SIMPLICITY MAKES EVERYTHING STRAIGHTFORWARD
Enrico Scozzari
The project
The Moorsimply mooring assistance device
The number of moorings made available to pleasure boats in tourist ports along Italy’s coastline has increased considerably over the years. It is becoming increasingly rare, however, to be assisted by crew while mooring and during operations that require you to leave your mooring unattended. In order to moor without assistance, you have to bring your boat dangerously close to the quay, jump onto land and retrieve the mooring ropes. You then have to return to your boat with the ropes in hand and secure them to the boat bitts. The problems are evident and can be exacerbated by age and/or if the yachtsman is alone on his or her boat.
A second less important but decidedly annoying aspect concerns retrieving the bow mooring ropes attached to the deadweight, which are often lying on the seabed. You can imagine just how dirty and mud-soaked they are, making the whole process decidedly unpleasant.
Obviously, when you leave your mooring, you have to perform the whole process in reverse, i.e., untie the mooring ropes from the bollards and/or ring before quickly jumping onto your boat and setting sail.
Moorsimply allows yachtsmen to avoid the difficulties described above. The device essentially ‘extends’ the mooring ropes towards the yachtsman when docking, and ‘stows’ the mooring ropes when departing. Moorsimply is a mechanical arm operated by a low-voltage electric motor and controlled by a smartphone app. At the end of the arm is a device with quick-release clam cleats that hands the ropes to the yachtsman. Thanks to this mechanical arm, yachtsmen can stop their boat two metres from the quay, avoiding the risk of collision due to wind or undertow. They can then tie the mooring ropes to the cleats and safely complete the mooring process by bringing the boat to the desired distance from the quay. Moorsimply also ‘extends’ a third rope containing the submerged rope, which is long enough to reach the bow bitt so that the yachtsman can retrieve the deadweight mooring rope.
Moorsimply is a plug and play device. All there is to do is attach the support bracket to the quayside using special dowels or clamps, connect the power to the dock outlet, download the app, and you’re all set!
Moorsimply also has a very useful service ‘column’ featuring integrated LEDs capable of illuminating the stretch of water when mooring at night. It is also equipped with an infrared camera for night-time monitoring from your phone. Boat lovers love to know that everything is in order, that their mooring will hold during bad weather, and that they can say ‘good night’ via their smartphone.
In addition to controlling the device, lights and camera, the Moorsimply app boasts some additional innovative features. The app also features a service portal that can match supply with demand for daily mooring rentals. When boat owners aren’t using their moorings because their boats are in storage or they are away on holiday, the free moorings can be listed on the portal, allowing other boat owners to moor on a day-to-day basis. Mooring fees can be paid using a credit or debit card in the app, which also contains instructions on how to enter the port, how to moor, and the various services available in the marina. What’s more, advertisements and information about local commercial and tourism activities can also be advertised. Last but not least, boat owners can check guest boats in and out using the camera feature.
