The wind is a sailor’s best friend, a companion in many adventures and a source of great excitement. However, when mooring or setting sail, strong gusts can affect the maneuver and quickly cause significant damage to your own hull as well as to neighboring boats and superyachts. We have already shared some advice on how to moor; now it is time to reveal a few tricks for those setting sail without a bow thruster installed on their vessel.

Leaving the berth: How to do it without a bow thruster

Obviously, the first factor to consider is the direction. It is essential to understand the wind’s effect on the maneuver, so we can counteract or take advantage of it. Let’s try to analyze three different typical situations.

Leaving the berth with a light crosswind

With a light crosswind, but strong enough to slowly push the bow down, it is useful to use the crew, if present. In this case, the person at the bow can pull on the dead body line, guiding the boat’s exit, and then release it once sure they can dock and exit without difficulty.

Should you find yourself leaving the berth alone, it is necessary to cast off the leeward lines, so as to remain moored with the stern line and the windward mooring buoy. At this point, you need to have a longer mooring line by paying out the stern line. A burst of forward gear will put the stern line under tension to windward, preventing the bow from falling off to leeward. Once the mooring buoy is released, quickly return to the cockpit to release the stern line. Now you can exit the berth and the marina, calibrating the engine power accordingly.

Leaving a berth with two opposing rows of boats

The second typical situation we analyze is the boat moored in a channel with two opposing rows of boats. With a fresh tailwind, as soon as the bow is turned to the right or left, the wind itself will push laterally towards the bows of the boats in front.

In this case, the solution is more demanding and, if you will, creative. The best move to safely leave the berth is to pass a bight of rope between the bow of the departing vessel and the bow cleat of another boat moored toward the intended direction of travel. Now you can release the mooring buoy and then the stern lines, asking a crew member to calibrate the tension on the bight to support the bow to windward as you slowly exit the mooring.

The maneuver also works with a fresh crosswind at the mooring: the only difference is that the bow is supported with a line passed on the cleat of a windward boat.

Leaving a side-to mooring with the wind blowing toward the harbor quay

Finally, the last situation we consider is one of the most difficult to face: when the wind pins the boat against the quay while moored side-to, with little room to maneuver due to the presence of other vessels. This scenario is quite typical, as it is common when pulling up to refuel in the marina.

In such a circumstance, it is necessary to exploit the power of the spring, positioned at the bow of the most advanced cleat to a dock bollard, identified towards the stern. After freeing from all other moorings, you need to engage forward gear, instructing a crew member on how to protect the bow, lowering a fender at the contact point between the bow and the dock. If the maneuver is performed correctly, the spring will bring the bow closer to the dock, rotating the stern outward. Once the possibility of moving freely is confirmed, you need to put the gear in neutral and then a sharp reverse gear to release the bow spring.

In conclusion, we remind you of one last always useful piece of advice: if you don’t feel comfortable casting off in those weather conditions, don’t do it. No one forces you, and it’s foolish to take unnecessary risks. It is also worth noting that here, at our marina in Liguria, there is always someone available to assist you, whether setting sail or mooring.