Docking to a Windward Finger

[Pacificcatalyst]

Our old powerboat is 102 gross tons and has 100 HP. Single screw. No thruster. Soooooo, there are times when it's just impossible to get where I want to be, and I have to moor where the boat and conditions put us.

That said, we use a forward spring at all times. It is the first line on, and the last off. One thing that helps us (with our plumb bow and heavy stem iron) is to ease up to the end of the slip until the iron is touching, then use the engine to hold us there while we get the lines on the dock.

Once the spring (#2 line) is secure (typically passed around the bull rail or cleat and then back aboard) I use the rudder to swing the stern in so we can secure the stern line (#4 line) then put the helm to starboard which brings the bow in, to get the bow line (#1) on. Once these lines are all secure, I go go out of gear and make sure we're laying as we want. If not, we fiddle around with forward and reverse to get the lines tight and the gate where we want it (not on the power pedistal or an unused cleat).

There are times when anchoring, or finding a dock that's down current or down wind, are the only feasible actions. Experience is as much about what you and your boat CAN'T do than what you can.

[RaySea Lady]

Originally Posted by rabend

I will be single handing a 44' sailboat and frequently tying up to a windward finger. I was wondering what methods/tools might be recommended to quickly get the lines on the cleats before drifting off.

Thanks,

Bob

Not sure if this would do the trick but this dock wand seems like it would.

See this thread.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ool-75446.html

[carstenb]

When I have to do this, and here I'm assuming you will want to end up lying along the pier, then I lay out a midship spring on the deck and put a fender sideways across my bows. I then motor straight in until my bows touch the pier (you can balance your motor against the wind pressure), go forward and loop my spring over a cleat or pole or whatever is handy. Then I just let the wind push me back out until I'm about half the length of my host, put the rudder hard over and give just enough gas to overcome the wind. Your boat will now pivot by the spring line action and you will end up settled right against the dock. Turn your rudder into the dock and your boat will remain in this position by itself until you run out of gas, leaving you plenty of time to set other lines.

[rabend]

Thanks. Good sugeestion!

Originally Posted by carstenb

When I have to do this, and here I'm assuming you will want to end up lying along the pier, then I lay out a midship spring on the deck and put a fender sideways across my bows. I then motor straight in until my bows touch the pier (you can balance your motor against the wind pressure), go forward and loop my spring over a cleat or pole or whatever is handy. Then I just let the wind push me back out until I'm about half the length of my host, put the rudder hard over and give just enough gas to overcome the wind. Your boat will now pivot by the spring line action and you will end up settled right against the dock. Turn your rudder into the dock and your boat will remain in this position by itself until you run out of gas, leaving you plenty of time to set other lines.

[sailstoo]

As "Boatman61" said earlier, spring line led aft from midship cleat and a boat length long line led from bow cleat outside lifelines to my hand. Holding both lines, step off boat and drop spring over bollard or cleat aft and go forward pulling boat in with bow line and cleat it off. No fuss if you have a relatively light boat. I've done this up to about 20,000 lbs.

[rabend]

Thanks. My boat is 40,000 loaded.

[sailstoo]

Originally Posted by rabend

Thanks. My boat is 40,000 loaded.

Oh well.

[carstenb]

I don't like to step off my boat when I'm single-handing with having a line that already is tied on. I've seen people slip on a dock and let go of their lines. What do you do if that happens and your boat drifts away.

Always get a line tied to the hard before stepping off

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by rabend

I will be single handing a 44' sailboat and frequently tying up to a windward finger. I was wondering what methods/tools might be recommended to quickly get the lines on the cleats before drifting off.

Thanks,

Bob

You didn't mention whether center cockpit or aft... nor anything about docking bow-to or stern-to the main pier. Assuming aft cockpit...

We usually do this maneuver into a slip with 4-way tie-up by approaching stern-to. Especially useful for us, given most finger piers around here are not full length, and getting off the boat from our cockpit is doable, whereas it's not really possible from the bow.

With one crew, we set a forward spring line (i.e., leading from a midships cleat forward to the dock) on either a pile or cleat at the outer end of the finger... then gradually adjust tension at the midships cleat while reversing into the slip with the engine. When the stern is satisfactorily near the main pier, we set the other windward lines at our leisure.

(We routinely do this at fuel docks, too, since I can put the pulpit right over the dock for a minute, crew can pick up fuel dock lines or get our own lines on a pile or dock cleat... jockey with bits of reverse and forward until the boat comes along side...)

When single-handing, I still prefer docking stern-to in a 4-way tie-up -- aside from that always getting off the boat from the cockpit thing -- because that lets me approach the outer end of the slip and attach a pre-adjusted forward spring, outside the lifelines, etc. The rest of the manuever is the same. Once in, leaving the engine in reverse gear against that spring line will hold the boat well enough while I do the other lines. The pre-adjustment is a WAG based on how long the slip is; any length that keeps me from ramming the main pier but also gets me inside the slip "close enough" suits me fine... and I can always adjust aftterwards.

Docking bow-to would be similar in concept. With crew, a forward spring line from midships to pier, then reverse on that... or an aft spring line from midships to pier and go ahead on that. But single-handing would mean leaving the cockpit to set the lines.

It's also possible bow-to using an aft spring line (from midships cleat leading aft to finger), and using the engine in forward gear to pull the boat along side the finger. That would be more difficult for me single-handing because the boat would be almost all the way into the slip before I could reach a pile or cleat from the cockpit, less time and distance to regain control...

Don't think I've said anything new here about spring lines, though...

-Chris

[campbdon]

Blue Stocking, re: your post on page 1 of this thread I would like to try your suggestion but don't quite follow your recommendation.

"Tie a line tightly between your dockside cleats, stern and midship positions. To the removable hook one one them type boathooks, splice a 6ft pennant and attach it to your midship cleat. Approach the dock, clip the hook on the dockline and motor ahead, Boat will pull to dock. Used this method for years."

On my finger I have a cleat at bow, midship, and stern and though I don't have midship cleat onboard I have toerail that I can clip to.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by campbdon

Blue Stocking, re: your post on page 1 of this thread I would like to try your suggestion but don't quite follow your recommendation.

"Tie a line tightly between your dockside cleats, stern and midship positions. To the removable hook one one them type boathooks, splice a 6ft pennant and attach it to your midship cleat. Approach the dock, clip the hook on the dockline and motor ahead, Boat will pull to dock. Used this method for years."

On my finger I have a cleat at bow, midship, and stern and though I don't have midship cleat onboard I have toerail that I can clip to.

You realize that post is more than 10 years old?


What he means is that you put your midships spring line onto a line running between two dock cleats, rather than the cleat itself. Rig your spring line with the hook from one of those removable hook type boathooks, and clip that on to the line on the dock.


It's clever -- will be much easier than getting the spring line onto a cleat.


But only good for your home dock.


What do you do when you're out cruising?


When I'm single handed, getting onto to a windward berth, I do the following:


Motor almost directly into the berth, then turn the wheel hard and give a burst of reverse to kill momentum. Scramble out of the cockpit and lasso the cleat with my spring line before I get blown off. This is quite a trick on my boat with substantial freeboard, and good distance from helm to midships cleat, but practice makes perfect. With the spring line on, motor forward and you are pulled onto the dock so that you can get other lines on.



After a certain wind speed this doesn't work. In those cases I rig a longer line to a powered sheet winch. Get that somehow, anyhow, on some cleat, then work onto the berth with the winch and engine power.


Now it gets really tricky on Scandinavian docks which use rings rather than cleats. Who the hell decided a ring is better than a cleat should be keel-hauled. In this case I use one of those Scandinavian mooring-buoy grabbers -- a short boathook with remote operated jaws, with the spring line tied onto it. Grab the ring with that.

[campbdon]

Thanks Dockhead! Yeah 10 yrs old but a timeless issue!

So, you say I connect my dockside stern and mid-ship cleats together with a tight line, and onto that line I loop another line that will be long enough to loop over the boat and deck mid-deck cleats? What advantage does the line between the cleats offer over just keeping the short loop permanently attached to either the mid ship cleat or the mid-dock cleat?

I'm usually with one crew though not very experienced, but can follow simple directives.

I'll try your idea, but alternatively what about having the loop line run through a block at the mid-deck back to the helm. This would be left on the boat so the crew jumps off and loops it over the mid-dock cleat then I snug it up from the cockpit.

[danstanford]

For those of you without a mid-ship cleat, often the primary winch can serve in this role to get you on the pier...plus you can shorten it easily. My objective over the years when single handed is to get a line over a cleat on the dock (hopefully one close to the mid-ships on my boat and haul it in as close as possible. She might get a bit twisted while you are getting her secured but she should be reasonably parallel to the dock and will not get away.

[campbdon]

After some thought about this I may have something that might work for me. Before arrival at home dock I pre-rig a line tied to mid-ship toerail position (no deck cleat) and lead it back to cockpit outside lifelines and fenders. This would be used as a temporary spring line run aft. A second line is rigged with bowline loop and bitter end runs through a block attached to the same position on toerail as the other line and this also runs back to the cockpit. This is my remote controlled bre(a)st-line. As soon as the cockpit clears the end of the finger the crew steps off with first line in hand and snubs it to dock stern cleat to halt forward motion. Then I or the crew loops the bre(a)st-line over the mid DOCK cleat and the loop gets hauled tight from cockpit to keep boat immobilized at mid-ships. Then attach the permanent dock lines. This all assumes we can successfully round the finger from upwind and make it to the dock without being blown into my neighbour!
We shall have to test this.

[JPA Cate]

@campdon,

The chainplates for the capshrouds will be a strong point, stronger the aluminum perforated toe rail. You can anchor both ends of a long enough dock line to drop over the aftmost cleat on the dock to them. It may not be quite amidships, but it will do in a pinch. Dockhead's vessel is 57' and will stay stopped longer than your 29 footer. But all you need is to get a bight of the double line over the cleat: you don't have to lasso it. You go ahead dead slow, with the rudder set to turn the bow toward the dock. The boat will come to rest, and you can climb down next to the dock. Me, I would have fenders all on the side next to your neighbor, just in case, and you should have your bow and stern lines led, ready to go, outside everything as you said, but whichever end of your boat will tend to blow off first, that's the one you secure first. With the engine still running, when you step down, the boat will stay pretty stable in light airs, and you'll not need to run, just walk fast, sweat the stern line in, and then secure the bow line(s), and return to the cockpit, take it out of gear, and turn off the engine. You might need to arrange for someone to give you a hand, if the wind is more angled to blow you off, and you might have to move faster if it shifts.

If you have a snatch block you can place amidships, then you could use a single line, as was suggested above. One end wrapped on the primary winch, and the other end with a large loop way more than large enough to drop over the cleat. The advantage is that the stern will not blow off so quickly when the attachment to the boat really IS amidships.

Honestly, installing a midships cleat with a backing plate for each side, will make all your docking easier, perhaps a winter project.

Ann