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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Please.....please check your docklines!

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PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/11/2011 : 20:01:09

Rescued several boats tonight....more details later.

Peter Powers
1979 TR/FK #1390
~Stephanos~
Bayview Marina,
Lake Ray Hubbard
Dallas, TX

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2011 : 21:58:44

OK, next time we all go out to our boat, please take a look at your dock lines. Make sure you have spring lines set up.

Even though a storm system had run through and looked like it wasn't letting up, our crew met up on Joint Venture to find the race had been cancelled. Bit of lightening and a LOT of rain, otherwise mild conditions. Still, a good time to sit down below, have a beer after work and talk sailing with no intention of sailing. So eventually a movie was put on (The Abyss) and we chilled on Joint Venture (C-27). It was about the time we were thinking about leaving that the wind started picking up, and picking up, and picking up. In fact it was when the storm was done and the rain stopped, the tail end on Doppler, that it got crazy. I took this video from the hatch area, under an umbrella. You can see the boats starting to buck, and then some impressive lightening at the end.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150180857394016

We stayed down below and Joint Venture started to heel under bare poles. Came out from down below. The rain and the lightening were done, but the wind was screaming. The docks and boats were bucking like I've never seen. At this point I became alarmed. My boat is two slips away and I went to check her dock lines. She was holding, but bucking like a horse in her slip. I went to my transient lines, threw two more to weather, when I noticed that the C-25 on my starboard side had no spring lines and her port bow line had snapped. Her bow came forward and started grinding into dock. I yelled at my crew member Jason, who was trying to hold her pulpit off the dock, and we put some of my extra transient lines on her bow, moved her bumpers to weather.

Several boats dock lines broke. We fixed them up the best we could and I'm pretty sure we saved some boats from some significant damage. My transient lines are all over R Dock. Boats were laid over, 20 to 30 degrees, under bare poles, by a wind from the south. Our marina is very well protected from the south.

Yes it was dangerous for me and my fellow crew member to hop on boats, add dock lines, move bumpers to the leeward side, re-wrap cleats etc in these conditions. So have at me, we saved some boats tonight and I would hope someone would do the same for me.

Of course it would be easier if everyone would take a half hour and make sure their boat was tied up correctly.

/rant

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 04:12:01

Sounds like some other boat owners are lucky that you were out there that day. Good work!

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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4312 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 05:04:16

I doubled up my lines when Hurricane Ike came thru and have never taken them off. One set is set for normal conditions and the other set slightly looser so they don't get any wear (except for UV) but are there if any of the primaries were to snap.

I'd hope my dockmates were like you! Glad you were there to save some boats.

Edited by - GaryB on 05/12/2011 05:05:44

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 05:41:15

Sounds like you got hit with straight line winds, downbursting from the wall cloud? From what you describe, it sounds like you were under the rain free cloud base as the cell passed over. We didn't get any tornado warnings yesterday, but there were a couple of cells in all that mess that spun up and did some damage. Up in Keller, Colleyville, NRH...we just got very heavy rain, almost a blinding rain at one point, and some moderate winds, maybe 50 mph or so. Kudos for taking the risk and saving the boats.

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DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 11:46:31

Nice job Peter! Feels good to save the day huh?

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PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 15:14:40

I'm glad I was out there for sure.

Yeah Dave, especially when one of the guys boats that you helped save is a good guy and a forum member. As an aside, he's getting new docklines and setting up spring lines as well. The lines have been on his list, but like so many of us at one time or another, he's been consumed by engine issues.

Joe, that's what it felt like, I see nothing in the weather reports from last night that show over a 44 knot wind. Boats were getting liad over 15 to 20 degrees under bare poles and while being tied up. It was gnarly.

Edited by - PCP777 on 05/12/2011 15:15:30

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 19:49:10

Typically that stuff is very localized. Unless there's a station that gets hit with it, there's never an official record. Ray Hubbard does have a reporting station though, but even that could have been missed by something that can affect an area as small as a few acres.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 20:01:42

Another benefit to doubling them up is that it is easier to adjust them in a blow.

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2011 : 07:16:37

Floating docks or fixed? Big difference. The biggest problem I see is exactly as you describe, some of the smaller boats are tied up with shoelaces and there is only two.

Check your cleats both on the dock and on the boat. That's the other big one. I pulled 6 feet of dock off the middle of a fuel dock in Fort Meyers Beach last year.

Edited by - redviking on 05/13/2011 07:23:54

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2011 : 08:09:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 Floating docks or fixed? Big difference. The biggest problem I see is exactly as you describe, some of the smaller boats are tied up with shoelaces and there is only two.

Check your cleats both on the dock and on the boat. That's the other big one. I pulled 6 feet of dock off the middle of a fuel dock in Fort Meyers Beach last year.

Cleats need to be bedded to the docks structure, not the planks et al...

I put a sliding cleat on the track of our C25 to facilitate good spring line position. Don't be afraid to use a winch if you don't have enough attachment points.

And bumpers - most folks just don't have enough for 50 knot conditions. Rig em low enough so they don't pop out and if possible attach to anything BUT the lifelines. A good blow will bend stanchions and lifelines if the bumpers get hung up for some reason. Yes, bumping up against a dock will trash your vessel and possibly hole it. (After the aforementioned incident, I had several feet of rubrail to replace or repair. 5200 is amazing stuff and a little grinding and filling made it go away.)

And finally, whenever there is a blow and you go to help your neighbors, put on your pfd, grab a handheld if applicable in your area, and carry a knife. We have an anemometer up top so we know what the conditions are before walking the docks, but as a precaution I always suit up just in case when it's ablowin and the boats start rocking like that.

And if you can pull up weather on your phone or something - do so. Sometimes it's better to wait in between cells to venture out and risk life and limb.

sten
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

These were floating docks, but they are made with concrete and are typically very stable and rigid. Unless you're on a finger you never feel them move. What was interesting about this storm is that it really didn't pack a bunch of punch until the tail end passed, we were watching it on Doppler from the safe confines of Joint Venture, a C-27. It was when the rain stopped and almost all the lightening had ceased when it started blasting with wind. The first thing I did was put extra lines on Stephanos, and I used the spin winch as an extra secure point. Jason was holding onto the other C-25 and then we added a transient line to her and got her secured. Then we checked on other boats and added lines, adjusted bumpers etc as best we could to secure them. Even had one guy who's main had spilled out of his sail cover. Amazingly, this guy had no ties or gaskets on his main. We secured that as well.

For those that have anchors off the pulpit, you shouldn't pull your boat so far up in the slip that the anchor hangs over the dock. Not only is this inconsiderate, but a couple boats were bashing their anchors into the concrete docks as the boats bucked in their slips.

You're right, we should have put on life jackets but there were three of us watching out for each other and really, for a couple of these boats it was one of those "every second counts" things. It was one of those, "Lets check this out, oh wow, this is worse than I thought, we got to do something now!" moments.

Life jackets would have been a good idea for sure. I went back to the marina yesterday after work, on my way to order my new main sail (YAY!) and pointed out the one boat that I hadn't had enough lines for to the staff so that they could get her secure.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2011 : 09:07:18

Be careful using a winch to attach docklines to as the Lewmar nylon stem, at the top near the key, is relatively fragile and can break when the force of the pull on the winch goes above horizontal. Don't ask me how I know.

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At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2011 : 16:08:31

I routinely use 10 dock lines...three on each side of the stern and two on each side of the bow.

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