Docking to a Windward Finger

[Seahunter]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

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.

What happens if it's not your regular slip?

[rabend]

Thanks very much for all the great ideas! After looking at the design, I ordered one of the Wrino boat hooks.

Bob

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Per Hud, the suggestion for a spring is the most sensable and ideal if the mid-ships cleat is somewhat aft of the center of lateral resistence. Turning the helm toward the finger-pier while idling in forward gear will lock the yacht in place. If one does things slowly one can pretty easily warp even a large yacht into place without undue difficulty, especially so if one pre-rigs a sping that is left in place for ones return.

FWIW...

Pretty sure you want cleat just foreward of center and turn the helm away from the peir...

[unbusted67]

It is just a very difficult maneuver. I drive a 34 ft power boat with a 375hp engine....it should be easy to get onto a windward or currentward dock.

There is a place where I dock with about 3 knots of current. Even by approaching the dock at 7 or 8 knots and trying to swing the stern in with prop walk I can't get the boat on the dock. Now try doing this with another 10000 lbs of displacement and 1/3rd the Hp and you will get my drift (NPI).

Here's the thing: anchor out.

You know the saying gentlemen never sail to windward.

How bout gentlemen never moor in a marina?

[Pelagic]

While the other techniques have merit, I took this challenge as a single handed guy coming in to an unfamiliar windward finger dock from an aft control position. (with no help from shore)

The first thing you need to determine is how your boat will naturally orient itself to a head wind in the stopped position.

Most usually end up stern to wind, so practice going slowly astern against the wind and decide if you can edge her into a finger slip this way.

If comfortable, then it is easier to throw a wrap around the furthest upwind piling or cleat from the stern and hang nicely while you secure your other lines.

While this may sound more challenging, I am not a fan of the more ballistic heads up approach when I am completely on my own or of jumping ashore with my engine still in gear.

[Seahunter]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

While the other techniques have merit, I took this challenge as a single handed guy coming in to an unfamiliar windward finger dock from an aft control position. (with no help from shore)

The first thing you need to determine is how your boat will naturally orient itself to a head wind in the stopped position.

Most usually end up stern to wind, so practice going slowly astern against the wind and decide if you can edge her into a finger slip this way.

If comfortable, then it is easier to throw a wrap around the furthest upwind piling or cleat from the stern and hang nicely while you secure your other lines.

While this may sound more challenging, I am not a fan of the more ballistic heads up approach when I am completely on my own or of jumping ashore with my engine still in gear.

As a cruiser I agree; coming into one's slip is a different deal than tying up at a transient dock, sometimes with only one kick at the cat. Going for yardage is the best as it allows for some sort of escape if you fail the first time. Our mid cleat is forward of center, so we like to point bow in and allow the wind to push her butt, with the wheel turned all the way to wind. On capture of the dock cleat or piling, and power up to swing her bow out. If the dock is on the windward side, we come almost head to the wind, balance the bow at the dock, then capture the cleat, wheel away from wind and power up. The trick here is getting a hook onto the stern cleat ASAP. With the addition of the bow thruster, landing into the wind is the same but with a tap on the BT to keep her bow to and the wheel turned away from the wind and powered to swing her but to the dock. The bow thruster takes away the ASAP on the stern line. Now try it in reverse.

[Charlie]

The best technique that I have found is that of tying off a line to the mid ship cleat and then leading it outside the lifelines and on to a winch. I leave a big loop in the dockline so that I can drop it over the aft most cleat. When it is on the aft most cleat I tighten the line up on the winch and leave the boat to idle in forward. It needs to idle in forward or else the boat will get away. I have a second line attached to the mid ships cleat and when I get off the boat I attach this line to a cleat on the dock as close to 90^ as possible. I call this a breast line. With the breast line attached the boat cannot get away. neither the bow nor the stern can get away too badly. From there I attach the rest of the dock lines as needed. Also remember to place a bumper near the bow b/c the bow can smack against the dock if you can't pull in enough of the first line thrown ashore.

[wolfenzee]

For boat without a center cleat.....the best solution is to instal one. My boat has hawser holes fore and aft and 6" long scuppers (with beefy bulwarks) and for the past 40 years springs were tied off through the scuppers. I will be adding "horns" to one turning it int a midships cleat/hawser hole/scupper

[wolfenzee]

For boat without a center cleat.....the best solution is to instal one(though not always possible on some boats.) My boat has hawser holes fore and aft and 6" long scuppers (with beefy bulwarks) and for the past 40 years springs were tied off through the scuppers. I will be adding "horns" to one turning it int a midships cleat/hawser hole/scupper

[Rakuflames]

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

I have an answer for you.

String a line between the dock and your outermost piling. Put a figure 8 loop in the middle with a carabiner in it. Find a place on the side of the boat that you can just clip the line on to (my toe rail is metal and holes all the way, so it was easy to put a harp on it).

When you come in, you grab that line and quickly clip the carabiner to the harp. If you have both carabiner and harp placed well, the line will act as both fore and aft spring line. The bow won't be able to run into the main dock, nor can the boat leave the slip. One clip and the boat is controlled in the slip.

Then you just use your boat hook to grab the other lines at your leisure.

You should *also* have a set of longer spring lines on that side of the boat, but but by using that one docking line, you can quickly have the boat under control, in the slip, and ready for the rest of its lines.

[delmarrey]

My boat is so light it's like a leaf in the water on a windy day. Basically, I pull in bow first slightly turning away from the dock and then mid cleat it at the end of the slip like the others above and hit the brakes (reverse). Then walk it forward with the additional lines.

[rabend]

What is a "harp". Thanks

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by rabend

What is a "harp". Thanks

In order of how it came to be called a harp:





ciao!
Nick.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by rabend

What is a "harp". Thanks

Should have said "harp shackle." It provides a secure metal loop wherever you place it on the boat. It's shaped like an old fashioned harp.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

My boat is so light it's like a leaf in the water on a windy day. Basically, I pull in bow first slightly turning away from the dock and then mid cleat it at the end of the slip like the others above and hit the brakes (reverse). Then walk it forward with the additional lines.

My boat is heavy disp. (abut 16,000llbs) and sits low in the water (old school design) so unless is is a really nasty lo I don't have much of a problem