Sailing into a marina

[BenIodine53]

Sorry for the long-ish post. Please bear with me.

The inevitable occurred; I had engine trouble. Basically, my engine was pulling any water to cool itself. It over heated after about 5 minutes and asked me to turn it off.

I couldn't have been more than a half mile from the marina, and decided that my best option was to sail as close as I could to the marina, and then switch the engine on for the final approach into my slip. I did this under the jib alone.

As I approached the opening to the marina, everything could not have been smoother. Wind was a steady 5 knots. My speed was about 1.5 - 2 knots. I decided to keep going and was able to pull right up to my slip, turn on my engine, and back in.

About a minute after tying off, a dock worker comes up to me and tells me to "never, ever do anything like that again." His reasoning was that a "gust of wind could have come and blew me into one of the very expensive boats." I told him I had engine trouble, and he said, "then you call us to get towed in."

So my question is, is this a common thing for marinas to have a rule that you cannot come into the marina under sail power? I have read a good number of articles that suggest that people actually practice doing this in case of emergency.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Sailing and life has risks. If you are comfortable that the risk is in your wheelhouse, then go for it. FWIW, I would have done the same thing myself.

 

[markwbird]

You did fine. Don't worry about it. That guy was out of line.

 

[dlochner]

Read your marina contract and the rules and regulations for the marina. It might be a rule or it might be a rule next year. If it is not written, then I wouldn't worry about it. However, I'd much rather have the marina happy with me than pissed at me.

If this occurred at my marina, I would have sailed up to the gas dock which can be done without jeopardizing other boats. It also depends on how big and maneuverable the boat is. When I had a Tanzer 22 I would sail it to my slip, with my current boat, I'd look for an easier place to sail to and then deal with the engine problem or get a tow.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It is an invaluable tool to have to be able to do that. Now you know you can. I'd read the small print in your slip agreement. I do agree with Rich and Mark, but the dock hand may not have been wrong.

 

[rgranger]

My marina has a "no sail" policy but.... the old-timer guru on the docks (his name is Obi BTW) sails off and onto his slip all of the time and no one fusses at him about it. When the wind is just right, I also sail out of my slip but because I have to slip between two boats that are a lot more expensive than mine.... I motor back in. I feel like my marina has rules so they can correct bad behavior but otherwise leave us alone. My marina also has a 3-nights a week sleep-over policy. But I bet my left kidney that if I was clean, quite and discrete no one would say a word if I spent a month on my boat --- EVEN IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT!. Obviously your marina has different attitudes. I'd try to have another conversation with the manager and simply say "sorry that I caused you distress but my engine was overheating, it is not something I plan to make a habit of". If he gives you sheeet... then start shopping for another marina.

 

[Steve L22188]

That would be the "Captain Ron clause" hidden somewhere in your marina contract. My marina contract doesn't have such a clause.

It sounds like you made a good, prudent seaman-like decision and executed it well. I'd have still been grinning even after the dressing down from the dock guy.

 

[jon hansen]

the marina does not own the water, period. i suppose that they can decide not to rent you a dock. all sailboats move by sails. the guy is clueless as to how a sailboat works. we can all sail up and down the slips.
stinkpotters, what can you do

 

[BigEasy]

My marina lease also has a “no sail” provision in the contract; however, I don’t think it would be a problem in an emergency situation similar to yours.

 

[Capt jgw]

Back when I had a slip I would practice sailing in at least once a season. Only the first time I did it did the marina guys say anything, and I think they were more interested in fixing the engine they thought was broken than anything else. I'm on a morning now, and sail on and off often.

 

[BigEasy]

Back when I had a slip I would practice sailing in at least once a season.

It is a good skill to aquire and have in your bag of tricks. Never know when you might need it. Did it once on a charter boat when the engine wouldn’t start. I tended the sheets and the boatowner drove ( I didn’t want the $ responsibility if we crashed!). Wind & current Conditions were perfect, had all the dock lines ready, and got help from the marina staff with tending the lines. Everything went well with no damage done.

 

[BenIodine53]

Thank you for all your replies! I will have to check the agreement to see if it has the no-sail policy.

I had a feeling there was more to the story. One of the owners of the aforementioned expensive boats saw me as I was coming into the marina. He called out to confirm if that was indeed what I was doing and followed it up with an enthusiastic, "You're going slow enough; should be fine!"

The engine issue has since been remedied. Loose screws and such.

 

[David in Sandusky]

I did it once on our friends' Hunter 30 at the Drummond Island Marina in a 20 knot breeze. There was an open dock that was a turn into the wind. We had a crew ready to backwind the main - an excellent brake. Our back up plan was to drop the anchor - there was room for enough scope to hold if we didn't get a line over to the dock. In the event, we stopped the bow a couple of feet from the dock and the bowline was easily secured. Then I gave one last turn of the wheel to adjust our heading, and the steering cable parted! I didn't tell anybody until we were tied up at the dock.

The gas dock at our home marina is an easy shot if we ever need it. Lots of practice doing it in a Sunfish and a Laser taught me the needed control actions. The key is managing the boats momentum.

 

[jssailem]

Under the conditions you describe I would have attempted the same thing.

As I understand, marinas would have to have a "No sail" clause. I believe my marina does. In an emergency even such clause are hard to enforce. I also recognize that sailing in confined space I have no way of "Stopping" the boat. The is often used as rational for a no sail in the marina policy.

I suspect if you sailed in and you smacked up against a boat you would be held responsible.

I like the idea of sailing up to the nearest open dock and calling for help. That is most likely how I would handle it.

But as @BenIodine53 says, the conditions were "Perfect". Who can pass up a "Perfect " condition?

 

[markwbird]

Lot's of marinas, including mine, do not allow sailing in the marina. I understand this. The marina is tight. Right of way is dicey enough without some yahoo zigzagging his way through the main thoroughfare making everyone nervous. That is not the same as sailing into your slip at 2 knots because your engine quit. Give me a break.

 

[garymalmgren]

Two sides to this one. Actually more than two.
Yours and the other boat owners.
The wind was kind and it worked well.
So someone else thinks , "That's cool I'll give it a go."
The wind shifts and his bowsprit connects with your solar panel frame.
You stand there and think. "Wow! He nearly made it in. Too bad about the wind shift."
I don't think so.
Here's me coming just a little too hot
gary

 

[capta]

I've been in a lot of marinas with a no sail policy. The obvious and prudent thing in an emergency is to sail into the fuel dock where you will most likely have attendants on the dock to help you. In the Ala Wai in Honolulu it is a zero tolerance policy and can cost you a slip long waited for.
It is a great skill to have, but every time someone gets away with it, as in Neptune didn't decide to foil your effort, consider yourself very luck and keep your black box filled.
I had to dock an 81 foot three masted schooner with only one crew and about 40 passengers on board and all went perfectly, even with a strong current running However, let me tell you what, the USCG was not amused. No amount of explanation that she was an aux sailing vessel would overcome their ire. They didn't 'write me up', but I was given a stern warning, and told in no uncertain terms, that next time I was to call a tow boat.

 

[DArcy]

People sail into our harbour sometimes, I've done it a few times, I've even seen spinnakers in the harbour on keelboats. Of course, the spinnaker was Dave who is a two-time world champion shark sailor and the conditions were just right so no one worries about that.
I understand the potential need for a no-sail rule in some marinas but you did what must of what have done under the circumstances. if the conditions are not suitable for a safe sail through the harbour then a call for a tow or sailing into the gas dock might be prudent.

 

[Tally Ho]

Good on you for being able to sail her in. The only thing I may have done is sail up to the gas dock or any “end” Dock that is easy to get to and avoids putting you in close contact with other boats.

I tried to sail in to my marina once...self-inflicted wound I won’t go into...my plan was to sail in and ease up to the fuel dock... but as luck would have it, a power boat came out and towed me in. Nice to have good neighbors.

Greg

 

[Michael Davis]

When I was growing up we all sailed into the marina all the time! No motors.... what’s a kid to do? Can’t expect manual labour ( rowing) from a teenager.