Smart Marina Berthing

As most yacht sailors know marina berthing can be difficult!

You have to manoeuvre a large yacht in a small space and avoid colliding with the other expensive boats around you!

Here's some Smart Berthing Tips to help you feel more confident parking your multi-hull yacht.

Head here for berthing tips for mono-hull yachts.

General points for marina berthing of multi-hulls

• Slow is good...

You're more likely to make a mistake when you're going fast.

At speed you have less time to make adjustments and you will do more damage to your yacht if you collide with a pole or another boat.

• Cats are easy to manoeuvre... once you've got the hang of them

Because catamarans have 2 engines you can turn them in a really small space. In fact in many ways they are much easier to berth than mono-hull yachts. However, if you're not used to using 2 engines it takes a little while to get the hang of it.

Here's some basic things to experiment with while you're in clear water

If you put one engine in forward it will tend to push the bow on that side inwards towards the centre axis of the boat. So putting the port engine in forwards will push the bow to starboard.

If you put one engine in reverse it will tend to push the stern on that side inwards towards the centre axis of the yacht. So putting the port engine in reverse will push the stern to starboard.

So following on from there...

...if you put one engine in forward and one in reverse your boat will spin on her axis.

Try putting the port engine in forward and the starboard engine in reverse. If you could look down from above you would see your catamaran spinning clockwise.

Once you get the hang of basic turns you can experiment further.

Try adding more reverse and less forward- you'll see you move sideways and backwards more as you turn.

• Large catmarans are affected by the wind

There is quite a lot of windage on a large catamaran like a Seawind. You'll need to think carefully about how the wind is going to affect your yacht, especially when you change direction.

For example on a windy day if the wind is behind you and you want to stop and go into reverse it's going to take a long time (and therefore a long distance) for the engines to slow you down and get the boat going backwards.

And in the same way if the wind is coming across the port bow it's going to take a lot of work for the starboard engine to turn the boat into the wind.

Smart Marina Berthing - Coming Alongside

To simply come alongside approach the wharf slowly at a shallow angle of around 25°.

Put the engines into neutral around 2-5 metres off (the actual distance will depend on the wind strength and your speed).

Around half a metre off the wharf put the engine furthest away from the wharf into reverse and bring your boat alongside.

Depending on your speed you might also need to put the second engine into reverse to stop completely.

Once you're on the wharf put the engines into neutral and secure the lines.

Smart Marina Berthing - Turning to come alongside

At Bayview Marina it often makes sense to spin your cat and bring her alongside on the T-arm.

To do this start your turn on the far side of the channel. Turn slowly either using the rudder or outside forward engine or a combination of both.

You'll find you'll initially approach the wharf at a steeper angle of maybe 60-70° and then as you turn towards the wharf the angle gets shallower.

Just before your bow hits the wharf put the engine furthest away from the wharf into reverse bring you alongside.

You'll need to make small adjustments with the engines to position yourself perfectly.

Like everything your confidence will grow with practise...

... and of course for SmartBoating yacht syndicate owners we are on dock every day to help you.

We're happy to catch lines or even berth your catamaran for you if you want us to...

... it's all part of the service.

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