How do you enter a box with a sailing yacht?

How do you enter a box with a sailing yacht?

One of the most difficult ways to moor is to enter a box in a harbor. Once you are in the box, you are assured of a peaceful night’s sleep!
There are a number of dangers when mooring in a box:
– the box is too narrow or too short
– the wind is at right angles to the box

Before sailing into a box, it is wise to ask the harbor master whether the box is large enough. In general, the harbor master allocates a box and everything should go well. If you have any doubts about your steering skills, indicate this to the harbor master so that he can allocate a wider box!

A box needs 4 mooring lines, so make sure that all 4 mooring lines are ready on the deck. The rear 2 mooring lines can already be laid out in a loop and then along the frog. Then the helmsman can hold and secure the hinterland ropes himself if necessary.
Fenders can be prepared, but never hang these overboard! If the hull goes close to a pole, the fender will hang behind it, causing the boat to rotate in the box with serious consequences. Attach the fenders to the railing wire, but place them in the gangway so that you can easily and quickly kick them overboard if necessary.

Determine in advance where the wind comes from in relation to the box, and coordinate this with the crew. Focus only on the main mooring lines. Especially with half wind, the 2 windward mooring lines (where the wind comes from) are the most important.
If there is a helmsman and 1 crew member, then calmly sail into the box, and have the crew member lay the main hinterland rope around the post from the center of the ship. Then the crew member walks forward to the pulpit.
The helmsman sails calmly on, and as soon as the ship is stationary he can tighten the hinterland rope and place it around the frog. Do not focus too much on the hinterland, but first steer the boat calmly into the box and brake it on the engine. Only when the ship is stationary is the hinterland tightened. The other hinterland rope can be thrown onto the post with a nice throw, or the foreshore rope can be paid out so that the ship goes back a bit. Because the 2 most necessary mooring lines have already been secured, there is plenty of time to make this happen.

Common mistakes when entering a box:
– sailing too fast;
– no preparation;
– fenders hang outboard;

If you have any doubts about your own abilities, then hire a skipper. Join Happy Sailing to master mooring in a few hours!

Bart Kamphuis has made a nice video of this theory below:

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h doze
h doze
20/05/2022
Elan 340 gehuurd vanuit Lemmer, zeer gastvrij ontvangen en alles goed geregeld.
Joris Verhaeghe
Joris Verhaeghe
20/10/2021
Heel goed ontvangen en relaxed kunnen zeilen met een leuke boot. Zeker de moeite om nog eens te doen. top Happy Sailing!
Bert Boersma
Bert Boersma
07/10/2021
Boot gehuurd met vrienden. Wat probleempjes met de motor maar zeer goed opgelost!
Wim Blaak
Wim Blaak
10/09/2021
Ondanks dat we een echte Hollandse zomer hadden, een prima vakantie gehad met de Hanse 34. Flexibele opstelling en heldere communicatie van Simon van Happy Sailing heeft daar zeker aan bijgedragen.
Jasper Smit
Jasper Smit
26/08/2021
Non-tidal cursus gedaan op de mooie winner 1120 met Theo. Vanwege weinig wind toch uitgeweken naar de waddenzee voor wat meer wind. Dit resulteerde in een prachtige tocht. Theo was erg prettig in de omgang en deelde graag zijn kennis. Veel geleerd en zelfvertrouwen op gedaan!
Paul Josephus Jitta
Paul Josephus Jitta
25/08/2021
Prettig contact en goede en snelle service. Een aanrader als je een boot wilt huren!
Jiri Rakosnik
Jiri Rakosnik
24/08/2021
Amazing experience with Allert today, very experienced, kind and helpful teacher 🙏⛵️
Jos Koning
Jos Koning
24/08/2021
Topweek achter de rug met de 35 Match. De boot was prima voor elkaar en zeilt fantastisch. Zon bleef een beetje weg maar heerlijke wind. Contact met verhuur vooraf, en met Ruud gedurende de week zelf was erg prettig. Bedankt .
Eelco
Eelco
17/08/2021
Goed en prettig contact, duidelijke communicatie . Goed verzorgde boot.