Is your boat tied up correctly?
- Written by Martin Northey
I spend quite a lot of my time walking along pontoons in our marinas in the Algarve and am continually shocked by how badly boats are secured to their berths. Many people use the totally incorrect system of using just two ropes as a combined breast and spring; this is wrong and actually quite dangerous.
In the event of having to leave in a hurry, a sharp knife will be the only way of achieving this quickly.
During the flood in the river Guadiana a few years ago, when the river current at Alcoutim was moving at a speed in excess of 14 knots. The pontoon, with water rushing past it, was effectively travelling through the water much faster than its maximum speed governed by its waterline length; it was therefore behaving like a bucking bronco. The yachts that were alongside the pontoon were also behaving in a similar fashion and most were tied with combined breast a spring ropes, the pontoon was too unstable for it to be safe for the owners to step on to, and the ropes were in too much of a muddle & too much under load to be undone either on board or on the pontoon. In most cases the ropes had to be cut for the yachts to be able to get free before the pontoon broke free, one part of it being swept down the river and another part sinking. This was a terrifying experience for those on board the yachts and many of the yachts were damaged.
One of the few skippers who managed to leave the pontoon with his vessel totally unscathed and under control was Peter Carey in ‘Golden Miller’, who was tied up with separate
ropes which he was able let go in an order that ensured a reasonably controlled and dignified departure in what must have been horrific conditions. Peter is probably the most experienced seaman that I know, his long experience as a Thames Barge owner and skipper, carrying cargo in the Thames estuary, stood him in good stead on this occasion as I am sure it has on many others.
The correct way to secure a boat in a pontoon berth or alongside a quay is to use a separate rope for each job. When bows-to this will normally involve two bow ropes, a stern rope and a bow spring (or two if you are leaving the boat for more than a few days). When berthed stern-to as is the case with most motor cruisers then you should have two stern ropes, one bow rope and at least one stern spring. In addition to the two stern ropes it is also a good idea to fit diagonal ropes across the stern to cleats on the pontoon to prevent sideways movement. All these ropes should be tied through the middle of a cleat on the pontoon with a round turn and a bowline, the on board end of the rope should be secured to a cleat on board with a round turn, a figure of eight and a round turn followed by a locking hitch if you think it is necessary.
The advantage of this system is that each rope is individually adjustable from on board and in the event of an emergency all ropes can be let go from on board without having to step on to the pontoon or quay.
For boats that have a long-term marina berth I am in favour of permanent mooring ropes that are spliced to cleats on the pontoon and with spliced loops at the on-board ends for looping over the boats cleats. This makes short-handed departures and arrivals much easier as it obviates any necessity for crew to either make up slipping ropes or to step onto the pontoon. On arrival ropes can be picked up from the pontoon with a boat hook, or alternatively a spring can be left hanging on a vertical aluminium or stainless steel post fixed to the pontoon about one meter high in a position so that when the boat is correctly positioned it can be retrieved from amidships by hand. Often permanent mooring ropes are protected from chafe at each end by plastic pipe, this is a good idea but not essential unless the vessels fair leads and/or cleats have any sharp edges.
In addition to boats being tied up incorrectly I also often see an interesting selection of knots that I have not been able to find in my copy of ‘The Ashley Books of Knots’. The favourite being what I have called ‘The sideways bowline’, which on which on first impression looks just like a bowline but on closer inspection is found not to be a bowline! Another very common knot found often on Portuguese owned boats, is a rope double over and then a loop tied in the end, this one is really dangerous because once it has been put under load the only way that you can undo it is with a very sharp knife!
Martin Northey - RYA Yachtmaster Examiner / Instructor for Sail & Power - Patrão de Alto Mar, The Iberian Sea School (RYA Training Centre), Apartado 1039 - Vilamoura, 8125-912 Quarteira, Portugal.Tel: 00 351 965 800702.
Email: martin.northey@mail.telepac.pt
Web Site: www.theiberianseaschool.com
