Challenge: Bringing a Larger Boat Into a Slip Without An Engine

[pteron]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Far as practice for "when" your engine dies, how do power boats practice for that? I don't feel my engine will just die once running, more likely it just wouldn't have started.

Many callouts in the solent are for sailboats with failed engines. Run out of fuel, wrapped props, you name it.

I do consider it to be a basic skill.

[psneeld]

Sailing into a basic slip under ideal condintions may be a basic skill. However, there are situations where sailing to a slip in certain marinas under certain conditions would be considered foolhearty by most, negligent operation if an incident occurred, and grounds for an insurance company to drop you like a hot potato after they paid the claims you caused if anything went wrong.

Can it be done? Sure...but it may be bad risk management....

[pteron]

Ahh, yes I forgot, the land of the lawyer

Kidding aside, of course you don't set yourself up to fail, a prudent skipper is always balancing risk.

But sailing a modern fin keeler with a furling headsail onto a long pontoon in a wind against tide? It's a doddle and every skipper should be able to do it.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by pteron

Ahh, yes I forgot, the land of the lawyer

Kidding aside, of course you don't set yourself up to fail, a prudent skipper is always balancing risk.

But sailing a modern fin keeler with a furling headsail onto a long pontoon in a wind against tide? It's a doddle and every skipper should be able to do it.

No one is debating that....but a long pontoon isn't usually the case...and no matter as the OP posted specifically a "slip" which means probably other boats with bowsprits and anchors and possibly backing in the slip to boot. Under ideal conditions...tricky but doable...under unfavorable conditions????...as i posted before...

[wolfaroo]

It seems, to my tiny mind at least, to be a skill set 'we' are allowing to slip, no pun intended. Sailing yachts didn't really have engines en masse until the 1960's and somehow, in the relatively short time between then and now, a number of us have started to believe that coming alongside under sail alone is the stuff of neanderthals.

As evidenced in this thread, some of us even get p*%&&^d off by people doing it!!!

A few weeks ago I stumbled on this clip of an 80 footer coming along side without her engine:

YouTube - Yacht "Too Elusive" docks under sail 7/29/07

without detracting one bit from the skipper's ability, it should be noted the conditions were favourable, but still nicely done sir.

I would love to see some clips of the more technical aspects of coming alongside in less than ideal conditions; kedging, rode swinging/warping etc if anyone knows of or has any (pretty please)?

[David_Old_Jersey]

With that much room could park a battleship

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Ben M-P

Maybe, We are going to look at it this morning. It had the engine (and bad fuel tanks) taken completely out for a repower. I have a couple of possibilities for engines but was looking for solutions for moving the boat in the mean time.

Probably not the ideal circumstances to learn.........solo

The "easy" answer is extra crew (with roving fenders) and arrange in advance a nudge from a yard / marina boat for the last 10 / 100 yards.

[btrayfors]

True story:

Some years ago the USCG bark, Eagle, was returning to her home port in New England. Coming in toward the dock with a following current and wind, she lost all propulsion.

The officer on watch at the wheel was terrified, as this 200-foot plus steel behemoth headed for the dock at New London, CT with a lot of way on her. Mr. Jones we'll call him.

"Captain, we're going to hit the dock."

"Very well, Mr. Jones, carry on."

"Captain, I wish to be relieved."

"Very well, Mr. Jones, you're relieved."

The Captain took over, moving behind the huge wheel. As was the usual practice, the call was echoed throughout the ship, "Captain has the con, Captain has the con".

Inexorably, the Eagle continued at pace toward the steel bulkhead.

Predictably, she ran her bow into and up on the bulkhead, with a huge crash.

The Captain, nonplussed, turned to his shipmate and said, "Now, Mr. Jones, couldn't you have done that?"

True story.

Bill

[wolfaroo]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

With that much room could park a battleship

I doubt Mr Jones could.

[sww914]

Oh, you can do it but you'd better be tight. If you're rusty you should practice pulling up alongside a mooring buoy or the like and be sure that you're good before you risk a lot. I've done it many many times in a Rhodes 33 with a full keel and a relatively large rig. That boat didn't have an engine and had never had one so there was no other option. Some slips we could pull right into but most of the slips in Morro Bay have a cross current most of the time so if we were pulling in and it wasn't near a high or low tide we would pull up behind the other boats in the slips and walk it in. Bad things happen when you turn a full keel boat sideways to the current and try to stop in in a tight spot. I never once felt that we were doing anything irresponsible, it was simply the only way to use that boat.

[gulfstar37]

Take note everyone loves a great crash.

Two stories.

First was on a Cat 27 on purpose just to see if we could do it. I had a roller furler and all went well. After we were in and tied up I noticed I had sweat on my brow and swear I left indents on the tiller.

Second was on our Gulfstar 37 when we lost our transmission. As always with murphy, wind dead head on comming into the finger slips. Before we got to port I called good friend and arranged to meet him in front of the port where he towed me in very slowly and we coasted in. When we started comming in I noticed about 10 people there to help? no! Waiting to see the crash. Well by using a spring line on the dock we came to a gentle stop along side of our slip. Only one person helped us tie up. I noticed I had sweat on my brow and swear I left indents on the wheel.

Lessons learned. Have a plan put together prior to having to make one up on the fly. I don't look forward to doing this again but we enjoy sailing and sure we will have the opportinuty again. Hopefully no bumps.

No matter what you will have sweat on your brow and will probably leave indents on your tiller/wheel

[pteron]

Originally Posted by psneeld

No one is debating that....but a long pontoon isn't usually the case...and no matter as the OP posted specifically a "slip" which means probably other boats with bowsprits and anchors and possibly backing in the slip to boot. Under ideal conditions...tricky but doable...under unfavorable conditions????...as i posted before...

Have you read any of Hal Roth's books? He circumnavigated without an engine.

As I said before, if you can't make the specific slip you as skipper decide what you can make. You then warp the boat into the required position. Sailors did this for hundreds of years before Messrs de Rochas et al came along.

What if your engine fails and there's no one around to tow you?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by pteron

What if your engine fails and there's no one around to tow you?

You get as close as you feel able, to where the boat is secure. whether that be 10 yards or 10 miles (alternate port) of your slip / mooring. and then you put the kettle on ...........and work on a plan B.

IMO quite prudent to be a coward Having said that, neccessity can be quite a useful learning tool.........

[Roaring Girl]

I'd certainly expect to do what 'Too Elusive' did so beautifully and have done it. But (besides perfect weather) they've a big crew there. It can be a different ball game short handed. RG weighs 12 tons and is v difficult to stop just on a rope round a cleat if there's current or wind. So there are things we're a lot more careful with around RG than the previous 4 ton sloop.

There isn't a single answer. I wouldn't risk massive insurance and damage if I didn't have to and would much rather anchor off and get the dinghy out, or find a safe hammerhead (end/long pontoon) and then warp round. For instance in our old berth (slip) in Ipswich,UK, you went up an aisle with a hard dock at the end, which was crowded with the very lovelywooden Spirit yachts which are built there. The area is surrounded by buildings so wind is very flukey and often vanishes altogether for minutes at a time. When we got a prop wrap (builders plastic), we sailed onto an empty hammerhead and sorted it out in the morning.

[noelex 77]

The OP implies a temporary problem, or emergency .
This post , at the same time, implies the author is considering purchasing a boat without a viable engine which may have been the reason behind the question.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...40-a-58952.htm

Having lived on and managed a 47 foot boat with engine failure for a couple of months I should warn that’s its not much fun. In most cases I don’t believe it is a practical proposition for a cruising boat of this size to be without an engine.