Learned a lesson ....

[BaltimoreLurker]

When we leave our slip we always discuss the wind direction as it relates to the order in which we release the dock lines. Last Saturday I learned, the hard way, to have the same discussion on the way back into the slip.

We do talk through the standard procedure: SO gets the mid-ship spring line first, then gets the bow lines inside the boat. By then I'm off the flybridge hooking up the stern lines. It usually works. Saturday it was fairly windy. I was so stinking proud of gauging the wind perfectly and sliding my (single engine!) boat exactly between the outer pilings without touching that I didn't notice my SO had dropped the windward bow line into the water. Near disaster. We were pushed way into the empty, neighboring slip. 4 lines hooked up but no way to get at the windward bow line to get re-centered. What a PITA! In my stress, no amount of jockeying the shifter and rudder would get the bow around. I couldn't move her an inch to windward by hauling on the spring line. Finally the wind dropped off and I could pull up on the spring line to get a boat hook on the bow line.

Lesson learned - prioritize the line handling according to the wind on the way into the slip too!

However, if our neighbor had been in their slip we could have bounced off them (fenders were in place) and gotten at our wayward bow line. Embarrassing, but much less stressful.

 

[skipperdude]

Yup been there got the T shirt.

I know there has been some posts about tossing a line to someone on the dock many say don't do it.

Sometimes a little help makes a world of difference.

I am not adversed to doing it. If the wind is up.

Sometimes you just can't catch a break. Then you may need someone to catch a line.

Sd

 

[markpierce]

Sometimes you just can't catch a break. Then you may need someone to catch a line.

I find there is usually more fuss when someone on the dock tries to help.

 

[Marin]

Don't know if you have this already or can rig one on your dock, but we learned a long time ago to rig a permanent midships spring line on our dock for when we come in and the wind wants to push us to the other side of the slip (which is most of the time with our slip orientation).

We did what many of the boaters in our marina do and fabricated a simple holder about five or six feet high out of PVC and mounted it near the end of our dock. We then bought a heavy 25 foot braided mooring line with a ready-made loop in one end and fastened the bitter end to the furthest out cleat on the dock so when the line is stretched out the loop is where we want the midship hawse on the boat to be when it's tied up. We then hang the loop on the holder.

So when we come in my wife gets on the foredeck and as I curve the boat into the slip she simply lifts the loop off the hook, takes it back and through the midship hawse and onto the midship cleat and tells me that it's on.

I keep easing the boat into the slip until all the slack is out of the permanent spring line. Then I put the rudder hard over away from the dock and the dock-side transmission in forward, other one in neutral if it's not already. Spring line pulls the bow in, rudder and prop thrust move the stern in, and we can pin the boat against the dock in just about any wind while we get the first couple of mooring lines to the dock. If the wind is real strong we use more power on the dock-side engine. The same technique works equally well with a single engine boat.

Once we started doing this, while we still take note of the wind direction and strength--- the cold storage and fish processing plant in the marina has big orange windsocks on the roof but the best indicators are the direction and speed sensors on top of almost every sailboat mast in the marina---- but we have no more worries about the wind messing up our docking and blowing us into the neighboring boat.

The photo is of our old slip and dock which was torn out this winter and replaced with a whole new set of wider and nicer concrete docks. The PVC stand is visible sticking up about a quarter of the way in from the end of the dock. We will put up the same kind of stand when we move back onto the new dock.

 

[skipperdude]

So what do you do when You don't have a permenant slip and never know where you will be told to dock. Right, left or rafted on some other boat.

SD

 

[markpierce]

We did what many of the boaters in our marina do and fabricated a simple holder about five or six feet high out of PVC and mounted it near the end of our dock. ...

That's very clever. Unfortunately, my marina wouldn't permit it.

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Wow this is quite timely as we moved to a new slip on Sunday. We had hoped to wait for slack tide and light wind but after waiting for perfect conditions for two days we finally had to "just do it". Part of our motivation to go ahead was we had another couple visiting us who had to get on the road so we wanted to take advantage of having help. We set up dock lines in the slip before we moved and also had lines on the boat to hand to our waiting friends. We discussed strategy between the two of us on the boat and with our two friends on the dock. It took us three attempts to have a clear shot at the slip as the first two times the wind and current caught us and we had no chance at getting in without crashing. the third time we went past the slip and came at it from the other side. the wind was behind us as we made our turn so Matt understeered to let the wind finish our turn as the current was crabbing the whole boat sideways into the slip. This is a covered berth so our primary concern is keeping our (sunbrella covered) teak handrail from crashing into the roof supports. The previous occupant had left some padding and good thing as we crashed into it pretty well on the down -wind and -current side. Rubbed through the sunbrella even. The first thing we did was get the spring line on the up wind/ current side so we could use that as Marin described so well with our other dock based helper trying to keep us off the roof supports on the other side as much as possible without putting herself at any risk of bodily harm (our number 1 rule). We ended up catching a fender on our boat on the fenders on the roof support which pretty much stopped forward progress and left us hanging half in the slip. It actually worked out well as it gave us some time to breath and think of what to do next to get ourselves where we wanted to be. I should mention I saw at least four sets of people stop what they were doing to watch us try to get into this slip.

Anyways that is probably an awful description that doesn't really express the events but suffice it to say it was VERY challenging and we were very glad to have some extra hands there. We will definitely employee the spring line method that Marin describes (not to mention try to time our arrivals and departures with slack tide!!). We also need to rethink our fender strategy. We noticed most of our neighbors have no fenders on the boat but instead line the slip with big round fenders. We have a few of those but may need more.

Gotta love this yachting stuff.

 

[Marin]

So what do you do when You don't have a permenant slip and never know where you will be told to dock. Right, left or rafted on some other boat.

SD

We always put the midships spring ashore first no matter where we dock and no matter on which side. We leave all our docklines, port and starboard, rigged all the time, loop on the cleats, bitter end coiled, looped and locked over the rails above the cleats, so we can put any line ashore anytime anywere on either side of the boat.

 

[Marin]

That's very clever. Unfortunately, my marina wouldn't permit it.

Then I'd try to talk the marina into it. What's a 1" diameter PVC pipe sticking up a few feet compared to the big ugly boats all over the place? Especially if it prevents someone's boat from getting away from them in the wind and being blown into another boat with the potential for damage to both boats.

Seriously, it's a great asset if one's home slip is positioned to be affected by a crosswind that blows you off your dock.

I simply screwed ours to the bullrail in our old slip. The temporarty slip we're in right now is on a concrete dock identical to the new one that's replaced our old one. A previous tennant of our temporary slip installed two of these line hooks. All he did was drill a hole down into one of the two 4 x 12s or whatever they are that line the outside of the concrete dock and stick the base of his PVC rod into the hole. Which is what we'll do in our new slip. SImple, looks neat, and is hardly noticeable.

 

[yachtbrokerguy]

Having been involved with so many people running a boat that is new to them, I always try to mention that after the first two thousand landings docking gets easier. I also say that running a boat is usually easy except the last 200 feet.

 

[markpierce]

Wow this is quite timely as we moved to a new slip on Sunday. We had hoped to wait for slack tide and light wind but after waiting for perfect conditions for two days we finally had to "just do it". ...

Gee, Jennifer, the winds have been light the last several days in the Bay Area. This San Pablo Bay scene was taken last Saturday and the racing boats were lucky to make all of three knots downwind. Whatcha gonna do when the summer's strong winds get into action?

 

[markpierce]

I'm still experimenting, but my current routine is something like this. I tie onto the mid-berth cleat between the Coot's two midship cleats using one line. This keeps the boat from going frontwards or backwards. Then tie onto a stern cleat, the side depending on which way the side of the stern needs to be pulled to straighten the boat. (When there is no dock on both sides, I choose between bow or stern lines as needed so a pull will straighten the boat.) Then attach remaining bow and stern lines. Lastly, tie onto the opposite side's mid-berth cleat, again using one line connecting to the boat's two mid-hull cleats.

Barely visible here because the line is nearly the same color as the hull, showing connections with a mid-dock cleat:

Notice the plentiful supply of fenders. Use five to each side.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Don't know if you have this already or can rig one on your dock, but we learned a long time ago to rig a permanent midships spring line on our dock for when we come in and the wind wants to push us to the other side of the slip (which is most of the time with our slip orientation).

We do have 5 permanent dock lines rigged, one being the midships spring line, of the perfect length to keep us from striking the dock with the stern when the eye splice/loop is dropped over the midship cleat. The midships springline is always the first line attached to the boat. The problem occurred when the windward bow line was dropped into the drink.

Besides a more thorough pre-dock brief (we stop in the turning pool to discuss strategy) I need to either or both 1) develop/learn the technique of using the springline in conjunction with rudder and prop in my particular slip configuration, 2) rig an additional line, somewhere/somehow that will provide another leverage point.

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Gee, Jennifer, the winds have been light the last several days in the Bay Area. This San Pablo Bay scene was taken last Saturday and the racing boats were lucky to make all of three knots downwind. Whatcha gonna do when the summer's strong winds get into action?

We are in the delta. It was howling sat and sun morning. It was much less windy there last summer.

 

[Phil Fill]

We have protect rub strips along the bull rail as that is what hits the hull first, 6 permanent round funders left on the dock, pre cut to length lines left with in easy reach on the dock. Plus 4 fender per side on the boat, addition docking lines, and poles to grab or push off the dock. Our slip is the first slip on a 300 ft long dock, presently we have 140 ft of dock to the next boat, usually someone is on the dock to assist AND I STILL HATE DOCKING! If they have VALET docking, I would be all for/over that!

 

[markpierce]

We are in the delta. It was howling sat and sun morning. It was much less windy there last summer.

Weird. Next thing you'll tell me is the Independence Day fireworks display will be on July 3.

 

[skipperdude]

We always put the midships spring ashore first no matter where we dock and no matter on which side. We leave all our docklines, port and starboard, rigged all the time, loop on the cleats, bitter end coiled, looped and locked over the rails above the cleats, so we can put any line ashore anytime anywere on either side of the boat.

Sounds about right. when my mate steps off the boat on to the finger that is the one he has in hand.

There are only 4 harbors in south central Alaska that can be reached by road. Whittier, Seward, Valdez and Homer.

I have been on the list to get a slip for 10 years and have about 5 to go.

Whittier is 60 miles from Anchorage

Anchorage to homer is 5 hours. To valdez is 300 miles. Seward is 125 miles or 3 hours. There are no other marinas in the state. Save one. A small private one in Whittier. Slips are selling for a 40 ft $ 1,15000.00. In that marina.
Some day I will have a slip that I can rig as you say.
Oh the joy of boating. Or docking in Alaska.

SD

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Weird. Next thing you'll tell me is the Independence Day fireworks display will be on July 3.

 

[psneeld]

Try backing a single screw into your slip singlehanded with this current..

TiderippingII-1.mp4 video by psneeld - Photobucket

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Try backing a single screw into your slip singlehanded with this current..

TiderippingII-1.mp4 video by psneeld - Photobucket

Cabin boy, bring me my brown pants!

 

[Besslb]

We leave all our docklines, port and starboard, rigged all the time, loop on the cleats, bitter end coiled, looped and locked over the rails above the cleats, so we can put any line ashore anytime anywere on either side of the boat.

Our docklines are always at the ready as well. If we have a dock hand, I pass a bow line (or stern line if we go stern to) to him, then hit the dock myself with the spring line.

We dock both bow in and stern to depending on mood/wind/projects. So, I hung fenders on our dock from the cleats. We had a couple old fenders that a line can go all the way through so they hang horizontal - parallel with the dock.

 

[psneeld]

Must be nice to always tie up alongside....backing into slips and reaching for poles is a PIA when transiting.

 

[ARoss]

Damn, I feel spoiled. Home slip has full-length (34') floating finger piers on both sides, with big rubrails all the way down.

It's hard to miss.

 

[Marin]

I need to either or both 1) develop/learn the technique of using the springline in conjunction with rudder and prop in my particular slip configuration, 2) rig an additional line, somewhere/somehow that will provide another leverage point.

The technique is very simple and it works for any boat, single or twin. Putting idle power forward against a midships spring running aft to a cleat on the dock toward the stern will pull the bow of the boat into the dock. Wind, no wind, current, no current, it will always do this. You may need to add power if the crosswind or cross-current pushing you off the dock is strong, but the aft-running midships spring will always pull the bow to the dock.

So now you have to get the stern to the dock. Single or twin, that is easily done with prop thrust and rudder. Turn the helm so the rudder is hard away from the dock. Since you're already in forward gear against the midship spring to pull the bow into the dock, the thrust against the hard-over rudder will move the stern up against the dock.

And that's all there is to it. The spring line and thrust against the rudder hard over away from the dock will combine to pin your boat against the dock even with a wind or current trying to push you off of it. The stronger the wind or current the more power you might need. But most of the time we never need more than idle power.

Once the boat has pinned itself against the dock or finger we leave the engine running and in gear while we get the bow and stern breast lines attached. At that point we can shut down knowing the boat will stay put.

With a twin engine boat we always use the engine next the dock to provide the forward power. We leave the "outboard" engine in neutral. This is because the prop next to the dock provides some pivoting power on its own because of it's off-center location. You don't want to put the outboard engine in reverse as you would when you pivot the boat in open water because this will take pressure off the midship spring and the bow won't be pulled into the dock as effectively.

With a single engine boat you simply use the one engine in forward gear against the hard-over rudder.

This method works every time whether you have someone get to the dock with the aft-running midship spring when you arrive and quickly secure it to a cleat or bullrail or if you keep a permanent midship spring hanging from a stand where it can be reached by someone on the foredeck as you enter your slip.

Cautions: Communication is key. The person securing the midship spring has to tell you when that line is secure, whether to the midship cleat if it's a permanent line on the dock or to the dock if it's a line they've taken ashore. The driver should NEVER take up the slack on the line and put pressure on it until the line handler has secured the line and gotten their fingers and hands clear.

Since the boat is running in gear it's imperative that everyone on your boat know this so they don't drop anything in the water or remove the midship spring for some reason when the other lines are secured. If we have to leave the boat in gear while we secure other lines--- which actually is not all that often--- whoever's at the helm tells the other person--- loudly--- that the engine is still in gear. And when the boat is taken out of gear the helmsperson announces that, too.

And if the person handling the midship spring should drop the line in the water they need to tell the helmsperson instantly so he/she can get the prop(s) into neutral immediately. A midships spring to be properly effective will be long enough to reach the prop(s) on most boats and you don't want to be winding the line up on the prop.

Case in point. At end of the same event that caused us to discard our Bruce for something better we arrived at our home slip to find a direct crosswind gusting to some 30 mph. We entered the slip and my wife lifted the spring line off its stand and went back to put it on the midship cleat. But I was so leery of the strong wind and being pushed off the finger and into our neighbor that I had the boat moving faster than normal into the slip.

My wife got the line through the hawse and to the cleat but I was already so far into the slip that she had no slack to put the loop of line over the cleat. So she had no choice but to drop it. She told me this immediately and I stopped the boat with the outboard engine and backed quickly out of the slip into the fairway. We weren't about to try docking again with no easily-secured spring line and the line in the water to boot, so we turned around and went to an open slip across the way from us with a downwind finger. We didn't need a spring line here since the wind pushed us onto the finger and held us there.

 

[bobofthenorth]

What Marin said. I try to use the outboard (away from the pier) prop to guard against dropped line accidents but sometimes the wind/current is such that you need the added leverage from the inboard prop. I can see the hawsehole where the springline comes aboard so I ease into it and watch it come tight. Depending on how much slack your linehandler has left you could get up a fair head of steam before you hit the end of the line otherwise. And don't expect many people to understand what you are doing. We've had a couple of training "captains" onboard who hadn't a clue how to use a springline in this manner. This method works well and works every time. If someone shows up on the dock and threatens to get in the way, whichever of us is acting as linehandler just tells them that we have a stern line rigged and asks them to take that. They can't do a whole lot of harm back there. And when someone reaches for our conveniently draped bow line I've been known to slap their hand away.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

The technique is very simple and it works for any boat, single or twin. Putting idle power forward against a midships spring running aft to a cleat on the dock toward the stern will pull the bow of the boat into the dock. Wind, no wind, current, no current, it will always do this. You may need to add power if the crosswind or cross-current pushing you off the dock is strong, but the aft-running midships spring will always pull the bow to the dock.

And there it is! My spring line runs forward. Rigging an addition spring line running aft may be just the ticket. Thank youuuuu.

 

[Marin]

We have described the process above to several boaters over the years and the inevitable question was "how did you learn this." Well, we certainly didn't come up with it ourselves.

When we first got interested in getting a larger boat a good friend with a lot of boating experience suggested we charter a boat first to see if we liked it. And he'd split the cost and come with us. So we did, but he didn't. A critical commitment prevented our friend from going but my wife and I decided to go ahead anyway even though we had at the time zero experience with these kinds of boats.

We spent about three hours with a checkout skipper learning the basic techniques of docking the thing, and when we asked him what line is best to take ashore first he said "always the midship spring" and proceded to teach us the method described above. And we've been doing it that way ever since.

He also taught us a never-fail, works the first time method of picking up a mooring buoy that we have used ever since, but that's another subject. The point is, there can be some major benefits for people new to this cruiser thing or thinking of getting into it from chartering a boat first and spending some time with an experienced instructor skipper.

 

[Marin]

And there it is! My spring line runs forward. Rigging an addition spring line running aft may be just the ticket. Thank youuuuu.

We always run midship springs forward and aft everywhere we go. Winds change, currents change, boat wakes arrive from different directions, and having springs running both ways is the only way to go in my book.

 

[markpierce]

Egad. My boat isn't fast enough to keep up with that current.

 

[psneeld]

Egad. My boat isn't fast enough to keep up with that current.

The video shows it running right about 3 knots...maybe a tad less...thankfully it is like that for a little under 2 weeks a month...