On 7 Feb 2004 17:12:13 -0600, Dave wrote:

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 20:21:18 GMT, Chuck Bollinger said:

We are considering an "E-Z Docker".

Hmm. Interesting product, but how much confidence can you have in somebody
who doesn't know what a "bollard" is?


I found E-Z Docker on the web. IMHO, a 20 foot rope tied to a hook for $118,
or a 35 foot rope tied to a hook for $226, is not realistic.

I also found a real live Mil-Spec folding grappling hook for ~$100,
and some "Ninja" grapples for $20.
Norm

engsol wrote:
This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
aspecially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K

engsol wrote:
This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
aspecially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 00:11:02 GMT, Terry Spragg wrote:

engsol wrote:
This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
aspecially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K

Terry,
Thanks for the advice. I agree your methods has merit for the home port,
where one may "rig" the slip. The rub lies in visiting other marinas.

Maybe the thing to do is announce on the VHF when approaching,
and say something like "I can't sail, I'm drunk as a skunk, and I think
the throttle is stuck...anyone handy to catch my lines?"
Norm

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 00:11:02 GMT, Terry Spragg wrote:

engsol wrote:
This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
aspecially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K

Terry,
Thanks for the advice. I agree your methods has merit for the home port,
where one may "rig" the slip. The rub lies in visiting other marinas.

Maybe the thing to do is announce on the VHF when approaching,
and say something like "I can't sail, I'm drunk as a skunk, and I think
the throttle is stuck...anyone handy to catch my lines?"
Norm

engsol wrote:
On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 00:11:02 GMT, Terry Spragg wrote:


engsol wrote:

This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
especially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K


Terry,
Thanks for the advice. I agree your methods has merit for the home port,
where one may "rig" the slip. The rub lies in visiting other marinas.

Maybe the thing to do is announce on the VHF when approaching,
and say something like "I can't sail, I'm drunk as a skunk, and I think
the throttle is stuck...anyone handy to catch my lines?"
Norm


Well, as a variation on "How do you get to Carnagie hall from here?"
Your best answer is still going to be practice, practice, practice.

After a few near misses or so, your capabilities will improve. This
time next year, you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Of course, if we see a drunk on a boat, we don't like it much.

I would jump to help if someone on the vhf or loud-mouth-o-phone
called for assistance docking. Anybody would. It's usually good for
a beer or two, and a laugh.

Terry K

engsol wrote:
On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 00:11:02 GMT, Terry Spragg wrote:


engsol wrote:

This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37 foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands ( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5 foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm

Leave a loop of line from the dock cleats fore and aft, hanging down
close to the water. Grab it with a boathook as you approach. Come
in maybe a bit fast, bow first, fend off with the boat hook to stop
the boat, hook the loop and pull in to the dock. You might want to
try it in reverse, depending on your prop walk situation.

You should have a long stern line led outboard of shrouds and tucked
into your belt, or hitched to the bow pulpit. Drop the dock loop
over a bow cleat, go ashore and pull in the stern. This way, you can
keep clear of your niegbours, coming ashore in the centre of your
space, and you can let the bow slide under the loop as you control
the boat fore and aft as you swing the stern into the dock. The
right amount of slack in the loop, once found by trial and error,
will hold the bow at some useful distance. If you need a lot of
slack, use a floating line. I don't like poly rope for docklines,
unless it's replaced about every 6 months.

If you have a smooth, sloping stem with no bow eye, you won't do
much damage if you do slide it up on the dock a little bit,
especially with some old doormats, etc hung on the most desirable
landing zone. You may already have permanent dock pads.

Depending on conditions, this could enable you to handle the problem.

Good luck.

Terry K


Terry,
Thanks for the advice. I agree your methods has merit for the home port,
where one may "rig" the slip. The rub lies in visiting other marinas.

Maybe the thing to do is announce on the VHF when approaching,
and say something like "I can't sail, I'm drunk as a skunk, and I think
the throttle is stuck...anyone handy to catch my lines?"
Norm


Well, as a variation on "How do you get to Carnagie hall from here?"
Your best answer is still going to be practice, practice, practice.

After a few near misses or so, your capabilities will improve. This
time next year, you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Of course, if we see a drunk on a boat, we don't like it much.

I would jump to help if someone on the vhf or loud-mouth-o-phone
called for assistance docking. Anybody would. It's usually good for
a beer or two, and a laugh.

Terry K