ABW Dec 2017

pment for Berthing
Boat at dock
Rope with plastic tubing
Fenders
Fenders are usually made of plastic, although you do
get rope ones occasionally. They are hung over the
side of the boat, tied to the stanchions or grabrails,
and are carefully positioned to prevent the boat from
rubbing against the sides of the berth, or another
boat. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes
to suit the needs of different boats and berthing
situations. You will need at least four large fenders
on board, preferably more. They are, however bulky
and take up a lot of space. Since only the widest
part of the boat normally touches the side of the
berth, you need only position them where the side
of the boat and berth meet. If you are berthed up
alongside an uneven quay wall, you may find it best
to hang a fender board (wooden plank) outside the
fenders to spread the load correctly and protect the
boat.
Cleats and Fairleads
The cleats on your boat should be as large as
possible, since the larger the cleat the less wear there
is on the warp. There should be no sharp edges to
it, and every boat should be equipped with at least
four deck cleats which can be used for mooring.
Bigger boats will need more. If the warps are under
great strain, you should have a Sampson post. Your
boat should have a fairlead on either side, at the
bow and stern, so that the warps do not rub against
the stanchions or rigging. The fairleads can be open
or closed at the top, although the closed type are
safer since the warp cannot slip out accidently.
Warps
The warps used for berthing a boat serve different
functions. Two warps, which form the bow and stern
lines, position the boat correctly in the berth, and
are used by the crew to control the boat’s speed
when coming alongside. The bow and stern lines
have to be strong enough to carry the main load
of the boat and long enough to allow for any rise
and fall of the tide (roughly three times the tidal
range). Two other warps rigged as springs, prevent
the boat from moving backwards and forwards, and
from rubbing against the side of the berth. These
don’t have to be as long as the bow and stern lines:
one and a half times the tidal range is normally
sufficient. The bow and stern lines and the springs
need adjusting as the tide rises and falls. The bow
and stern lines, provided they are long enough,
need only be adjusted at half tide; the springs may
need more frequent adjustment. If you are going
to leave your boat unattended for some time, you
must make sure that you have left enough length
on the lines to allow for the tidal range.
When lying alongside a quay or wall do not lead
the springs through or under the rails, but take
the instead through the fairleads then outside all
the rigging, to prevent chafe on the deck edge or
lifelines as the boat rises and falls with the tide. You
can use fore and aft breast ropes to keep the boat
close alongside when loading, for example. They are
not, however, essential when both bow and stern
lines, and springs are used. When lying alongside a
floating pontoon, they can be used to replace the
bow and stern lines. When about to leave a berth,
you usually rig the lines ashore as slip lines, so that
the crew does not need to go ashore.
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