Pleasant Surprise/Docking

[Don Guillette]

We were in Cabo San Lucas last week and anytime I'm in a marina and see masts sticking up I'm drawn to them like a magnet. While walking around I noticed a Island Packet (beautiful boat) approaching his slip. From the look on his face he appeared nervous and so did his wife. He approached the slip under power and half way in he threw it in reverse and proceeded to hit the front of the dock while reverse prop walk did a number on the stern. I went to help him secure the boat but he did not have his dock lines attached. Anyway we finally got things sorted out and the boat secured. They were grateful for the help and invited my wife and I on board. Again, what a beautiful boat and they have only owned it for 2 weeks and are trying to become familiar with it.

While looking around the interior I came upon a pleasant surprise- on the main table is a copy of THE SAIL TRIM USERS GUIDE and THE SAIL TRIM CHART. They are also lurkers on the SAIL TRIM FORUM. Once we finished with introductions they invited for drinks at the FISHERSMAN'S LANDING - great seafood and the reason my wife and I were at the marina in the 1st place.

They wanted to know how I docked my boat and this is what I told them. I started with the point that it's a way that works for me and not the only way. Most important is preparation - they had none. I built a box with 2 steps and added a cleat next to the step. Before entering the slipway I open the safety line. I attach the bow and stern line and loop the coils over the stanchion so they are in easy reach. I enter the slip way and just before my slip I shift to neutral and drift into the slip. When I'm next to my steps I merely step off with the bow and stern line in hand, snub the bow line on the cleat stopping the boat and secure the stern line.

After drinks and oysters on the half shell (yummy!) I suggested we fire up the engine and give docking a try. We did the bow and stern line set up. They got the drift in part the first time time. We couldn't do the step off part. The most important part was they now have the confidence to easily dock their boat.

I know you 2 folks are reading this and thank you for a wonderful visit. My wife and I enjoyed your company.

Now for the best part - what can you listers add to help these folks even more with docking?

 

[Stu Jackson]

I never get off my boat when coming into my own slip. I leave bow & stern breast lines on the dock. I do this:

Midships Spring Lines

A co.com thread some time ago had some good info and other good links: http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=107562

Included in that link is something I wrote this for Latitude 38 in April 2008, in case you choose not to read that entire link:

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 (his Catalina 34!!!) 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!

*** Nautiduck, Randy Kolb's, "Dock A Matic" is described in the C25 Forum here: Association Forum - Docking made easy I am sure it could be applied to our boats as well if you tried; I've thought about it, but am still using our 40 foot long 1/2 inch dockline for that purpose without the nifty "loop in hose" idea. Whatever works for you.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

We always come into a transient dock with lines on the forward cleat, short line for the miship cleat, and aft cleat, on BOTH SIDES. Learned that early on when a very young boy got tongue tied and gave us the wrong side tie up on radio instructions.

For home docking, we have permanent dock lines which stay on the dock. Boat position is always exact.

For the best ideas, watch power boaters come in and then do the EXACT OPPOSITE.

 

[kappykaplan]

Midships Spring Lines

 

[dmax]

Nothing more to add about docking than what has already been said but how cool is that to be invited aboard a boat in another country and find copies of your books and vice versa, for the boat owners to run into the author!

 

[Leeward Rail]

midships springline

should be mandatory on every boat.

 

[Don Guillette]

Nothing more to add about docking than what has already been said but how cool is that to be invited aboard a boat in another country and find copies of your books and vice versa, for the boat owners to run into the author!

Dmax: Yes, it was and it made our day. Over the years we've taken a number of cruises and a few times sailors, who were sail trim forum listers, recognized my name. Over the years, working with sailboatowners.com, I've sold over 19,000 of these products but that's on a drop in the bucket of the sailing community

Why we were wondering around the Cabo marina was we arrived on Monday to the tail end of a hurricane off Baja. It was blowing like stink. We had scheduled a 4 hour sail boat cruise for Tuesday but Tuesday was not much better than Monday and it was cancelled so my sailing fix was a trip to the marina.

I met a sail trim forum lister in St Maarten's on the America Cup shore cruise. No one wanted to be skipper so I raised my hand and got to pick the crew. I picked the biggest folks and this fellow looked like Paul Bunyon. When we exchanged names he recognized me.

The best part of of that shore cruise was after the race. The skipper was attracted to two cute hotties and asked me if I'd steer the boat backed to the harbor while he talked to them. What a thrill it was to drive that boat. The photo chase boat got my picture at the helm and it's on our mantel.

 

[rgranger]

Every Boat is different. And your approach also variesWith tide and wind practice different conditions preferably when no one else is around. After a while it becomes second nature but the important thing is to practice

 

[mermike]

should be mandatory on every boat.

Springlines. Beer. Don's guide and chart. All mandatory.

 

[WayneH]

My Tartan does not have midship cleats. One of the other owners found this at Spartan Marine. Mid Rail Chock The port toerail has some damage at nearly midships. So taking care of the damage by removing it and mortising this chock in will alleviate the lack of cleats there. Now, I just have to get my chisels out and purposely damage my boat. I know, I know, I'm fixing it but it's that first whack that's hard to do.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Sounds like a fun meeting making new friends there in Cabo! However, different situations may call for different procedures. In all cases crew must be instructed NOT (i.e., NEVER) to “jump off” a moving boat onto the dock, especially as a surprise to the skipper!! The momentum they are likely carrying, even at a slow approach, could send them tumbling. Remember that momentum is the product of mass x velocity. Crew should step off of a stopped, or virtually stopped, boat using a boarding step attached to the boat if it has high freeboard.

Probably the best reason for using a dock line attached to a midship cleat first is because it’s accessible (most handy) for a crew stepping off at boarding gate with a dock line in hand. It’s the boat’s closest point to the dock if the skipper stops the boat at the dock cleat to be used. Then it’s an easy task to step off and secure it right there. It’s a pretty absurd sight to see crew “running” along a dock, bow line in hand, to attempt to stop and secure a moving boat coming along side or into a slip!!

As to stopping the boat, if the dock is dead a-lee come along side, stop foreword momentum and let the wind push you over. If the dock is windward, depending on strength, a two-step operation might be best. Put a crew off with a “kiss” of the dock, then come along slow a second time, casting the midship dockline to the crew as you power-stop the boat.

The most challenging docking is entering a double-wide slip where you must tie to a windward finger. Cannot make “a pass”; and to leeward is the boat with which you are sharing the double-wide. You typically must come in hot, then abruptly power-stop the boat to let a crew step off before it blows from the dock, and secure.

 

[jon hansen]

 

[jon hansen]

my $0,02: prepare, fenders, docklines, boathook. the spring line is most important of all lines. it is your emergency brake, always have a spring ready and controlable. i run two out my midship chock. i have a 7' wood boathook on deck being held for all docks. never dock without the boathook ready to use, first prolly. i do not hang coiled lines on the lifelines, they are either in hand or on deck. father from the prop.

give the crew your game plan, docking is a team sport. a well trained crew can make the captain look good, all working to do the same manuver.

line up the dock approach as far away as you can to feel the drift and correct.


i don't have to get as close to the dock, when i can grab the dock with my boat hook

if the engine fails the spring will save you ramming the pier, you might graze a dock poll. a gaze is much cheaper than a ram to repair.

i sail with a crew, the young and healthy like to jump when close enough, fine by me, the old and stiff can hold the boat hook. after working the foredeck, throwing sails up and down all day the jump to the dock is easy peezee. you old shorthanded types can call for dock help. remember to tip the dock boys fat.

boat hook/ spring line, never make a dock without them ready

 

[h2o_snow]

The most challenging docking is entering a double-wide slip where you must tie to a windward finger. Cannot make “a pass”; and to leeward is the boat with which you are sharing the double-wide. You typically must come in hot, then abruptly power-stop the boat to let a crew step off before it blows from the dock, and secure.

^^^ This!

Describes my typical docking scenario at our inland Idaho slip. Our H260 water ballasted clorox bottle has significant free board so usually its a one shot deal - I'd rather bump our windward finger than hit the neighbors boat. Timing the drift is critical - I'm OK but still juggling engine, tiller and windage after 5 years.

Sail solo a lot and coming in w/o crew can be stress inducing. I always get the docking lines sorted but the single person step/jump can be sketchy. Will try a mid ships springline however - any other sage advise from you solo salts?

 

[kappykaplan]

I'm solo most of the time and always reverse into the slip. I have a pair of spring lines on the port side of the boat. If the wind's blowing me out of the slip, the aft spring line is grabbed first. If the wind's blowing me into the slip, I grab the forward spring. In either case, as the wind pushes/pulls the boat, the port side moves closer to the finger pier/dolphin. Shut the engine down and get the other lines on in slow time. I find that as long as I have some way on, the boat tracks fairly straight in most wind conditions.

 

[h2o_snow]

Thanks sir. Agreed!

I love backing into slips - its like parallel parking as we are set up for a starboard tie and I can see and control the variables much better. Plus - looks cool - folk actually think I kinda know how to drive the boat.

Unfortunately in our case, not an option at the home marina.

 

[rgranger]

^^^ This!

Describes my typical docking scenario at our inland Idaho slip. Our H260 water ballasted clorox bottle has significant free board so usually its a one shot deal - I'd rather bump our windward finger than hit the neighbors boat. Timing the drift is critical - I'm OK but still juggling engine, tiller and windage after 5 years.

Sail solo a lot and coming in w/o crew can be stress inducing. I always get the docking lines sorted but the single person step/jump can be sketchy. Will try a mid ships springline however - any other sage advise from you solo salts?

The H260 and H26 have a pronounced lip where the hull deck joint is made. The chainplates for the shrouds and forestay are drilled through that lip. It is also a convenient place to add a midship cleat.

And if you want to avoid a place for a line to snag, you can get one that folds like this....

 

[kappykaplan]

folk actually think I kinda know how to drive the boat.

I get compliments all the time from my dock neighbors.

 

[h2o_snow]

View attachment 209752

Thanks. I never considered that. Downside is that its a bit of a reach. Folding is good as we step there a lot: grab a winch and get on/off the boat.

Was thinking about the cabin top as it would also be a nice place to wrap the spi sheets (which are led forward after passing thru blocks on the bottom of the stern pulpits.) Rail position would alleviate another hole in the cabin headliner. Will need to test what either feel like in the heat of battle.

So - technique:

Essentially would be coming in - grap a bite of the secured mid ships spring line, try and loop the far most dock cleat and do a quick wrap of the running end?

 

[sesmith]

This stern bridle technique has always worked well for us (you have to use the watch on vimeo link in the link below):