Mooring against a natural river bank

[Workhorse]

Can anyone advise on mooring against a natural river bank. Not only have you got to stop as close as you can to the bank, but you have got to get off, drive in the mooring pins, and tie up before the boat slips away in the direction of the current.

What is the best way of approaching this problem.

[gaggle]

carefully.

[blackrose]

Can anyone advise on mooring against a natural river bank. Not only have you got to stop as close as you can to the bank, but you have got to get off, drive in the mooring pins, and tie up before the boat slips away in the direction of the current.

What is the best way of approaching this problem.

 

If you're single handed it's tricky, but for starters I'd advise not moving in flood conditions and always mooring bow upstream.

 

It's probably best to practice the technique of getting off the boat with centrerope mooring pin and hammer on still water before trying this on a river. I've put my foot on the centrerope sometimes and giving the pin a couple of strikes. If I feel the rope moving I put the hammer down and grab the rope, get the boat back where I want it and start again, eventually you get there....

[Workhorse]

If you're single handed it's tricky, but for starters I'd advise not moving in flood conditions and always mooring bow upstream.

 

It's probably best to practice the technique of getting off the boat with centrerope mooring pin and hammer on still water before trying this on a river. I've put my foot on the centrerope sometimes and giving the pin a couple of strikes. If I feel the rope moving I put the hammer down and grab the rope, get the boat back where I want it and start again, eventually you get there....

 

Would I be right in saying, the heart is in the mouth while trying to secure the boat.

[Ewart Hodgson]

For what it's worth, I (single-handed and often mooring to steep banks on the upper Severn etc) always come in to the bank upstream and bring the bow under the bank. I then throw a good length of *bow* line up on to the bank. I then dash to the bow and leap on to the bank from there (with mooring pins and hammer if necessary). If the bow has started to drift out by the time you get there, pole it back in. The point of taking the *bow* line, not the back-end line (which some people without cargo holds now call a 'centre line'), is that you can always pull the bow back in if the boat drifts out - if you only have the back-end (centre) line, you may end up pulling the centre of the boat on a sandbank some distance from the bank and not being able to get to either bow or stern without wading.

 

Whatever you do, ensure that you have enough depth under you that you will be afloat in the morning after any reasonable fall of river levels in the night, and ensure that you have enough height above you (trees) that you will be free after any reasonable rise of river levels in the night. If you know that river levels ate likely to change a lot, loop your lines back to the boat (so you can release them completely without going ashore, if necessary), keep your lines loose and use your main and kedge anchors to hold you away from the bank during the night (please buoy them for the sake of other river users, and light your vessel appropriately). That way your anchors will hold you off shallows and trees, but you still have the belt-and-braces of lines ashore should an anchor trip.

[KenK]

If this question is in relation to your K&A trip, you may not always be able to moor facing up-stream on your return. In which case go in gently stern first, step off with the stern line and secure it, the current will keep the bow into the bank. If you don't have a plank you may have a problem getting on and off as some parts of the K&A are very shallow near the bank.

 

Ken

[Carrie]

I'm afraid I haven't had the experience yet, but I have an extra centre rope that has a pin permanently attached so that I can drive it in quickly when it's windy and not have to faff with tying.

[blackrose]

I'm afraid I haven't had the experience yet, but I have an extra centre rope that has a pin permanently attached so that I can drive it in quickly when it's windy and not have to faff with tying.

 

That's not a bad idea.

[fender]

If single handed try finding a tree that you can tie up to, or a small niche in the river bank that is slightly out of the currents (either formed by the bank or by trees that are dangling in the river itself.)

 

Places like this can be found at Runnymede and Cliveden deep and a number of places along the Thames if one looks, and there are lots of opportunities to tie up to trees (I dont know about other rivers, the Stort has a couple of places where this can be done - the Weaver didnt have anything of the sort if I remember, the Severn has some examples - but always remember that on the offside could be private land)

 

If no trees etc just try and get the bows in the bank (facing upstream) and get off and put the mooring pins in. But its how far you can get in that will alwys tell you whether it is going to work or not - often as on the Thames I have had to try several times before finding a place that I can pull in sufficiently to get off and secure the boat single handed.

 

Last year I had the combo of wind and a fuller river and had to use a lot of power, and quick response times in order to tie the boat up at several locations.

Edited May 15, 2007 by fender

[blackrose]

If single handed try finding a tree that you can tie up to, or a small niche in the river bank that is slightly out of the currents (either formed by the bank or by trees that are dangling in the river itself.)

 

Places like this can be found at Runnymede and Cliveden deep and a number of places along the Thames if one looks, and there are lots of opportunities to tie up to trees (I dont know about other rivers, the Stort has a couple of places where this can be done - the Weaver didnt have anything of the sort if I remember, the Severn has some examples - but always remember that on the offside could be private land)

 

I've was once given a bollocking for mooring to trees on the Thames. Apparently it damages them and can lead to bank erosion. I'm not sure what the EA position is?

 

Anyway, if I'm single handed I still do it - at least until I can get some pins in.

 

Would I be right in saying, the heart is in the mouth while trying to secure the boat.

 

The trick to boating is to appear calm, even when you're panicking! Once you become good at this act you might even convince yourself.

Edited May 15, 2007 by blackrose

[Matthew Dowson]

When I did a yachting boat handling course they always advised stopping and seeing what the tide and wind did to you before you made your final approach. So if there is a current running, you'd be advised to come to a halt in mid stream and see how fast the boat moved, if it moved very slowly you'd know you had a bit of time to get a centre rope and pin in, if it moved briskly you'd know that you'd have a struggle on if you were on your own. If you've got a crew, let them know precisely what you want them to do, and take time that they are completely clear, I think people get into pickles by not briefing inexperienced crew, and then hoping they'll do the right thing. Not a good plan. If there is a current, I'd approach into it, bow in, crew off, and keep a little power on to cancel out the current, if the current tries to push you down stream a bow pin in would be enough to start with as the current would push the boat into the side giving you time to get the stern pin in. Approach with the current behind you and you've got the problem that the stern will probably swing out once you got a bow pin in (the wind will have the same effect). Tricky. But knowing what effect the wind and current will have when mooring is key. Horse boats used the wind to their advantage when turning round hence 'winding'.

[BGA]

Why has no-one suggested a grappling iron on the bow line thrown onto the bank when it catches, the current should take the boat in towards the bank there should then be time to leisurely go ashore with hammer and pins.

 

[howardang]

Why has no-one suggested a grappling iron on the bow line thrown onto the bank when it catches, the current should take the boat in towards the bank there should then be time to leisurely go ashore with hammer and pins.

 

You run the risk of causing damage to the bank as your grapnel digs in which might not go down too well, and if you try it in bushes or trees this will certainly damage them.

 

Howard Anguish

[carlt]

Why has no-one suggested a grappling iron on the bow line thrown onto the bank when it catches, the current should take the boat in towards the bank there should then be time to leisurely go ashore with hammer and pins.

 

Or harpooning a convenient cow? Should be big enough to stop the boat and the bbq meat's sorted too.

 

 

Horse boats used the wind to their advantage when turning round hence 'winding'.

Here we go again....

[ChrisPy]

of course you could use your anchor like a grappling iron, but throw it in just against the bank, then drift back until the boat is snugged in to the bank. I have a grapnel type folding anchor. just the job.

[blackrose]

of course you could use your anchor like a grappling iron, but throw it in just against the bank, then drift back until the boat is snugged in to the bank. I have a grapnel type folding anchor. just the job.

 

I was once caught in the middle of quite a heated argument in a chandlery on this very subject. According to someone who'd tried this technique those folding anchors seldom opened properly or gripped when used in this way, and despite their appearance it turns out they were never designed to be used as grappling irons. In any event, the person who suggested this method had to conceed that anchors should always be dropped & not thrown.

Edited June 10, 2007 by blackrose

[ChrisPy]

I was once caught in the middle of quite a heated argument in a chandlery on this very subject. According to someone who'd tried this technique those folding anchors seldom opened properly or gripped when used in this way, and despite their appearance it turns out they were never designed to be used as grappling irons. In any event, the person who suggested this method had to conceed that anchors should always be dropped & not thrown.

oh well, I'd better get a proper grappler then

[tired old pirate]

oh well, I'd better get a proper grappler then

 

I recently tried using a crack dealer to get round this problem and can report that it dosnt work.

 

Me singlehanded against the current which is rapidly increasing due to the opening of some flood gate somewhere so now running about 4 miles an hr at least, no room to turn as I'm not sure I'll get round on a narrow bit of the ouse. i spot a passing crack dealer(massive assumption and generalisation he was probably an estate agent(same difference)) says I to passing gent of undetermined proffesion, would u do me favour and tie this to that tree? he said he would but then didnt, i threw him the rope which he looked at and then dropped and ran away! Helpfully wrapping the line I'd just thrown him around my prop. I start drifting downstream at quite a rate (past a fisherman who tried to engage in small talk) towards scary things. I took the decision to leap off the boat with a side line an just managed to hit the bank saving my boat and the planet once again!

 

Yay!!!

 

PS not the correct or advisable way to do things, please do not attempt at home.

Edited June 11, 2007 by tired old pirate

[carlt]

I recently tried using a crack dealer to get round this problem and can report that it dosnt work.

 

Me singlehanded against the current which is rapidly increasing due to the opening of some flood gate somewhere so now running about 4 miles an hr at least, no room to turn as I'm not sure I'll get round on a narrow bit of the ouse. i spot a passing crack dealer(massive assumption and generalisation he was probably an estate agent(same difference)) says I to passing gent of undetermined proffesion, would u do me favour and tie this to that tree? he said he would but then didnt, i threw him the rope which he looked at and then dropped and ran away! Helpfully wrapping the line I'd just thrown him around my prop. I start drifting downstream at quite a rate (past a fisherman who tried to engage in small talk) towards scary things. I took the decision to leap off the boat with a side line an just managed to hit the bank saving my boat and the planet once again!

 

Yay!!!

 

PS not the correct or advisable way to do things, please do not attempt at home.

You should have harpooned him (not as sturdy as a cow but he would have slowed your passage).

[RupertG]

You can get some very nice little single-chip gyroscopes these days for a few quid. If you've got an all-electric boat with bow thrusters, you should be able to build (very cheaply) a station-keeping autopilot: get your boat where you want it, press the button and let the computer take over while you leisurely get on with the ropes. In fact, once we've cracked the general electrical power problem, this could do away with the need to actually moor anywhere anyway. Now that would annoy BW.

 

(No, not serious about that last bit. Fairly serious about the station-keeping autopilot; it's the kind of project that's just silly enough to do)

[NB Phoenix]

You can get some very nice little single-chip gyroscopes these days for a few quid. If you've got an all-electric boat with bow thrusters, you should be able to build (very cheaply) a station-keeping autopilot: get your boat where you want it, press the button and let the computer take over while you leisurely get on with the ropes. In fact, once we've cracked the general electrical power problem, this could do away with the need to actually moor anywhere anyway. Now that would annoy BW.

 

(No, not serious about that last bit. Fairly serious about the station-keeping autopilot; it's the kind of project that's just silly enough to do)

 

 

How about linking it to a GPS or NAV system. You would never need to touch the helm again!

[Jason Wilson and Family]

How about linking it to a GPS or NAV system. You would never need to touch the helm again!

 

I know they have the system on drilling vessels and research vessels. Just need to figure out how they do it then scale it down.

 

 

I'm disapointed that no one has discussed the cow idea further. I mean if the Vegans don't want us to eat them, what else are they good for

[Max Sinclair]

Living for over seventy years by the River Severn boat handling has become second nature. I therefore cringe when I see a boat moored pointing downstream. This can be dangerous for several reasons. When attempting to moor there is no control when the river speed exceeds the boats.Any rubbish coming down stream can push under the counter and jam either the propellor or the rudder. A six inch six foot long timber baulk can do a lot of damage.

When leaving a downstream boat has no control until its speed exceeds the river flow and this can be several yards as embarrassed skippers have found as they crash into the next moored boat. Facing upstream you can exercise perfect control. In times of flood the river barge steerers would turn above Worcester Bridge and reverse down through the arch as slowly as they wanted rather than arriving at speed and finding they could not clear the archway with their cabin.

Sadly this wasn't always observed by the professionals and one dark night a tanker crashed into the lovely cast iron Mythe Bridge at Tewkesbury, destroying the structure and killing the crew.

The crews sailing trows used the current to travel downstream and would lower a large cast iron weight looking like a Gladstone Bag over the stern on a chain. This would follow the deepest part of the channel. Letting out all the chain would stop the craft, pulling some in would speed the passage. their only other method of steering was by using twenty foot long sweeps ( Oars) to leave the river and enter little harbours like Bullo Pill.

[ChrisG]

Interesting topic - although the reality can be a little fraught at times. Coming to a mooring bow to current is always the simplest way, but if you're in tidal waters, you may need to moor so that your bow is facing against the direction of flow when you want to leave . . .

 

Max Sinclair's point about lowering a weight (or the point about lowering an anchor) is correct, and works well if you have space to do it - bearing in mind that the anchor needs to be well ahead of where you want to moor, so other moored craft may be in the way. Once you're still, or at least moving slower than the river's flow, you can use your rudder, or the engine as well, to sheer the back end against the bank. However, in a busy waterway, this may leave you with a well-set anchor which you won't get out until ou leave - and more to the point, a rope from your bow to it, which may foul another boat . . . could be a recipe for disaster.

 

You can more easily retrieve a bag of old chain, or suchlike, as Max decribes, and this was a common practice before the arrival of the engine. Broads wherries went through bridges like this as did dumb barges on the Thames.

 

Most folding anchors are usually fitted with a retaining ring, but some work better than others. They're usually made as dinghy anchors, and I doubt if one would hold a narrowboat against a really good flow, although I'd be interested to see it tried.

 

I might have a go at a couple of the ideas mentioned here and film them for the show - could be entertaining, and even educational!

Edited January 28, 2008 by ChrisG