Embarrassing Docking in Strong Winds

[kgourlay]

Yesterday we were maneuvering around the marina in stronger winds than I am used to, and we had some really embarrassing encounters with the dock. No other boats involved, fortunately, but we did trade a little paint with the dock.

Ours is an older 34' and this is our first season with it. The prop washes across the big rudder going forward which makes steering a breeze, but in reverse the handling is much less predictable. Up until yesterday all the docking went quite smoothly. I've been able to single-handedly dock it a few times too, which made me feel like a pro.

The wind was variable but often up to 20 knots, pushing the boat toward the shore; our dock is perpendicular to that shore. I tried to stay far to the windward side of the channel before turning toward the dock, to give me as much space to line up as possible, but even so it wasn't enough and I got blown too far in before lining up. Reverse could slow me down but couldn't correct the angle. But excuses are only excuses. Clearly I need more practice.

Is it possible to practice for adverse winds when the weather is better/less dangerous? Other than simply getting more general experience understanding how the boat handles, or waiting for another unusually strong wind, I'm not sure what practice would help. In hindsight, backing in might have been a reasonable option so that I'd have the benefit of maneuverability powering against the wind, but in other conditions I'd never had considered that. It would be good to practice a variety of docking orientations, though, I'm sure.

[rslifkin]

Definitely work up to higher winds slowly. And pay attention to how the wind pushes the boat. Wind at certain angles will be more of an issue than others. Wind aft of the beam is often less of an issue than further forward. And keep in mind that wind effects will be less as you go faster, so when docking in high winds your minimum speed will be higher to have enough control.

[slipaway]

A few thoughts. Get to know your boat and how it handles in different wind speeds and directions. I know with mine a wind on the starboard beam makes getting underway from our slip difficult as the boat will not easily (or not at all) turn its nose through the wind. Every boat reacts differently. Just takes time and awareness (and sometimes talking to people with the same boat). We have also decided that if there are adverse wind conditions and we have a choice we just don't go. Of course, that is not always possible, but if it is, holding off for better conditions is better than fiberglass repairs to you (or someone else's boat). Too many maritime incidents (large and small) are the result of people keeping to a schedule when perhaps they do not have to. Finally, (from a seamanship/shiphandling instructor in my previous life), shiphandling/boathandling is using all the tools you have- engine, rudder, wind, current, lines. I have seen too many with an "I can do it myself" attitude who end up in trouble.

[gnetwerker]

Originally Posted by kgourlay

Is it possible to practice for adverse winds when the weather is better/less dangerous?

Yes, you can practice "warping" and "springing" your boat around on docs in more benign weather. One thing to try is to play around with reversing your boat end-for-end in the smallest space possible. Getting (eg) a bow line onto a dock, reversing out with the rudder hard to one side will give you an idea of what you can do with to turn a vessel using a single, fixed line.

Just last week in Port Townsend (WA) I had to leave a finger pier with 25kt wind blowing me off. By looping lines around several cleats and leading them back to the boat, my First Mate and I got the boat off without hitting anything, even though it backs like a battleship.

Admittedly, getting the first line onto the pier can still be a challenge.

Originally Posted by kgourlay

In hindsight, backing in might have been a reasonable option so that I'd have the benefit of maneuverability powering against the wind, but in other conditions I'd never had considered that. It would be good to practice a variety of docking orientations, though, I'm sure.

Whenever I'm on a boat that's new to me (charter boats, generally), one thing I do early on is find a place with a mooring ball and a lot of space around it, and practice backing onto the mooring ball over and over, until I get a feel for how to vessel backs. Having someone tell me which side the prop walks to helps very little until I have a feel for it, especially how fast I need to be going in reverse to have real helm control.

One of my boats is a full-keel Maine lobster boat, with a big barn-door rudder, and that thing simply will not steer in reverse unless it's going at least three knots. Since my dock on the Columbia river is perpendicular to the river current -- which sometimes is running at 3-4kts -- that was a long and painful learning curve. To get that out of my narrow lane from my slip at the marina at full flow, I need to float a fender on a line from the opposing slips, make that fast to the stern, and use it to pull myself back (upriver) to the point where I can turn the boat without running back into the pier. It's not pretty, but it works!

[Fuss]

20kts+ forward of the beam and I need more than 3 kts astern, i can get it balanced out with more rudder and then I need less but the higher the wind strength the easier it is to spin out.
You can argue that, don't dock in these situations but then you never learn your boat. Sometimes, there is just no choice.
I would not want to go into a marina if I thought I would lose control and hit something.

[Rigamarole]

Dang - I love the honesty and the desire to improve. You will be a-ok.

For practice though, I liked to try to stay still in the water in a specific direction and at a specific location with wind / waves working to move me elsewhere. And then reverse yourself, aft into the wind. We would use navigational or mooring buoy's as guides. My boat was larger but then I'd try to "kiss" the buoy with the bow or bring the stern right up to it and bump it. Anything to practice the slow control.

Another thing, when I had bought my boat I hired a Moorings pilot to help me learn. His first observation was I needed to use my throttle way more. The boat needed power to move. Especially the start to the move - he would goose it.

[fxykty]

Great suggestions to practice against a mooring ball, or simply drop a fender with a dingy anchor or weight and just enough line to reach the surface.

But sometimes, enough speed to overcome propwash and provide steerage way is the only way to go in side wind and/or current. You do need to have faith that you can engage your gears reverse to forward and vice versa to stop yourself quickly from 4 knots (or however fast you need to go). Aim for the slip and simply gun it. Doing it in reverse is generally safest as you can best see what you’re doing.

Another alternative mentioned earlier that works at slow speeds and good control is warping in. All you need is to get one person and one line ashore (or just passing the line to a person on the shore/dock). Learn to nose your bow or stern into the end or side of a dock, just enough so they can step across (no jumping!). Make that line fast and then power against it to lever your boat into place. Figure out where the two ends of the line need to be and where you will need fenders and/or bumpers.

[DragonflyBob]

Check out the Going Alongside eBook at www.morganscloud.com. Excellent advice on safe and efficient docking techniques for nearly all boats and situations.

[Tortuga's Lie]

There's an old saying "don't go any faster than you want to hit something" But this doesn't necessarily apply to docking in strong winds. If you go bow first, you'll want enough speed to maintain control without being blown sideways, then know when to hit reverse to stop her, this takes practice and a good/clean prop. The T34c should track pretty straight but the prop may not be the best if it hasn't already been changed out. Some props can almost eliminate the reverse prop walk and are designed to work very well in reverse.
If I am boating solo, I rig a v-shaped bridle in my slip to catch the bow when I come into it bow first, this way, all I need to do is casually grab a stern line, the bow will stay put as I tie off.

[danstanford]

Not sure if this has been discussed above but I routinely back into my slip. This year we have had a couple of difficult conditions and one time I drove in (with the main draped over the cockpit and us huddled under it as the rain pelted us horizontally) and another time I pivoted outside the fairway and backed all the way down the fairway and into the slip.

Pausing and changing directions in heavy wind is a recipe for problems so avoiding that change in confined conditions is safer.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by kgourlay

Yesterday we were maneuvering around the marina in stronger winds than I am used to, and we had some really embarrassing encounters with the dock. No other boats involved, fortunately, but we did trade a little paint with the dock.

Ours is an older 34' and this is our first season with it. The prop washes across the big rudder going forward which makes steering a breeze, but in reverse the handling is much less predictable. Up until yesterday all the docking went quite smoothly. I've been able to single-handedly dock it a few times too, which made me feel like a pro.

The wind was variable but often up to 20 knots, pushing the boat toward the shore; our dock is perpendicular to that shore. I tried to stay far to the windward side of the channel before turning toward the dock, to give me as much space to line up as possible, but even so it wasn't enough and I got blown too far in before lining up. Reverse could slow me down but couldn't correct the angle. But excuses are only excuses. Clearly I need more practice.

Is it possible to practice for adverse winds when the weather is better/less dangerous? Other than simply getting more general experience understanding how the boat handles, or waiting for another unusually strong wind, I'm not sure what practice would help. In hindsight, backing in might have been a reasonable option so that I'd have the benefit of maneuverability powering against the wind, but in other conditions I'd never had considered that. It would be good to practice a variety of docking orientations, though, I'm sure.

That's a very difficult situation; nothing to feel bad about.


Gel coat is easy to repair; "it'll buff right out" actually applies to most of our dock encounters of this type.


All these dock approaches are similar to aircraft landings -- you have to be on the right "glide path" considering wind and tide. If you miss the right approach path, it's best to abort if you can. Turn away from the dock, power away to get clear, then circle back -- if there's room for that.


I guess you know a key issue for you in this case was maneuvering downwind where you have less control.


In your case, a burst of power, starboard rudder, then rudder back to port, might have done it, but using power in close-in manuevering is dangerous because it increases the damage if you don't manage to resolve the situation. The starboard rudder pushes the stern to port which may strike the dock even if you got the bow clear. Which is why you have to back to port rudder as soon as you've got enough angle to get the bow clear.


Bow thrusters really help in such situations because you can correct the position of the boat sideways, with a little counter-rudder, which avoids the stern swinging into the dock.


Going in astern would not have helped you, I think, without a bow thruster. It would be difficult to swing the bow back around, and you would have the risk of the bow being blown down. And boats of your type don't typically reverse straight. Going astern is useful INTO the wind, because your boat is much more stable with the stern in the wind.


Be patient and keep at it -- this is a lifelong learning process.

[Fuss]

we are talking docking mostly in the least favourable conditions for your boat.
don’t go any faster than you want to hit something does not apply as you may need speed to maintain steerage.

many of these help videos show docking in calm conditions , really , calm conditions.
nice… then it all goes t*** up once the wind gets up from the wrong direction!!
basically, sets the unprepared up for a very inconvenient lesson when they least expect it!!

[gonesail]

going out in strong winds can be avoided if you know the weather forecast. if the winds are temporary wait it out until they subside then go in. as they say being on a schedule with a boat can be a recipe for disaster

[Iron E]

Back and Fill

Everything changes with wind and current, but the general idea is to control a pivot.
When I back out of our slip, my keel almost always swings to port, but sometimes the wind or current swings it to starboard. If I fought that, it would be a mess, but allowing the alternate swing and either backing out of the fairway or completely pivoting 270 degrees is much prettier and more controlled.

In a nutshell, I turn the rudder hard over.
One-second burst ahead, neutral—two Mississippis to glide.
One-second burst astern, back to neutral. Repeat.
I let momentum do the work, not a constantly engaged prop.

I try having the mindset - "Oh, so, you're gonna do that today... That's cool."

[Shrew]

@OP... In your scenario.....you say the wind is pushing onshore. However, I didn't catch whether the wind is on your bow or your stern on the day you had troubles.

1) Figure out which way prop walk is pushing your stern, and use that to your advantage.

2) Stern to wind give you much more control than bow into the wind.

3) Also use the wind to you advantage.

Rather than letting wind blow you OFF, approach in a way that allows wind to push in ON. It will look like you're lined up wrong, but trust the wind that you fear will correct you.

I back in at an angle. Each bump in reverse straightens me out more.

Learn to 'bump and fill'. Bump forward, then neutral, then reverse. Rudder controls you forward, prop walk controls you in reverse. neutral slows things down. I spend A LOT of time in neutral allowing momentum to carry me, and physics to slow me down.