The art of Med mooring
Med mooring means backing in stern-to between neighbours and picking up a lazy line at the bow. Practise in calm air, fender both sides, and stay slow.
Updated 2 min read
Key points
- Set fenders and lines on both sides before you enter the fairway.
- Reverse in slowly. A crosswind is the real test, so approach from the windward side where you can.
- Practise outside the marina first, with the whole crew.
How it works
In most Mediterranean marinas the boat lies stern-to the quay or pontoon, between two other boats, held by lines at the stern and a lazy line (a mooring line from the seabed, called a norai in Spanish) at the bow. You enter the fairway, turn, and reverse into the slot. A marinero often waits on the pontoon, hands you the lazy line, and takes your stern lines.
Before you enter
- Rig fenders on both sides at the widest part of the boat, plus one roving fender.
- Rig stern lines on both quarters, long enough to reach the cleats ashore.
- Brief the crew: who takes the lazy line, who steps ashore, who fends off.
- Check wind direction and the neighbours' boats. Notice where the lazy line lies.
The approach
- Stop and look. Take a moment in the fairway to judge wind and current.
- Turn the boat so the stern points at the slot. Boats with propeller walk move sideways when going astern, so allow for it.
- Reverse slowly. Short bursts of power, then glide, give more control than a steady push.
- When the stern is near the quay, pass the stern lines ashore, then take up the lazy line at the bow and tension it.
Crosswind
Wind pushes the bow off. In a crosswind, approach so the wind pushes you toward the slot instead of away from it, use the bow thruster in short bursts, and ask the marinero to take the upwind line first. A wrong first line swings the boat onto its neighbour.
Safety
- Nobody puts a hand or a foot between the boat and the quay.
- Gloves protect hands from running lines.
- Keep the engine in neutral when people are stepping ashore.
Learn it properly
Practise in open water: drop a fender and reverse towards it from different angles. Then book a session with a skipper in your own marina. See Hiring a skipper for training.
Alternatives
Some berths use finger pontoons, which suit side or bow-first berthing. At anchor in a cove, a stern-to approach to the shore needs a line ashore. See Anchoring rules: Posidonia, marine reserves, buoy fields and black water.
Related guides
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check your own case with a professional or ask us.