To the uninitiated bystander, berthing a boat probably looks simple enough: there’s a berth, there’s a boat.

Putting the latter into the former can’t be difficult, can it?

If only it were so – but then where would the challenge be?

No more discussions at the bar about the tide sweeping you in and the wind blowing the bow out, combined with the prop-walk kicking the stern the wrong way.

Manoeuvring takes practice, judgement, perception, skill and understanding to get it right, which is why it’s satisfying when everything goes as it should.

Even on what appears to be a relatively calm day, elements that might seem almost insignificant can have a surprising effect – just a little tide and a wind that barely ruffles the surface of the water.

Continues below…

Those were the conditions we experienced in Poole Quay Boat Haven on a Maxi 33.

We started by entering a berth bow-first, head-to-tide, before reversing out and returning to the same berth in astern.

Then it was a matter of working out the best way to leave the berth in ahead with the tide under us.

Berthing: Going in forward

We start with the simplest approach – bow first

1. Sergei is at the helm and Nigel is ready with a warp. We’re turning into the tide but the wind is from the starboard quarter and, as usual in a marina, it’s stronger than the surface of the water suggests.

2. Sergei brings the boat into the berth parallel to the pontoon. Nigel steps off with a centre spring…

3 … and secures it around the cleat halfway along the pontoon. Now that the boat has stopped, the wind starts to blow the stern out and the bow goes in…

4. … so Nigel goes forward and picks up the line from the bow.

5. The stern was still a little way out, so Sergei reverses against the centre spring to bring the
boat parallel and make it easy to pass the stern line to Rob.

Reversing out

Going out with the tide calls for a plan of action

1. Rob tells Sergei to use a generous amount of throttle – to make sure the boat is moving through the water fast enough to retain control – and to keep the rudder straight rather than trying to steer.

2. It’s looking good: we’ve gone straight back out of the berth and it’s now time to get ready for the turn.

3. Approaching the opposite pontoon, Sergei uses a burst of forward gear to stop the boat…

4. … and applies port lock to use the prop-wash over the rudder, so the boat turns to port while barely moving forward.

5. Now it’s a case of motoring out between the pontoons, keeping the boat pointing slightly to starboard to counter the right-to-left effect of the ebb tide

Berthing a boat: Reversing in

This time, the boat will be reversing into the tide with the wind on the port bow

1. Standing forward of the wheel and facing aft – often easier when reversing – Nigel needs to avoid starting the turn into the berth too early, especially as the wind is strong enough to blow the bow off.

2. It takes relatively little steering to bring the stern round on the approach to the berth. Nigel commented on how quickly the boat turned in reverse.

3. Sergei steps on to the pontoon and takes a turn around the cleat with the centre spring. The bow is being blown off already.

4. Nigel nudges the boat forward, to pivot her around the centre spring…

5. … and she comes gently alongside, parallel to the pontoon. Nigel can now hold her there on the throttle while breast-lines and springs are secured

Going out forward

This time it was a two-stage operation

1. With the boat in her original position, the bow was well inside the end of the pontoon, so Rob, Nigel and Sergei moved her forward to bring the end of the pontoon level with the spring cleat.

2. The breast lines have been dropped, Nigel is ready to slip the spring and Rob gives Sergei a final briefing at the wheel.

3. As soon as Nigel has slipped the spring, the boat is blown away from the pontoon.

4. Sergei checks to make sure the stern is clear, then uses a burst of forward throttle on starboard lock.

5. The turn is complete, the boat having moved no more than half the distance towards the
opposite pontoon.

The potential danger in a situation like this is that the tide will sweep the boat on to the boats on the pontoons opposite before she has completed the turn to head out of the marina.

Moving closer to the end of the pontoon before dropping warps allows the turn to be started earlier.

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Enjoy reading Berthing a boat using wind and tide?

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