Mooring Mayhem

admin July 17, 2025 Sailing Previous Lesson Buddy System Comments (0)

Mooring Mayhem – How to Land Your Boat Without Drama (Or at Least Keep It Off the Dock)

There are few things in sailing more public, more perilous, or more pressure-filled than the final act of a session: mooring your boat.

The wind dies, the river narrows, the clubhouse crowd emerges with tea and binoculars – and you must glide gracefully onto the mooring or pontoon like you’ve done it a thousand times, but in front of the clubhouse with everyone watching.

Spoiler: it never goes quite to plan.

But with a bit of preparation and a touch of theatre, you can at least look like you meant to land somewhere near the right spot.

Step One: Plan Your Approach

Always come into the wind or stream if possible – it gives you more control and stops the boat from running away like an excited spaniel.
Aim for a 45-degree angle to the bank or pontoon, then straighten up at the last moment.
Visualise your exit plan. (Just in case.)

Slow is Pro

This is not a parking competition. It’s not about flair. It’s about not breaking anything (including your pride).

Ease the sails early. Let the wind do the work.
Shift to neutral if you have an engine. Drift in.
Tell your crew (or yourself) which line to grab, and when.

Bonus: if you're too slow, you can try again. If you're too fast, you get featured in next week's safety briefing.

Soft Contact Only

Aim for a gentle kiss against the dock, not a dramatic embrace.
Have a fender ready. (Bonus points if you actually remembered to bring it.)
Don’t leap off the boat before it stops. No one looks heroic when waist-deep in the Thames.

Tying Up Without Tangling Up

Use a bowline or round turn and two half hitches to secure the boat.
Tie the bow line first, then the stern. This avoids sideways wanderings.
Make sure your painter isn’t caught under the boat or around a cleat like a spaghetti loop of doom.

Final Thought

Mooring is where sailing meets stage fright. But it’s also where practice, planning, and the occasional lucky gust pay off. Remember: everyone has missed the mooring, rammed the pontoon, or ended up clinging to a rope in front of an audience.

Just smile, wave, and pretend it was a demonstration.