Have you noticed........

[Wussername]

Have you noticed that, when ever you help someone to make fast a boat to a mooring, irrespective how perfect your knot, how exact, how fit for purpose, it will, without fail be undone, and replaced by the owner of the boat by his knot.

Old Wussername

[Baitrunner]

To be honest I would only tie a mooring line up with a temporary knot etc as I would expect the skipper to make his or her own boat fast as they prefer. As I would to be honest.

If anything happens it's the skippers fault then so no blame can be laid.

Nothing personal, just my preference.

There are one or two exceptions if I know the person who tied up was competent.

[ranworthbreeze]

I just hold the rope until the skipper or crew member gets off the boat and leave it to them to make fast.

 

The main thing is helping them by taking their rope or ropes to help them into the mooring.

 

Regards

Alan

[MauriceMynah]

Yep Guilty as charged!

 

I too take the view that if my boat comes adrift I am responsible so unless I see the knot being tied I re-tie it. I do this automatically, and expect my knot to be re-tied when I assist someone else in mooring.

However, when re-tying the knot when I've been assisted, I usually make some substantial change so he who assisted me will think it the reason for the change. I am conscious of the potential insult!

 

Frequently, the person who assisted is a novice, driven not only by good will but also keenness to 'play'. Their knots can sometimes be little more than winding the rope round the post many times. (Post warmers I calls them!) I would spend a sleepless night if I left the knot as was!

[Mowjo]

I have knot OCD, so always re-tie them, not really OCD (notice knot joke) but I've tied my boat the same way since I started boating, I'm not even sure it's a proper knot it's two half hitches with a couple of loop throughs but it works, it's easy to untie and so far has never let me down, if I'm helping someone i'll usually just hold the rope and let them tie it, but on the occasion I do tie it, I just do two half hitches and tell them to re-tie it,

 

Frank,,,,

[stumpy]

I do as Alan does - turn around the post then hand to crew saying something like "I'll leave you to finish off as we've all got our favourite way of tying up". Sometimes I end up teaching them a clove hitch tho'.

[littlesprite]

I'm clearly a real knot OCD person, I even re-tie my own knots though haven't a clue why.

[BroadScot]

On my very first hire Peter Clarke of Porter & Haylett taught me how to do a clove hitch and I have used ever since. The only exception is, if at Norwich YS I put the rope through the ring and and back onboard for security reasons.

 

Iain.

[deebee29]

I always re do the knots when someone helps me for all the reasons already mentioned and would expect people I help would do the same.

I also re check and re tie my own knots while i'm moored (always before I turn in for the night) .... Maybe Over the top but its what i've always done

I always accept help when offered because I think thats one of the nice things about boating and have had many interesting conversations with some really nice people over the years

I love to see the look of enthusiasm on the faces of new boaters when they rush to help. It's part of the whole experience

David

[Gracie]

Well I'm a Post Warmer I'm afraid, utterly useless with knots, hubby always has to re-tie them when I've finished, muttering things like "How can anyone leave it like that!"

 

Lovely post David but trust me, you wouldn't want me rushing to help Lol.....unless you want your mooring posts warmed    

 

Grace

[ExUserGone]

You can't beat a well knitted mooring....

I'd always re-tie and wouldn't be offended by anyone else doing it, it's a skippers duty to check his own vessels safety, you usually don't know the person assisting or their experience.

For me it's always a clove hitch and back to the centre cleat for both for and aft ropes so it's well sprung, if the back is leaving a big gap I'll bring the opposite aft rope across to hold it in still maintaining a good scope for the tide.

[Mowjo]

I just realised that I do a clove hitch with a couple of loop throughs, so don't let me near your boats, I can't even get the names right,,,

[ExUserGone]

If you loop the wrong bit through on a clove hitch it will be nearly impossible to undo if it gets pulled tight, watchout.

If I think about a clove hitch it will go wrong most times, if I just chuck it over a post it will be right every time, how does that work?

Note to self: stop thinking.....

[fishtone]

I always appreciate help when mooring but always like to tie my own ropes. We all seem to have our own way of tying up  .Most people will say I will leave you to tie up.What annoys me is when you are attempting to moor up in poor cnditions people just stand and watch you struggle.

[deebee29]

I don't know Grace, it would stop my hands getting cold untying on those cold out of season mornings

David

[JimG]

I'm pretty certain the knot I use is one I've created but it works for me. If I'm assisted by someone who's knot looks professional I usually leave it. I'm a bit OCD with mooring ropes not being used though, I coil them neatly as messy ropes wind me right up!

[Baitrunner]

Heh, can I join the OCD team please?  

 

Have to say a clove hitch sounds quite serious for a mooring line - Not easy to untie either I would have thought? Now a clove hitch for the fend off lines is a must (although have bought some of the easy release thingies as Mrs runner cant handle a clove hitch).

 

Round turn and 2 (maybe 4) half hitches and if distance permits back to another cleat or the same cleat on the boat if that's all I can reach. 2 half hitches will virtually never slip. And Mrs Runner is top notch at these now.

 

Always like to have the return end on the boat cleat for security if I can.

 

Now we are talking about helping others moor - I always offer and willingly accept any help (just don't trust their knots). True story, I had a friend on board who is a police officer  (yes I know) and he couldn't understand why I was keen to help a boat moor up behind me. Why not said I? It's a friendly gesture and stops them whacking my boat if they get it wrong. His argument, and you will like this, they are advised never to offer help in case it goes wrong and the police get sued!  How this world has gone so OTT with the blame culture. And before anyone says anything, he is a really good guy and has helped me out with loads of stuff so not just a lazy beggar.

 

Now what about the "pullers" when your mooring up? I think I have now convinced Mrs Runner that a turn round a mooring post will almost lock out if you do it right and you can then use a spring action to bring the boat in rather than the heave ho, fall on backside, hurt leg technique. Even the strongest human will struggle to pull several tons of boat against tide/wind on a slippery surface. Showed my friend   this one after he heave ho'd, fell on backside, hurt leg. Maybe I should have done it earlier, but have you ever tried teaching a   new tricks (my little pun there). :

[Maxwellian]

I'm OCD too. I retie my own knots sometimes. Clove hitch then back to boat. I always tend to put the mud weight down as well if we are leaving the boat. Comes from watching some one float away late at night. Took a lot of people shouting loudly to wake them up. Kids!

[Baitrunner]

That's why I try and get the loose end back on a cleat on the boat. Like Iain does in Norwich.

Hopefully the boat movement of anyone releasing a rope from the cleat might wake you up.

The mud weight is also another must have for me.

More belt and braces.

Mind you only done Norwich once on a Saturday night with a trip to the theatre. The noise until the late hours of the morning put us off going again. May as well have gone clubing ourselves

[JennyMorgan]

I suppose I'm a bit of a show-off when it comes to knots, such as tying a clove-hitch from ten foot away simply by a flick of the wrist to throw the two loops over the post or a bowline tied to a ring in seconds. The laugh for me is when I know they are set correctly but nevertheless the boat-owner doubts that such a frivolously tied knot will hold so, when they think I'm not looking, they resort to a May-Pole style wrap to reinforce my minimal, but perfectly adequate knot!

[Maxwellian]

Good one Peter. We stern moored over the summer, on one side it was wrapped so many times I struggled to get mine on.

[Oddfellow]

I don't like this use of the word, "knot". 

 

We only ever ask our hirers to tie up using an 0800 wrap on a cleat. It won't tighten when pulled hard on the current or dropping tide, will always come undone when you want it to and will not slip when you don't. 

 

Who needs knots?

[JennyMorgan]

Who needs knots?

Folk who can't tie hitches, bends or mungles!

http://www.animatedknots.com/cleatvert/

[Mowjo]

Peter! your not alone, I moor up single handed as Jude can't swim so I don't allow her off until i'm tied up, the looks on some peoples faces when I do my Cowboy impression often gives me a chuckle, I still can't get the hang of the second reverse loop so I just tend to do two or three loops just to hold the bow of the boat and stand on the end while I tie the stern, we had a good laugh when we moored at St Benetts earlier this year, a rather large yacht came in to moor up, they looked well seasoned and came in perfectly even though the wind was blowing them off the bank, both him and her jumped off, rope each and him tied the stern, her tied the bow, because of the shape the stern was too far out, her unties bow, him tightens up stern, now bow sticking out too far, him slackens stern, her tightens bow, stern now to far out again, this went on for a good half hour and no word of a lie when they eventually moored up it was exactly the same as when they first moored up, but it didn't end there, Oh no! out came the springers, I honestly don't think I've ever seen as much rope, there was enough to moor a boat in a Hurricane, in total it took them over an hour to moor up, the worst bit was a hire boat moored up either end of them with the usuall lets see how much rope we can get on this post, so in the morning it took them another hour to get untied, with action like this how can anyone ever say the Broads are boring, just watching other gives me a lot of fun every time were out,,

 

Frank,,,, 

[Wussername]

Today is the first day of winter.

Those lazy hazy days of summer seem in the far distant past. Hours at the helm, albeit tiller or wheel. I know that our good ladies, bless them, are more than capable of this onerous task, but some, not all, are challenged, a bit like map reading and stern on mooring.

This is where us boys step up to the mark.

However we are well rewarded. Our little treasures, at the end of the day know how to spoil us. A well deserved treat.

A swifty livener, a tonsil rinse. A little G & T or a glass of Chateau Algerian Wunder 2013 ( you wonder what the hell you are drinking. Where are the blackcurrant and raspberry flavours mentioned on the label? Certainly not in your bottle!)

However, come winter matters have taken a turn for the worst

Mrs Wussername has now decreed that we should share the wine………………..half each.

There is an ulterior motive. It is to curtail my intake.

She does not even like red wine, but seems to manage at least three glasses a night.

In our hall, dear old Grandma’s aspidistra has languished for many years, neglected, deprived, ignored, however, we did promise to care for it……..well sort off.

I have noticed that the wretched thing has started to perk up, the leaves are definitely shinier.

Should I be concerned?

Old Wussername