Dead-stick landing in 20+ knots

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Yesterday it was blowing over 20knts gusting to 30 in Minneapolis. Our morning race got canceled, so for fun we sat in the cockpit and had a beer, and watched my friend Danny come into his slip on his capri 25 without the motor .

 
May 1, 2011
4,901
Pearson 37 Lusby MD
Very nice! I used to have to do that all the time on a Catalina 27, but that was a long time ago.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,681
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I think what I liked best was the obvious planning. Nice.

However, gotta say it... he didn't need to. He could have easily gotten a line to the end of the dock and been pulled in. Probably safer.
 
Nov 13, 2013
723
Catalina 34 Tacoma
I call that being a hot dog. You know what eventually happens to hot dogs. That being said...nice sailing skills!
 
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Likes: BudGates
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
What's with the boats moored/anchored right off the end of the finger pier. Would that not constitute a hazard to navigation? I think the guy could have docked in one pass had those boats not been moored/anchored there.
 

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,876
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Does any else find it interesting how quickly the boat slowed down after turning into the wind? It is like the boat was dragging something as soon as the sails were beginning to luff. Wonder if that happens during a race... no momentum.
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
If you ever need a few extra pounds of Ballast on the rail you need that guy on your crew with those Brass Balls...
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
He could have done that on the first pass. I think he was getting his nerve up and didn't want to gybe. :clap:
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,581
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
Great video!

Docked our friend's Hunter 30 in similar conditions at Drummond Island Marina after we could not start the diesel at nearby Harbor Island. Luffed the main to control speed, then headed up into the wind at the dock. The twist was that after the last turn into the wind, the rudder cable parted! Luckily, we got a line over on the first try. Backup plan was to let go of the anchor in the marina. That might have worked as the fairway was 150 feet wide.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
I thought the passes were to get a sense for how the boat would maneuver. I thought he was scoping out the "overshoot" as well as the affect of the gybes?

I remember on Lake Calhoun (in Minneapolis) before I'd ever sailed watching guys dock an A Scow in those winds (no keels) and amazed at their skills. (It didn't always go like that :^))))) ). There were pretty good carpenters in Minneapolis then.

Thanks for posting that!
 
Last edited:
Sep 29, 2008
1,936
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
Does any else find it interesting how quickly the boat slowed down after turning into the wind? It is like the boat was dragging something as soon as the sails were beginning to luff. Wonder if that happens during a race... no momentum.
I had a Catalina 22 years ago that would do the same thing; those boats are so light they do not carry momentum.

I would not call that a hot dog maneuver, but a display of good seamanship. Some days having an engine is over-rated.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
I remember in my early twenties, before I'd every been on a sailboat watching guys single hand a 28'-ish boat into its slip at the Marina Del Ray under sail and dock it in the middle of a row of other slips.

The wind was only about 10' knots. It was (at least on that day) without any unwanted contact.

I wouldn't try it myself, today.
 

viper

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Jul 31, 2016
131
Hunter 380 Cape Coral, Fl
Great sailing skills and brass balls... But if off just 2 feet, he could have not just damaged his boat, but the innocent guys boat next door.

Regards
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,174
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
The practice runs outside allowed him to gauge his momentum after the luff... so he can make it into the slip and tie up before being blown back out.