How to sail Away From A Dock (not a slip)
- Thread starter Don Guillette
- Start date
It can be a complex maneuver to contemplate. But, the individual situation may not be. Thinking is required because there are too many variables to setup a one size fits all method.
For any steerage, forward motion through the water needs to be achieved. To gain forward motion, the boat must accelerate from a dead stop. Without the dock to catch the boat, acceleration by sail always comes after a loss to lee. Turn the boat by use of dock, lines, boathook, hands and feet. Use the lines to hold that opposition until the wind catches and moves you ahead.
On a lee dock, try turning her bow out. Double your midship lines to hold her. Raise a sail. I like the jib because it is easy with roller furling, but the main may work better. Let the boat fall off until the angle is good and release the lines as she begins to move forward. Clearance and leeway are important to establish in advance.
- Will (Dragonfly)
For any steerage, forward motion through the water needs to be achieved. To gain forward motion, the boat must accelerate from a dead stop. Without the dock to catch the boat, acceleration by sail always comes after a loss to lee. Turn the boat by use of dock, lines, boathook, hands and feet. Use the lines to hold that opposition until the wind catches and moves you ahead.
On a lee dock, try turning her bow out. Double your midship lines to hold her. Raise a sail. I like the jib because it is easy with roller furling, but the main may work better. Let the boat fall off until the angle is good and release the lines as she begins to move forward. Clearance and leeway are important to establish in advance.
- Will (Dragonfly)
Question is too "open ended" for a generalized answer. Is the wind blowing hard or is it very light? Is the boat a heavy full-keeled cruiser or a light 14-ft day sailor? Are you alone on the boat or do you have crew? Is the dock clear to leeward at its end?, or is there a pile of rip-rap just beyond its end, etc.
Let's take one of the harder examples. The boat is a heavy cruiser, like an IP-35: 17,000#, full keel; wind blowing at 90 deg relative; 15 kt. You and your wife of 5'4", 135#, 55 yr old are the only crew. The dock is a few feet from a seawall to its leeward with the wind from that direction.
How are you going to "sail" that frigin' boat off the dock? My answer- 1) Wait until the wind changes!!
Let's take one of the harder examples. The boat is a heavy cruiser, like an IP-35: 17,000#, full keel; wind blowing at 90 deg relative; 15 kt. You and your wife of 5'4", 135#, 55 yr old are the only crew. The dock is a few feet from a seawall to its leeward with the wind from that direction.
How are you going to "sail" that frigin' boat off the dock? My answer- 1) Wait until the wind changes!!
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This is exactly my point. I think most here get that, but I understand there is a user that I have on IGNORE that is too dense to follow along. That's OK, can't get though to everyone, and on the up-side I got to quote one of my favorite movies.
Sailing is like playing 3-dimensional chess. The options widen out SO quickly that generalized answers to most open questions are meaningless, unless you say 'it depends'. And when they ask you 'on what', often you have answer to that with 'that depends as well'.
Ask a detailed specific question and you get a good answer. Otherwise its like asking 'whats the best boat'?
Is it me or has there been a real decline in the public ability to formulate a question?
I think that there definitely has been a move away from complex understanding of how things work overall, and dumbing-down of things in general. You think of the skill-sets that have been lost due to the simplification of our general lives, as people make their living doing one very focused thing at the detriment of all other skills. Heinlein said it best.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
~ Robert Anson Heinlein
I realize you are probably not talking in absolutes...but specialization is the reason we emerged from the pre indiatrializiation era to grow the world into what we have. Specialization is a fundamental economic principal on en efficient economy and allocation of resources. But I get your point, I think certain arts of self sufficency have been tragically lost in a technology age where many things are spoon fed
You cannot really compare specialization within a species (Homo sapiens) to the specializations of a whole class (Insecta) of species numbering in the hundreds of thousands. An only slightly more relevant comparison might be Class Mammalia w/ Class Insecta. But in any event the pre-Columbian world of peoples was diverse, and included many specializations among the peoples for living in their respective habitats. Contrast Eskimos with Pacific Islanders, for example. There has likely always been "a division of labor" in human societies as well. Scribes versus soldiers, versus farmers, versus sailors, etc., where any member of any group could still build or find shelter, for example.
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yea thats more my point. I have friends that cannot drive my car because its a 6-speed manual. I know people that will not leave port on sunny day without a working chartplotter. Or would not survive a night alone in the woods. Skills many chose not to learn because they don't think they have to, but often at their own peril.
But we are not talking about the idea or use of specialization. We are exploring the reason individuals can not formulate a cognitive and contextual query in search of clarity to their issue.
There appears to be a decline in the process or use of critical thinking. These observed limitations may be influenced by specialization.
There appears to be a decline in the process or use of critical thinking. These observed limitations may be influenced by specialization.
I think they can if they are interested in it (issue); if it's important to them. So maybe this is "specialization" of interests.
In a general case for the social animal of humans, I agree. We, as a group of individuals, are capable of rising to meet the challenges in most cases. There are individuals who can't or won't and become completely lost without the support offered by the group, but for most of us, we are capable of critical thinking, if the need is great enough. Often, the social structure discourages critical thinking because specialization is needed by the group and critical thinking outside that specialty can lead to anarchy or that is the fear, by those who specialize in control (governance).
I consider a bad question one that reveals, in its asking, a failure to think on the part of the asker. When we ask a question that we are in a position to answer for ourselves, yet wee call upon the group to think for us, we act selfishly and enable our own instabilities. That is a dumb question.
This exercise of working out the hypothetical problem ood sailing away from a seawall without power is not a dumb question. It is an exercise in group problem solving.
- Will (Dragonfly)
I agree it's not dumb. Its just not a REASONABLE question. A reasonable question has a reasonable, actionable answer. Try this one on. 'How do I defend myself against a wild animal'?
I like helping people. But this type of discussion? I'll leave this to you Will. I'd rather be sailing.