The Weight of the Decision
It is 0630. You are berthing a 480 GT superyacht in a Mediterranean marina — 55 metres LOA, twin screws, bow thruster, no tug available. The berthing master is advising a starboard-side-to berth in a tight finger, with 15 knots of wind across the beam from the port side, pushing you onto the pontoon. Your mate is on the foredeck, deckhands aft. You are the one who decides whether to proceed, abort, or ask for a change of berth. No pilot is aboard. The responsibility is yours.
Pre-Approach Assessment
Before committing to the approach, the master must resolve:
- Wind and current vectors relative to the berth. In this scenario wind is pushing you onto the berth — superficially helpful, but it removes your ability to abort once within two boat lengths. What is your escape route?
- Propulsion configuration. Twin screws and bow thruster give good lateral control, but thruster effectiveness deteriorates rapidly above approximately 15–20 knots of beam wind. At the margins, confirm thruster is operational and not subject to any temporary limitation.
- Manoeuvring characteristics. Know your pivot point under ahead and astern power; understand that going astern with twin screws will kick the stern. On a twin-screw vessel, opposing engines give directional control without headway — use this.
- Line-handling plan. Communicate the plan before approach. The first line to take is the spring that prevents forward movement; on a wind-on-berth approach this controls the energy most effectively. Assign each person a task and a fallback.
- Abort criteria. Set these before the approach begins: minimum manoeuvring speed, maximum acceptable wind increase, failure of bow thruster. Brief the team.
The Approach
With wind from port pushing you to starboard (onto the berth), approach at a fine angle — typically 10–20 degrees — rather than beam-on. Use the bow thruster to hold the bow off as you creep forward, letting the wind lay the stern in. Reduce to bare steerage, then use short kicks ahead on the inner (starboard) engine to stop headway. The first line ashore is the breast spring from forward. Only once the spring is taking load do you allow the wind to complete the work of closing the hull to the berth. Use fenders on a roving basis until the vessel is alongside.
Unberthing — Wind on Berth
This is the genuinely hazardous evolution. You cannot simply drive away from the pontoon when the wind is holding you against it.
- Single up before committing.
- Use opposing engines and bow thruster to walk the bow off the berth while holding on the aft spring.
- Once a working gap exists at the bow, let go all and drive clear with positive control before the stern swings back.
- Never rely on crew pushing off a 480-tonne vessel against 15 knots of wind.
Standing Orders and Records
The master sets the conditions under which the mate may berth or unberth unsupervised, and those requiring the master's presence. These conditions should be defined in standing orders. Any significant incident during berthing — damage, near-miss, unexpected assistance — is entered in the log under the master's hand.