Stress-free harbour manoeuvres: Casting off, mooring and securing the boat safely

Book Webinar Part 1:

Mooring safely with a sailing yacht

Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2027

Book Webinar Part 2:

​Investing Safely, Step by Step

Date: Thursday, 18 February 2027

Book Webinar Part 3:

​Mooring without any nasty surprises

Date: Tuesday, 23 February 2027

Time: 7.00 pm on each occasion
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes each
Speaker: Lars Bolle
Price (each): 40 euros (30 euros (for YACHT/BOOTE subscribers)
(Please have your subscriber number to hand)

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Webinar content:​

When things suddenly get a bit tight in the harbour

At sea, there’s usually plenty of space. In the harbour, however, a matter of a few metres can make the difference between a manoeuvre going smoothly and things suddenly becoming hectic. Neighbouring boats are moored close together, the wind presses against the hull, and the berth often seems much narrower when you’re approaching it than it does from the jetty.

It’s no wonder that even experienced crews find their hearts racing when mooring and casting off. Small crews of just two people, or solo sailors, in particular, need to plan their procedures carefully. Charter crews also face the additional challenge of having to familiarise themselves with the behaviour of a yacht they are not used to.

And, of course, there’s always that same worry in the back of your mind: what happens if the bow veers off course, the stern heads towards the neighbouring boat, or the line isn’t secured in time?

That said, a successful harbour manoeuvre doesn’t have to look perfect. What matters is that your own boat and the other yachts remain undamaged, nobody gets hurt, and the crew handles the situation in a controlled manner.

This is exactly where the three-part webinar series ‘Port Manoeuvres Step by Step’ comes in.

Three webinars covering the entire port manoeuvre

The series follows sailors from the moment they cast off until their yacht is securely moored.

This is because casting off, mooring and securing are not independent tasks. Even when casting off, the way the lines are routed determines how the boat moves. When approaching the jetty, it must be clear which line is needed first. And it is only when securing the boat that it becomes clear whether the yacht will still be safely moored hours later, even in the face of wind, swell or changing water levels.

Part 1: Mooring safely

The first webinar focuses on the question: How do you manoeuvre the yacht out of its berth in a controlled manner?

The course covers the basic procedures for the most common manoeuvres when casting off, as well as ways of extricating oneself from particularly difficult situations.

These include manoeuvres:

• from boxes with stakes
• from a jetty
• with mooring
• in different wind conditions
• with a small crew
• on catamarans

An important aspect of this is the behaviour of modern sailing yachts. The book covers monohull yachts with single-rudder systems, whilst also addressing twin-rudder systems and catamarans.

Part 2: Investing prudently

Once the yacht is out at sea, it will eventually have to return to harbour. And that is often when the trickier part begins.

When mooring, speed, angle, wind and line handling must all be coordinated in a confined space. At the same time, there is often little time to make corrections.

Part 2 covers the most important investment scenarios:

• Mooring in boxes with posts
• Mooring at a jetty
• Mooring
• different wind directions
• Manoeuvres with a small crew
• Solutions for tight or difficult situations
• Mooring with catamarans

It is not a question of memorising a single ‘perfect’ manoeuvre. Rather, the key is to understand why a manoeuvre works and how it can be adapted to the yacht, the mooring and the conditions.

Part 3: Secure it properly and sleep soundly

For the successful investor, the manoeuvre in the harbour is not yet over.

After all, the yacht must now be moored securely so that it remains safe even when the crew are long since sitting down to dinner, asleep or have left the boat for a few hours.

How many lines do you really need? Which one goes where? How do you prevent mooring lines from chafing, or the boat from jerking violently against the lines when there’s a swell? And what should you do if there aren’t any standard berths left in a packed harbour?

The third part of the webinar series covers, amongst other things:

• Finding moorings in busy harbours
• moor with the bow or stern facing the front
• to be positioned across from the pits
• lying in a box together
• tie it to the parcel
• Number and arrangement of mooring lines
• Shock absorbers and impact guards
• Using fenders correctly
• Fender sets and fender boards
• How to fit cleats correctly
• Bringing the train under control on the tracks

Added to this are the various mooring systems and the specific characteristics of different waterways. Topics covered include box moorings, finger piers, mooring alongside, tidal waters, shore lines and the so-called ‘Roman Catholic’ method of mooring, with the bow or stern facing the pier.

It is precisely in situations like this that minor errors may only become apparent hours later. A poorly positioned mooring line, an incorrectly positioned fender or a lack of leeway as the water level changes can mean that a yacht which was initially moored securely is later significantly less secure.

Part 3 therefore not only shows how to moor a boat, but also how to tell whether a boat is really securely moored.

Why all three parts are worth it when taken together

If you can only cast off, you’ll get out of the berth. If you know how to moor, you’ll get back in. The harbour manoeuvre is only complete once you’ve moored properly.

The complete series comprises:

• Part 1: Setting off
• Part 2: Investing
• Part 3: Mooring

The content builds on previous sections and covers the entire process, from preparing and casting off the mooring lines to securing the yacht safely.

Anyone who books all three parts will gain not just a collection of individual manoeuvres, but a coherent understanding of how the yacht, the wind, the lines and the mooring influence one another.

It is precisely when an unexpected situation arises that this understanding is more important than a standard procedure learnt by heart.

For beginners, charter crews and experienced sailors

The webinar series is aimed at both beginners and experienced sailors.

It is particularly of interest to small crews, couples, solo sailors and charter sailors who regularly sail on different yachts.

This section covers manoeuvres involving monohull yachts with single-rudder systems. Double-rudder systems are also discussed. Manoeuvres involving catamarans are included as well.

The webinar will be presented by Lars Bolle, author of the specialist book *Harbour Manoeuvres Step by Step* and editor-in-chief of *Digital Wassersport* at Delius Klasing Verlag.

You can get to know Lars Bolle a bit better in this video:

Note regarding the webinars:

If you are unable to attend the webinar on the scheduled date, you can also Participants who were “unable to attend” can watch the recording of the webinar (though limited to four weeks) watch it again.

​Do you have any further questions? In our FAQ You’ll quickly find the answers you’re looking for.​

We are very much looking forward to seeing you!
If you have any queries, please contact us by email at: wassersport-webinare@delius-klasing.de.