Always a challenge when you first enter a marina and are beginning your boating journey. Tom Cunliffe visits Hamble Point Marina and decribes how to enter a marina and how to secure your boat safety.
Just absolutely excellent. I am a potential new sailor and I find that these things are almost guarded secrets. So hard to find clear, complete, non-patronizing instructions on these things. I have pulled speedboats into shore stations for decades but am thinking of retiring near open water and just have so much to learn. This is a real service. Thanks and please make as many as you’d like. We will watch.
I like to reverse in against stream, winds allowing. Get a sternline on and drive forward on it, followed by springs to protect aftward surge. A short finger means I do your trick but on the stern. Two reasons for my preference. I'm crap at stopping the cutwater failing to cut the pontoon. I find presenting an anchor sharpens other skippers' collision avoidance awareness.
when singlehanding I have a bow cleated line in my hand at the helm that I either quickly loop around a piling or toss to a shore hand...then I fasten the stern line...easy peasy
Came across this channel and subscribed. Tom has a great manner and a very simplified method of giving excellent advice. I could listen to him reading a telephone directory to me and it would hold my attention.👍
The mark of a a good teacher is that I was looking at Makita tools, came across this channel, watched it, subscribed, forgot about my tools and am now planning a new life on the water. Just need to find the money. The joys of a mid life crisis.
As a singlehander I have a bungee cord ring tied round a midships stanchion nearest the shrouds. I run 10mm dia. temporary berthing lines from bow and stern outside the guardwires and tuck a bight of each line under the bungee ring. This means I can step ashore unencumbered and holding onto a shroud . I choose which line I want and pull it clear with a quick tug. If there is a central cleat on the dock I prefer to secure as short a line as possible amidships first then the boat is not going anywhere. I also have a 3' flat fender in the cockpit propped against the guardwires in case I need it in a hurry.
I do that with my little C-22. I have just lengths of line on a small reel that I use for mooring or towing etc. whip a bowline into the ends and ready to go.
Hi Tom great video. Know it was for MDL but try town Quay southampton you need extra lines ,snubbers , metal springs and still your boat gets damaged by red jet and red funnel.
Alan Williams Did you ever go in to Poole town Dock for a curry of an evening ? You need all the lines you have got plus some, particularly Shore lines, you can end up in the middle of a raft when you started against the wall ! In fact I have seen irritated froggies cast the whole raft adrift and motor off without a second look !
Doesn't matter how long I've been docking boats, I knew I would learn something from Tom's video And, all we can hope for is that " the Lord favors our enterprise"
Interesting Tom, I would appreciate your thoughts on a couple of things. 1. Midship line. What do you think of using a midship line first off to secure the boat before adding the other dock lines? 2. Looping lines through the dock cleats and tying them back on board the boat.
Agree. I use a midship line first, it's closer to the helm than the bow line. Then my boat is attached to the dock. I can motor forward in idle, and the boat will naturally come up to the dock, and then I can tend to the bow and stern lines. I single hand and that's what works best for me.
Paul Fitzgerald Paul, looping your line through a dock cleat can put a lot of extra pressure on the cleat. It can be done if you are expecting to cast off relatively soon. If you may be there several days, through tidal changes and currents, I wouldn’t recommend it. Best thing to do is loop your line around the far side of a cleat before tying off. That puts a slower lateral pull on the cleat, rather than a hard pull directly on the cleat attachment to the dock. It’s also safer if there may be wind issues. On the mornings or days we are leaving, I may get out and do the looping myself before it’s time to leave the marina, while my mate checks latches on fridge, drawers etc. Then when leaving she can easily loose us from the dock whilst I attend side thrusters etc. Always start your hydraulic system before casting off, whether it runs electric or off your get home engine, makes the maneuvering easier and faster. Smooth sailing Paul ,
SPRING LINE FIRST! Why? Because the crew can step off at the shrouds and use the shrouds as support. Crew wraps the spring line around the cleat ASAP. The spring line stops forward motion of the boat as soon as it is wrapped around the cleat. Then you can easily keep the boat against the dock while the transmission is in FWD.
Yes 1. Kiss the dock at shrouds level. Crew steps off with stern spring and wraps line around cleat ASAP. The boat is stopped. 2. Helmsman/person engages FWD gently. Tiller towards the dock. This brings stern of boat to the dock. Helmsman/person smiles to crew and passes stern line to crew to be wrapped around cleat. 3. Crew gets bow line (it should be prepared and ready at shroud level with a ready made bowline. Put bowline through cleat. Hop in and get all the slack. 4. Fine tune That's another way to do it but it all depends on how many crew you have. Tom's way is great. Although I would not like to try it if a strong breeze would come straight from the dock. In that case I would use the stern spring line technique which serves as a lever while engaging FWD, tiller to the dock.
I picked the method you describe up from Icelandic fishermen docking hard to maneuver oak boats. I ask the spring line crew to use the cleat to control how far forward the boat moves, before I step off with the stern. So far, no crashes or embarrassments, and actually just had a fellow ask me about my method as he felt it was stress-free.
Thanks, very insightful! Like Tom, I also have a lovely moustache, and was wondering if there could be any discount on berthing at one of your marinas please? Thanks !
I like Tom a whole lot!! but he gabs on a bit. He needs to show not tell. This is a visual media and he doesn’t make use of it. Do what you’re talking about . We learn better that way.
I always put the aft spring on first. Once that line is secured I can easily keep the boat snugged up to the finger peir by turning the helm away from the pier and putting the boat in gear at idle. Then I can secure the bow and stern lines at my leisure. I NEVER tie the bow line off first sine an over zealous crew member can easily pull the bow line too tight and then the stern swings out.
I've seen American vids with the exact opposite advice. Bowline on deck. Pointing to the harbour people not being able to adjust vessel's lines from the shore. But our Tom easily out ranks any such nonsuch.
What I have seen in Canada was always tied at the dockside. In one of clubs I was sailing with (not a commercial marina), it was said indeed that as club members are watching each other boats, it is preferable they can adjust the lines from the dock. But this is what I saw in commercial marinas on the our West coast as well. If anything, I was taught how to neatly coil the excess of the rope on the the dock.
I don't think I'd trust this method where I am and the tropical storm and make the docks look like a roller coaster. That loop looks like it would pop off in no time
It's shocking how may boaters don't know, that when a bowline or line with an eye is already on a cleat to pass the next line up and through the eye, so that either line can be slipped first.
Sound great… but we just put the mid centre line out, ‘always’ back into a slip. Tie the centre line and really tie it…. Done. The boat can not go anywhere. Then we set the other lines. Including spring lines. Sailed the half the works this way with our 50 ft. Problem with trying to tie bow or stern lines is that people take it and start to pull. These ropes aren’t splices in to make a loop, that knot weakens the lines… not how it should be sailor.
Don’t agree with your comment about most boats kick to port! Every Volvo Penta I’ve ever met kicks Starboard. Better advice and imo essential before mooring a boat is to learn what prop walk the boat has.
Just a comment about the securring of the line to the cleat (which this video is not about, but I will mention it nevertheless). The line should be secured with a lock knot/hitch on the top. Can't see that on this boats lines, maybe its there but I do not see it. But that is important, as they can untie themselves over time if the line is not locked at the end. See fx this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BBqsF72xNSU.html on how to do it. Its very simple but should not be overlooked. Thanks to You Tom for your inspiring videos. Met you and saw your lovely 44 Mason in Elsinore harbour, where I live, one time - maybe around 3-4 years ago, had no idea you were a famous writer:-) Fair winds and following seas to You and your wife...
I just run my boat into ther dock, that harder the better. Yep. Like to make a lot of noise and get ta know thre neighbors right quick. WHERE'S THE BARBIE AYE?!
Upright, Tom, ol' boy, upright, not crawlin' on all four's from last night's bender...'course the neighbors might be amused seein' tha'...'Look Gladys, ain't tha' ol' Tom sidlin' down the gangway there'...
Nice explanation, thank you. I have always personally secured a spring line first when entering my slip to keep me from entering too far and hitting the dock. Then with the rudder and a tiny bit of engine I can keep the boat alongside the dock until I have the remainder of dock lines secured. Since I mostly single-hand this technique has worked out nicely.
Great video and keeps things focused on "A" way without pretending to be "THE" way. You sound like you've been doing this a long time so some feedback or insights on running solo would be great!
Hi Tom, I like to rig my bow and stern lines as slips - fast on board, round the dockside cleat, back on board and made fast. I do this because I used to sail my Twister single handed, and being able to slip the lines from on board was a sanity saver. I now have a Rustler which I sail with my wife, and the first line we attach is a spring, dropped over the cleat at the end or in the middle of the finger with a boathook. With the engine ahead in idle revs and the tiller held hard over with a bungee, we have all the time in the world to sort out the other lines. We are in the Baltic so have no current to contend with. What are your views?
@@maxflight777 Sure, could do, but what would be the advantage? Wouldn‘t I just be adding a job? The only possible downside is that maybe rigging a mooring line as a slip leads to increased chafe. But when I leave my boat for any length of time I use a chain loop on the pontoon cleat with the warp shackled to it.
@@dmitripogosian5084 Hi Dmitri. No, just the single cleat. I use a bowline for the cleat, take the line round the dockside cleat, back on board and make fast to the same cleat. My mooring cleats are plenty big enough to handle both ends like this.
That's why I prefer to use a round turn and two half hitches on the dock cleat. Not saying Tom's method is wrong but I find a RT+2HH possible to adjust.
So good Tom. You are a wonderful teacher. I sailed long, hard and professionally for a decade including 1.7 circumnavigations. But that ended 20 years ago. I just retired and am loving having you remind me of all I have forgotten and, quite frankly several things I never knew. Thanks!
I haven’t got a boat and easily get sea sick. Yet I absolutely love watching Tom and these videos. Such an absolute pleasure to have people as such in the world and sharing their knowledge. Thank you !
I have a much better way when coming into the dock. I have a mid-ship line looped through a jam cleat. When I arrive at the dock, that line is tied off first. This prevents the boat from drifting anywhere away from the dock. Its on a jam cleat, so the slack is taken up quickly. Once that line is cleated, then I can go to the bow and cleat that line in, and then to the stern. Typically once I have the stern line in hand, I will uncleat the mid-ship line as I can hold the stern line in. Typically I will use that to position the boat. I leaned to do this because as most of us, we are stuck single handing. As a result, I needed a way to secure the boat with a single line without allowing the boat to drift into other boats. I also do this when casting off, so I only have a single point of release and can get to the helm quickly to control the boat.
Tron Alpha If you can’t, get on your cellphone and check their website, if they don’t have one (unlikely but you may not be able to find what you need) google maps can still show you an overhead that can greatly help...
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ hear in Australia, all the marinars have an website and are on navionics. They will ask to make a booking in advance even if you are a lieaboard. so your reply to me is pointless. Gerard.
Tom is a great imparter of the wealth of knowledge he possesses, we always put a breast line or spring to the midship cleat first, someone jumps and then stops the boat before bow and stern lines, the other thing I'd do differently is to cleat the bow lines off to the opposite side cleats so they cross over each other, IE port line to stbd cleat and vise versa. I'd love to spend a few days at sea with Tom on his Mason 44'. If you didn't hit anything and managed without having to make multiple attempts you have a successful docking, spent hours and hours doing this, bow to, stern to, prop walking, etc etc, most marinas have two berths between fingers so that makes for slightly stressful situations with reduced steerage with windage and current, practice practice practice
Wouldnt it be handier to secure the boat first and after you re docked, bring everything back to the boat so leaving the berth is completely controlled from within the boat(especially handy when sailing shorthanded)?
Stern line: You mention, that the angle is not optimal, but that is, how it is. What about using the cleat on the opposite side of the dock? The line's pull would be much more to port instead of forward.
06:20 Spider-Man in the background coming down.... great way of showing a working marina, seeing others working in the marina. I wonder what that sailor was doing up his mast? Great video!
Take sailing courses in Poland, learn sailing theory in Poland !!! - That's the best way to learn all maneuvers, even entering marina "on sails" . You won't learn it in the USA or fucking Canada. On contrary, American and Canadian sailboat travelers ( definitely not the sailors) have been considered as the worse on the World. Fucking RU-vid "sailors" .
Great experience, knowledge and relevant information always humbly and simply delivered! It's almost therapy just hearing you deliver these tutorials, sir! Thanks loads, Tom.
As someone below mentioned, I prefer to have each line cleated aboard the boat, fed through a shore fitting and back aboard, meaning it's easy to pull the lines off when leaving the berth, whilst never leaving the boat. This is also partly because of drunken idiots, tampering with lines by easily casting off a bowline in seconds, silently, whereas they are far less likely to clamber aboard or cut a rope. However, in a tidal stream, an off-wind or other untoward circumstance, there is a good logic in just getting a quick loop over a cleat/bollard, and then afterwards organising lines better/aboard, one by one. Also I'd add that I instruct crew to leave *at least* 6 inches of tail after every knot, so that if a knot is jerked repeatedly, it won't pull through and untie itself. Nice video, thanks.
They say" you can always learn something" well that's only true if you have a good instructor .And you are a good instructor.Thank you so much for your videos, they are great, fun and you inspire so well. Thanks again
Great lesson. If possible I use the same configuration of lines. Only very often in Dutch marinas there are eyes instead of cleats. In those cases I prefer to keep the bowline on the cleat on board, loop it through the eye and back on board to cleat it off. In the perfect world I ca do all this without pulling through the end of the line so it can all be very easily let go from aboard ship when we leave.
Great video...my old (1984) marina.......old-home week! Excellent advice, changing a couple of things I do, in particular, bowlines on each line....Thanks, Andrew
Like a number of others have commented getting your spring on first is generally the best thing to do. If you have a front and rear spring then perhaps get the front spring on, that stops the boat going too far forwards and will hold the boat to the finger. Then get your front and rear lines on. The other thing is if your returning to your regular berth in a marina, being able to pick up your spring lines from a pole on the finger using a boat hook if needs be makes sense. In this situation you don’t need to be having to jump off your boat onto the marina finger to secure the line, as it should be well secured over the cleat on the marina finger.
Well never sailed in my life which is a shame as it's always something I wanted to do but even this which I'll never do I found very satisfying to listen and watch.
I heard it's really hard to park these types of boats. Sounds like an unadulterated nightmare to hit another boat or slam into some things that will cost you quite a bit of money...and some people don't have the money to fix someone else's boat because they lack insurance in Covid times.
Thanks Tom! Great video. Wish I’d known you ten years ago when I got my boat. You’d have recognized my newness. “Didn’t know a knot, so I tied a lot.” :)
