had a close call when leaving slip yesterday

[Albanach]

1. Agree with jGo – only way to go!


2. RE “The best advice I have is lots of insurance. I keep a million dollars coverage on anything I may hit that I do not own. “ I suggest, that $1mill. could be well short of what would be required in a serious accident, especially, if personal injury is involved – $10 mill would be more prudent.

 

[JonnyQuest]

Another vote for using spring lines...

I have cr@@py steerability in reverse, about which a dockmate insists that sailboats only have one gear, which is foreward -- in other words, forget about reverse gear for leaving the dock. He suggested and I have been having great success with a spring line:

I take a long poly line (they float, won't get wrapped around prop) and tie it off on my port aft cleat and then loop it around the rear piling on same side; a dock cleat should work too. I then feed it a couple of wraps around my port wench and pay it out while my wife releases the bow lines. I either use my reverse gear or we simply "walk" the boat out of the slip, and once the bow reaches a point where it can swing and clear the slip, I'll hold fast on the rear spring line and the bow will swing out into the opposite direction. Drop the spring line when swung enough out of the slip and haul in the line. We then motor on our way without any theatrics!

Its turning out far easier to walk the boat out (I have a 27) and have the desired control via tending the bow while backing out. Additionally if the crosswinds aren't bad I can get out single handed using spring lines.

So sit at your dock with a beer and think about how you can use spring lines to work your own way out of the dock with control. My 2 cents.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

One thing we should always remember that winds do affect the boats which is why they do slip. There is a term in aviaition called crabbing or pointing the nose into the wind while underway either motoring or sailing to go in a straight line. Food for thought.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

No one has addressed your question on the spring line.

In your diagram, the spring should be on the port side aft, led to the outer corner of the dock and just long enough for your bow to clear. I use a doubled line, with a loop around the cleat (or piling) When it comes taut, it will kick your stern to port, bow will go to starboard. As soon as you have swung, haul in on one end of the spring, put the engine into forward and go.

Used to crew on a 50 foot schooner- we used springs a LOT on that boat cause you aren't gonna PUSH it anywhere.

 

[Christy Leigh]

After the bow cleared the slip (and why the boat did what it did next is simply beyond me), I put the outboard in forward gear but by this time, the wind had pushed the bow over to the right and pointing towards big yacht 1

Keep in mind that your bow is almost weightless,has little sideways resistance, and is like a barn door waiting for the wind to grab it especially when moving slow - That's what happened. Your stern has the prop and rudder and some weight to work with once you get the feel for it but your bow is just along for the ride usually without issues when backing. But..... as your illustrations show the wind can just slap it over to the other side of the channel in seconds as soon as it is out of the wind shadow of your neighbor's boat. Know it's going to happen and prepare for it.

 

[kpgraci]

Before I had my outboard locked straight steerage in tight spaces was no problem, forward or backward, just by using the outboard and tiller in unison.

But after the motor was locked straight I was amazed how ineffective the tiller alone is, as a result I had a similar experience in my 22 in a strong wind nearly identical to your diagrams - plus I lost my boat hook overboard so I was really in a mess.

My solution now is to leave a line on the port winch attached to the outer pile as I back out - a permanent loop on the line drops over the winch. I then position the boat pointing down the channel up against the two outer piles, one at the bow, one at the stern, then I push the bow out into the channel and release the aft line only when I'm ready to power up and motor out.

Single handed I remain in complete control of the boat through the entire process.