On Fri, 01 Jul 2005 18:25:42 -0700, Stephen Trapani
wrote:



To pull out of a slip backwards singlehanded with my 33' Hunter, I lock
the rudder over the way I want to back out, untie, hop out onto the dock
and holding the bow rail, walk the boat out of the slip. It will turn a
little in the correct direction usually but if it's not enough, as I
reach the end of the dock I give the bow a little boost sideways in the
correct direction as I hop on. This always gets me facing the right
direction. I make my way back to the helm, unlock the wheel and
straighten the rudder. Put it in forward and off we go.

That's pretty well what I do too. If I'm alone with my 33' fin keeler,
I have the engine in neutral, put the helm amidships (locked with
tiller tamer if necessary), and push it backwards HARD at the shrouds,
stepping onto the boat a few feet before the dock end.

Getting the boat moving can be difficult, but keeping it moving is
easy, even for my 110 lb, five-foot tall wife.

Again, if alone, I coast back until I am well clear of the adjacent
ancient monster ChrisCraft motorsailer (my length and twice my
displacement), and then helm over and engine in dead slow forward.

I also come into the dock in neutral and stop by dropping a midship
spring aft to a bollard, then stepping off with a stern line. This
usually stops the boat G and I have time to catch the bow and get a
line on.

R.