Dennis:
I spent 20 years on a mooring so I could come and go single handed
without any stress associated with docking and/or leaving a slip. Last
year, a slip at my club became available similar to yours in
Pensacola....bow in, starboard side finger pier with a Nonsuch 36 as my
port neighbor...at most, 3' separating the boats when both docked.
However, my finger is 35' and AZURA is 32' so I have a bit of leeway
when docking. With some hesitation, I decided to give it a try.
At first, I found docking harder than leaving especially single handed.
Now I find leaving with a starboard wind more challenging.
For docking, I rigged a line with a 3/8" snubber which I carry in a
locker and take out just before docking and place the inboard loop over
the starboard main winch and tuck under the lifeline(s) and bring
outside and hang the end loop on the aft gate stantion....open the gate,
of course, to hang the out end loop.
I approach the finger pier at approx. 1 to 1.5 knots.....I find it best
when I have headway.....I have steerage.....hardly ever use reverse
unless the approach to too fast....when the starboard gate reaches the
pier I step off the boat.....take the end loop and drop it over the
first or outermost cleat.....when the line comes tight and cushioned by
the snubber, the boat glides to a stop without the bow touching the main
pier.
Now, I am off the boat which is in neutral.....two spring lines stay on
the dock and attach to my SS toe rail cleat with carabiners....usually
the last lines to get attached.
I take both my bow line and stern line with me.....stern line never gets
adjusted....when sailing it is just folded on the deck between the toe
rail and bimini frame...it is set for the correct length and I simply
drop the outer loop over the outermost cleat, the same one with the
snubber which I will remove and take aboard and store.
I also take my bow line with me.....when sailing, it stretches back from
the bow outside the stantions/toe rail and I tie it to the mid-ship SS
toe rail cleat. The bow line becomes very useful this way as when
docking, as I do, as soon as I drop the snubber line I walk forward and
grab the bow line......I now have control of the boat......I can reach
down and attach a spring line.....untie my bow line and tie the inner
most cleat......the excess bow line I just bring back to the first
stantion when docked.
When leaving the dock, the bow line is the last to get released and I
bring it back to the mid ship SS toe rail cleat and tie it off there. I
can control the boat with it.
I also found prop walk a nuisance, especially leaving the pier as the
boat has no momentum to gain steerage. To address that, I have a
short piece of rope, doubled up with a knot in the end looped in the toe
rail just forward of the starboard gate........I pull on it (parallel to
the pier) to get the boat moving backwards.....jump aboard and hit
reverse....that little bit of momentum going backwards allows the rudder
to get some water flowing over it and you have the start of steerage.
Over the past 2 seasons, there have been a few days when the wind was
just too much for me to attempt leaving single handed.....if there was a
person on the dock helping, no problem.
A club mate has a big centre cockpit boat that he finds difficult
leaving the dock when the wind is blowing him off the pier....he usually
has his wife with him but in no way could she/he man-handle this
vessel......so here is how they do it.... he rigged a line on the pier
from the two outter most cleats.....put a snatch block on the pier line
and attached another line to the snatch block.......when leaving the
pier, his wife holds the line attached to the snatch block which rolls
along the pier line holding the boat in place......when cleared, she is
close to the bow and drops/throws the line to the pier. He uses a
system similar to mine when docking.
Trusting this is helpful.
Rob Abbott
AZURA
C&C 32- 84
Halifax, N.S.
On 2018-07-31 12:58 PM, Dennis C. via CnC-List wrote:
OK, after 20 years of ownership, I'm pretty good at driving Touche'.
Touche's "home" slip in Louisiana is in a fairly protected bayou, has
both outboard and midships pilings on either side and a port side
finger pier. I can competently back Touche' in using propwalk, etc.
without touching any pilings. Whoopee.
However, the "temporary" slip I use in Pensacola is a whole different
scenario. First, it has a starboard side finger pier which extends to
just short of full boat length. Second, it is a double slip with NO
pilings between Touche' and my neighbor, an IP 37. Third, the
prevailing wind is from the starboard side.
In Pensacola, I dock Touche' bow in for privacy and scenic view
issues. Docking stern in isn't a desirable option because the bow will
fall off towards my neighbor while docking and looking at a scenic
bayou is preferable to looking at a working boatyard.
So, docking bow in with a wind from starboard and prop walk which
pulls the boat to port is a challenge. The wind pushes the boat
dramatically to port when docking. The prop walk exacerbates the
movement to port. The wind and prop walk both working against the
boat sucks.
I've tried several techniques with limited to moderate success. The
best the Admiral and I have come up with is to approach at a slight
upwind angle to the finger pier, have a spring/warp line attached a
bit forward of midships, have crew leap off the boat and secure the
spring to the outermost cleat on the finger pier to stop forward
motion. Once the line is secure, we warp the stern in with forward
propulsion and left rudder and secure a stern line. The stern still
tries to swing to port midway through this process but we manage it.
Now for my main issue. Docking single handed. I can't see myself
approaching the pier, putting the boat in reverse, scrambling out of
the steering station past the Bimini bows, securing the spring line,
jumping back on the boat, warping the stern in and then securing the
stern line by myself.
Any secret tricks I haven't explored?
Dennis C.
Touche' 35-1 #83
Mandeville, LA
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_______________________________________________
Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and
every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal
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