Docking advice

[Subaru06]

Relax, guy. There ain't no dumb questions where boating is concerned, especially docking. These are the only things I am sure of:

1.

 

[Alex F]

With no lines?? Exactly what keeps your boat against the finger pier, and not against your neighbors boat, with an unfavorable crosswind?

You let the stern quarter to touch the finger, then you use the engine to pivot the bow into desired direction, usually away from that finger. The basic idea is to use the wind and control the stern, let the stern go with the direction of the wind and touch that side of piling or finger. No need for lines b/c the wind and the work of the engine keeps the stern tight to the finger, now you use the force to swing the bow to the middle. As soon as the bow is positioned now you have to change the direction and move the boat in to the slip.

 

[boatrboy]

I'm going to suggest you try something that is a huge difference from what most people are experienced with. If I'm understanding your situation correctly, you're backing into the slip and have a dock on the stbd side and the wind is pushing from stbd to port so it pushes your bow away from the dock. Right???

OK, with that in mind here's my suggestion. Instead of worrying about the bow so much when you back in, have your lines and fenders all set before you start backing. The most important line is going to be a line off your stern cleat that you can quickly fasten to a cleat on the dock.

Here's how it all works....
You back in, aiming your stern towards the stern cleat on the dock. When you get real close to it, run back and fasten that line from your stern cleat to the dock cleat, and make it as short as you can. Then put the boat in forward gear, at idle, with the wheel cocked a little bit to the stbd side. The boat will try to go forward, but can't because of the stern line. What will happen is that as you keep the boat in gear it will bring the bow around toward the dock as the boat pivots from the stern cleat. When the bow fender bumps up against the dock, leave the boat in gear, stay in the boat and go forward and fasten a line from your bow cleat to a cleat on the dock. Then go back and take the boat out of gear.

This method is called using a spring line to get the boat to do what you want it to do. I know it sounds improbable, but try it once or twice. It works.

My Galley Wench and I use spring lines all the time in touch docking situations and even with a boat that has as much sail area as mine does, spring lines work just great.

I do this all the time alone or with the wife - but I will add - I have my lines set at the dock at the right lengths and I tell my wife just throw the loop over the stern cleat, don't run it through - this way her fingers never get caught and it takes no time to just throw the loop over the cleat. I power forward slowly and bring the bow around. I also do this at docks I visit if its windy, and have my wife attach a line to the stern cleat and tell her just wrap around the dock cleat twice until I can get there since she is not the most agile. It works well for me when needed.

Hope this helps,

Mark