Med Mooring:  Comments on Technique & Hardware

Most North American sailors are inexperienced, curious – and a bit anxious – about the bow-to/stern-to berthing that is most often used in Europe.  What should I do on arriving at a pontoon?  (‘Pontoon’ is Euro-speak for what we call a ‘dock’ back home).  Is there any special mooring hardware I should be using?  And how do I get off the damn boat!?

Boats Med-moored in one of Lisbon’s marinas

Med Mooring – Where to Start:  Will you go bow-to or stern-to?  We prefer bow-to but what’s good for you will depend on your boat.  (Interestingly, most boats in Northern Europe favored bow-to mooring while most boats in the Med choose stern-to.  Since many of the same brands of boats are used in both regions, I’m not sure why the preference is so regionally distinct).  Diagram

You should decide your preference using criteria such as:

For example, our reasons for going bow-to are that our bimini obstructs easy departing from the cockpit, berthing bow-to keeps the wind vane away from the dock, the rudder away from possible underwater rubble at the bulkhead, and makes our the arrival easy (tho’ our departure occasionally less so in a stiff cross-wind).  There is also another variable we strongly recommend you consider before deciding how to position your boat:  privacy.  WHOOSH has an aft cockpit, a traditional companionway and we sleep in the aft cabin, the first cabin forward of the cockpit.  Being bow-to, we avoid some of the noise on the dock and gain all of the privacy available.

 So far (from Sweden to Malta) every time we’ve seen Med mooring employed, there has been a laid mooring or “lazy line” available at the dock.  This is a line anchored on the seabed some distance out from the pontoon and which is then, via a thin messenger line, tailed to a cleat or ring on the dock.  A laid mooring now seems to be the standard method of Med mooring in harbors and marinas in much of Europe and it eliminates the need for you using your anchor, thereby simplifying Med mooring substantially. (Things apparently change as one moves east.  We are told to expect to use our own anchor in lieu of a laid mooring once we begin sailing in Greece as most harbor basins are unimproved).

An Example:   To illustrate how one berths using a laid mooring, let’s assume you are berthing bow-to and it’s just the two of you.  You will motor into the space indicated by the dock attendant (if there is one) with fenders already deployed along both sides, the boat hook handy at the bow, and with two bow lines already cleated off on deck.  On the approach, it is helpful for the foredeck crew to shout an occasional measurement of distance off the pontoon (“4 Meters…!”) as this helps the helmsman who otherwise lacks a good view.  On arrival at the dock (“Hold here…!”) either pass the bow lines to the attendant or lasso the cleats with lazy bights of each bow line, “slipping” the lines around the cleat horns and passing them back aboard the boat for final cleating off.  (Slipping permits you to later take in your own bow lines without needing an attendant or to be on the pontoon, almost a necessity given the difficulty of boarding a boat that may be departing the pontoon).  Once both bow lines are cleated back on deck, you may put the engine in slow reverse to hold the boat in position off the dock.  A boathook dipped into the water at the bow then snags the lazy line that is attached to one of the dock cleats, which typically the helmsman now goes forward to claim.  A cautionary note :  Everyone calls this a “slime line” for reasons instantly apparent when you pull it out of the water.  You walk that line aft to the stern, trying to hold it outboard of the deck to keep deck soiling to a minimum.   This line is then cleated off at the stern under sufficient tension to hold the boat off the pontoon.   The engine can now be secured, if it isn’t already, and you adjust tension in bow and stern lines to finalize your position relative to the pontoon.  Also, keep in mind that some berths have two laid mooring lines vs. one.  In a cross-wind, you will first use the windward line.

 Complications:  There are a few complications which can arise.  Backing into a berth with a cross-wind can be fun and, if stern-to berthing is your plan, you may want to practice this a bit unless you back without the bow being blown off much or you are equipped with a thruster.  Another snag is that the bulkhead offers mooring rings rather than cleats…and there’s no attendant.  Getting your lines through the rings from the boat will not be possible.  If you have a ‘step-off’ stern and are backing in, you won’t have a problem putting a crew member ashore…but what if you don’t?  The simplest solution is to ask for help from a crewman on another boat.  Europeans do not typically present themselves on the pontoon to assist another boat when berthing, if you’ll pardon the generalization, but I think this is more out of respect for the other crews’ skill than unhelpfulness.  If you ask, they will usually pitch in.  Lacking a helping hand, you will have to first make arrangements to get the crew off the boat (e.g. by dropping your passerelle, rigging your bow ladder, or doing a slow ‘fly-by’ at the end of the pontoon where a crew member can step off).  A final issue worth mentioning is that it may prove difficult to get enough ‘grunt’ on the mooring line to adequately hold the boat off the pontoon.  This can be due to surge in the harbor, the constant wash of passing boat traffic, or a stiff wind blowing you onto the pontoon.  I’ve found it helpful on occasion to use one of my anchor chain nylon snubber lines, attaching it to the slime line with a rolling hitch as far outboard as possible, and then tail the snubber to a sheet winch (or if stern-to, the windlass).

Handling that Slime Line:  There are two tools we’ve found helpful if not essential when performing this task :  The first is a pair of heavy duty rubber gloves to avoid hand cuts from mollusks imbedded in the slime line and resulting infection .  I learned this lesson the hard way at our first berth in Portugal.  The second, after much ‘hand over handing’ down the side deck, turned out to be a simple slime line ‘carrier’.  I hold both loops in one hand with the slime line sliding along, over the tubing, while I hold it outboard of the boat as I walk aft.  This keeps amazing amounts of goop from dropping onto our sidedecks.

Why Med Mooring?!  It’s fair to ask why this method is so commonly used in Europe, given its infrequent use in North America.  There are many reasons.  First, initial construction costs are less because no outer berth pilings nor finger docks are needed.  In fact, no pilings at all may be needed.  Pontoons are usually the floating type and, along with al their laid moorings, are anchored to the seabed using large chains.  That makes these berths both quick and relatively inexpensive to purchase & install with less environmental impact.  This method also permits easy pontoon removal up in the northern latitudes at the end of each season; the entire marina just disappears ashore!  In addition, in the land of Med Mooring, no boat gets turned away because the available slip is the wrong length for the boat.  Even berth width is a ‘variable’ rather than a ‘fixed’ notion; if it’s not wide enough, a little power on entry will usually make room for your boat.  Marina space is in high demand almost everywhere, it seems.  Bow- and stern-to berths make the most of the available space, as every inch can be – and usually is - utilized.  What do you think:  Is this the future of marina berthing in North America?

 

© Jack Tyler – October, 2006

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