Yeah... what Doug said also... g

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"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"DSK" wrote in message
. ..
John Lechmanik wrote:
Although I'm a little experienced at sailing, I'm still learning a lot of
the little incidental things. Such as pulling out of a dock.

Some of the skills that make for successful sailing have nothing to do
with actually sailing! But maneuvering a boat is an interesting challenge.


Here is the fun part. During this time of the year, the wind comes from
a variety of directions. When the wind comes from the east (port side of
the boat when in the slip) it's a challenge getting out of the slip. The
first time I backed out under these conditions I was just out of the
slip, and turning the boat to starboard when the wind pushed the bow back
around. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the boat turned into the
wind and was being pushed by the wind down the marina.

Could you have backed up, stern into the wind, and gotten down the
fairway? It looks funny but it works.

A couple of points to keep in mind, please forgive me if you already know
these things. The basics always bear repeating....

Know your prop walk. You should have a good sense of how hard the boat
will try to swing in reverse and in forward, and whether it will swing
more if throttled up gently or if gunned. Usually, gunning it when in gear
will produce a short burst of prop walk before the boat starts to
accelerate forward (or aft, if in reverse). You can use this effect!

Another thing to bear in mind is that from a standing start, or when
moving very slowly, the boat will turn *much* tighter one way than the
other... when prop walk and helm (prop wash against the rudder) are both
pushing the stern the same way. I bet the time you couldn't get the bow
into the wind, you were trying to turn it the "wrong" way.

The bow always tries to swing downwind. If you use prop wash (as opposed
to prop walk) to try and force it into the wind from a standing start, or
while movng slowly, you will fail if the wind is above a certain strength
(another factor to get a feel for) and you will always end up going
considerably sideways.

In reverse, you have no prop wash effect. You're in free fall until the
boat gains enough way that flow over the rudder will steer her. Boats have
considerable "rotational momentum" so get her turning the way you want her
to go, before sticking it in reverse. You can use this effect to counter
prop walk and back up straight.... people who claim you can't back up
sailboats straight don't know enough to be worth listening to IMHO...

The best thing to do is practice. Take the boat out in a more open area,
where you can practice maneuvering under power. Note how long it takes to
bring the boat to a stop, that's the first and most basic step. Note your
RPMs and how the boat accelerates at different throttle settings, also how
much prop walk there is. Sit still for a while and note how the bow swings
downwind. Practice turning both ways, both with and against prop walk,
practice backing up straight, practice backing up in a controlled 'S' with
some guide mark(s). The key is to gain some confidence in how the boat
will react, how to make it do what you want consistently. A big part of
this is to observe and know what the boat wants to do, and use those
tendencies as much as you can.

Hope this helps.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King