Rafting Up

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Excerpted from The Handbook of Sailing

Rafting up is the term given to berthing alongside another boat (or boats), whether next to piles, a pier, a float or a mooring. It is not an ideal way of berthing because if a boat on the inside of a raft wishes to leave first it causes considerable inconvenience. Another disadvantage to rafting up is that the crews of the boats in the raft will have to cross other boats to get to and from the shore. In a crowded harbor, however there is often no choice. There are certain precautions you should take before rafting up. Try and find out if the harbor limits the number of boats in a raft. If there is someone on board the boat you are rafting up to, ask permission first. You need to make sure that your lines are long enough to secure your bow and stern to the permanent fixing – float, pier, or whatever – if you find yourself either in tidal waters or on the outside of a raft of several boats. Try and avoid a raft where only the inside boat is secured to the pier or piles – such a raft will swing backwards and forwards making your stay uncomfortable. It also helps to minimize swaying motion if you raft up alongside a boat larger than your own. You always need to make sure the masts are staggered; if adjacent, and the boats roll, the rigging may be fouled.

As a matter of common courtesy, always walk forward of the mast when crossing over other boats – it helps preserve privacy.

For more advice and tips on everything from boat maintenance, navigation, racing tactics and cruise planning, check out Bob Bond’s The Handbook of Sailing. This complete guide to sailing was last updated in 1992 but still contains thousands of useful nuggets that will appeal to any level sailor.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.