Gemini 105Mc Owner’s Manual
41
Copyright © 2004 Performance Cruising Inc.
Docking
To secure a boat to the dock, a line from the bow
and stern will keep the boat in. A spring line from
the bow running down the side of the boat to the
dock, and another from the stern also running along
the side of the boat going forward to the dock, will
stop the boat moving backward or forwards. The
lines to the bow and stern holding the boat in should
go to the hull away from the dock so that these lines
are long and can accommodate any rise or fall of the
tide. The stanchion bases are through-bolted and can
be used for additional mooring cleats.
When coming into the marina, have two lines se-
cured to the bow and stern ready to either give to a
bystander or to be ready to take ashore. When the
boat is in position, reverse the lines leaving the ends
tied to the dock with the slack left on board. This
stops people stealing the excess, tripping over them,
or tying another boat with them.
Always make sure that the lines are removable from
one end even if the lines are under tension. Do not
pass the loop of the lines through the cleat. If the
boat is tied to the dock and the tide goes down, the
mooring line needs to be able to be untied slowly
lowering the boat down the wall. At night if the boat
is moving, it is a good idea to be able to retie the
boat while still on the boat, without having to go
onto the dock, which could be dangerous in the dark.
Heaving Lines
Novice sailors sometimes panic as the boat is coming
in to the dock and are often unsuccessful in attempt-
ing to throw a line to a dock attendant. The best
method of throwing a line is to simply coil it up, split
the coil and throw half of the split coil. Hold onto
the end of the other half. The weight of the half
Docking and Mooring
being thrown uncoils the half still being held. The
momentum of the half being thrown will then uncoil
that half once the first half has been uncoiled.
Picking up a Mooring
Always approach an open mooring at a slow speed
and note how other boats are positioned relative to
their buoys. The boats will be pointing into the wind
or with the current. Always stay well clear of oth-
ers’ mooring lines so as not to cut or foul the lines.
In the event that there are no other boats by which
to gauge an approach, pass by the intended mooring
once to gauge the effects of current and wind so
that your approach will be correct.
As you motor up to pick up the mooring, shift into
neutral when the boat has enough forward momen-
tum to reach the mooring.
Have a crew person stand on the bowsprit ready to
pick up the pennant float with a boat hook. Commu-
nication between the captain and crew is essential.
It is beneficial to agree on a set of hand signals
rather than yelling back and forth. Do not expect
the person on the bowsprit to be able to hold the
boat in position once in contact with the pennant
float.
If you expect the boat will overshoot the mooring,
shift into reverse or, inversely, shift into forward to
gain enough forward momentum to reach the moor-
ing. Keep the engine running and ready until you are
sure that the pennant eye has been secured to the
anchor cleat. Even after securing the pennant eye,
be careful not to scrape against the buoy.
If you do under or over-shoot the buoy, calmly fall
off and get clear for another try.
