Made my first single handed sail of the season today. No problems until I went to dock for the day. The wind caught me and pushed me away from the dock. Luckily I was the only boat in the slip. Are there any suggestions for docking single handed? I.E. dock line set-up, approach, etc.
Single Hand Docking
- Thread starter Raven34
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Practice, practice, practice. Start thinking about what the wind is going to do to you as you enter the marina. Getting blown into the dock is not usually a problem. When it blows you away from the pier I've found that having that one "upwind" dock line handy is helpful. put it on first and then you are not going anywhere so you have time to get the rest. if you are like most of us you leave the dock lines on the dock sooo you have to get the timing right. Key here is leaving the lines so the one you need (don't normally know when you leave so that means all of them) is easy to get with the boat hook.
Google and youtube are good resources for specific techniques.
Google and youtube are good resources for specific techniques.
I like to rig a Shepard's hook with a long spring line looped over the hook at the end of the pier (from the approaching direction). I mark this spring line with a strip of tape or a little whipping at the place where I want to lash it down on the midships cleat. When I approach, I grab the spring line as I am moving in and quickly lash it down on the midship cleat at the mark. I can then power forward with the rudder turned the opposite side of the pier (ie if I am coming in port side to, I power forward enough to keep pressure on the spring and throw the rudder over to starboard. That way the stern is pushed in by the wash from the prop and the bow is kept in by the forward pressure from the spring line. Hope that is clear.
By the way, I usually like to approach against the tide so I have some steerage way rather than with the tide, but when the wind is controlling (not the tide) I like to approach into the wind if possible. If the wind is setting you out then you have to come in at a little steeper angle than you normally would so you can get the line you have prepared to pick up on the shepards hook. Things get dicey if there is a lot of wind or if there are pilings close to the edge of the pier. That is why I moved to a mooring, makes getting in and underway a whole lot easier.
By the way, I usually like to approach against the tide so I have some steerage way rather than with the tide, but when the wind is controlling (not the tide) I like to approach into the wind if possible. If the wind is setting you out then you have to come in at a little steeper angle than you normally would so you can get the line you have prepared to pick up on the shepards hook. Things get dicey if there is a lot of wind or if there are pilings close to the edge of the pier. That is why I moved to a mooring, makes getting in and underway a whole lot easier.
Takes practice, and making sure your lines are set up right to accommodate different conditions.
I am luck to have piling a between my boat and my neighbor!
I try to use a spring line, which will stop my boat from hitting the bow into the dock, and keeps the boat along side the finger pier. I also have a line hung over a post that I can grab as I come into the slip. If I can, I get that over the stern cleat, shift into neutral and hop onto the dock and get the bow line on.
If the wind if off my bow, it is pretty easy, or if the wind pushes me up against the finger pier. Wind from behind means I need to be ready to slow down....and wind blowing me aware from my finger pier means I approach with a little more angle toward my pier, knowing the wind will push me away some. I am on Lake Michigan, so no currents or tides to deal with.
Certainly easier with crew, but I single-hand 90% of the time....so it just takes some practice.
Best of luck with your new boat. Practice makes perfect (or close enough).
Greg
I am luck to have piling a between my boat and my neighbor!
I try to use a spring line, which will stop my boat from hitting the bow into the dock, and keeps the boat along side the finger pier. I also have a line hung over a post that I can grab as I come into the slip. If I can, I get that over the stern cleat, shift into neutral and hop onto the dock and get the bow line on.
If the wind if off my bow, it is pretty easy, or if the wind pushes me up against the finger pier. Wind from behind means I need to be ready to slow down....and wind blowing me aware from my finger pier means I approach with a little more angle toward my pier, knowing the wind will push me away some. I am on Lake Michigan, so no currents or tides to deal with.
Certainly easier with crew, but I single-hand 90% of the time....so it just takes some practice.
Best of luck with your new boat. Practice makes perfect (or close enough).
Greg
Remember Rule #1 - never approach the dock any faster than you are willing to hit it!!
I single hand most of the time and have learned some maneuvering tips over the years that help with docking. See the link that follows to an article I wrote some time ago:
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=45&aid=5998&mn=42
http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=45&aid=5998&mn=42
I have my dock set up so it is ok if I bump into it. Having said that I usually don't. Keeping enough speed based on the current conditions is the key. Knowing your prop walk in reverse is huge for which side of dock you move toward before reverse thrust to stop. If you blew back out, it is from lack of speed for the conditions you encountered. Do not be tentative. That is your enemy.
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RA,
I do single hand sailing & frequently end up at the dock by myself. I love "Bonding" with her & the best thing you can do is have an autopilot. I call him, "Otto" & he can be the best crewmember you will ever have, He doesn't argue with you as long as he is able to keep course in conditions. When I go out alone, I "Bond" with my boat." An Otto allows you to get from under the tiller & "Putze" all around with your boat.
It can be easy to setup single-hand slip docking. I have a dock on my port side, I also have 3 poles on my starboard side. I have a stern, mid & bow pole because the slip is wide, I set a jack-line on the STBD side from my stern pole, wrapped & secured around mid pole to my bow pole (tightly tensioned). If having a seawall cleat, this is also doable.
It can be on the STBD or Portside but before going out, I can loop my stern, my midship & my bow line over the jack line & quickly grab these when returning. I don't know whether your engine in reverse brings your stern to Port or STBD but, that will let you know what side to set the jack line on. If the wind is against you, the line will keep you in the slip & give you time to retrieve your dock lines while not fretting or sweating. Sometimes, I just nuzzle in the slip & only secure one stern line for a while & drink a celebratory beer. I'm not going to go anywhere. Remember, All days &conditions differ.
You wanna sail smart & not sail hard pal. Having any questions, PM me & we can cover any specifics & questions, as all slips & conditions differ so, it's just a question of what works best for you. In summation, I also love sailing by myself..........except, there is no one aboard to get me my beer.......that's alittle sad but, I still have Otto.
CR
I do single hand sailing & frequently end up at the dock by myself. I love "Bonding" with her & the best thing you can do is have an autopilot. I call him, "Otto" & he can be the best crewmember you will ever have, He doesn't argue with you as long as he is able to keep course in conditions. When I go out alone, I "Bond" with my boat." An Otto allows you to get from under the tiller & "Putze" all around with your boat.
It can be easy to setup single-hand slip docking. I have a dock on my port side, I also have 3 poles on my starboard side. I have a stern, mid & bow pole because the slip is wide, I set a jack-line on the STBD side from my stern pole, wrapped & secured around mid pole to my bow pole (tightly tensioned). If having a seawall cleat, this is also doable.
It can be on the STBD or Portside but before going out, I can loop my stern, my midship & my bow line over the jack line & quickly grab these when returning. I don't know whether your engine in reverse brings your stern to Port or STBD but, that will let you know what side to set the jack line on. If the wind is against you, the line will keep you in the slip & give you time to retrieve your dock lines while not fretting or sweating. Sometimes, I just nuzzle in the slip & only secure one stern line for a while & drink a celebratory beer. I'm not going to go anywhere. Remember, All days &conditions differ.
You wanna sail smart & not sail hard pal. Having any questions, PM me & we can cover any specifics & questions, as all slips & conditions differ so, it's just a question of what works best for you. In summation, I also love sailing by myself..........except, there is no one aboard to get me my beer.......that's alittle sad but, I still have Otto.
CR
I dock on a finger dock with port to and have a spring line set up and tied to a midship cleat at the right length which I can throw over a post on the end of the dock as I come in. I use the engine to slow the boat once the spring is on, but allow the spring to go taut. Once the spring is tight I then put the boat back in slow ahead with the tiller to port, which will drive the boat sideways to the dock, if it's real blowy I may have to add a little more revs, but it has always worked fine. My boat has a tiller, and I've made a short strop to hold the tiller over so I can let go of the tiller, with the engine still in forward drive, whilst I go about setting all the other lines. I also use this method to hold the boat when I'm getting ready to depart, makes the process very stress free - I can take off all the lines except the spring, then put it in reverse, and pull the spring off of the dock post as I leave.
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I think a lot will depend on your slip, and the conditions of the location. Where the wind tends to come from, are the waters protected from the elements, i.e. is it calmer by the dock than out on the lake, and so forth. Also, do you like to stern-in, or bow, and all that wonderful stuff.
I have a 26', and dock on my starboard side. Fortunately, I have a marina with a good floating breakwall and protection, so even on really windy days, it's much calmer inside. Bumpers on the side before I come in, and I run a dockline from my bow cleat, and lay it back down to the shrouds, draped over the lifeline. I also have another from the stern that I run up and place it nearby. That way, I can grab both lines at the same time. So my single-handed approach is to simply slow down as I turn down my lane, blipping into forward than back to neutral, just enough to maintain speed and steerage, until a couple boat lengths before my slip. I time my turn so I'm making a 90 into the slip with the bow just to the inside of the dock. If I'm not going slow enough, I'll bump reverse just before I turn in to scrub speed. Then it's to neutral, and I leave the cockpit, jumping up midships and picking up the ends of the lines, hopping off onto the dock. At that point, I'm just arresting forward motion with the bow line, and the stern line is simply to keep the stern from kicking out away from the dock. I displace about 4000 pounds, so I do have to be aware of the weighted momentum. While it's not a heavyweight, it does take some effort to stop it. Nothing too crazy, but enough. I have another line on a dock cleat that I run to the other side of the bow, that stays on the dock so once I'm in place, I toss it up to the bow and cleat it off. Unfortunately, I have three points of tie, not four - there's not a piling between the slips, so I'm not able to let her float in the middle, but it's protected enough that it's all good.
I have a 26', and dock on my starboard side. Fortunately, I have a marina with a good floating breakwall and protection, so even on really windy days, it's much calmer inside. Bumpers on the side before I come in, and I run a dockline from my bow cleat, and lay it back down to the shrouds, draped over the lifeline. I also have another from the stern that I run up and place it nearby. That way, I can grab both lines at the same time. So my single-handed approach is to simply slow down as I turn down my lane, blipping into forward than back to neutral, just enough to maintain speed and steerage, until a couple boat lengths before my slip. I time my turn so I'm making a 90 into the slip with the bow just to the inside of the dock. If I'm not going slow enough, I'll bump reverse just before I turn in to scrub speed. Then it's to neutral, and I leave the cockpit, jumping up midships and picking up the ends of the lines, hopping off onto the dock. At that point, I'm just arresting forward motion with the bow line, and the stern line is simply to keep the stern from kicking out away from the dock. I displace about 4000 pounds, so I do have to be aware of the weighted momentum. While it's not a heavyweight, it does take some effort to stop it. Nothing too crazy, but enough. I have another line on a dock cleat that I run to the other side of the bow, that stays on the dock so once I'm in place, I toss it up to the bow and cleat it off. Unfortunately, I have three points of tie, not four - there's not a piling between the slips, so I'm not able to let her float in the middle, but it's protected enough that it's all good.
I have a rule on my boat - nobody, I mean nobody - jumps from the boat to the dock or the dock to the boat until at least one line is secured and the boat is stopped! Period! If I can't get the boat in a position to secure at least one line then I back out and try again. There are just too many risks when jumping off a boat for you and/or your crew. What happens if you slip and miss, spring an ankle, injure a joint, or miss and fall in? (Ask me how I know that one) This is especially compounded if your boat has no lines secured and keeps moving or blows down on you if you are in the drink between the boat and dock? Just too many variables and too many risks. I'd try and figure a way to get at least one line secured and the boat stopped before I "step" off the boat! Now my boat has a high freeboard so that is a consideration for me and may not be a problem for you but its your boat (and life) and your choice.
Docking, in particular single handed dockings, are like snowflakes. No two alike.
The best advice anyone one can give to to be totally aware of your surrounding; wind, current, waves, other boats.
A lot of people throw out the old 'don't dock any faster than your willing to hit' line but I don't buy that. Know how your boat slows and stops when given reverse, and trust in that. If you need to come in faster to keep way on then slow at the very end, do that. There is nothing worse than getting caught going slow and loosing steerage while solo docking. You're hosed. Maintain way at all cost.
I back in, usually against a current. With fenders mounted on the face of the dock and a swim step makes it easy to leave it in reverse to hold it while I step off and tie up.
Smokey73 is right I pictured Forrest Gump when I read his post . Put lots of fenders out in open water NEVER put your hands feet or body between boat and dock to stop it will hurt . Start heading in see what boats gonna do get back out if things aren't going right think about it and try again
Remember that docking single handedly is one of those problems you can concentrate too much.
You come into you marina.. thinking about the 100 different things you need to to get into your slip. But sometimes it is simply too hard. Much easier to simply park elsewhere.
Almost always there will be a slot or spot somewhere that is pretty easy to come along side in whatever conditions prevail. You can then wait it out.. or usually with a bit of time you can find some one more than willing to help out as you move to final spot.
You come into you marina.. thinking about the 100 different things you need to to get into your slip. But sometimes it is simply too hard. Much easier to simply park elsewhere.
Almost always there will be a slot or spot somewhere that is pretty easy to come along side in whatever conditions prevail. You can then wait it out.. or usually with a bit of time you can find some one more than willing to help out as you move to final spot.
Jackdaw, I agree that it is imperative to keep steerage way. The go slow rule is a starting point for consideration. We have 8 to 10 foot tides here in Beaufort with corresponding currents. If you are heading into the tide you'll have steerage way even going slow. If you have to dock with the tide, keeping steerage way is problemmatic here as you will be screaming into the dock. My point is that I've seen big boats with lots of momentum (20K displacement or more) come whipping in, even when there is no current and they could go a lot slower and still have steerage way in forward. They then slam it into reverse. Did it look cool? - sure. But why approach faster than you have to to keep steerage way? Too many what ifs. If you combine the "keep steerage way" along with "don't approach faster than you are willing to hit the dock" you'll try and select an approach that lets you keep both principles in mind, if possible.
If you have to go fast (SOG, not speed through the water) to keep steerage way then before you get to the dock, make sure you can shift into reverse and that everything is working. I always check my forward and astern thrust before taking in the lines to get underway and then before approaching the dock when landing. (Old Navy habit from being the OOD for the Manuevering Watch getting underway and arriving at the Naval Weapons Station, Charleston - wicked currents, deep draft and single screw with the rudder in front of the screw)
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I have a winch on the coach roof next to the companionway. I made up a line with a loop on both ends. The winch end loop is just large enough to fit on the drum, but I made the other end larger so I can " lasso" the dock post and then I am secure. I then use my hook to retrieve the bow and stern dock lines.