Med moored in Paradise
02 June 2023 | 17 degrees 35 minutes south; 149 degrees 37 minutes west
Eric

Post time is 1730, 6/2/23
Squalls and large swells continued through the last day of our passage
to Papeete, Tahiti, only letting up when we got in the lee of the
island. The marinas were full, so we talked to someone on a mooring
ball, who recommended we pick one up rather than anchoring. The wind was
around 20 knots, so it was a challenge to get attached to the float.
After several passes, and some difficulty getting attached, we were
finally settled on the mooring. We called to inquire how to pay for the
mooring and were told all the moorings in that area were on yearly
leases, and we needed to anchor. We restarted the engine, and the
anchoring went much smoother.
The following day (6/1) was much calmer so Jeff and Sharon dinghied
ashore while I did boat projects and tried to get a spot at the marina
near the airport. By late afternoon theyâd had a marvelous time ashore
in downtown Papeete and Iâd secured an appointment for a spot in Marina
Taina at 8 am today. It will be much easier for the departing and
oncoming crew to get from the airport to the boat, and provisioning will
also be much easier with a Carrefour shopping center within walking
distance.
We did a roll and go at 7 am, had the anchor up and were underway by
7:15 am. We were outside the marina by 7:45, and they answered our hail
promptly at 8. After spending some time driving in circles, the dock
captain informed us our slip required med mooring. They had a small boat
to indicate where to drop the anchor, and a person ashore to catch lines.
Med mooring is a technique commonly used in the Mediterranean sea (where
Iâve never sailed). It involves dropping the anchor and then backing
into a slot between two boats, passing mooring lines from the stern of
the boat to a quay and tightening the anchor chain and lines to hold the
boat in place. Itâs especially challenging on Rover because it has a
skeg hung rudder and strong prop walk. This type of rudder is very
strong (Valiants have never lost a rudder), but it has limited authority
compared to spade rudders (rudders suspended by a rudder post) which are
known to occasionally break off of boats. The tradeoff is strength vs
easy backing, and the Valiant is very strong, but difficult to back.
We got the anchor down and successfully backed into our spot, but we
were glad we had fenders out on both sides of the boat, had relocated
our longest dock lines to the stern cleats and had a crewmember with a
roving fender. Pilots say âany landing you can walk away from is a good
oneâ and the docking wasnât easy or low stress, but we managed without
any frayed tempers or damage to our boat or the neighbors.
The other difficulty about med mooring is that you get onto and off the
boat from the stern. Many European boats are designed with that in mind
and incorporate a passerelle (ramp in the stern). Valiants donât have
that feature, so we lashed on a 2â by 12â from the cockpit to the quay,
and we walk the 5â from the cockpit to get ashore. Itâs best if you
donât look down as you proceed from the (slightly) bobbing boat to the
solid ground.
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