Docking Situation #11
 

Here is a complicated docking situation that will require
a bit of thought.

Your house and starter batteries are dead. As a result
you are unable to start your engine. You have a 15'
shore power cable, and this means you must not only
sail into your slip, but also want to back into your slip so
your charger can restore your batteries.

The dock is a long dock with no finger-piers-only pilings
on each side of every slip. None of the other boats stick
out past the pilings. Your slip is just wide enough to fit
your boat.

The wind is moderately strong and onto the dock and in
line with your slip--the worst possible direction. Your boat
is a Catalina 30 and you have two (2) crew to help you.

You have only one shot at getting it in right. After deciding
to sail into the slip directly downwind under bare poles, all
of a sudden a light goes on in your brain and you figure out
a safe way to get the boat into the slip, stern in, without
using an anchor.

How did you do it?

Docking Situation #11
 

"Bart" wrote in message
oups.com...
Here is a complicated docking situation that will require
a bit of thought.

Your house and starter batteries are dead. As a result
you are unable to start your engine. You have a 15'
shore power cable, and this means you must not only
sail into your slip, but also want to back into your slip so
your charger can restore your batteries.

The dock is a long dock with no finger-piers-only pilings
on each side of every slip. None of the other boats stick
out past the pilings. Your slip is just wide enough to fit
your boat.

The wind is moderately strong and onto the dock and in
line with your slip--the worst possible direction. Your boat
is a Catalina 30 and you have two (2) crew to help you.

You have only one shot at getting it in right. After deciding
to sail into the slip directly downwind under bare poles, all
of a sudden a light goes on in your brain and you figure out
a safe way to get the boat into the slip, stern in, without
using an anchor.

How did you do it?


Since none of the other boats stick out past the pilings, that means that
the outer-most pilings may be used without excessive concern for hitting
another boat. Approach perpendicular to your slip. Tie off to 2 pilings, one
forward, one aft. This should secure you in a position perpendicular to your
slip, with the wind tending to blow you away from the pilings. Feed slack
through the rear cleat while mate #1 walks the bow line back to the stern
and mate #2 readies to tie off the bow to the next piling and with a new bow
line. By leap frogging the lines, you walk your boat to it's slip and
slightly past it. As the stern passes your slip, secure a line on each of
your own slip's outer-most pilings and tie off the farthest piling to a
stern cleat while leaving the other line slack for now (i.e., if the pilings
and your slip are on your starboard side, tie off to your starboard side
stern cleat to the furthest piling of your own slip). Release the bow line,
allowing the boat to pivot 90 degrees and align itself with the slip (if I
understand the situation correctly, the wind is blowing your boat directly
out of it's slip (if it was in the slip). You should be aligned, secured,
and able to "walk" the boat into your own slip by working both stern lines
and the pilings of your slip (i.e., a mate on each side grabs the pilings
and walks you in using the gunnels.
Makes sense in my head, but I don't know if I put it in words in a
comprehendible way.
Scout

Docking Situation #11
 

I'm not sure if I follow all that, but you nailed it. There is nothing
wrong with laying along onto the pilings. It would be easy enought
to strike the sails and let the wind set you onto the piling adjacent
to your slip and warp your way in.

1 point to you Scout.

"Scout" wrote

"Bart" wrote
Here is a complicated docking situation that will require
a bit of thought.

Your house and starter batteries are dead. As a result
you are unable to start your engine. You have a 15'
shore power cable, and this means you must not only
sail into your slip, but also want to back into your slip so
your charger can restore your batteries.

The dock is a long dock with no finger-piers-only pilings
on each side of every slip. None of the other boats stick
out past the pilings. Your slip is just wide enough to fit
your boat.

The wind is moderately strong and onto the dock and in
line with your slip--the worst possible direction. Your boat
is a Catalina 30 and you have two (2) crew to help you.

You have only one shot at getting it in right. After deciding
to sail into the slip directly downwind under bare poles, all
of a sudden a light goes on in your brain and you figure out
a safe way to get the boat into the slip, stern in, without
using an anchor.

How did you do it?


Since none of the other boats stick out past the pilings, that means that
the outer-most pilings may be used without excessive concern for hitting
another boat. Approach perpendicular to your slip. Tie off to 2 pilings,
one forward, one aft. This should secure you in a position perpendicular
to your slip, with the wind tending to blow you away from the pilings.
Feed slack through the rear cleat while mate #1 walks the bow line back to
the stern and mate #2 readies to tie off the bow to the next piling and
with a new bow line. By leap frogging the lines, you walk your boat to
it's slip and slightly past it. As the stern passes your slip, secure a
line on each of your own slip's outer-most pilings and tie off the
farthest piling to a stern cleat while leaving the other line slack for
now (i.e., if the pilings and your slip are on your starboard side, tie
off to your starboard side stern cleat to the furthest piling of your own
slip). Release the bow line, allowing the boat to pivot 90 degrees and
align itself with the slip (if I understand the situation correctly, the
wind is blowing your boat directly out of it's slip (if it was in the
slip). You should be aligned, secured, and able to "walk" the boat into
your own slip by working both stern lines and the pilings of your slip
(i.e., a mate on each side grabs the pilings and walks you in using the
gunnels.
Makes sense in my head, but I don't know if I put it in words in a
comprehendible way.
Scout

Docking Situation #11
 

The boat is short and fat. Not hard to do, IMHO.

OzOne wrote

"Bart" .@. scribbled thusly:

I'm not sure if I follow all that, but you nailed it. There is nothing
wrong with laying along onto the pilings. It would be easy enought
to strike the sails and let the wind set you onto the piling adjacent
to your slip and warp your way in.

1 point to you Scout.

Except that you stated that the slip was just wide enough to
accomodate the yacht making the only way possible to get the yacht
into the slip being to let her float out into the fairway then drag
her back into the slip by her stern lines.
Very dubious IMHO.


Oz1...of the 3 twins.

I welcome you to crackerbox palace,We've been expecting you.

Docking Situation #11
 

OzOne wrote in message ...
On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 23:33:06 -0500, "Bart" .@. scribbled thusly:

I'm not sure if I follow all that, but you nailed it. There is nothing
wrong with laying along onto the pilings. It would be easy enought
to strike the sails and let the wind set you onto the piling adjacent
to your slip and warp your way in.

1 point to you Scout.

Except that you stated that the slip was just wide enough to
accomodate the yacht making the only way possible to get the yacht
into the slip being to let her float out into the fairway then drag
her back into the slip by her stern lines.
Very dubious IMHO.

I guess my description is confusing Oz, but that's part of my answer. The
fact that the pilings on each side are close to the gunnels (and there are
no finger piers, means that the 2 mates can and must walk the gunnels while
still reaching the pilings to walk the boat backwards into the slip.
Scout

Docking Situation #11
 

OzOne wrote in message ...
On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:31:26 -0500, "Scout"
scribbled thusly:

OzOne wrote in message
. ..
On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 23:33:06 -0500, "Bart" .@. scribbled thusly:

I'm not sure if I follow all that, but you nailed it. There is nothing
wrong with laying along onto the pilings. It would be easy enought
to strike the sails and let the wind set you onto the piling adjacent
to your slip and warp your way in.

1 point to you Scout.

Except that you stated that the slip was just wide enough to
accomodate the yacht making the only way possible to get the yacht
into the slip being to let her float out into the fairway then drag
her back into the slip by her stern lines.
Very dubious IMHO.

I guess my description is confusing Oz, but that's part of my answer. The
fact that the pilings on each side are close to the gunnels (and there are
no finger piers, means that the 2 mates can and must walk the gunnels
while
still reaching the pilings to walk the boat backwards into the slip.
Scout


Yep, I understand that.
It's just the turning from alongside into a position 90 degrees to
that in order to slide back into the slip that is a worry.

Ok.
Wouldn't be easy for sure.
It's hard enough when the engine is working.
Of course, my last boat was under-powered with a small outboard, which was
hard to reach and control.
It'll be a new and interesting adventure for me with the new boat.
Scout

Docking Situation #11
 

"Scout" wrote in message
. ..


Yep, I understand that.
It's just the turning from alongside into a position 90
degrees to
that in order to slide back into the slip that is a
worry.

Ok.
Wouldn't be easy for sure.
It's hard enough when the engine is working.
Of course, my last boat was under-powered with a small
outboard, which was
hard to reach and control.
It'll be a new and interesting adventure for me with the
new boat.


When I went from an outboard to an inboard it took some
getting used to, not being able to turn the prop.

Learn to use prop walk.

Scotty

Docking Situation #11
 

OzOne wrote in message ...

Maybe, and it is something we do often with the Etchells, but that's
not in a marina and notinto a slip but between a dock and a pontoon
with plenty of clearance and with access out onto both to take a bow
lne if required to juggle or stop the backward motion.


Plus the Etchells is pretty light and easy to push around.

Docking Situation #11
 

OzOne wrote
Yep, I understand that.
It's just the turning from alongside into a position 90 degrees to
that in order to slide back into the slip that is a worry.

The whole point of the quesion was to get people to think
outside the box. This is a possible "seaman-like" solution
that a novice would never think of. And who know, it might
just save someone's butt, by posting it here.

Docking Situation #11
 

OzOne wrote

We're talking here about getting into a slip so you can conveniently
get on and off a boat.
Given the circumstances...either anchor out or get a tender to help
you in.

The only butt saving would be if you dinghy sank on the way in from
anchoring and you couldn't swim.

On the other hand there's potential for damage to the boat, injury to
those helping you manhandle the boat in, and embarassment from totally
stuffing it up.

You are probably right Oz. However it is a tool for your toolbox
and you might find yourself in a situation, depending on the wind
strength, where this would be useful.