How to do a Stern to Mooring
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- čas přidán 4. 10. 2018
- Follow our quick guide on how to do a stress-free Stern To or Mediterranean Mooring
Many fine yachties come on holiday with us each year ready to embark on a cracking flotilla or bareboat holiday in one of our Mediterranean destinations but, having done most of their sailing in the tidal waters around the UK, the Stern To or Mediterranean style mooring worries them. Basically, because of the lack of tide, town quays and marinas around the med can fit boats more effectively by mooring them with the stern facing the quay. This also makes access to the stern of the boat easy using a plank or passerelle and creates a sociable quayside atmosphere.
The manoeuvre itself is relatively simple but like all of those in sailing requires a certain amount of preparation and planning to ensure a smooth and stress-free mooring. The guide below is for a lighter wind Stern To mooring as is common in sheltered harbours but keep an eye out for more “How To’s” including doing this in a heavy wind.
Preparation
Having a plan and being prepared is very important in any sailing manoeuvre and this is no exception. Before you start the approach you need to do the following tasks
Put Fenders out on both sides of the yacht
Drop the anchor slightly out of the bow roller
Secure both stern lines to the cleats
Planning your entry to the harbour is very important, make sure you know where the wind is coming from, are there any hazards like moored boats or swimmers. Also, make sure all crew know what they’re doing, you will need one person operating the windlass on the bow and if possible someone to help with stern lines in the cockpit. Communication is as always very important to make sure the skipper can communicate clearly with the crewmember on the windlass.
Approach
The first thing to look for is a suitably sized space for your yacht on the quay, don’t try to fit into a space that’s far too small and you won’t be very popular if you fill a space that could fit two boats. Head into the harbour and approach the space in reverse dropping the anchor as far away from the key as possible (at least 4 boat lengths) in line with the neighbouring chains. Reverse slowly towards the space turning the stern of the boat towards the wind and make sure you balance the speed of the boat with the force on the windlass. When the boat is a third of a boat’s length from the quay stop dropping the anchor and make sure crew at the stern are ready. As you stop the anchor, your engine should be in neutral, with a small touch of forward to bring the yacht to a stop. If no one is on the quay to catch your lines, then this should be at a suitable distance for a crew member to step ashore with the windward mooring line.
Securing the Stern Lines
When you are close to the quay the crew takes the windward stern line ashore and passes it through a ring or similar at roughly 45 degrees to the boat before passing it back to someone in the cockpit. This is then secured and sweated if necessary to get the boat in the correct position (see the video for more details). When the windward line is secured do the same for the leeward line making sure the yacht is the correct distance from the key. During this process, the skipper may need to motor forward or backwards slowly.
Finalising the Manoeuvre
To finalise the manoeuvre you need to tighten up the anchor chain with the windless till it’s at 45 degrees which will set the boat in its final position. If you’re leaving the boat for any time snub a line onto the anchor cable and around a cleat on the foredeck to take force off the windless. When you’re happy your ship is secure sit back and enjoy your favourite post sailing tipple.
Hopefully, this guide and video will help you to understand the Stern To mooring process and take the worry out of the end of day manoeuvre. If you’re considering the Lefkas or Kefalonia Flotilla and you’re still worried about this or any other areas we can offer Pre-Flotilla training at Nikiana Beach Club on the island of Lefkas with 2, 4 and 7-day accommodation options.
Nice vid, but in my opinion you should to drop the anchor when you heading back to the mooring and use as much anchor chain as possible. Thanks for the video.
Yes, not going straight while stretching out the anchor chain causes trouble - especially in harbors!
Hello, if everything works fine, it is ok when the bathing platform is down. But if You crash into something it is big damage. So I would suggest not to open the bathing platform until the Mooring is finished
I love the time lapse from 2:40 to 2:45 where you play pin-ball and don't mind putting the fenders to good use. LOL. Bang em, and bang em again. Sometimes it is a tight squeeze
I found myself distracted by the song. Here I am dancing with my coffee instead of learning.
Why isn't' the vessel held in reverse to keep the stern to the shore...twice you had to pull/drive it back after establishing a good position to the shore originally?
Just curious but how can you be sure your anchor chain isn’t over top of someone else’s anchor? Seems likely that you could cross chains easily? Never done stern to mooring but am planning a trip to Croatia so will need to!
Good video but I didn't hear any mention of when the anchor was deployed, or maybe I just missed it? How many boat lengths out is ideal?
0:56
So lay your anchor from downwind in an arc ? Hope you didn't get any real wind that evening.
👍🏼🙌🏼
with everyone dropping the anchor chain in close proximity, how are they going to exit the mooring without getting their keels snagged on the anchor chain/lines ?
I've never seen any instructors teach reversing into a mooring with a lowered transom!
That is the best way to do it, I teach it all the time.
@@daveoconnor8745 So that's why I see so many dammaged bathing platforms! I'd love to see a real mooring with a proper mooring wind .
Saxophone!!!!
I wasn't aware that you would need to drop the anchor so far out. Did it drag with the boat after hitting bottom of anchor where it was set?
It drags a little. You try to pace your movement with the speed that your windlass lets out your chain. Once you have your stern lines tied and set where you want them you set the anchor with your windlass to the appropriate tension. Setting it far out gives a better hold because the weight of the chain is also working as a anchor and keeps the bow from moving to starboard or port.
@@chefdan87 thank you!
@@chefdan87 You have to move according to the needs enforced by wind.
The windlass might be too slow.
Far better easing the chain nut on the Windlass' axle and let it fall & control the chains speed by the Nut's clutch.
good instruction! much apprecaited
Never ever put your bathing platform down when mooring to stern. One of the first basics your learn.
Dear friends good evening. 0:32 it is not the right way to cleat a mooring line. 1:40 mooring lines go under preexisting mooring lines. 2:11 the same thing. 2:22 an old CQR to dig in in that sea bed? Only with a lot of luck. Fair winds.
Isn't whether to go under or over preexisting stern lines only dependent on which boat is higher? That is, isn't the goal not having the stern lines touch/scuff against one another?
@@sleepyjesus7265 dear friend good evening. I am afraid that is not that way. All mooring lines even from diferent sized boats touch against each other becouse they are never tensioned completely. Boating etiquette might seem non sense to the young generation but to my days was very important. I am very sorry that my comment propably offended you. I didnt mean that. I wrote it as a friendly advise, we all keep learning.
@@nikotsalis Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry if I appeared to be offended in any way by your comment, I meant not to signal anything of that sort. My question was only raised out of curiosity towards the subject. I tend to think these things from a pragmatic viewpoint rather than a fixed etiquette or a rule book. I understand we sail in very different parts of the seas, so that part of the etiquette dictating that new lines would always go below the preexisting lines, has never reached me. If it is not too much trouble, could you please explain the reasoning for this practice, as it seems both more difficult for the crew of the second boat to do in the mooring process and quite irrelevant if the premise is that the lines would eventually scuff against each other anyway? I'm here to learn and discuss in a friendly manner, not to get offended or angry. Thank you.
@@sleepyjesus7265 Juho, the aim of putting our lines under the existing ones is to facilitate the exit of the other boat. Some kind of etiquette, really; "I came here after you, so I am not going to bother you in any way". Nothing to do with lines touching each other, they are built for this.
@@sleepyjesus7265 Dear friend good morning, I am sorry for the late reply but I was away with no internet connection. Mr Juan Domenech has absolutely right. There is nothing more pleasant to the eyes than a neat clean boat aproaching to the dock with all crew members, with t shirts and not half naked, to the right positions, with no yelling and shouting, everyone to know what to do with minimum of effort and maximum effect. The boat moors perfectly effortessly with an impecable choreografy, with respect to the other boats and to seamanship. And if they manage to do it under sail even better, they make my day!!!
That was probably the best possible conditions to do a stern mooring. Reverse that wind and let the fun begin....
This ting is Wella decent
0:30 WTF
Nice video but has some wrong instructions. The most important wrong part is the anchor setting!! You should dig the anchor prior to completion of stern lines fasting. You can do that by stopping the chain Once the boat comes to the middle of the neighbor boat. Fair winds ⛵️👋
It's obvious you do not need to be doing any docking instructing.
is this a to not how to video?
Just seen this now;somehow it was in my recommended list?!
For those of you who don't know about this, the overall technique here is ok to follow ... but ...
This video is NOT good instruction!
The anchor needs to set before beginning final approach. I would never have used this location, either, due to the close vicinity of the outer anchored swinging yacht - what if your anchor had fouled his? Other minor flaws occurred, that other watchers have already commented on here, but this is not a good video to learn from.
Why not get everything correct before filming and publishing such stuff for novices??
Why not demonstrate, to those who do not sail, or do not sail very much, how you would stern-to moor single handed; like those of us who liveaboard do regularly?