Can't get out of the Slip! Wind

jibes138 · Apr 30, 2009

Wind

The wind is often far too strong to leave a slip, like if a gale is blowing or worse. A mooring is much easier but docks have their amenities and conveniences. You probably want to get set up so that you leave your docklines at the dock so you are on the boat when you release it, you should have an easy way to pick up a spring line when you return with a boat hook. If you have a midship cleat you can rig a spring line from a cleat near your stern on the dock to the midship cleat on the boat so when you come in you connect that, it stops your forward motion and pivots the boat up against the dock so you can then connect the other lines. Forward motion should be stopped by reversing the engine so you don't rip the cleats off the dock but then using forward thrust at idle should allow the spring line to hold you in position. If you are dock next to another boat getting out in a fresh breeze can be a challenge. Someone needs to work the ldock lines so you remain in control of lateral motion until out of the slip. Each slip set up and boat is different so you'll have to work out what works best. Watching people dock is one of the great entertainment aspects of boating. But if they are on your dock be courteous and give them a hand, you'll appreciate it when they help you.

Roger Long · Apr 30, 2009

Sometimes there is just too much wind but I singlehand a larger boat often and can get in and out in any wind that I would want to sail in which covers the territory up to double reefed main and no jib. A few random thoughts:

Leash the dog.

Teach your wife that you never pull directly on a line. The line always gets hooked around a cleat. To pull on it, reach down to the part that goes to the boat as far out from the cleat as you can and swig it by pulling perpendicular to the line and then pulling the slack in around the cleat as you let off the pressure. Tie a line to something heavy on the dock and both of you practice this. You'll be amazed what a heavy object you can slide around compared to just pulling.

Even more important, you never stop a moving boat by pulling on a line. It always goes around a cleat first. You should be looking for the cleat as soon as you pick up the rope. The extra time spent getting to the cleat is more than made up for by the fact that you can actually do something useful with the line once the strain is taken by the cleat and you are just controlling the friction around the cleat horn with the tension you exert.

Some people set up preset lengths for their docks. I prefer to just use regular lines as the practice in you home dock become invaluable when you travel. Develop a routine that requires minimal yell... er communication.

When undocking, move the boat just as far out in the slip as you can. Cutting the distance you have to back up reduces the amount prop walk moves the stern and that cross winds can blow the bow. I move my bow line to the mid dock spring line cleat.

When the boat is in position, double the bow line around the horn of the dock cleat and back to the boat. It will be short enough that it can't get in the prop and will just fall off without human intervention when you back up. Deal with it after you are in the channel and just ignore all the powerboaters sitting in their cockpits drinking as they start yelling and waving helpfully that you are trailing a line. Have your rudder turned to counter act the prop walk, untie the stern line and hold the end in your hand, throw off the springs while holding the stern line, push the stern out, flip off the stern line and throw it in the cockpit, jump lively to the helm and put her in reverse. Do the whole thing as if you were single handed so you crew can move around be ready to fend off if it doesn't quite work out as planned. Sitting on the deck and sticking her feet under the lifelines is often the best way to fend off another boat. Her legs will reach down farther than her hands and are much stronger. Tell her to always push on hulls and not lifelines and stanchions.

Before docking, run both the bow and stern line along the side of the boat just outside the stanchions all the way to the middle and open the rail gate if you have one. The crew stepping off the middle can then reach around and get both lines ashore. Bow and stern lines should be about 3/4 the length of the boat and at least half. Have the spring line cleated and coiled on deck with a few inches of end hanging over the rail where it can be grabbed easily.

The crew should not take time to pull on any lines. Tell her to just pull the easy slack out of the bow, throw a couple quick turns on (don't worry about the locking turn at this point), and run back to do the same with the stern. Then get the spring set to hold the bow off the main float so you can shut down and start adjusting lines.

There are all sorts of fancy things you can do stopping with a spring and moving the boat by using engine power against a line. Most sailboats don't have enough power in comparison to their windage to use these methods very effectively and they take more coordination between helmsman and line handler than you are probably capable of at this point. Try these advanced techniques later.

Think ahead. If a strong wind is blowing you towards the dock, taking doubled lines over to the the windward slip or boat and pulling yourself right up along side it before trying to back out will buy you lots of extra room for the wind to swing the boat. Move the bow line just as far back on the dock or other boat as you can and still have it hold the boat. In this case, having the crew pull the slack out of the line as the boat backs up and then letting the doubled end run will delay the time until the bow starts blowing off.

Take time to think it all through ahead of time and know which way the boat is going to start moving as soon as the tension is off the lines. Ending up in the channel facing the wrong way because the bow blows off is often the best option. Learn how to turn around in such a situation. The best position to start moving from will usually not be the position the boat is docked in. Take time to move it to the optimum spot and rearrange lines first.

Above all, don't ever yell at the line handlers. No matter how urgent it is or how intelligent and nautical the words you scream, a crew person in this situation will freeze like a deer in the headlights and it will have all gone to hell by the time you stop spluttering.

Mike Holibar · Apr 30, 2009

I find that as the boat gets bigger a lot more thought needs to go in to docking maneouvres. While the boat has no way on, she has very little lateral resistance and the bow will fall off quickly and can require a lot of strenghth to hold. Leaving the dock stern first in a cross wind is therefore more difficult than bow first. Bow first you can use Dave's spring idea to hold you until ready, then let go and a burst of power will get you moving and the forward motion will increase your lateral resistance and ability to control the boat. To reduce the risks it is best to plan your moves in advance and make sure the plan is known to the crew and any helpers. All the actions need to be well coordinated. For example you wouldn't want the bow line secured where you were planning to secure the spring as this would stop the ship, hold the bow and cause the stern to drift off and leave you across the berth. You would probably have to winch your way out of that one. I suppose the other thing is to be mindful of the boat in the opposite berth. I usually set up some fenders on both sides of the boat just in case I mess up the lines and we end up alongside our neighbour.
Mike
s/v Fyne Spirit

Mike Holibar · Apr 30, 2009

Can I further endorse everything Roger says in his contribution? - very useful practical advice.

kloudie1 · Apr 30, 2009

My stern-to slip is more protected, but at times the wind can be blowing 15-20 perpendicular to the slip. The wonderful outward turned solid aluminum rub rails on the old H 34 really help .. Ya can lean on the slip bollards without scratching anything and pivot the boat with the lines led under cleats like Roger notes.. Takes some thought and lots of pre-communication with the crew.
Funny, one of the ladies I had aboard once is from a farm (as I am) and said "Oh.. just like we stop and turn a cow who doesn't want to get in the trailer!"

Dan Johnson · Apr 30, 2009

Claude...

EXACTLY! When I was growing up on the Chesapeake, we called them rub rails and used them for that. I was taught to pivot a boat against a piling using thrust/prop-walk to get in/out of a slip in on a windy day. I single-hand the boat and dock stern-to. If I can get the stern end inside the outer pilings, I can pivot the boat with prop walk to enter even if the wind is pushing the bow over. If I have docking help aboard, they boat-hook the spring line on the windward side and use a bow cleat to keep it from being blown off while I align the stern in the slip.

Roger's advice is spot-on! On a windy day Mike is so right in that it takes a lot more forethought to manuver a larger boat in a confined marina.

Benny · Apr 30, 2009

You need to set up a set of lines that you will leave at the dock; that way you get on the boat and let the lines loose from there once you are in command of the vessel. There is a couple of advantage sto doing that:

1) The lines can be tied at the dock to the proper length so when you come in you just slip them on the boat cleats. You can easily picked them up with a boathook.

2) It lets everyone else know your slip is being used and chances are less you will
get back to find out some visitor has tied up on your spot.

3) Having lines already tied up to the posts can help you steer the boat into the slip.

The worst is when you have to leave a transient slip on a falling tide while the wind pins you down. That is when the rub rails earn their keep.

hutch5151 · Apr 30, 2009

Difficult docking made easy

Captain Jack Klang has all the answers. Just Google his name and you will find an excellent PDF document.( Captain Jack Klang, Manuevering Sailboats) I tried to upload it to the site, but it excedded the allowable size for uploads.

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

Hermit, here's the link to

Klang. http://www.captainjacksailing.com/saleitems.html His 'site used to have more info for free, but once the book came out...

I saw this last night and hesitated to answer with my simple and usual "use a midships spring line" because I knew a lot of skippers here who know you would give you good and extensive suggestions.

I always, always stay on my boat, whether my slip or anywhere else, fuel dock, visiting marinas, etc.. If you're singlehanding you just never want the boat to leave the dock without you, so I'd recommend staying ON the boat, but perhaps maybe, sometimes, rarely, once in a blue moon, walk it out a bit. Even with two or more people, everyone should be ON the boat when you depart. Jeanette can learn to use the srping line to turn you as you back out. Our next door dock neighbors have a Mason 33 with a full keel and need the spring line to turn to port as they back out, whereas with my fin keel, I can turn on a dime using prop walk.

And practice, practice, practice because your slip is unique to you, and is also new to you.

Great recommendations here. Give 'em a try.

And if you haven't yet, get some good sailing gloves - saves hands, good practice.

I have a gaggle of midships spring line links, will post 'em later for you here.

Roy10289 · Apr 30, 2009

Does anyone have advice to enter or exit small floating finger slips . With my boat, when fully into the slip,there is a finger dock on both port and starboard,and the ony extend back about 3/4 the length of the boat. Therre are boats on either side in similar situation,so the is no place ti tie to and pivot around with a spring line.

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

Hermit Scott said:
What is the best way to tie a rope to a clete either on the dock or on the boat? Should I tie a bowline through the clete if I am going to leave for a week at a time? How many dock lines are sufficient? Would 4 on the bow cletes be better since the prevailing winds seem to blow into the bow, just incase one fails?

Hermit, don't do that, don't tie a line to or through a cleat. Use the regular hitch on cleats, both on the dock and on the boat.

Deadline · Apr 30, 2009

Long-winded answers you got there.

My two cents...
1. Cute dog, Lakeland terrier?
2. Learn to back into the slip, propels you out faster.
3. Docking a slip is tough enough, just walk away for another day.

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

A fixed midships spring line ideas from C25's

Nautiduck, who used to hang out here: http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15645&SearchTerms=dock-a-matic

I do it differently on our C34: A midships spring line cleat on the forward part of our track, see picture below. The picture is of an anchor line being led back to a jib winch, also a good idea, but not germane to this discussion, just shows the cleat. From: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4921.0.html Another good source for midships cleats.

Connect the spring line to the cleat, run it clear of the stanchions, use Nautiduck's idea of looping to the aft dock cleat, brings the boat sideways into the slip when in idle engine speed in forward. A great singlehander's concept and useful all over. Practice it and you'll wonder, like ATMs and microwave ovens and autopilots, how ya ever got along without it.

Oh, and lest I forgt: learn to use your prop alk to your advantage. Lotsa posts about that already here on this 'board, just search for "prop walk" :dance:

Here's something I wrote in reply to a Latitude 38 question that got published last year:

HOPPING OFF THE BOAT IS UNNECESSARY

In the April issue, Mark Johnston asked about dealing with aging knees and boat docking in “Senior Sailors and High Freeboard.” He expressed his concern about docking with a potential future bigger boat, noting “…it’s not so easy…for my wife and me to jump down to the dock with lines in our hands.” We’ve had our Catalina 34 for the past 10 years, with a C22 for two and a C25 for twelve before that, sailing all over the Bay, the Delta and up & down the coast. We employ what we believe is the most useful and safe technique for docking that still seems to be a mystery to most sailors. It’s called the midships spring line. Our older Catalina 34s did not come with a midships cleat, so we added one on each side at the forward end of the jib fairlead track. Many newer boats come with them. There really is no reason to ever have to jump off a boat to dock it properly. I recommend that Mark Google “midships springline” – there is a wealth of information available, one of which is: http://www.cruising.sailingcourse.com/docking.htm.

The maneuver is simple: attach the springline to the midships cleat, run it fair outside the lifelines, as you approach the dock loop the springline over the aft dock cleat and bring it back to the winch. Snug it up and keep the boat in low throttle forward and the boat will sidle right up to the dock, no jumping is EVER required. A friend developed an enhanced springline arrangement with a prefixed length of line with a hose holding a lower loop of line open to assure that it catches the cleat on the dock, so that no line needs to be returned to the winch.

I do a lot of single-handed sailing and have found this invaluable in docking in all conditions. I’m sure that once this “trick” is learned and mastered it can be used in a wide variety of docking situations with all manner of wind and currents.

It’s not only safer, it’s a sure knee and back saver. The only drawback is when docks don’t have cleats, but have those nutty rings or the wooden raised runners so prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. I think that’s one reason they invented grapnel hooks!

Franklin · Apr 30, 2009

One of the coolest things I saw was a guy who had a line to walk the bow out. He had a finger dock the length of the boat with a cleat at each end. He ran a line from cleat to cleat and put a block on it and attached the bow line to that block. Result, somebody would stand on the bow and keep the bow in line as the boat backed up and at the last second, he threw the line onto the finger dock. That way they could leave the dock in any wind.

There is also another techneque of untieing the boat from the dock without having to leave the boat. Run the dock line around the cleat on the dock and back to the boat so both ends are cleated on the boat. When you want to leave, just undo one end and pull it onboard. I do this when single handling at strange docks like the fuel dock.

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

The only other drawback to a midships spring line

is a short dock, based on the question posed by Roy. If it's a 3/4 slip, then I would suggest that you try a long line from the bow cleat and use it just like the midships spring line use is described; you'll have to practice this with your engine in forward gear at idle and maybe a tad more throttle to see if it will work. Many docking references, found in hundreds, if not thousands of books, and online also describe different techniques for your question, Roy.

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

Franklin said:
There is also another technique of untieing the boat from the dock without having to leave the boat. Run the dock line around the cleat on the dock and back to the boat so both ends are cleated on the boat. When you want to leave, just undo one end and pull it onboard. I do this when single handling at strange docks like the fuel dock.

Franklin, that's called "doubling the line back" to the boat, and you're right, it is an absolutely necessary concept in both singlehanding as well as for anyone with more than one person on board. It almost is surely to be used with the midships spring line. I use it for the aft and midships line, because the bow line can be cleated normally.

Here's how it works: The midships spring line is the ONLY line you need to keep your boat stationary when the engine is in forward gear & idling. Once secure to the dock with the midships line, you are free to get off the boat as long as the engine is still in forward keeping the boat snug to the dock. Then, you can safely get off the boat and tie the stern, first, and then the bow line. I double back the stern line and tie the bow off normally. When I leave, I start the engine, put it in forward gear at idle, and then take off the bow line. The boat is going nowhere, because the spring line and the stern line are still holding the boat. Get back on board. Take the boat out of gear, remove the doubled back stern line (very easy) and then the also doubled back midships line. You're done and ready to go. You can also use the midships line to "twist" your boat to get off the dock, by experimenting with the length of the line and the position of your rudder.

Important repeat of my earlier post on this above: Also, the midships line goes form the midships cleat, doubled back over the dock cleat and then I run it to my jib winch.

In summary, I believe it is important to make sure no one is on the dock when you leave and when you come back in, ever. It simply is unnecessary, and dangerous. Another subtle, but important concept, mentioned above: anyone getting off a boat should do so at the WIDEST point of the boat, NOT at the bow. Altogether too many people have these clowns

at the bow jumping off and hurting themselves and putting themselves in DANGER.

Bill Roosa · Apr 30, 2009

Long term solution

Well this is one of the things you should think about before you accept a slip. I always try and get a slip that has a downwind exit based on the prevailing winds. That way the bow lines will be slack and I can be in the cockpit when we cast off the stern lines which will be the tight ones. Ups the odds you will be able to get out in a strong blow.

I find that crew helps too. throw off the slack lines and with the motor going engage in forward and motor out as they cast off the lines that remain.

FWIW

Can't get out of the Slip! Wind

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