From Ionian by Rod and Lu Heikell
Mediterranean Mooring Tips
With crowds dissipating from the Mediterranean after August’s pandemonium, now is a fantastic time to enjoy the Ionian’s wonderful cruising grounds while the weather is still warm.
In the Heikells' book Ionian they share essential tips on what, for many of us, is the greatest challenge in the Mediterranean - mooring. For northern European cruisers used to wedging yourself into a finger pontoon, the technicalities of mooring alongside a stone wall with your anchor can be overwhelming. Here’s what the book advises:
- Everything should be ready before you actually start the manoeuvre. Have all the fenders tied on, have two warps coiled and ready to throw ashore with one end cleated off, and have the anchor ready to run. Where a windlass is fitted it is better to release the clutch and let the chain run out under gravity rather than under power, and to use the clutch as a brake when necessary. If you use the down button and the motor lets the chain out it will not run fast enough to keep pace with the speed of the boat, and you will end up with less chain out than you really need.
- When going bows-to with a stern anchor have the warp flaked out so it does not tie itself into knots as you are berthing. The manoeuvre should be carried out slowly using the anchor to take the way off the boat about half a boat length off the quay. The anchor should be dropped about three or four boat lengths from the quay and ensure you have sufficient chain or warp beforehand to actually get there.
- Many boats have a permanent set-up for going bows-to so there is not too much scrabbling around in lockers to extract an anchor, chain and warp. This can be quite simple: a bucket tied to the pushpit to hold the chain and warp and an arrangement for stowing the anchor on the pushpit. Boats going stern-to must have someone who knows what they are doing letting the anchor chain go. It should run freely until the boat is half a boat length off the quay. The important thing is to try to let the anchor go in line with the berth you are aiming to go into, and not at an angle.
For more essential advice on cruising these beautiful waters, you can order the Heikells' book Ionian.