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Do I need a grapple?
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 |
Do I need a grapple?
x-no-archive:yes
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. Single handing is the hardest when docking and so docking is to be avoided. Anchoring is easier. It will be equally hard to leave the dock under those circumstances - so I personally wouldn't leave if I didn't think I could get back. We have our docklines on the pilings to pick up. 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. grandma Rosalie |
Do I need a grapple?
x-no-archive:yes
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. Single handing is the hardest when docking and so docking is to be avoided. Anchoring is easier. It will be equally hard to leave the dock under those circumstances - so I personally wouldn't leave if I didn't think I could get back. We have our docklines on the pilings to pick up. 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. grandma Rosalie |
Do I need a grapple?
If you find yourself in this situation, place several fenders on the leeward
side, and have a line secured to your (windward) midship cleat--or looped around a winch if you have no midship cleat--and hook it around a cleat or pile on the dock and back to your boat. That should hold you in place 'til you can secure more docklines. If it's really bad, perhaps you could place the mid-ship "breast line"--I think its called--around the end cleat or pile so you won't drift over as m uch, then run lines forward into the slip, and work the boat in. The key is to tie the first line from the middle of your boat. "engsol" wrote in message ... 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 |
Do I need a grapple?
If you find yourself in this situation, place several fenders on the leeward
side, and have a line secured to your (windward) midship cleat--or looped around a winch if you have no midship cleat--and hook it around a cleat or pile on the dock and back to your boat. That should hold you in place 'til you can secure more docklines. If it's really bad, perhaps you could place the mid-ship "breast line"--I think its called--around the end cleat or pile so you won't drift over as m uch, then run lines forward into the slip, and work the boat in. The key is to tie the first line from the middle of your boat. "engsol" wrote in message ... 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 |
Do I need a grapple?
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:09:54 -0800, 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 Maybe the better thing to do would be to anchor until conditions were more favorable for docking. Just a thought. Mark E. Williams |
Do I need a grapple?
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:09:54 -0800, 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 Maybe the better thing to do would be to anchor until conditions were more favorable for docking. Just a thought. Mark E. Williams |
Do I need a grapple?
What I've always done when short-handed is run a line from bow to stern, with
perhaps 10 extra feet. This allows you to control the bow and stern with one line. Secured on the dock amidships it becomes both fore and aft spring line. "Garland Gray II" wrote in message news:9%VUb.2641$Yj.803@lakeread02... If you find yourself in this situation, place several fenders on the leeward side, and have a line secured to your (windward) midship cleat--or looped around a winch if you have no midship cleat--and hook it around a cleat or pile on the dock and back to your boat. That should hold you in place 'til you can secure more docklines. If it's really bad, perhaps you could place the mid-ship "breast line"--I think its called--around the end cleat or pile so you won't drift over as m uch, then run lines forward into the slip, and work the boat in. The key is to tie the first line from the middle of your boat. "engsol" wrote in message ... 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 |
Do I need a grapple?
What I've always done when short-handed is run a line from bow to stern, with
perhaps 10 extra feet. This allows you to control the bow and stern with one line. Secured on the dock amidships it becomes both fore and aft spring line. "Garland Gray II" wrote in message news:9%VUb.2641$Yj.803@lakeread02... If you find yourself in this situation, place several fenders on the leeward side, and have a line secured to your (windward) midship cleat--or looped around a winch if you have no midship cleat--and hook it around a cleat or pile on the dock and back to your boat. That should hold you in place 'til you can secure more docklines. If it's really bad, perhaps you could place the mid-ship "breast line"--I think its called--around the end cleat or pile so you won't drift over as m uch, then run lines forward into the slip, and work the boat in. The key is to tie the first line from the middle of your boat. "engsol" wrote in message ... 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 |
Do I need a grapple?
If this is a rare occurance, I would radio ahead to see if anyone was around
to help you dock. If this is likely to be the norm when docking at your slip, and you plan to sail singlehanded...I'd find a better location. No sense in looking for trouble, it'll find you on it's own. engsol wrote in message ... 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 |
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