Jump to content

Casting off in moving water


Kieron G

Featured Posts

I would say if you haven't got enough experience to know the answer to the question you're asking, then you shouldn't even be thinking about going out in a river with enough fresh coming down to make it difficult to clear a berth. If you've got to move the boat for some reason in these conditions, then take someone who has done it before with you.

Totally agree, and I would hope someone would be willing to come with you to help in gaining the confidence and experience that would help you to tackle to these more challenging aspects of boat handling. As others have already said, if you find letting go from the bank is difficult, then mooring in the same weather conditions could be more hazardous. Much better to wait for conditions to improve.

 

Howard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other thing to consider is that having successfully cast off, sooner or later you're going to have to moor up again,and that would bring similar issues, albeit if you're a bit nifty you should be able to get from the cockpit to the bow to get a front line secured.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, i think Naughty Cal's point is valid, the boat i've got is great for learning with and has enabled me to go places i wouldn't feel confident with a larger or more fragile boat. The fact that i'm asking questions here shows that i am seeking to take advice from others more experienced than myself in these matters( i hope ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For a narrow boat In these circumstances:

 

1. Make fast the centre line to a bollard close to the stern.

2. Run the engine ahead fast enough to put the centre line under enough tension to hold the boat alongside.

3. Let go the stern line. Go forward and let go the headline. At this point the boat is being held alongside by the tension that the engine is applying to the centre line.

4. Come aft close to the controls and let go the centre line.

 

You can now navigate out from the berth crabwise against the current.

 

Coming alongside is exactly the reverse.

 

This techinique only works if the lead on the centre line is at a suffient angle to the boat to provide a good pull into the side. I doubt if it could work if you have the centre line running through fairleads on the side of the boat or if it is attached to the hand rail.

 

Do not try it if you are not certain that the boat will stay alongisde under the action of the centre line and engine.

 

 

 

 

N

Edited by Theo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before attempting this manoeuvre take note of the wind direction and strength and the current under the boat. If the current is flowing across the boat rather than simply forward to aft then the manoeuvre will be that bit more difficult.

 

N

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking about your boat, Kieron, you could probably put a centre rope on a bollard on the centre of the side decks. The pull then would be quite low down, and not heel the boat like a narrowboat can.

 

We use a centre rope on a centre bollard on the 80' trip boat I crew on, through locks and sometimes when tying up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have welded loops down each of the side decks for clipping fenders to, i could maybe attach a centre line to the middle one of these with a good dog clip for this use for the time being.

Do make sure that they are up to the job.

 

N

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends


Can your boat go against the current in reverse?


Lets suppose you are moored facing upstream and want to go downstream. The river is wider than the length of your boat and you have boats moored fore and aft.


You should have bow and stern ropes and at least one spring, ideally long enough that you can run it from cockpit to the upstream near the bow of your boat, through a ring (or over a bollard) and back to the cockpit.


Start your engine and check you have propulsion (put in gear etc). Tighten stern rope so stern can't drift out too far to stop you stepping back onboard. Cast off bow rope and give bow a gentle push out into the current. The current will start to pull the bow out, the stern can't move so you pivot.


Get into cockpit, and wait until turn is well under way. Now cast off stern rope and pull forward on spring. You'll turn round while being under control, still attached to pontoon, engine out of gear. Cast off spring, engage forward gear and move off. Turn nearly finished and you can easily get clear of other boats.



If you wanted to go upstream, you can do a variation of this but cast off stern as soon as you get back into cockpit, pull in spring and put engine into gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Alastair , missed your post ( & Taffy Ron ) because i haven't visited this thread for a while. Have read it a few times & think i've got it. The problem i would have is that the rudder clears the boat by around 12 inches & would catch the pontoon on the turn ( unless i protect it ). The best thing with that manouvre for me would be to get used to it when things have slowed down a bit, Thanks for sharing it. Are you the sailing barge moored near where the Ouse changes to the Ure ? Have got on really well with Theos manouvre, works a treat for me and was supprised how little power needed to keep the line taught on the mooring. As for reversing against the current fairly sure i've got the power but maybe not much directional control. There's a muddy area of river bank just upstream where i moor, have worked out that when coming down stream i can nose the boat onto that and the current spins me around ready to slot onto the pontoon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Casting off, cruising and tying up

Setting off

Start the engine, keep it in neutral and allow a few minutes for it to warm up before you move off. Untie the front and back mooring ropes from the bank, but leave them tied to the boat, coiled and ready for use. On rivers, untie the downstream rope first. Make sure your ropes can’t trail in the water and get caught in the propeller. Don’t forget to stow the mooring stakes and hammer.
Because the boat steers from the back, you can’t drive away from the bank as in a car. Check the area is clear of boat traffic then push the boat away from the bank so you can make a clean get away, with your propeller in deep water. In shallow water, push the back of the boat out, then reverse away until there’s room to straighten up.

 

Slowing down and stopping
Because boats don’t have brakes, you need to give yourself plenty of time to stop – especially when travelling downstream on flowing waters. Ease off the throttle, move into neutral and then use short bursts in reverse gear to slow down and come to a final halt. Remember that it’s extremely difficult to steer when you’re in reverse gear. You may need an occasional forward boost to get better control.

Steering

Steering a boat with a wheel is like steering a car, but it’s more difficult to judge where your wheel should be for going straight ahead. Get to know the feel of the wheel and the rudder position before you set off.
Using a tiller to steer is simple – as long as you remember that pushing to the right will make the boat head left and vice versa. Be patient and plan ahead – the boat will take a few seconds to respond.
Your boat pivots from a point about halfway along its length. That means you need to watch out for the front and the back. If you line up the front only and then try to turn into a narrow gap – a bridge or lock, for example – you risk hitting the side with the back of your boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's rather simplistic just to say "untie the downstream rope first" especially if the boat is facing upstream, you may then have to walk to the bows and untie the upstream rope following which you have a 20 metre (or more) sprint along a slippery pontoon or muddy vegetation-strewn riverbank to jump the ever-widening gap on to a slippery stern which is floating away downstream. All sorts of other techniques (many of them already described above) may be preferable depending on the individual circumstances, including the use of the centre line or even using the engine running hard ahead to keep the downstream (stern) rope tight while you go and untie the upstream (bow) rope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.