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Pontoon Bumping
We arrange some weekends of training that we call "Pontoon" or "Pontoon Bumping" or "Manoeuvres Weekend".
The objective is to provide guidance and skill improvement for what is often the most feared of tasks - coming alongside and mooring. Having to come very close to another vessel, wall or floating pontoon (landing) is fraught with risk of damage. Your yacht nears zero speed through the water as you close your target position; you are quite suddenly at the mercy of wind and tide - capable of pushing you sideways, forwards or backwards. You may be short handed. Your "mate" may be reluctant to jump off and you need to get mooring warps ashore to secure your yacht.
In the past we have covered all sorts of manoeuvring issues, like "The Mediterranean Moor", approaching a mooring backwards when there is insufficient space to turn round, working "single handed", open and closed pontoon moorings, Dutch "Box Moorings", warp handling techniques - get a rope ashore without getting off!
There is no syllabus for a weekend of Pontoon Bumping. There is no RYA course of this name. There isn't a certificate. We will adjust what we do to suit you, as best we can.
Often we arrange these weekends of training during the winter months to keep the cost down. If you want to do this in the summer that is fine by us - but yacht charter in summer does not come cheap. You may need to find others to come and help share costs. Four "trainees" on a weekend like this is about right.
If we currently have any "Pontoon Bumping" weekends planned at the moment - do look for the dates as follows: pull down menu above, mouse-over Sailing, click on Our Sailing Trips.
If you wish, we can arrange a special weekend for you and perhaps your friends - do write and say when you wish to do this.
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