Ep 149 Docking, Undocking, and Sailing in Grenada and Carriacou
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Tips and Tricks for Med Mooring:
In this 149th episode of Sailing (Yacht) Talisman, we demonstrate (kind of) a specific docking process called Med mooring. In this case, the bow is going to be secured to laid moorings connected by a heavy chain to a helical screw or concrete block on the bottom (ground tackle, generally). Marina dockhands will handle stern lines, and this is always an area of concern as they don’t always know what they’re doing. And in this particular case, which is not really the norm, we had a marina dinghy and driver to handle what would normally be a “Med moor with laid moorings”. As always, it remains the responsibility of the skipper to command the cleating and uncleating of mooring/dock lines.
There are actually three separate types of Med mooring: Med moor with anchor, Med moor with “slime line”, and Med moor with mooring ball.
As the first name implies, you will be required to deploy your anchor (in your “lane”, as it were), and then reverse back into the desired berth. This process can be quite challenging, especially if there are winds and currents/tides involved. Backing in between two other boats, or at least against a downwind boat (using fenders) will help control things once stern lines start getting tied up. Lacking this, the upwind stern line will always be the priority. The proper anchor chain scope is typically about two boat lengths, but as with normal anchoring, water depth must be factored in. Skippers and bow personnel must be willing and able to recognize a bad hand and bail out as needed. Pro skippering skills show themselves most when things go sideways, and the experienced skipper always has a “Plan B” in mind for escape. Note that laying your anchor on the other side of an adjacent anchor and chain is the biggest risk with Med mooring w/ anchor. It might not be your fault in the end, but tangled anchors and chains are the norm rather than the exception in Med mooring harbors, so be ready (especially in the morning when boats are leaving) to run topsides to get your engine idling and in gear against your stern lines if your neighbor suddenly has your chain and anchor lifted. You can often hear this happening from below.
The known issues above (combined with modern synthetic rope materials) led to the use of what are called “laid moorings”, which are set mooring lines that sit on the bottom when not in use. Generally, the docking process is a simple matter of backing into a berth and holding position (for which a bow thruster is very beneficial) while a dockhand lifts and passes a “slime line” to the boat crew. The slime line is commonly a lighter diameter, 8mm or so, that leads to a heavier duty large mooring line laid along the bottom. A crew member walks the slime line forward until the larger line is in hand and can be secured to one of the bow cleats. There are often two slime lines, one for port and one for starboard. Getting a boat fully tied up will entail much loosening and tightening of stern lines in order to get forward enough to tension the bow lines, followed by reversing back to the dock. It is imperative that the skipper be ready to throw the engine into neutral should any risk of wrapping a slime line occur as the small diameter leader is usually secured to the dock and can be pulled up at an angle that puts it near the prop height. Slime line Med mooring is by far the most common way boats are moored in Europe, and the only downsides are that props can get fouled and that ground tackle must be maintained.
Use of a mooring ball in lieu of a slime line is obviously a variant on the above. The only real issue here is that the marina must employ knowledgeable and skilled dinghy drivers, as boat crews won’t be able to hook the mooring ball on their own. Note that longer mooring lines are often required, especially for smaller boats, as the ball will be positioned for the largest boat that will fit in the berth, often 60’. Two dock lines can be tied end-to-end in order to make up the required length.
To be clear, the marina in the episode, Port Louis Marina in Grenada, uses both slime lines and mooring balls, and the mooring ball zone is visible to the port side in front of Talisman when we were waiting for permission to head in. In our case, the dinghy driver simply untied the slime lines from the dock and handled the entire process from the water side.
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Great to see no fuss when docking, love the teamwork.
Thanks Gus!
Thanks for another great vid - always look forward to yours!
Thank Rick. It's a labor of love.
Great video and detailed description of the different variants via MED-Mooring.
In variant two, it is common in strong crosswinds in the MED that the mooring line on the adjacent windward boat is brought forward and handed over there. Thus, the boat can be quickly fixed in front.
Variant three is also found in the MED without mooring aid, the advantage is the one who has the ingenious boat hook "Hook & Moor" (long variant) on board.
Hi Albert. Well said. Interestingly enough, we just ordered one of those hooks. The one we got was the Happy Hooker brand sold here in the US for a relatively reasonable price, but we haven't had a chance to try it out yet. There were several opportunities for one this last season, and I swore I was done waiting for help from others or having Wendy dive overboard.
@@SailingTalisman The crew will love this part, it's a little magical....
No fun with water fear issues - 2 beers are my cure, then im good to jump off the sugar scoops.
Thanks for sharing ⛵️ 👍
Hi Patrick. I'll give that a try next time. 👍
I've never Med moored in my life, nice to see someone there to hand you a bow line. I always thought you had to throw the hook off the bow....stressful to say the least, especially if it's blowing.
Beautiful sail.
Thanks Tom!
I like that you including docking - it's nice to sit back and watch other people's techniques. But....I was hoping for a mini-rant on how stupid med mooring is :)
Hi George. I think Med mooring is outdone by long lining. At least you don't have to swim to shore with a line in your hands. While the easiest docking is going to be laying up followed by finger docks, but laying up in particular leaves you quite exposed to weather. In the end, a complete floating dock complex with finger docks is an expensive proposition. In in this case I got off easy because the marina staff did most of the work. Med moor with anchor would have been a pretty big operation. Thanks for being with us!
Moar Stairway!
She's getting pretty good. On piano too!
Wanted/to/hear/Wendy/and/Kevin/Scream/singing/the/last/part/of/"Stairway/to/Heaven".!..lol
I caught her by surprise.
Did not know Jimmy Page's sister was co-captain on Talisman!
Me neither! Thanks for being with us.
What marina was it that didn't care about crime and safety?
Well Rodney Bay Marina in St Lucia certainly cares about crime and safety, but they're at the mercy of a rather rough scene outside the marina fence and guard gate. The ARC was serious when they warned participants to NEVER walk alone or in groups at night. Especially when it came to the Friday Fish Fry in Grosse Inlet. We took a water taxi over one night and the driver insisted on walking us the single block, in daylight, over the main street. He was insistent that you needed a local with you for safety. Dinghies are stolen there frequently, and as can be the case elsewhere, I suspect (sense) that local law enforcement sees the criminals as the sons (generally) of fellow islanders first, and criminals second. When we were there in 2019 I noticed that all the cameras in the marina were pointed the wrong way. This last season, I looked again and camera position seemed correct, but I still wonder how motivated they are to actually catch anyone.
@@SailingTalisman Thanks. I'll remember to avoid that place. What a shame! Is the rest of St Lucia OK to visit or is it just the same as Rodney Bay area?
@@robertlaird6746 Most of the island resorts like those down south at the Pitons are gated and very safe. It's like Jamaica. You just never leave the controlled environment. But it's too bad, though.
@@SailingTalisman Could you do a video explaining how you choose a location to stop at that's safe. How do you choose if you want to be on the hook where the chances of theft are minimal?
Kevin, I was going to say that you should buzz-cut her entire head as she slept, in revenge, but I deleted that comment. 😁😁
OMG. I'd be cut off for whatever time it took to grow back!