Yesterday we sailed down to Eggs and Bacon Bay on the Huon and picked up our mooring in the bay for lunch

There was about a 10 to 15 knot north westerly blowing (but the bay has some shelter from wind in this direction), the tide was coming in and there were small waves rolling into the bay from the west

There was 1 other yacht in the bay (a Sailmaster the same as mine) and a power boat on moorings and they were both pointing East with their mooring lines running aft down their sides

I would have assumed that each of the boats in the bay would have been facing the wind and i wonder why they were all stern to the wind direction

Any explanation

Regards Don

I would guess wind against tide (current).

For my boat - The wind always pushed the blow away. In very light conditions this is not so much of an issue. But in strong winds, the boat will continually ride the anchor seeming to tack from one side to the other. Now if you have a small amount of current from the stern it will actually provide the same turning motion that the wind is also providing and turn the boat stern to the wind. I refer to this as "wind against tide" and when I know it will be an issue, I always attach the long snubber so I don't get chain marks on the hull.

I suspect (guess) that the direction of the tidal flow in Eggs & Bacon is creating a circulating current in the bay which is acting with the wind to get the end result of boat riding up on their rode.

Well my thoughts anyway, and as usual I could be wrong again.

Pretty cold here this morning Don, what's it like in Tassy.

Hi Crusoe

Thanks for your explanation on the mooring question

As far as temp goes it is forecast to be a balmy 13 degrees today and the wind chill today says it feels like 8 with the occasional shower blowing through

Wind is forecast to be approx 12 knots all day so pretty much perfect Tassie sailing conditions

Regards Don

It would definitely be tide or current stronger than the wind.
we were down in tassie last weekend went to Franklin then up the east coast to Launceston you are spoilt for cruising grounds in the soth east very pretty.

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twodogs1969 said..
It would definitely be tide or current stronger than the wind.
we were down in tassie last weekend went to Franklin then up the east coast to Launceston you are spoilt for cruising grounds in the soth east very pretty.

Hi Twodogs

Did you continue on further down the Huon past Franklin

Regards Don

No was only a 4 day break went to huonville then to the wooden boat place at Franklin and Frank's cider place then it was back to hobart for the night and salamanca market saturday morning then onto port Arthur.

Hi Twodogs

If you ever come down again and want to go for a sail let me know

The best of the Huon starts about 5 minutes drive past Franklin where the river opens up and gets much wider (around 2 1/2 to 3 kilometers) and deeper (around 15 to 20 meters) where you can sail the full width of the river and the scenery changes from the swampy stuff at Franklin to much nicer country with the hill sides running down into the water

Regards Don

The concept of a boat not facing bow into the wind on a mooring was completely foreign to me, until I visited my mate in Qld.

The tide and currents are of very little concern over here in Perth, there's only a few places on the river where you might have to take it into consideration when making way. My mate from Queensland upon joining the yacht club we all sailed at in Perth, asked where he needed to watch out for the current. He was met with a sea of blank faces.

I'm struggling to understand how they could be sitting mooring lines alongside though? Surely they would still sit bow into the oncoming current (or wind. Whichever is the greater force)?

It's a regular occurrence on the moorings here on the Crookhaven, even in Westerly gales though most yachts will sit side on to the onslaught. Catamarans however will always sit facing the wind. I have just finished turning up another bow roller with the outer edges rounded off. The old Delrin roller has a sharp edge that damages the riser when the yacht sits stern on to the wind.

Speaking of Franklin... have any of you guys been up the Gordon River towards the Franklin river before? If so... what did you think??

Ive done it in a 10ft Zodie... was a most awesome experience.

My boat sometimes sits stern-on to the wind even when there's no current. When it's anchored in light winds it has a strange tendency to drift over the anchor rode and then get the rode caught between the keel and the rudder. I assume it's because the centre of lateral resistance is well aft, so the boat's head tends to drift away from the wind.