New Boat stress

[Panamax.]

Just picked up a 36' sailboat. After two successful but HIGHLY stressful moorings, I was wondering how long it will be before the knees stop shaking every time I start to moor her.

[Ol Dave]

Mooring is stressful? ... How? ... You either get it or you have to come around again...
What are you going to do when you have to dock in a tight slip with a cross wind with a current?


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[eeeJJaaa]

Delightful.


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[JPA Cate]

Okay, Panamax,

Congratulations!

Are you going to tell us what you selected? or make us guess based on your avatar?

Ann

[davefromoregon]

Pay an instructor for a couple hours of instruction or find some else who knows what they are doing to help you learn. You don't have to do this by trial and error.


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[cwyckham]

I think you might mean docking, not mooring. In which case, I haven't found that it ever goes away, but it does become better! Finding somebody with a lot of experience or an instructor to help you dock your particular boat in your particular slip with your particular crew would be very helpful. There are some nice tricks that can really help.

We can give you ideas if you want to describe specific issues you're having, though if it's just the general terror, than that will just fade with time to fear and then uneasiness.

The other thing that really helped me was that when I did take a course and we were coming out of a really tight place, we did have to push off of other boats on our way out. I figured out that I had really high expectations of myself and getting the boat in "pretty close" and then manhandling it the rest of the way is actually just fine.

At this point, any docking experience that doesn't require a call to the insurance company is a good docking experience!

[weavis]

Hi Panamax.
If you tell us what vessel you have, it will help to understand the nature of the docking procedure required.

for example, I go on a Princess 50 foot motor boat and for that vessel, its all about bow thrusters and engine control regardless of the wind in most cases. For the Centaur, its a balance of wind plus knowing how the stern kicks out when putting the engine in reverse, plus wind effect on the bow. Once you understand how it works.... it becomes routine and much easier, except for that one time in.....

[Old Snipe]

Originally Posted by Panamax.

Just picked up a 36' sailboat. After two successful but HIGHLY stressful moorings, I was wondering how long it will be before the knees stop shaking every time I start to moor her.

Never moored a sailboat in my life until I did some solo practice attempts yesterday. I pinballed my 26' off the piles on my first few attempts. Once I got the feel and timing of the hull and rudder, it became "business as usual". I had a bit of fun with it.

Having a 2nd person on board with a boat hook handy would make things easier if you are worried about getting scuffs on the paint job.

[JPA Cate]

Panamax,

I apologize, I don't remember exactly where you are based. But this principle helped me. Make up four floats, with line and weights. Go place them outside the harbor in water of sufficient depth that you don't worry about running aground, and then practice putting the boat where you want it within the floats.

i am aware someone posted above that you should get help to learn this, and I suggest that this might be a personality issue, that you might learn better with instruction, or you might be so independent that trial and error works better for you. Anyhow, you choose! :-D

Ann

[Panamax.]

36' Hunter. Mooring....I mean "docking" her in the Puget Sound region. It is easier each time.

[cwyckham]

Do you understand prop walk in reverse? Do you know which way yours is?

The other great skill is to spin a sailboat in its own length by giving agressive shots of forward and reverse with the wheel hard over. This has gotten me out of bad spots.

[sailcruiser]

Panamax for me it's never stress free. Are you docking now in? If not I'd go that route for a while.

Some things to make docking easier that I've observed:

1 no jumpers to the dock! I hate this and it's forbidden on my boat. Save skin before fiberglass.

2 using a midship line (my preference). http://www.sailingcourse.com/cruisin..._ship_line.gif. I use a mid ship cleat with a 3 strand dock line pre measured that fits snugly on the cleat with a big loop on the opposite end. The big loop gets tossed over a dock post and from there a neutral rudder and slow forward speed does the rest.
Edited to add: here is the link to the animated gif above see #2
http://www.sailingcourse.com/cruising/docking.htm

3 using two lines in an x to stop you
(Never used this personally but have seen it: http://nonsuch22blueberry.blogspot.c...eight.html?m=1)

4 never approach a dock faster than you're willing to hit it BUT fast enough to maintain control of current conditions.

5 and most important practice!

6 YouTube has some videos from the Maryland School of Sailing that are dry but have some helpful tips.

Good luck!



SC

[Ol Dave]

I misunderstood, I thought you meant you were worried about catching a mooring ball ... And yes docking can be a stressful event.
We have had a 36' for four years now and are still experiencing "surprises" when working in close quarters. The best things for us has been learning to use our "prop walk" to our advantage, getting wireless headsets for communication and a set of docking sticks ... Then practice practice practice.


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[cal40john]

"4 never approach a dock faster than you're willing to hit it BUT fast enough to maintain control of current conditions."

I've always thought this was funny because they're mutually exclusive with sufficient wind and/or current. Unless of course you bail out and dock somewhere else I guess.

[Cheechako]

In the PNW current can be strong and of course wind need to be determined.
If either of these exist, pre plan your docking as you get near. Also you might find they both change as you get into the marina so keep your eyes on the water and wind. Do not go too slow as you might loose control. Practice how well your reverse works. Enter your slip with enough way on to make the rudder effective, then stop the boat with reverse.