The mooring has always been a bit problematic for all sailors all over the world.

For this reason, we wrote this post with the intention of giving you a series of tips regarding how to moor without involving any kind of stress.

It is well known that life on board does not reserve a lot of solo moments: the mooring phase tests the captain’s character and the harmony among the crew members.

We are all afraid of damaging a sailing boat, especially if it does not belong to us because we have chartered it.

Today we are giving you tips for stress-free mooring. However, it is essential to note that everything written in this article should not be taken for granted. Every mooring process is different, even if it applies to the same sailing boat and in the same place.

1st Step

The first step to take into practice is to cock the boat. What does it exactly mean? It means that you should have previously collected information about the spot (for example, it would be useful to get to know in advance the draft, the type of mooring you are going to do, etc…), and you should have informed as well as prepared the crew, you should have chosen the right equipment and the easiest way to moored.

The advice that we can give you is to not wait until the last minute to do everything that’s listed above. This way, you can avoid uncomfortable situations as well as stress. Moreover, every crew member should wear shoes and it is a good habit to remove everything that can be an obstacle during the mooring process, such as toys and beach towels.

2nd Step

It is now the time for the fenders. Should they be placed on both sides of the sailing boat or just on one? What should be the distance from one to another and at what is the ideal height?

And for the ropes. Mooring ropes should be carefully prepared: it is best to flatter them in order to avoid any stressful moments during the mooring itself.

3rd Step

We know, we are all so accustomed to having the Bimini open during cruising that it feels almost impossible to close it. However, it is not a bad idea to close during the mooring process, not because it is dangerous, but mostly because it can reduce visibility and restrict movements.

Last but not least, we should always be careful when it comes to the tender. We all usually sail with the tender ring but, during the mooring process, it might fall into the boat propeller or it can even jam into our neighbor’s sailing boat while we are doing the reverse gear.

Therefore, before entering the port, we largely advise moving the tender to the bow (by doing this, it will not annoy us during the march forward and neither during the reverse gear) or, even better, to hoist it on board.

Once everything’s ready and if you have all these steps in mind, you can approach mooring in a totally different way. Then, it is up to you to either the help of the harbor’s professionals or, if they do not seem so capable, maybe not. Remember, it is always you the one who should take the responsibility for the mooring approach,01 and, therefore, you are also the final decision maker.