuff!

Someone mentioned Patagonia, I seem to recollect.

One key difference between the Southern high latitudes and the Northern hi lats is that there tend to be a lot more trees in the south (not always, or even often, in the subantarctic, but certainly in Patagonia, Staten Land, Fiordland & Marlborough Sounds tall trees are common, and mooring with shorelines is a great way of deriving benefit from the considerable shelter they provide (because generally they are at a nice spacing for optimal wind barrier duty), and this is true to a degree even if they are to leeward (provided you can get close enough)

When there are no trees, it's generally preferable to swing to an anchor well out where there's nothing to hit. Better be a bluddy big anchor. (Especially if you have one of these new-fangled toy chains which look as though they belong on a sink plug )

One problem with shorelines in the really high latitudes is keeping them above any floating ice. It's possible to rig nylon monofilament (say 2.5mm or more, depending on size of your boat) hitched partway along the shoreline up to 'skyhooks', ie halyard snapshackles in the sky. The end of the monofilament brought back to the boat to allow for adjustment and to increase stretch potential. I would secure a decent weight to each halyard end before attempting this in case the monofilament lets go. (It's main strong, though, in these sizes, great for trolling too, just use a sheet winch to retrieve the fish ... usually down my way you have to buy about a kilometre min, though)


There are places in Patagonia where the bottom of a fiord is polished granite from recent glacial action (subsequently retreated)

A sailing acquaintance once told me of a strange experience they had on first chancing on such a feature, unknowingly ...

They motored in to the narrow end, in a light breeze, dropped the anchor, and slowly dragged towards the mouth of the inlet.

The thing was, they were dragging UPwind. With the bow still pointing inshore and the chain leading aft under the keel ...

"Funny..." they thought.
"Is some monstrous marine creature toying with us, like a bored diner with his sorbet?"

After a couple of repeats, they twigged to the fact that there was NO holding, anywhere, and that the anchor and chain were celebrating their light duties by sliding merrily downhill at the earliest opportunity ... so they set about rigging the longest cats cradle they had so far needed anywhere ever, including Antarctica.... it had to span the width of the fiord. I think they might have had to press a couple of halyards into service.

Almost unbelievable story... But it must happened, it is too hilarious to be fictional

[DoubleWhisky]

FIERCE CROSSWIND – DELIBERATELY CROSSED ANCHORS

It happened for me only once, but it may be well worth the mentioning.
Situation was similar to the one described earlier – very strong crosswind in the harbour. Fourty plus knots blowing at the mastheads – it was not nice at all.
I succeeded in getting other skippers into cooperation, but we couldn’t find the convenient strongpoint to put the lines from there to the bows of windward boats. There was a short stub of the mole there, but not long enough, with a wind blowing at an angle, slightly from the bows. After short discussion we found that some of the boats have spare anchors – Fortresses or Danforths. We agreed to allot these anchors to the longest boats in harbour and put them down at an angle, forward of the wind direction, deliberately crossing the anchors of moored boats. We did it with the help of local guy and his motor launch – it was quicker and easier than using dinghies. We took also the lines from two windward boats to the stub mole, they worked a little like a spring lines, but at an angle favourable enough to be worth using. We weathered the wind without problems.
If You are to use such a technique it is worth to remember some details:
Use really long lines for additional anchors – it will help to place them in right spots.
Choose the spots carefully, to allow the additional anchors to bury themselves without fouling the chains already down.
Attach the tripping lines to the additional anchors to allow take them up from dinghy or launch, without fouling the main anchors. The tripping line may be attached to the bow, just not tightened.
If the arrangement is fouling the access to the vacant mooring slot, You must be ready to pass the lines to some of the windward boats temporarily, while newcoming boat is taking the slot.
For me it is a last resource technique, but without other choice it can be put to good use.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

Fantastic

This is "Dodo's Delight" on the photo, I presume?

'Deed it is.

Could never understand why he was too proud to top-rope.

What are halyards for?
(I guess it could be embarrassing if the boat were to roll and pull him off)

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

'Deed it is.

Could never understand why he was too proud to top-rope.

What are halyards for?
(I guess it could be embarrassing if the boat were to roll and pull him off)

Anyway, great guy

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

Most often to the windward of most windward located boat You can find some kind of strongpoint. It can be breakwater, shallow quay at an angle to the main quay or just a pile of rocks.

One additional tip: sometime to the windward there is not ready strongpoint, but there is path of sand - covered by some water or even forming a tiny beach of a kind. In such a place You can arrange Your own strongpoint, just by digging in one or more spare anchors - preferably of Fortress or Danforth type

[Andrew Troup]

Hmmm - digging in anchors on dry land is something I've had limited success with. I have a hunch that, unless you dig down to a level which is permanently wet (even at low tide) the sand is not sufficiently consolidated

This is feasible in places with a low tidal range, or if you dig near the water's edge at low tide.

If I'm right about the consolidation relying on the ground never drying out, (perhaps on a distant analogy with "frost heave") it helps explain some of the differences between anchor testing on the beach and in realistic water depths.