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With so many boats around these days, 'rafting up' (tying up to, and alongside, a boat that is already occupying a jetty) at marinas is becoming ever more commonplace.
In some places it has always been necessary - Horta, for example, on Faial in the Azores, is a mid-Atlantic stopover for over 1000 yachts each summer and, on some days, as many as fifty yachts may arrive at once.
Living anywhere that is crowded is a matter of co-operation - if all behave properly, life is tolerable and may even be fun. If anyone ignores the basics, life is rendered unpleasant for all those around the miscreant who will, as a result, become quite unpopular with neighbours.
We like to think that most distance sailors are better balanced individuals than to believe that unpopularity is preferable to being ignored. This is a disease of the city dweller, surely?
It has become very obvious to us that many of the people travelling aboard yachts in the 21st century are unaware of the unwritten rules of rafting up, so we thought we'd spell them out and add brief explanations.
There are certain customs attached to this practice, developed with experience (by those who have any - rapidly becoming a minority these days) that help to make living cheek-to-jowl as tolerable as possible.
As this piece is being written, I can look out of the ports in the saloon and see three yachts. Ours is a 71', 38-ton, one-off, fibreglass schooner with stainless steel ribs.A tough cookie, fortunately. We are closest to the jetty. Nearest to us is a Beneteau of about 55', beyond that is another boat of similar size and beyond those is a 40' catamaran. At any moment another two boats may be added.
There is a photograph, in the marina bar here, in which our boat is fourth out in a group of six, taken a few years ago on a previous visit.
We have had the place to ourselves for several months on this visit and The Skipper had all but forgotten just how crowded the place becomes!
The boat nearest the jetty is at an advantage in some ways and at a disadvantage in others. Being used as a giant fender by other boats can be slightly nerve-wracking but precautions against mishap should be taken. Putting all your fenders on the side nearest the jetty will help - let the next boat use all her fenders to keep her off your boat, the next can do likewise to stay off your neighbour and so on.
The boat nearest the jetty will need more, or stronger, lines than might be necessary if she were going to lie in glorious isolation and the boat rafted up to her should also deploy shorelines fore and aft. Failure to do so can result in mayhem, should a swell enter the marina. So much for the purely practical - now for those unwritten rules:
1) Do make sure that you treat other people's boats with respect whether those boats are to your liking or not. If you accidentally damage something, confess and remedy the situation. You would be very upset if someone damaged your vessel and left you with the expense of repairing it. Ensure that any lines you attach to the neighbouring boat will not do any damage as the weather and tides change. Watch out for GPS receivers and other delicate equipment, lifelines and woodwork. Make sure that what you are attaching your lines to is strong enough to take the strain.
2) Unless specifically invited to cross the cockpit, it is considered good manners to cross other people's boats via the bow, so that you do not interfere with their privacy.
3) If you are wearing shoes that you would remove to walk around on your own boat, these should be removed before stepping onto the boat nearest the jetty.
4) Cross other people's boats as quietly as you possibly can - any sailor worthy of the title can move as silently as a cat. At sea, when off-watch and sleeping, one doesn't expect crew on watch to stomp around like elephants above one's head. Moving quietly is a habit soon acquired by anyone who hopes to be welcome to sail with others regularly. Landing on a stranger's deck like a sack of potatoes shows you up as an amateur.
5) Get close enough to those you wish to speak to so that you don't have to shout.
6) If you find that there are less electrical outlets than boats on your 'raft', do not just detach someone else's cable and attach your own.
These days, when so many boats have computers on board, unplugging someone's power supply may cause them to lose work in progress. This will make you very unpopular. If you have a generator, be prepared to have to use it. Talk to the marina staff about acquiring a supply if none of the other boats are able to relinquish theirs on request and you have no generator.
7) If you have to detach someone else's hose to get a supply of water, make sure the tap is already off when you do so - if the tap is on, they may be in the process of filling their tank or using a washing machine aboard. If in doubt, ask. We usually invite others to use our hosepipe if it is already attached, where practicable - it saves all the messing around. If you insist on using your own, make sure you do not take off with any of the fittings belonging to the neighbour's hosepipe.
8) When you have been out on the town and are returning in the early hours of the morning, do bear in mind that there may be crews sleeping who have just arrived in a state of exhaustion, are preparing for a long passage or simply wish to slumber undisturbed. It is common courtesy to wait until you are below decks before resuming the party noises.
9) When you are planning to leave and other people's boats are going to be affected, make sure you tell everyone relevant of your plans, so that they can be there to take care of their boats. Do not just extricate yourself and leave the other boats to take their chances. One day, yours may be one of the boats left in trouble. In Ciudadela, on Menorca, a few years ago, The Skipper saw eight boats left in peril by the crew of a flashy yacht whose only concern was to get their boat out safely. Since then it has become an all too regular occurrence in busy marinas around the world. If we all behave properly these situations will cease, or at least happen less frequently.
10) If you have to use noisy equipment, make sure you do it at sensible hours. First thing in the morning may seem like a good time to you but drive half your neighbours crazy. Leave it until no earlier than about half past nine and even the most irritable, hungover individual will concede that you are being reasonable. Regardless of the length of daylight, it is good manners to stop using power tools around six-thirty so that people may enjoy quiet 'sundowners' in the cockpit.
To summarise, then:
1) DO treat other people's boats with respect.
2) DO cross other boats via the bow.
3) DO take your shoes off on the jetty.
4) DO move as lightly as possible.
5) DON'T shout across the boats.
6) DON'T unplug other people's power cables without asking.
7) DO ask before detaching other people's hosepipes.
8) DO make sure you return to your boat quietly.
9) DO warn others of your intention to change the rafting arrangements.
10) DON'T make a lot of noise at unsocial hours.
Have you any tips or
hints for those who may prefer to take your advice than to learn the
hard way? E-mail us with your pointers, we'd love to hear from you!
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