You are moored along a stretch of pontoon with a boat ahead of you and one behind and the wind is blowing you onto the pontoon. What to do? You need to spring off. The tide is on the bow so you will spring the bow out into the tide. If the tide had been on the stern you would have sprung the stern out.

I hold the boat alongside with a line tied tight from the midships cleat on board (1) to a cleat on the shore and I would have a bow line, just as a safety measure to stop the bow wandering off into the tide in the event that there was a lull in the wind – because if the bow went off into the tide the tide would push it and put quite a strain on my midship line. It would be unlikely to cause much of an issue but keeping the bow in will prevent anything untoward from happening.

Then I attach a line to a cleat amidships on shore with a Rustler’s Hitch (2) and secure this to a stern cleat on board (3). With the quarter/stern fendered up well I would remove all other lines and drive astern against my spring. This will bring the bow out into the tide. Then I will put the engine into neutral, walk to the side deck and give the running end of the Rustler’s Hitch a sharp tug (4) and I will be ready to motor off out of the space (5).

All managed from on board