In harbors the world over. I mean everywhere, We all know where they put
Multi-Hulls. on the very end slips of finger piers or bouyed mooring.

The Captains Nemesis wrote:
Interesting.
Here the cats tend to be deep into the marinas (other than casuals)
because they have the ability to turn in there own length under power

No doubt that cats under power with wide spaced twin engines are very
maneuverable under power.



Let's face facts; a Multi trying to manouver ( Over even making a simple
turn in tight quarters) is not a pretty thing. Even under power.

Skilled hands make light work under power. Juggling thrust can walk a
cat sideways and maneuver in ways that monos can only dream.

I'd like to see that. Theory suggests that with small props & rudders, prop
walk and kick aren't going to move it sideways much. In practice??

....Don't
pretend that you can sail into the end of a series of finger slips any
other way but straight in, Let alone work your way down a narrow water
way and into a slip without engine assist

Depends entirely on the direction of the wind.
I've sailed past a pen, stopped and reversed in underr sail on a few
occassions. It's a challenge, requires good crew work and capable
people to stop the boat when its in the slip because you can't pull
the sail on to stop the boat .

Heh, that's one benefit of racing type rigs with very short booms- you can
swing the main around even in the slip. Reverse under sail, no problem.

Years and years of sailing boats with no engine or very unreliable engines
taught me to sail into surprisingly tight places... and how to recognize when
it really can't be done. It does take capable crew work though, you only get
one chance to get a line on the windwardmost piling, and it it's missed,
there's hell to pay.

Sailing a racing dinghy up to a finger pier is not difficult, but for sailors
who learned in big boats, it seems a wizardly accomplishment. No wonder they
think you can't sail into a slip (much of the time)


I've been threatened with banning if I ever tried "that stunt" again
by a marina manager who saw damage claims on the horizon.
But it sure did impress the guys in the bar. Yes we had waited until
they were all tied up after thre race and were bought a round or two
for the effort.

My favorite was to sail just to windward of the hoist, stall the boat, douse
& roll sails smartly, and grab the lift hook while others are paddling
towards it or walking their way along the pier. In a couple of seasons,
everyone was doing it and it became a bigger melee than a crowded starting
line.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King