At the risk of starting another 'mooring' thread...!!

We have a fairly common problem in Tobermory of too many moorings in too little space and my boat is dangerously close to its neighbour at certain stages of the tide.

I have therefore started leaving my rudder on full 'lock', so that the tiller is lashed to the port pushpit and the rudder is tucked in beside the boarding ladder for protection. The boat seems to sit quite happily like this.

I had thought at first that this was more stressful on the rudder fixings as the logical thing was to leave the rudder locked in line with the hull, but in fact I'm beginning to realise that it is probably the other way around. When the rudder is fixed centrally the full blade has to push through the water sideways whichever way the boat swings, whereas on 'full lock' the leading or trailing edge is cutting through the water as the boat swings in an arc.

Does this sound logical? It doesn't 'feel' right to keep the rudder off centre, but seems to work better, and it is better protected. Does anyone else do this?[?]

Stephen Godber

235/51 "Exodus"

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I think it depends on whether you have a significant tide running through the moorings. If there is, it helps keep the boats separated if they all have their rudders lashed at 45 degrees the same way. This works in long thin tidal estuaries like the Crouch or the Dart where all the moorings are in much the same current. In that condition lashing the rudder on "full lock" would, I think, just add to the pull on the tackle in a current.

Geoff Harwood P21/30 Cygnus