Some boat-owner Club Members generously welcome other members aboard their boats for BCC cruises. Cruising should be a pleasure, but the water is a potentially dangerous place to be. You should drink no more alcohol than you would before driving a car. Please read and understand these notes, which are aimed to keep you safe and help the skipper (your host) do the same.
Before you come to the waterside
Be aware that on the water the cold is twice as cold, and the heat twice as hot. There may be no escape from the cold wind or the beating sun.
- Wear soft-soled shoes
- Wear and bring appropriate clothing
On arrival at the boat
The skipper (your host) should brief you on the whereabouts of lifejackets, fire-extinguishers and other matters.
- If you are a non-swimmer make sure you tell the skipper and establish if and when you should wear a lifejacket.
- Even if you are a strong swimmer, you may decide to wear a lifejacket.
Some do’s and don’ts
- Do remember that boats are liable to move suddenly and without warning, up down round sideways backwards and forwards. Keep hold of something at all times while on your feet.
- Do comply with any instruction from the skipper without question and without delay. If you don’t understand what is being asked of you, say so clearly and wait.
- Do keep your hands, arms and legs inside the boat and clear of all ropes and equipment. Bear in mind that ropes may suddenly come under very high tension. Mooring lines are quite capable of breaking bones, or worse.
- Do tell the skipper immediately if you notice any rope trailing in the water.
- DO NOT do anything to do with the tying-up, untying, or operation of the boat except when the skipper specifically instructs you to do so. What may seem like a good idea at the time can easily upset a complicated series of actions which the skipper has in mind.
Basic Terminology
- Aft means towards the back of the boat (the stern).
- Forward means towards the front of the boat (the bow).
- Port is the left side of the boat when you are facing forward.
- Starboard is the right side.
(Very) basic rope handling
These notes are an introduction to some of the basic skills you will need in order to be useful in helping to handle a boat which is attaching to or detaching from the land. Attaching to the land consists of “coming alongside” followed by “mooring”, “tying up”, or “making fast” which all mean roughly the same. Detaching is called “casting off” and consists of untying the lines (ropes) followed by “letting go”. This last is a very important distinction. If you are asked to untie or undo a line, you must NOT “let-go”, but just be ready to let go.
Bollards are (relatively) big round posts, often with bulbous tops.
Cleats are long and narrow, like a T with a short fat upright.
Getting a turn or even half a turn round bollard or cleat will greatly multiply the force you can resist from the boat on the other end of the line. A turn and a half on a cleat or two full turns on a bollard will generally be enough that the lightest pull on the end in your hand will hold however hard the other end is pulled. After untying a mooring line, and before “letting go”, it is usually best to keep a half-turn around whatever the line is attached to until the let-go order is given.
Making fast means securing or tying up. Making fast on a cleat consists of one round turn then two figures of eight. For long-term security the last turn is finished with the end-in-hand passed under the top line on the cleat and pulled tight. Making fast on a bollard consists of three or more turns with the end-in-hand tied round the end-under-load with a simple knot.
Knots are beyond the scope of these notes. Buy a book, or ask the skipper to teach you!
How to throw a line: make sure the line is untangled and free to run out. With the last three metres of the line make about a half dozen loops. Hold the loops in your hand and throw the whole package. Practice makes perfect! To Lassoo a bollard or cleat follow a similar routine, but keep the end of the line in one had whilst throwing the loops with the other. This takes even more practice!
A couple of Do’s and Don’ts
Do keep the lines out of the water as far as possible.
Do make sure no lines are left trailing in the water. The usual result if this happens is that the line wraps round the propeller and the boat is left drifting.
When throwing a line to someone on shore, DO NOT let the line hit the recipient in the face. Waist high is high enough, and arms length is close enough.
