SAIL CROATIA HOW TO DOCK: Mediterranean Mooring with Anchor

[@grahamt8434]

There is no rush. This is a simple thing that can be so easy to forget. Well instructed and demonstrated Nick!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks Graham, appreciate the comments as always!

[@davidllewelyn]

Back in May this year Nick taught a group of us how to do Med mooring. Subsequently, I have spent the summer sailing the Greek Islands where you Med moor in most if not all harbours and town quays. Practising and following Nick’s process has meant I have been able to dock solo 15-20 times without any issues or drama, and for me it is now the most stress free way to dock.

[@45DegreesSailing]

Woohoo! Love hearing about your Greece adventures. And that you're smashing the Med mooring techniques. Without ACTUALLY smashing into any other boats LOL

[@D3bilChild]

@@45DegreesSailing Nick, love your content. Just came back from a sailing trip and am inspired to take a sailing course in order to be able to do a bareboat charter (if that's how you say it) with my friends. I was wondering if you host lessons in person, in Croatia, and if so, where could i learn more? Thanks buddy

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks @@D3bilChild .. that comment looks a little unfinished!?

[@santiagoego1825]

I like the depth map in the end 👍

[@Marbella-Sands]

We are newbie sailors and just found your channel. Love your videos, very clear to understand. Loved the no need to rush part, when your the one in charge of docking its not always easy to remember 😂

[@jurajbuljanovic5572]

Most important no panic no rushing good video

[@45DegreesSailing]

Hvala ti puno :)

[@barrybrewer3629]

Thank you for this video, Nick.. You make it look simple! With some pre-planning with the lines, anchor already dangling in the water, and a remote windlass control in the cockpit, one could do that single-handed.. Just fantastic..

[@45DegreesSailing]

Indeed you can do it singlehanded! One of out yachts this sharpen up flotilla joined singlehanded and did just that! Slow and steady, with 70m of chain out, very well dug in and stretched out was able to gracefully step onto the dock to secure his own stern lines. Proud!

[@jamesneirinck413]

We back up into the marina here as well and dock with stern to the dock. To make it easier for the person at the wheel and engine controls I recommend you stand in front of the wheel and face backward (ie: the direction your going) if your boat layout allows and then steering is just like in your car , turn left go left - turn right go right, and engine controls are also now simple and logical where push gear control away from you and boat goes that way (in reverse) and then to slow down or stop pull gear lever toward you (into forward). This simple change to stand in front of wheel and face aft made backing up in a tight marina even with a strong wind so much easier for me. Cheers from Canada!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks for the info James! Yes I see this being done every now and then. Depending on where your throttle is it can work well. When the throttle is low down like on this yacht I feel you are too far from the gear and throttle to stand behind the wheel. My next point (and this is not a criticism of how you do it or saying people should not use this method) is that when you are steering a yacht in reverse as the stern being quite blunt, and your position close to it, it is harder to see when you are turning or now. If you are side on you can turn your head either way to see the stern direction, or to the bow to see if the bow is moving. This gives you the indication of your turning swing and any drift you have. Thanks again for the comment keep them coming!

[@adrianolombardo9263]

such a nice footage and such a skilled master skipper !

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks Adriano!

[@mateuszwozniak3473]

What about releasing the pressure on windlass? Should we put a rope around the chain and let it take the load or is it not necessary in that kind of setup?

[@45DegreesSailing]

Yes a snubber is definitely a good idea to hold the pressure on the cleats.

[@davidllewelyn]

Infinite patience and “No Rush” We did this on the “Sharpen Up Flotilla” last week. Nick gave a clear briefing and answered all questions before we set off for Drvenik and he was then was on hand on the dock if needed. Being solo the “No Rush” approach is key and I managed to successfully dock first time with no assistance. Well that’s if you ignore the two times I dropped my anchor too early and despite having 100m of chain I ran out! 😂. The “Sharpen Up Flotillas” are a fantastic way to learn these skill and to increase you confidence. Key watching the channel as I am sure Nick will be posting videos from last week 👍

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thank you for the kind words David! Was great to have you back to the Sharpen Up Flotilla. You did great with that manoeuvre and many of the others as a solo skipper. Looking fwd to seeing more of your journey and where it takes you!

[@maxflight777]

This is the best video I’ve seen on this subject.

[@45DegreesSailing]

Thanks Max. Glad it was helpful!

[@perkygrubb]

That was excellent!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Cheers!

[@pega2002]

Impressive!

[@damihorv]

Beautiful Drvenik island ;)

[@45DegreesSailing]

It is indeed!

[@yutuba2009]

great such videos! 👍

[@45DegreesSailing]

👊🏽

[@bglumacb]

Please tell me, why did you FIRST throw rope from the opposite side of the wind? Thank you for your answer

[@45DegreesSailing]

The wind was basically directly over the stern so in this case the line closest to the throttle/helm was used for control. If the wind had of been significantly more on one side then we would choose to throw the windward line first.

[@philburtscher4375]

would you say start setting the hook when you are 1 boat length off the boat on the dock (if there is no boat then two) - then you have 3 in total from the dock. Same idea with scope, but you dont want to do to early and run out. Good work with the wind - hard to tell which way you were being blown.

[@davidllewelyn]

Obviously depends No how much chain you have. But you should aim to have as much chain down as possible so that you maintain your holding if the wind shifts or increases and puts additional lateral pressure on your bow.

[@45DegreesSailing]

Hey Phil. I guess I have never thought of it in boat lengths as that will depend greatly on the depth of the water you are dropping in. To Davids point I would effectively be aiming for close to the maximum amount of chain you can get out for the best holding. In this example we were dropping in 12-15m depth so 3 boat lengths would be the minimum you would get away with. If you were setting anchor in 5m of water it would be different. so really I would encourage you think of your depth and scope like a standard anchoring situation and get the maximum amount of chain on the ground as you apply much more constant tension against the anchor when stern to the dock as opposed to free swinging.

[@philburtscher4375]

@@45DegreesSailing agree that its ultimately dropping the right scope. I use boat length + 2x depth. I think doing that at the minimum will give you the holding power and then you are not just dumping all your chain and making a big mess :)

[@Baby4Melancholie]

couldn't get my anchor to hold in that exact same spot

[@45DegreesSailing]

That sucks! What type of anchor were you using? (strange I am editing footage of this spot right now as your comment came in!) I generally experience pretty good holding here, though you do need a decent amount of chain out. At least 50m

[@MrMrStamper]

Do you ever drop the anchor manually? Like drop some 15m rapidly when its 15 meters, and then have the chain "pulled out" by the boats movement, slowing down and controlling the speed the chain is pulled out with the handle. Then, once you are on the last meters to the dock, you lock it up and adjust electrically. Surely, in these conditions shown, dropping electrically is fast enough without being adrift because you were exactly going against the wind,.

[@MorphologicalGeek]

Is it always best to have the stern lines go straight back i.e. would you ever have a case where you crossed them over like a short spring line - so that if you have a strong cross wind there's less lateral movement? Or is the assumption that the lines are so short there's no major play in the first place?

[@45DegreesSailing]

I prefer to always add these cross springs if the yachts configuration allows for it. When the cleats are set forward of the stern like many modern boats are these days, its not practical to secure cross springs as the line pulls over the pushpit or other gear on the yacht, interrupting the swim platform etc. I prefer to have them angled away from the yacht on each side to prevent this sway an movement in general. Instead of straight back.

[@MorphologicalGeek]

Why the second test of the anchor holding once you were up against the dock? As I understand it you tested it once whilst you were further out; so with the second test, so close to the dock, if it did fail you have no room to recover (I guess you'd be relying on fenders)?

[@45DegreesSailing]

Effectively yes, relying on fenders and your own reaction with your hand on the throttle. The reason for the second test is simply to test again! As you let more chain out you change the angle of the anchor, pressure may have come on and off, so its just putting more ease to your mind that you have a good solid hold. This way when the wind comes up later on or from the beam you know you have given it a really good pull and can have the confidence in it to go to sleep!

[@bermudacat]

There is a high chance of chain crossing if there are a lot of boats in the marina moored this way right? Any chance we can see a chain untangling technique? :)

[@45DegreesSailing]

There certainly can be. I will see if I can create the situation for a video for this! I do not have it happen to me very often! (Actually never)

[@bermudacat]

@@45DegreesSailing I've seen it happen when the wind conditions change during the day. It's morning, 10 boats moor in with no wind, perpendicular to the dock. At noon the wind picks up and an 11th boat has to come a bit sideways to counter the wind and puts its chain over 5 of them. If any of those want to leave the fun starts.

[@MrMrStamper]

Perfect docking. Where is this located?

[@45DegreesSailing]

This is a pier in Luka Drvenik Veli

[@davedavids9619]

Very nicely demonstrated, but before these guys would be able to take a boat out they will need a lot more training. Am happy you told them over and over again there is 'no rush' since panic is what causes the majority of the damage in ports. Also great to show them to go straight back when the anchor is dropped. Too many times I see them coming in, drop an anchor and then move over to port or starboard crossing someones anchor chain. Drop over my anchor chain and you will hear my air horn blowing😀 Just one bit of advise though. Having the anchor already pre-dropped may be good in certain situations, but only if you go straight backward and if you have enough experience. If you still come in under an angle and therefore cross other boats bow to anchor chain you do run the risk of picking up an anchor chain. Especially the larger boats have much more chain available and their anchor could be 100 or 120 mtrs out, which means their chain could be in the around that depth when you cross their bow. That may not happen in quiet ports, but in ports where there can be a lot of wind (e.g. Greece in the Meltemi area) boats like to drop a lot of chain if the wind is blowing with 30 - 35 kts on the bow, pushing the stern into the shore. But in all a good demonstration. 👍

[@45DegreesSailing]

Cheers Dave

[@barbatone3020]

Nice. Two questions pls: how secure you think med mooring (anchoring with two lines ashore) is when it comes to cross wind blow (coming at a beam) of say 25-30 kts? Would you stay tied to shore or you would cast off the lines and swing around the anchor? I sail in Cro too so we might meet some place a have a beer or two😉 Cheers

[@45DegreesSailing]

How secure is going to completely depend on the sea bed and your yachts anchor/holding capability. I had this a few weeks ago, with a Rocna and 80m of chain out. Solid. 27knots. AND, I still at the point chose to release the lines and swing on anchor. There is less than half the resistance and strain on the anhor/cleats if you are inline with the wind and swinging with the rise and fall of the chain acting as a shock absorber. Beam on you are almost TRYING to sail while holding on! Such is the importance of anchoring well in these situations, as if you are med moored with the other yachts in Greece etc you will be staying in that spot and will definitely get these winds, sometimes on the beam.

[@brian559]

And to think they were just pulling in to grab a loaf of bread!

[@45DegreesSailing]

Not even that lol, just came and left 🤣