Docking Under Sail

[Don Guillette]

Since a lot of our East coast mates are snowned in (it is 70 degrees in Tucson) and dreaming about the day they'll be putting their boats in the water, which will be soon, I thought I'd give them something to think about.

Picture a dock where one side is facing west, the other side is facing east and the front of the dock is facing south. The gangway is coming onto the north side. Assume the wind is blowing from east to west. If you were approaching the dock under sail going west to east which side would your first and second choice to dock and why? Obviously, the east side might not be the best choice but it could be done especially if the east and south sided were full.

Suppose the wind was blowing from the south west to the north west, what would be your first and second choice?

Suppose the wind was blowing from the south to the north. What would be your choice then?

 

[Winkfish]

We're not snowed in, but I'm bored at work, so can I play too?

Sorry for being a bit thick - so there are 3 sides of the dock we can use - west, south and east?

Obviously, the east side might not be the best choice but it could be done especially if the east and south sided were full.

???

I assume the second east was meant to be west.

My first choice would be the south side. I would stop the boat by going head-to-wind, and if I do that on the south side, I'd have a little more room to stop in case I mis-calculate.

My second choice would be the west side, as again I would go head to wind to stop the boat on my approach. Hopefully my calculation would be correct.

Suppose the wind was blowing from the south west to the north west, what would be your first and second choice?

???

I'll assume you meant southwest to northeast. My first choice would be the south side. I'd pass the dock and approach from the east, aiming slightly south of the southeast corner. As I got just past the corner, I'd turn head-to-wind (southwest) and then let the wind push me back into the dock.

My second choice would be the east side. Again I'd approach from the east, and as I got close to the east side, I'd turn head-to-wind and hope I calculated correctly to nose up to the east side of the dock.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I can't visualize it either but regardless, I would think it would make more difference in planning the departure rather than an arrival - at least when coming into the dock, there is some water flowing past the rudder. Probably not the answer you wanted...

 

[Joe]

How does the wind blow from the southwest to the northwest?.... do you mean an oscillating wind?

 

[jdratlif]

I remember I wasn't a cheap ass and I turn on my motor take down my sails and safely dock under power. Then at the dock, I buy the first round for those who are still trying to vector their way to the dock.

Just kidding. Fun question, I'm just being a smart ass.

 

[richk]

Don
I actually had to perform such a maneuver a few summers ago. I didn't get all the way into the slip, but got close enough where two of my sons could pull us in using lines fixed to the pilings
Start of sea story (skip if you get bored...)
Summertime.
Coming into Great Oak Landing, Fairlee Creek, off Chesapeake Bay. Under power passing through narrow, tidal entrance with multiple rum-drinking folks standing in knee deep water along both sides. Cleared that entrance (whew!). Got to location between marina slips and large anchorage, populated by what seemed like 100's of boats on the hook or in rafts. Engine dies. Little wind (fortunately not much.) Wife on bow yelling to outgoing traffic about loss of engine. unfurl genny. sail to pilings. sons pull boat in. whew!

postscript...next morning thanks to friendly diesel mechanic aboard his large center cockpit Hunter, we discover cracked fuel line. repaired same.
several morals here...I'm sure you can recite them.

Rich
H35
Magothy River

 

[Lee Coller]

Since a lot of our East coast mates are snowned in (it is 70 degrees in Tucson) and dreaming about the day they'll be putting their boats in the water, which will be soon, I thought I'd give them something to think about.

Picture a dock where one side is facing west, the other side is facing east and the front of the dock is facing south. The gangway is coming onto the north side. Assume the wind is blowing from east to west. If you were approaching the dock under sail going west to east which side would your first and second choice to dock and why? Obviously, the east side might not be the best choice but it could be done especially if the east and south sided were full.

First choice would be on the south side, the wind would stop me as I turned into it when I reached the dock. Failing that, I'd do the west side. As I approached, I'd douse my main, and as I got closer I'd let the jib fly, jump off with a line and tie off to a cleat, letting the line take up any left-over forward momentum of the boat.

Suppose the wind was blowing from the south west to the north west, what would be your first and second choice?

I assume you mean from the south east to the north west. My first choice would still be the west side, though with the bow facing south rather than north as it would have been in the previous scenario. my second choice would be the the south side. For the first scenario, I'd head straight to the dock on a starboard tack, then tack just as I reached the dock under jib only and let the jib fly.

Suppose the wind was blowing from the south to the north. What would be your choice then?

First choice would be west side, second east side. Approach is pretty much the same as above.

 

[Don Guillette]

Joe and Lee: Yes, I ment to say south east to north west. If I knew how to make a drawing it would have been easier for me to describe. I was answering the question to a fellow sailor in Tucson at a local watering hole and I drew it our on a napkin, which was a whole lot easier and quicker. Sorry if I screwed up some of you guys and I''m glad you guys read my mind.

 

[Don Guillette]

Rick: Same thing happened to me one weekday in Long Beach Harbor with not a soul around. It started out as a simple trip to the fuel dock with my dog to fuel up and pump the head. On the way back to the slip and just before I was too enter the slip way and where I shift to nuetral I can't get it out of gear. I had inches to spare to turn out into the turning basin. The end ties were full and I had nothing to bounce off of so I'm motoring around in circles and my dog wonders what I'm doing. While I was trying to figure out my next move I noticed as I came into the wind (I have a up wind dock) the boat slowed down and I thought I just might be able to pull it off. I got my lines ready and tied one end off on the winch so that all I'd have to do was as soon as the boat entered the slip was step off and snub the line. I never hit the end of the slip. The whole deal worked so well I almost wanted to try it again!! The problem was the tranny shift linkage broke.

 

[RichH]

A 'trick' to rapidly slow down a sailboat when docking under sail -

The obvious method to put on the brakes is to 'back' the sails, physically holding the boom over Or backwinding the jib so that the wind is on the WRONG side; but, this can sometimes take lot of time and sometimes a lot of effort. But, that only works when the wind is bow-on, not from the side or from the stern.

Another method for your 'bag of tricks' that can greatly slow down a boat is to vigorously 'scull' the rudder back and forth causing major drag from the rudder.

For tiller steered boats, one can almost instantly move the tiller to become almost perpendicular on one side and then quickly the other side ... the rudder being momentarily held perpendicular on each side and without the boats stern from significantly 'swinging' back and forth during the procedure. Done 'fast' you will be alternating the rudder sides and the rudder will 'grossly cavitate' causing huge 'drag' when held perpendicular to the flow. However, if you apply a huge force to the tiller you 'can' break it, so be careful.
Wheel steered boats because of the relatively slowness inherent to wheel steering still can benefit from this technique ... but the stern will 'waddle back and forth' but still can be 'slowed' by vigorous 'sculling of the rudder' ... just leave enough 'wiggle room' at the stern and between the dock when you do this with wheel steering.

Just a bit of practice is all that it takes to learn this 'braking technique'.

;-)

 

[LuzSD]

I love this site, I learn so much here, thanks everyone.

 

[Don Guillette]

LuzSD: Thank you for the nice comments.

Most of us here don't want new sailors going through what we went through to learn how to sail a silly sailboat. A lot of us know the ANSWERS but the problem is we DON"T KNOW THE QUESTION. I never forgot where I came from and I try to generate questions I had at the time I was learning but every sailor hears a different drummer and maybe most guys were not as confused as I was.

This forum is designed for beginners to high intermediates. I need some help as I'm not a mind reader. Fire some questions at us!! Could be anything - when does pointing become pinching, what corrective action do you take when your inside telltale is flipping, why is the traveler better than the mainsheet in a large gust. You get the idea.

What sail trim questions are you asking your dock neighbor? Ask us BEFORE you ask your dock neighbor and you'll see if he knows his onions about sail trim!!

 

[sinnettc]

Hey Rich,

Can you do that with your scow? My Capri 22 (fin keel) turns on a dime. I'm not sure I can scrub off speed that way without scaring the *rap out of myself and my slip neighbors!

I have managed to sail into my slip a couple of times over the last couple of years, when the wind was just right. Given the short fingers (at least 4' shorter than my boat) ghosting in is generally the appropriate approach so I have to have scrubbed my speed well out from the dock.

Of course the other thing you can do with a fin keel is scull it in by vigorously rocking the boat side to side. Several of the hard core racers who don't have outboards use that approach on S20's and Wavelength 24's. It worked for me when we launched last spring when I couldn't get the outboard to start and the wind died.

 

[RichH]

Most scows can do this easily - TWO rudders!

This is a trick borrowed from general aviation .... oscilating the rudder back and forth to help bleed off speed.

 

[noreastli]

NorEast Sailors? I was out today!