Yachting Monthly – March 2018

A QUESTION

OF SEAMANSHIP

Q

Jenny and two friends are on

a cruise to Brittany on board

their Bavaria 3 2, Firebird,

a standard production boat

with a fin keel. It has slab

reefing and a roller furling

jib. The trip has been a great success until 10

miles from entrance of the Trieux river, the engine

fails. Jenny has completed the RYA Diesel Engine

course and realises it’s

not a problem that can

be fixed at sea.

The intention

is to moor at Port

Lézardrieux seven

miles up the river

which has a boatyard

and a diesel fitter.

Fortunately, conditions

are favourable for

sailing to Lézardrieux.

It’s blowing ESE Force

4 and the tide is flooding up the river. Jenny is a

good dinghy sailor who is determined to sail the

boat into the marina without resorting to a tow or

other assistance. Apart from her pride, there are

good financial reasons for berthing on a walk-

ashore pontoon when the engineer arrives.

She sails upriver and luckily, the hammerhead

at the end of the first pontoon in the marina is

free on the starboard side of the river. On the

approach, the wind is

flukey, blowing about

10 knots. Firebird is on

a close reach on port

tack. The tidal stream

is flooding at 0. 7 knots

and the pontoon is

parallel with the

riverbank. Does she

sail alongside port or

starboard side to?

Full sail, jib only or

main only?

 A

Unless the tidal stream is

very weak, it is almost always

a mistake to come alongside

under sail or power with

the tidal stream from astern.

The tidal stream is the strongest force so Jenny

needs to come in port side to pointing into the

flood tide. The boat will then be on a broad reach

so if the mainsail is set, it is impossible to stop.

The final approach needs to be under jib alone.

She should sail past the marina upstream to

some clear water where she can smartly drop the

mainsail and prepare the fenders and warps for

coming alongside, then turn into the flood tide

and sail back to the marina under jib alone.

Speed can be adjusted by using the roller

furling to increase and decrease the size of the

jib and the opposing tide will help to slow the

boat down. It sounds complicated but it is

surprisingly easy. Even if the boat comes to a halt

over the ground, it is simple to apply more power

from the jib and start moving again.

How do we sail into this berth? Lézardrieux
Marina

Firebird

Trieux

River

N

TIDAL

STREAM

0.7 knots

WIND

10 knots

?

THE KNOWLEDGE

With wind against tide, coming

alongside this river pontoon

under sail could be tricky

Lézardrieux, a pretty town on

the Trieux river in northern

Brittany is well worth a visit

Sheltered marinas are great

until you need to come in

without help from the engine

James Stevens, author

of the Yachtmaster

Handbook, spent 10

of his 23 years at the

RYA as chief examiner