Boating skills for dummies?

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Macboy

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Aug 8, 2014
254
Macgregor 26S Sherwood Park, Alberta
I was just thinking back to my cruising course and the things that come as you advance through the courses and got to thinking about sailing onto and off of a dock. I'm pretty sure if I put my head to it I'd come to some sort of semblance of a plan but wonder how many other things there are to know or how many little situations we find ourselves in that require a perhaps specific solution?

Last time out for me was single handed. My stern was in the armpit of a t-shaped dock at our launch ramp. I was pointing the wrong way and had a boat on front of me, the tee behind and a side wind good enough to hold the Mac to the dock without need to tie up. Some head scratching later I had run one of our shore lines (long) from the bow, down to a horn on the dock edge a foot forward of the bow and back to the cockpit. I clicked the motor into reverse with just a touch of throttle and kicked everything over to swing the stern away from the dock while keeping the bow held tight. Once clear of the tee I straightened out the tiller and outboard and started to let the long line slide and I eased away like a champ. What's more - once I was clear of everything I kept the boat creeping back while I hooked the now floating free line dragging in the wake of the reversing boat, reeled it in and settled back into the cockpit for a sunset motor to the nights mooring.

Felt like I was a genius for that move but am willing to bet it's in a how to book I'll read yet in my sailing days.

How many other little gems are there like this I wonder? Anyone can to share some of their "Bond Moves"?@
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,047
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Not really, but good on you for making it happen.

It's called a spring line, and ANY reasonable boating text, sail or mobo, will show you diagrams of how and why to use it.

Betcha there's even a YouTube. :)

C'mon, I'll bet both your mom and your teachers said it's GOOD to do homework and research. :):):):)
 
B

Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,173
CC 30 South Florida
It seems there is an infinite number of possible situations and perhaps that is why sailing continues to be a challenge after many years. Good thinking but before you pat yourself in the back, what was your Plan B in case the line jammed in the cleat, a gust of wind suddenly appeared or the engine cut out unexpectedly. Just remember to anticipate the worst, do your best to prevent it and always have a way out (Plan B). I'd seen a 40' boat perform a similar maneuver in an at best a 50' wide fairway by backing out of its slip at full throttle and letting the pre-measured spring line stop the stern of the boat and causing the bow to slide in the desired direction. They wisely used the assistance of a dock hand to release the spring line.
 
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centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Macboy said:
How many other little gems are there like this I wonder? Anyone can to share some of their "Bond Moves"?@
Click to expand
I can tell you there are lots of "little gems" like that out there... if you have a soul that has a desire to learn, a mind that can retain knowledge, and a few good books, by using them in conjunction with one another, it will put you on the path to wisdom.... then put what you've read into practice, and if you survive your efforts, you will eventually gain the actual experience necessary to graduate... afterward you wont have to keep getting that pesky wretched elbow from patting yourself on the back... others will do it for you:biggrin:.

get some books about sailing and READ....
 
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J

jwing

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Jun 5, 2014
503
ODay Mariner Guntersville
This may be common knowledge, but I kinda doubt that I could've figured it out. Luckily, somebody who knew was there and I asked:

The "slips" in my marina are a dock with posts sticking out of the water some distance away from the dock. Call the posts piles.The piles define the corners of the slips, with the boats parked perpendicular to the dock. So how does a solo sailor back in and tie off to the piles without hitting the dock or neighboring boats?

1) Have a two bow dock lines and two stern dock lines handy. Have a longer line, which we will call 'spring line' handy. If the slip is yours for a season, you can tie the bow dock lines and a spring line to the piles and the stern lines to the dock and leave them there while sailing.
2) Upon returning to the slip: slowly approach the slip and back in close enough to a pile to get the spring line around it (or close enough to snag the spring line with a boat hook if the spring line is already tied onto the pile). Wrap your spring line around an amidships cleat. Keep backing toward the dock until you can reach the dock or the dock lines with your boat hook. At that point, with your motor still in reverse, cleat off the spring line. The spring line will limit your boat's reverse travel so you don't crash into the dock. Point your motor so that it offsets the spring line's sideways pull.
3) Keeping the motor in reverse and pulling against the spring line, tie the stern dock lines to your boat. Shift your motor into forward gear and point it straight ahead. If the stern lines are the same length, the motor will pull against the stern lines keep the boat centered in the slip.
4) Walk forward and secure the bow dock lines on the piles.
5) Walk back again and put your motor in neutral and turn it off. Your boat will be happily slipped.
6) After the first time, tie a stopper knot or mark the spring line so that you know where on the line in should be cleated off.

It feels great to confidently pull this off solo. If you have crew, and you explain the strategy and how they can assist, they will feel great, too. It is an excellent way to end a day of sailing.
 
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Meriachee

Meriachee

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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
It's kinda apropos for this crowd, for the most part.
 
M

Macboy

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Aug 8, 2014
254
Macgregor 26S Sherwood Park, Alberta
centerline said:
afterward you wont have to keep getting that pesky wretched elbow from patting yourself on the back... others will do it for you:biggrin:.
Click to expand
Love it. Hahaha! And here I thought it was maybe the tennis.....
 
charliegrau

charliegrau

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Dec 29, 2009
149
Hunter 380 Little Creek, Virginia Beach, VA
The real "aha!" here is grasping the concept that you can use engine and dock lines and pilings as tools to maneuver your boat. Wind, current, cleat and piling positions, other boats, etc., conspire to make every situation unique, but if you know how use warping techniques you have a huge advantage.
 
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