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Jeff

wrote:
How do you sail off a dock when the wind is
setting you towards the dock. [Assume an end-tie
situation with no motor] 1 pt

I'm surprised these questions even raise an issue. Where I learned to
sail and race, the primary docks were long face docks. Most were
oriented east-west, and a dead south wind is pretty uncommon in
Boston, but we certainly have a lot of SW and SE. Actually, IIRC, the
Community Sailing docks were square to a NW, but those boats were
mainly 15 foot centerboards. Across the river, the larger boats were
usually Rhodes 18 and 19, but we also had the occasional Soling,
Tempest, and a few other small keel boats and a zillion smaller
dinghies. None of these had an engine, and we always sailed off the
dock. All that is required is to back the jib and/or main while
holding the stern to the dock, and the boat will come all the way
around. Generally, if there was a problem, someone on the dock could
hold to boom to back the main.

If the wind is truly square to the dock, then you can almost just pull
in the sail and sail away. However, the boat needs to slip sideways a
bit in order to accelerate, so it is necessary to push it away. Since
the boom will be overhanging the dock, you need someone on the dock to
push you away and forward. You only need a foot or two even for a 25
foot keel boat.