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captain58sailin · 11-09-2013, 07:37

Welcome to the forum Rob, you have a nice vessel there. I too love that song, and CSN, hopefully I'll see you around the caribe one day. Don't think I'll be coming to FL anytime soon, been there done that, have the sunburn scars to show for it.

DiverChick71 · 11-09-2013, 10:23

And I can't wait to get back to Florida. Our boat was purchased by the PO in Florida and brought through the canal to California, where a Floridian (moi) bought her. My goal is to head right back. :-). Well in a couple of years...and extremely slowly. Found a couple trinkets from Paradise island resorts while cleaning her out, as well as some items that still had the store price tags from Florida. Made me homesick for warm waters and sugar sand.

fishin4bogey · 12-09-2013, 05:10

Diverchick, if it wasn't raining today, I'd be parking my vacationing behind in that sand....or taking the boat for a spin!!! Probably going to just get breakfast at Lil Reds!!!

Panama Rob · 12-09-2013, 20:38

There are not too many vessels named Music. If you ever see me out please say hi. I am wanting to do a Key West and Tortugas trip in the not too distant future. One day I hope to be sailing the Carabee. I am locked into a carrer that allows ample leave to sail but not too far. Ill shed that amchor one day then there is no telling where Ill drift. :-). Retirement is a little over six years away :-)

DiverChick71 · 13-09-2013, 00:39

Very cool. Mine is a few years closer but not actually retirement. Just working a whole lot less on temp jobs. Yesterday I was ready to leave NOW. Reality sunk in though. I need a couple more years here. Contemplating the Baja Ha-Ha 2015 as a start to my trek south. Honestly though, California is hard to deal with at times. Who knows how long I will last.

D&D · 13-09-2013, 15:14

carpe diem!

Rakuflames · 13-09-2013, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiverChick71

A guy who works in the harbormaster office, and a guy at the yacht club have volunteered to take us out for the day. :-). That will help. Our dock neighbors also bought a ~40 ft boat for their first boat. They have had it 6 months and are just now getting comfy. Good idea on the docking practice. A club here also offers docking classes and thought about checking that out. Docking is my main fear. My boat displaces 20,000...is a forgiving boat to sail but docking is difficult. :-)

I found docking the boat I have now (31' Hunter) tricky, and when I realized how much the high freeboard can catch the wind (also the big fat stern) it all began to make sense. I took her out methodically in higher and higher winds up to 20 mph. By myself I won't do more than that. If the wind is stronger than that when I'm coming home I take her to my club's T-dock, where I only have to come up along side and don't have to worry about hitting other boats.

Practice, practice, practice, and rig up something so you can secure her with one line even if that's the only thing that line does.

I have a line running from the rear piling to the front of the dock, with e carabiner in a figure-8 loop more or less in the middle. I latch that on to the toe rail and the boat can't go anywhere. if you don't have a toe rail, or if you doubt its stoutness, you can pick something else or install a mid-cleat, but something to keep the boat in the slip. Then you can relax while you do the other lines.

DiverChick71 · 13-09-2013, 16:53

Rob explained this also, and it's hard for me to grasp a visual from words, I'm a very tactile learner. So a line that's run from piling to the back of the dock (as in where our dock box and shore power is sitting)? Runs parallel to the dock? Is it lying on dock or up in the air a couple feet? And then you secure to midship? We don't have mid ship cleats but we do have a sturdy hawsehole there thru which we can run a line. Any pics possible of what you mean?

Panama Rob · 15-09-2013, 04:02

Thanks for the advice on that. I have the toe rail and will incorporate this into my docking.

Viturina · 15-09-2013, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I solo dock too. In fact, if anyone is with me I beg them to not help.

What I do is I have a double ended spring line running between the dock and a piling. I have already determined the right place to put the carabiner on ie, in a figure-8 loop. I latch it on to boat where I want it when I'm docking, somewhere amidships, and then tie it off to the piling and the dock.

don't ever let anyone change that line.

Then you come in slow, use reverse or neutral to get her more or less where you want her to be, and grab that double-ended line with the carabiner in it. you pull the boat forward or back with the line until that carabiner is where you want it, and latch it on.

Badda bing, badda boom, the boat is secure. It can't drift backwards and It can't go forward and ram itself on the main dock. It would probably LIKE to, because boats love to see us blush, swear and even completely lose it while docking.

So your boat may hate that line, but you will love it.

Then you can take your time with the rest of the lines. Mark each of them with zip ties when you know exactly how tight you want them.

I guarantee you that if anyone else helps, you will have to go back and redo what they did.

This is what I do, and I dazzle people (really) with my docking ability. What dazzles them is no swearing, no tears of frustration, and no boat trying to park itself on land via the main dock.

I am not quite understanding how you do this but would love to! You have a line fastened to the boat amidships, and somehow it is fastened in the middle of the line w/2 looses ends? How do you get the line to the dock? Ie how do you hold the boat in position while you secure the line, given wind and way, etc? Also what's the carabiner do? Maybe you could elaborate a bit further or even post a video? I'm a nervous docker but don't want to be, so I'd really love to learn how to do it well, ie, no damage to boat, dock or psyche. Thanks!

pdjb · 21-09-2013, 22:43

I like your boat( pdjb on the west coast..seattle..hoping to sail next year...retired myself)

Rakuflames · 22-09-2013, 01:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiverChick71

Rob explained this also, and it's hard for me to grasp a visual from words, I'm a very tactile learner. So a line that's run from piling to the back of the dock (as in where our dock box and shore power is sitting)? Runs parallel to the dock? Is it lying on dock or up in the air a couple feet? And then you secure to midship? We don't have mid ship cleats but we do have a sturdy hawsehole there thru which we can run a line. Any pics possible of what you mean?

Sure. Go to my blog. I just put up a thing about docking your boat this way, and there is a picture of my docking line attached to my toe rail. I have a toe rail. With a haushole I would try tying a bowline on a bight to it so you would have something you can just clip this line to. But that might interfere with the intended use for your hawsehole?

Rakuflames · 22-09-2013, 01:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viturina

I am not quite understanding how you do this but would love to! You have a line fastened to the boat amidships, and somehow it is fastened in the middle of the line w/2 looses ends? How do you get the line to the dock? Ie how do you hold the boat in position while you secure the line, given wind and way, etc? Also what's the carabiner do? Maybe you could elaborate a bit further or even post a video? I'm a nervous docker but don't want to be, so I'd really love to learn how to do it well, ie, no damage to boat, dock or psyche. Thanks!

No -- this thing I call a docking line is permanently tied to the piling at the stern end (assuming a bow entry into the slip), and a cleat at the bow end. You put the figure 8 loop on the line so it can be latched on to your boat. That's what makes it so fast -- the line itself is already well secured, and you just grab that carabiner and attach it to the hole you marked on your toe rail. I actually secure the cleat hitch at the bow with a zip tie so someone "helpful" can't take it off.

I just put a picture of mine up on my blog. It's the newest entry so it should be easy to find. I didn't photograph the whole line, though -- just the part that clips on to the boat.