Mooring "on the rocks"

Mooring "on the rocks" is easy, even though the first couple of landings may feel stressful. Mooring on the rock is always done with a stern anchor and the bow to the rock in order to avoid hiting a rock with the rudder. For mooring "on the rocks", one need a set of pitons, an Ankarolina (anchor line reel), a set of long mooring lines to allow reaching suitable place to attach on the shore and eventually a bow ladder to allow getting on low rocks.

The steps are as follows:

1. Choose where to moore, by checking the pilot books and the sea charts. In addition, looking at the google earth pictures may allow to precisely identify potential shallows on the way.
2. Check the weather forecast in order to moore in an area protected from the winds for the duration of your stay. During the summer anticyclonic periods the wind tends to disappear around 20:00 until 10:00 the following morning. There is no land brise inversion during night, as the nights are too short!
3. Prepare the rear anchor, ideally secured on an Ankarolina.
4. Prepare two long mooring lines at the bow, one on each side.
5. Prepare the bow ladder , depending on the height of the bow and the size of the rock where to moor.
6. Approach perpendicular to the cost, at a very slow speed, with a crew at the bow to check for shallows on the way.
7. Around three boat lenghts from the coast, drop the rear anchor and let the line unroll freely.
8. The crew on the bow throws one mooring line on the shore and jumps on land with the other mooring line in hands. In case of significant side wind, throw the downwind line on shore and jump with the upwind mooring line.
9. The crew at the helm reverse just a bit to ensure not hitting rocks.
10. The crew on land fixes the mooring lines to rings (if any), trees or on mooring pitons.
11. The crew at the helm then tighten the back anchor line quite strongly to avoid the boat moving forward in the event of a wave from passing boats or ferries. Note that the ankarolinas used in the Baltic are non extensible, and are therefore very appropriate for mooring "on the rocks".
12. Put fenders on sides, as sometimes people will come alongside you and use you boat as a temporary pontoon (in summer!)
13. If there could be some wind during the stay, one can add two more lines from the beam to the rocks on the side of the boat to prevent the boat from rotating.