Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 6
Preface 9
1 Introduction and Philosophy 10
2 Skills and Disciplines 14
Rope 14
Attaching to the dock 19
Knots 25
The boathook 32
Sharing a cleat 35
Keep a clean head 36
3 Engines 38
Dealing with breakdowns 38
Alarms 38
Fuel consumption and economy 43
4 Controlling the Boat 48
Types of propulsion 48
What can you expect? 50
How to make your boat go sideways 50
Turning the boat 180° in its own length 54
5 The Berth 56
Fixings to the shore 56
Which side to moor 57
Neighbours 58
Fenders 58
Mooring warps 59
Positioning 59
Prevailing wind 60
6 Getting Off the Berth 62
Fendering 63
Grip 64
Everything handled from on board 65
Slipping a long line 68
Finger berth 68
Measuring wind speed 76
7 Jetting on to the Berth 78
The approach 78
Ring moorings or hooped cleats 87
Rafting up 88
8 Mooring Buoys 90
Picking up the buoy from alongside 90
Types of buoy 90
Approach and pick-up 91
Slipping the mooring 100
9 Anchoring 102
Coding the cable 102
Anchoring essentials 105
Ground tackle 105
How much scope to allow? 107
Some quick tips for anchoring success 109
10 Rivers and Canals 116
Current 116
Bank effect 116
Getting on and off a pontoon 117
Getting on to the dock 118
Tell other boats what you are doing 122
Colregs: IRPCS 123
11 Weather 124
Weather scenarios 125
What the clouds mean 126
Frontal systems 127
Things that affect you 128
How wind affects the water 129
Moon phases 130
12 Navigation 132
Speed limits 132
GPS and paper charts 133
Etiquette 138
13 Safety and Mob Strategy 140
Lifejackets 140
Man overboard 144
14 Seasickness
What is seasickness? 152
Preventative measures 152
15 Epilogue 156
Index 158
