Broad Ambition - The River Blogs - Part 4



Part four sees us visit St. Helen's church at Ranworth (for some reason I refer to it as St. Margaret's Church) and we end up at Sutton Staithe Boatyard for very cheap fuel and a pump out.

It truly was a lovely weekend with amazing weather that seems but a memory now.

Comments

Unknown said…
Robin many thanks for continuing the Blogs a great source for information and boat handling. Robin I have a question I think I have viewed most of your Blogs, I especially enjoy the ones that show the how to mooring side on and stern on, but I have a question? Apologies if I have missed this or just maybe you have not covered before. My question is this how does a boater judge the gap that a boat will fit in, for example mooring between 2 other boats already moored, let’s say a 40 footer is there any tricks can be applied then just a estimating, for example are mooring posts always set at the same distance apart, that would be a god indicator but I don’t know, and I am sure many people would like to know?

Steve………
Unknown said…
Robin many thanks for continuing the Blogs a great source for information and boat handling. Robin I have a question I think I have viewed most of your Blogs, I especially enjoy the ones that show the how to mooring side on and stern on, but I have a question? Apologies if I have missed this or just maybe you have not covered before. My question is this how does a boater judge the gap that a boat will fit in, for example mooring between 2 other boats already moored, let’s say a 40 footer is there any tricks can be applied then just a estimating, for example are mooring posts always set at the same distance apart, that would be a god indicator but I don’t know, and I am sure many people would like to know?

Steve………
Hi Steve. As far as I am aware there is no better way than a good estimate and I often find the case when one comes into moor you can soon tell if the boat is going to fit with time to 'abort'. If you came into a tight mooring you would however need to consider a tighter angle of approach by the the bow is in, you can then tell if there will be room for the stern - if there is then allow someone to step off with the bow rope and wrap a couple of times around a post this means they won;t take the strain but the post will. Then you can put the boat slow ahead with hard right hand wheel and the stern will naturally come in without the bow moving forward. The person at the bow may need to loosen their line just a tad to let the stern come in.

One thing I see so often is how people mess up leaving a tight mooring (or where the wind is pushing them on the bank) and believe they can turn the week, apply forward throttle and move away much as a car would - then to be baffled their stern is scrapping along the bank. I've witnessed several cases where a boat continues in this fashion and ploughs into a boat in front.

In such a case always leave a mooring backwards. untie the stern and as far as the bow such soul have a turn around the post but the person on board the boat using the bow cleat to tie the rope off at. Apply hard left hand wheel and go slow ahead, the boats stern will 'swing out' away from the bank. Let the bow rope go and then back out of the mooring into the middle of the river, apply hard right hand wheel and forward throttle and you will 'straighten up' and now be able to cruise down the river with no worries of hitting other boats or the bank when leaving the mooring.
Unknown said…
Robin many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience

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