What's up, dock?

[George Chamberlain]

Our only problem is tide...

We have an Oday 22, but even with that shallow draft, the rudder plows mud at low tide in Dogue Creek (Ft. Belvoir, VA, just off the Potomac south of DC). If only they could dredge it!Coming into the slip, the key is s-l-o-o-o-w and controlled. My wife slips under the pulpit rail onto the pier as we glide in at 1/2 kt, I usually have the outboard in reverse at idle speed just in case. She slips the spring line over the cleat at the dock end, then walks forward to secure the bow. I jump off with the stern line and secure that once the boat is stopped. AT low tide, we have to power in past a sand(mud) bar and a submerged tree trunk, but other than that it's not hard. We get very little wind that far up the creek.

 

[Chuck Clauser]

Backing In - O'day 26 Diesel

Our slip is between 4 pilings - 2 outer and 2 inner against a perpendicular dock. There are no side walkways, so we board from the stern. We rigged 2 parallel "cheater lines" between outer & inner pilings, and installed 2 "dog leashes" on the boat rails just forward of the cockpit. I approach the slip perpendicularly at about 1/2 knot, and turn away just prior to the bow reaching the pilings, so the stern is pointing into the slip. Just before reaching 90 degrees of turn, I give the diesel a short blast in reverse to stop forward motion, allowing the prop to "walk" the stern to port, and use the rudder to steer back in. (Point the rudder in the direction you want to go). The boat goes in slowly, and we clip the leashes to the cheater lines. With the boat stopped part way in, we retrieve the bow lines and secure them. Then a quick low rpm shot in reverse moves us in to pick up the stern lines from the dock. Wind does complicate things, but the general procedure works well for us. Works solo, too.

 

[Larry Beavers]

Docking

I think the key to docking your boat at a slip is to come in slowly and sensibly. Speeding in and skidding to a stop my look cool but it is dangerous and potentially damaging to the slip and other boats around you. My policy is to ease her in SLOWLY. Have the fenders ready and over the side before getting to the slip. Just as I brush the slip, I reverse the motor to stop gently as the crew (or myself) jumps onto the dock to secure the lines to the cleats. This is a little trickier if you don't have a motor and your sails are up but can be done, and the slip bumper is used unless your crew is on the dock and can grab lines and hold the boat. Actually, it is a good idea to practice this in case your motor fails and you have to sail into the slip. I had a mooring last year and did this quite often and only had a whip bouy to grab. Anyhow,I think this is pretty much common sense although I notice from time to time, those who don't heed the procedure and go crashing into the dock because they just can't adaquately control the vessel. Oh, well. I have even heard about some people who do not know how to dock their boats yet, yikes! You really need to think about what you are going to do before you get to the dock. Hope you all are having a great summer of sailing. Can't believe it's Sept. already.

 

[Larry T]

Docking

Howdy! Docking (and oddly, undocking) is usually a nervous time for my wife but I'm usually calm. Anyway, we usually plan ahead with who will do what and talk about what will happen as we close in on the dock. As long as the wind and current don't become too much of a challenge, we usually ease into the slip without drama. We always have the docking lines ready and the sail down ahead of time to make things less complicated. I've always had trouble getting fenders to stay in place when they're needed - they seem to move away from the boat just when they're needed most. Gotta go -- Have fun!!

 

[Dawn Watkins]

I am comfortable docking my boat

I am comfortable docking my boat.The trick is slow and easy. I read the wind, determine how much engine power I don't need and coast in!!!

 

[katherine_j_hancock@raytheon.com]

Docking Anxiety

We have a slip in a marina in Hingham. There is quite a current and because our slip is near the end of the dock which has 37 slips on it (but not at the end, that would be too easy), we do not get the benefit of getting out of the current before approaching our slip. We have a 410 which is high out of the water and because of this, the wind tends to catch the side and push us where we don't want to be. So we have an unfavorable current and the wind to contend with upon approach. We have our engine on, our sail down and we also have our sailcover on. We try to come into the slip as slowly as possible and we haven't had any mishaps in the last 30 years, but I do have anxiety each time.

 

[Andy Liljequist]

Short step to the dock

We have a floating dock and a Hunter 410 which provides easy access from the stern. Therefore, we back the boat into our slip.The key success factor for doing this is:1) Maxprop2) Pickup-stick for the spring line3) Small round fenders perm. attached to dock4) Wheels (covered) at end of dockSlowly back into the slip and place springline on cleat while moving to a gradula stop. Leave engine in gear while attaching the other lines.After the first 4-5 pratice runs, this has worked every time for the past three years.Andy

 

[Gary]

Big boat versus little boat!

Going alongside a dock is always interesting. Some people approach it from a small boat point of view where they think they can correct mistakes with fenders and pushing with legs and arms. Others approach it from the ship point of view where the task is to gently place the boat alongside then step off and tie up. Because I learned on ships and have gotten progressively smaller boats, I have adopted the ship approach. When I dock either of my two boats, one 26' and 3 tonnes, the other 102' and 92 tonnes I try to gently put the boat where it should be and then step off to tie it up. In adverse wind/tide I create a plan that usually involves one critical line that goes ashore first and allows us to warp in. In really challenging situations I use a rubber dinghy as a tug (on the 102' boat).The most important thing is always having a plan that everyone involved knows and understanding what direction the boat is going all the time. (It is never going where it is pointed!)

 

[David Fitzpatrick]

Docking H466

I am a new owner of an H466. I have only docked the boat 4 times so far. The slip that my wife and I have is quite challenging. It's tucked in at the end of a cul-de-sac that usually (because of boats in the opposite slips) requires me to enter the dock forward, go into the corner, reverse down the slips, and back around into my slip. Further complications are 8-12 crosswinds blowing across the slip and a double-wide slip with no bow or brest pilings to separate me from the neighbor.The 46 has enough freeboard to be a handful if not positively controlled. But I have too little confidence yet for anything but dead slow. I am speaking to the marina to get a slip that is more accessible until I come up the curve with low speed power operations.I am sure that with more practice, I'll feel comfortable carrying a bit more speed for better rudder authority. For now, I try to look stoic at the helm and my wife tries not to duck and cover.

 

[Jim]

Docking

I approach the dock at a 45 degree angle and as the bow approaches the dock I ease the helm to bring the hull along side. Never had a problem yet (unless it is an overly zealous person on the dock trying to help by grabing the boat and trying to push off or on or something.)

 

[Don Rice]

Walking Fender

The best tip I have had on docking is to have my wife have a walking fender in her hand at all times. If required she can place the fender at any point of contact and reduce risk of injury to herself and prevent damage. The other key point I have learned is having a thourough plan and knowing the conditions. Tidal currents and winds come into play often. Although I prefer to dock slowly a certain speed must be maintained or you loose steerage,

 

[Paul Rees]

The One Line Motor Moor

Run a line from the appropriate port or starboard winch, under the midships cleat and bring it back to the helm position outside of the stantions. Tie a bowline in the outboard end. Leave enough slack at the inboard end to bring it back to the helm position. Approach the quay at tickover speed, Have your crew standing by the shrouds ready to step off and drop the bowline over the outer cleat on the quay/dock - use a boathook if single handed, Shorten the line by pulling in around the winch from the helm position. By leaving the motor in tickover ahead and keeping the helm on full lock away from the quay the boat will sit quietly whilst bow and stern lines are made fast. This method works well on our Legend 340 and can be adapted easily for astern arrival.Hope this is of some help

 

[Ron]

One thing I hate...

I really hate having unexpected "help" on the dock. I try to know what I'm doing, and almost always plan on tying up a midship breast line first. But the 16-year old summer dock hands often have their own ideas and grab the bow line (or a even a lifeline!) and start hauling away. And this totally messes up my plan of using the breastline and propwalk to guide me into place.

 

[Jenny]

Practice makes perfect

One technique I have used when teaching others to maneuver into dock is to go out into open water and have the novice practice approaching an object (life ring, dinghy, whatever) floating in the water, aiming to come along side and stop without hitting it. This has the advantage of providing a variety of sea and wind conditions - most more difficult than those normally encountered in a sheltered marina - and having nearly no negative consequences if they fail. The trick is that they get the feel of the boat's dynamic interaction with the wind and water, especially under power and in reverse, learning when and how much power to apply to check motion in one direction or change direction altogether. This is a good exercise for any skipper, but especially if you have just upgraded to a significantly larger, heavier vessel.

 

[Jim Seamans]

Let My Wife Drive then she can't complain

Actually she is very good a parking the H356. She is a little timid backing in with lots of wind and when she gets a crooked, I tell her to start over. When she drives I don't get yelled at!!!JimS/V Java

 

[Becky]

Trepidation

We have a 33' Jouet 940 and have always taken the slow and easy approach. We have both current and winds to add to our nervous setting. However, Jim always heads (what looks like to me as I'm midships) straight for the piling. The current literally pushes us away and I always seem to be able to step off my cheapy swing step onto the dock. We're too old for jumping! Jim made me a 1/2" line with three loops in it and it's tied onto a collapsable cleat on the boat. I literally just walk down the dock and place the 2nd and/or 3rd loops around the cleat and hold the bow line while Jim takes the stern and grabs the cleat with a boat hook. Once he does this, I tie off the bow line as he's stepping off the stern to tie the stern line. The key to all of this is going really, really slow, steady and using the current to help us get into our slip without mishaps! So far this has worked the best for us.

 

[Freddo]

docking(or ducking!)

Countless times I have watched skippers slam their boats into their own dock, or their dock mates boat. Coast it in (keelboats glide nice) and reverse if necessary when you're abeam of the end of your dock. Grab the stern line and dump it on the cleat. 15 years and not a gelcoat repair yet, except from being hit by cap'n freakout in close quarters.

 

[Jim Anderson]

Woman at the Wheel

Our approach to bringing Andiamo to the dock is simple and gives my wife some degree of respect from the folks watching. She is at the wheel for all approaches, I am the deck ape and handle the lines. Audrey has been perfect - she can put our Pearson 31 into spots that seem too small and has successfully docked without incident in 40 knts of breeze. No secret, just put the best person, physically and skill-wise at the wheel and trust them!To us this seems good logic, but a woman at the wheel near the dock, is rare in our experience.

 

[Rip]

Read this Book!

For any sailor with an inboard I highly recommend the book "Boat Docking" by Charles T. Low. We recently purchased a Catalina 270 (wheel steering and diesel inboard) after owning smaller sailboats with outboards. This book really helped me understand the dynamics of a prop and rudder and gave me a huge head start in learning to dock and undock the boat. You can check the book out at the link below. It was written by a powerboater (who also sails) but most of the principles apply.

 

[Pirate]

I'd rather sail in .. :|

I'm more confident sailing in when ever possible. Probably because I know that I only have one shot at a seaman-like landing. My crew says she wishes that we could sail on and off our dock, because she's seen me do it in other situations and thinks I'm better under sail.We end tie off the end of our dock so sailing in should be a no brainer, but our neighbor's dock severely limits access. Most of the time we have to make a downwind, down current landing so steerage is usually an issue.The forward spring and bow lines are spliced to the dock. To leave, we cast off the bow and stern lines, kick the stern out against the spring, drop the sring on the dock, then back until we can clear the neighbors dock.Landing we pick up the froward spring with a boathook as we back down and let the prop walk the stern in.Crew are not allowed to jump off our boat, if I have missjudged it, they may point, giggle, and make snide comments while I make a second attempt .. they may not jump.Toughest for me is when I have to back down for more than a boat length or two in wind and current.RandyC30 #10