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Docking Solo

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RAG Sailor
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USA
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Initially Posted - 10/15/2013 : 14:58:50

This may be premature of me at this point but I have been thinking of soloing (actually all I have been doing is thinking about sailing). My biggest concern would be docking at my 28' slip. I use a 9.9 Mercury Big foot in locked position and steer with my tiller. To date before making the 90 degree turn I put it into neutral and ease in. My BW is waiting outside the lifeline and steps off onto the dock and holds it back by the shroud. Question is: how do I do that same smooth maneuver solo without ramming the dock?

Good to be back at sea!

Edited by - on

dmpilc
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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 15:24:18

There's a saying I read some years ago in this forum: Never approach a dock any faster than you want to hit it!
Seriously, besides coming into the slip more slowly, you could make a device like the one I made: a short piece of pvc pipe with line down the length of pipe forming a loop at each end. For strength, I used one continuous piece of line so two length went down the pipe. As you enter the slip, slip one end over the first dock cleat that will hold your stern line and the other end over your genoa winch. The loops can be covered in clear plastic tubing to add stiffness and keep the loop open. There are similar commercial devices available and maybe a Youtube video or two to show you how. Also, ask any other sailors you see at your marina single handing it how they do it.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 15:29:04

Practice putting your engine in neutral and learn how far the boat will carry before it comes to a stop. Then, as you approach your slip, put it in neutral when you think you are about at the distance where it will carry the rest of the way. If the boat is about to stop before it reaches the slip, put the motor in gear and let the engine push it just enough to get there. If you find that you're coming in a bit too fast, then put it in reverse and give it enough throttle to slow it. It's almost always better to come in too slow than too fast.

Edited by - on

awetmore
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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 15:36:09

Practice it on light breeze days. The biggest problem with coming in too slow is losing steerage and having the wind push you around. The Catalina 25 has a lot of windage for it's weight and thus is easily blown around when not under power.

You can approach the 28' dock slowly and step off of the boat at it's beam when the beam of the boat is near the aft edge of the dock. Make sure that you have a dock line with you! You can then push the boat into it's final position.

Edited by - on

John Russell
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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 16:21:16

2 things. I won't allow anyone to step off my boat before it comes to a complete stop. I think it's just too risky.
Second, search for "Dock-o-matic" in the forum's search function. Makes solo docking easy-peasy.

Edited by - on

dlucier
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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 16:25:52

For me, docking solo is easier than with crew as others have a tendency to throw off my well oiled docking routine. As I employ a springline when docking, coming into the slip couldn't be easier. I just grab the springline from the dock then slip it over the winch. It's that simple.

Edited by - dlucier on 10/15/2013 16:34:13

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 17:37:53

Do you have finger piers on one side or both sides? That will make a big difference in how you approach the problem.

Can you post a picture of your dock setup?

Edited by - on

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 18:04:33

Do you have a boat hook?

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2013 : 21:38:13

I have a midship mooring cleat roughly where your winch and jib sheet cleat are, and a spring-line lying on the dock for that cleat. I enter bow-in, slow to "creep speed" when lined up with the finger, step off the boat, and drop the spring-line onto that cleat. While I'm walking toward the bow, the spring line stops the boat and pulls it in to the finger dock. Everything else is leisurely from that point.

If I have a cross-wind or current that will push me into the finger dock, I enter at an angle away from the finger, and then let the wind or current push me into it (fenders out). If the wind or current will push me away from the finger, I enter at an angle toward it and get the spring-line on as quickly as possible. I'm the only one who I allow off the boat until the dock-lines are set.

Believe me, after my C-25, it took a while to get used to the side-slip of my $+!nkp*+ when maneuvering at docking speeds! By comparison, the C-25 was like it was on rails.

Edited by - on

redeye
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 03:50:27

I turn as far away from the dock as I can so I have lots of room to line up and judge my speed as I approach. Holding the main sheet bitter end I jump on the dock and go to the front of the boat to stop it by pushing the pulpit. Drop a line on the bow and go aft to secure the main sheet to a cleat. I have a very lone main sheet.

Shoes and make sure you don't jump on a line on the dock. Depends on how agile you are.

A more common way is jumping on the dock with a forward line and an aft line in your hand. This is practice for the day you must dock in a storm.

Edited by - on

szymek
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Canada
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 05:37:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by awetmore
 Practice it on light breeze days. The biggest problem with coming in too slow is losing steerage and having the wind push you around. The Catalina 25 has a lot of windage for it's weight and thus is easily blown around when not under power.

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

Really I find it that our C25 are quite good. Although I have couple power boaters around me that tend to have hard time docking the second they turn the power off. Sometimes i get nervous just watching them. So maybe that's why I think our boats don't' get pushed around as much.

I always say... think of docking as doing something slow motion and don't rush. I put my motor in neutral probably 50'(+/- depending on wind strength and wind direction) away from my dock and I'm coasting at probably 2kt. As I approach the dock i want to ensure that I'm doing about less than a kt. But the way I approach the dock and maneuver i take, is all dependent on how windy it is and wind direction.

Edited by - on

redeye
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 05:41:51

The previous owner of my boat was a commercial pilot.. He loved to dock, like making a landing. I learned a lot from watching him.. kinda of a power in attitude.

Anyhoo.. the lesson was learning how to make the boat stop.. how the boat behaves when you make it quit moving with the engine.. so practice making the boat stop using the engine in reverse.

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jerlim
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 06:01:56

You don't say if your finge slip is on your port or starboard side, nor the direction you approach the slip, but under the right conditions, prop-walk in reverse could be useful. Also - position a large fender, horizontally, against the dock, at the point where the bow would come into contact w/ the dock. This serves well as a cushion on normal dockings and we were really glad we had this setup when we came in under sail after the o/b failed while we were out. With out the benefit of reverse to slow us coming in, all we could do was furl/unfurl the genny to try and control speed. The dock fender absorbed a fair amount of energy, even at less then 1 knot of headway...

Edited by - on

shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 06:25:17

Simple...
Spring line... Mine run from somewhere as far out as possible, to the forward cleat. Motor in so you are going about 1 knot when you come into the slip, pop off the boat, scurry forward and throw the spring line on... Your spring line should be adjusted to not allow the bow to hit the dock, even when the boat is all the way closest to the finger.. If you put a large rubber snubber on it, it'll also absorb the shock better as it slows the boat.

Actually I self-dock all the time, but we have fingers on both sides of our boats... on top of that the Capri 25 is VERY WIDE!!! I have about 6-9 inches on either side of the boat coming in. so I usually throw the spring line on (for the side I jump off of), and the opposing bow line, so the nose doesn't dive into the corner either. If you enter your slip at 1 knot or less, it gives you ample time to walk, and still get the dock lines on.. But like others said, having the loops open and ready is key (make sure when you cast off these lines are EASY to grasp, and where you expect them).

You can see my spring lines (slack) and bow lines (taut) in this picture. Imagine my docking procedure coming in getting off port, grabbing the port springline, throwing it on the port bow cleat, then walking over to starboard, and throwing on the starboard bow line... This pulls the boat to port to stop, and the starboard prevents the boat from going port, so the boat comes to rest dead center, and it usually freaks people out as it comes within 2-3 inches of the dock as I do it.

I use 2 spring lines and 2 bow lines, and 2 stern lines... our fingers are short, 22 feet, so my stern lines pull the boat IN. I really don't need to 2 spring lines, but I believe in a level of redundancy (or redumb-dancy, since every once in a while I forget a line)... If I use more than I need then forgetting one once in a while doesn't matter much.

Edited by - shnool on 10/16/2013 06:29:15

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 06:36:07

One of the benefits of backing into the slip is that it virtually eliminates the risk of coming in too fast and having to hit reverse or grabbing the pulpit to stop it. Just before you enter the slip, you bring the boat to a complete stop. That ensures that your transom will enter the slip dead slow. If you need to use the engine to stop the boat, the prop has more bite when the engine is in forward gear. When you move up to a bigger boat, or charter, you will be glad you learned how to back in, and that you practiced it before you had to do it in a 14,000 lb boat. It's a good skill to learn and practice, even if you don't use it all the time.

Edited by - on

dlucier
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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 06:41:34

If your boat has a tiller, you can scull with it to give you some additional forward momentum, but more importantly you can pivot/turn the boat when at ghosting speeds where you don't have enough steerage way for normal rudder function. Pulling the tiller over briskly in one direction then slowly returning it to your desired course will kick the bow over and give you a little extra forward momentum.

"I'm the only one who I allow off the boat until the dock-lines are set" - Dave Bristle

Agree wholeheartedly. I do not allow anyone to move during docking and instruct them to remain seated on the outboard cockpit seat, not so much for there safety, but so they will not get in my way.

This may sound strange, but nearly all of my docking mishaps involved others trying to help, both on the boat and the dock. As a courtesy, most people on the docks walk over to assist others entering their slips, including me, but when they see me coming in, they just go about their business.

Edited by - on

RAG Sailor
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 06:53:34

Wow, a lot of different advice...all good. I'm posting a picture of my situation. Currently there is an empty slip next to me. By the way, can someone explain exactly what a spring line is? How it is made up? Thanks!

Edited by - RAG Sailor on 10/16/2013 07:13:52

ftworthsailor
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 07:05:31

I solo sail (and dock), all the time. The slips at our club have very short fingers between every other boat. There are pipes between boats at the stern. I installed one of those large white corner bumpers on the inside (my side) of the finger to protect the hull. I have the advantage of being able to round the point and then head directly for my open slip. The finger for my slip is located on the starboard side, so all I do is motor to about 3 or 4 boat lengths away and coast into my slip at barely creep speed. I have a spring line connected to the starboard-side pipe that I simply hold onto or slip over the winch and it brings me to a gentle stop and rounds the bow into the white bumper. I tie off the two bow lines and then the remaining port stern line. Once in awhile another member will stand at the dock to catch the bow and to slip the lines over the bow cleats, but I have never hit the dock. Works for me......

My definition or use of spring lines at the slip, are a line that attaches to the slip pole near the stern and then to either a cleat amidship or to the forward cleat, and allows for the boat to slip forward (not far enough to hit the dock) or back (aft) depending on the amount of slack you decide to leave in the line. I personally don't like my spring line to sag and lay in the water.

Edited by - ftworthsailor on 10/16/2013 07:32:36

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 07:09:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by RAG Sailor
 Wow, a lot of different advice...all good. I'm posting a picture of my situation. Currently there is an empty slip next to me. By the way, can someone explain exactly what a spring line is? How it is made up? Thanks!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">As used here, a spring line is a line led diagonally from the bow or stern of a ship to a point on a wharf and made fast to help keep the ship from moving fore and aft while docked. When the boat is docked bow-first in a slip, you don't want the bow to bang into the slip, so you attach a line to a bow cleat, and lead it aft and attach it to a cleat on the dock that is ideally located about amidship. Or, alternatively, you can attach a line to a piling or dock cleat at the stern of the boat, and lead it forward and attach it to a mid-ship cleat on the boat. Either type of spring line will prevent the boat's bow from hitting the dock.

Edited by - on

dlucier
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 09:08:33

My dock set up is very similar to what you have, a cleat at the end of the dock. From this cleat, I have a very short spring line attached which is only used when docking as it is only four feet long and sized so it won't allow my boat to hit the main dock. Upon entering the slip, when my coaming winch is about even with this cleat, I retrieve the loop end from the dock and place it on the coaming winch. When the boat moves slowly ahead in another three feet, this line stops the boat dead before it hits the main dock. This all happens at a snails pace so it's not like you only have a second or so in which to do this. After I've put the normal dock lines on the boat, I remove this temporary spring/brake line as it is too short to function as a traditional spring line.

I also use this short spring line when leaving the slip as well. When preparing to get underway, I put this line on the winch, then remove the bow lines and the normal spring lines leaving just the stern line and the short spring line attached. This prevents the boat from hitting the dock forward and keeps the stern next to the dock. Once back in the cockpit, I remove these two remaining lines, push off, and I'm underway.

Edited by - dlucier on 10/16/2013 10:14:55

Captain Max
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 09:31:46

Practice makes perfect! But you don't want to learn by banging up your boat. I started backing my 25 in and was having a horrible time of it. ( how I learned about prop walk) so I went out on the lake and practiced on a buoy. It helped a lot. It also helps to have a second person on board til you feel comfortable.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 11:41:04

With both boats pictured below, with a finger dock on one side and a piling on the other, I chose bow-in docking for ease of line handling. I can handle the stern lines from the piling and the dock from the cockpit. I can handle the lines to the pointy end from the main dock, where the boat practically overhangs the dock without really being that close to contacting it. And I'm comforted that if I do hit the dock, it'll be the very strong, angled bow--not with the outboard and bracket!

One other small detail: The spring-line I use to stop and hold the boat is made to a dock cleat on the opposite side of the end of the finger dock, so there is a shallow angle to the midship cleat to pull and hold the boat into the finger as it stops. That line becomes a tripping hazard, so after some other lines are hooked up (including a different forward spring-line), I take it off and leave it at the end of the finger (as a seagull target).

As Don describes, I use this "temporary spring" for departures when the wind or current is pushing me away from the dock. I can use a little forward power against it to line myself up, and then flip it off from the cockpit and make a quick exit.

Edited by - on

windseaker
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 12:09:08

I attach a line to a cleat that is midship up by the winches. Run it outside of the lifelines back to where I am sitting at the helm. As I slowly approach the dock I reach out to the aft cleat on the dock rapping the line around the cleat letting it feed out thru my hands to bring the boat to a stop up against the dock. Secure my end of the line to the boat. Step off the boat and finish up securing the boat to the dock. I solo sail a lot and even when I have other sailors onboard, I use this same maneuver.

Edited by - on

Davy J
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 12:10:44

Ok, so I'll nit-pik this photo:

I wouldn't leave my boat tied to a cleat like the one circled in the photo. You may return to find your boat somewhere else.....

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RAG Sailor
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 12:34:01

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Davy J
 Ok, so I'll nit-pik this photo:

I wouldn't leave my boat tied to a cleat like the one circled in the photo. You may return to find your boat somewhere else.....

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

You are absolutely right! I'm new to marina life. My last boat (33+ years ago) was moored. The picture you are looking at is one of many I took the day I took possession. Since then I learned to thread the eye-loop through the slip cleat; turn and tie it and then take the other end (the portion that appears on the slip now) and tie down the boat.

You are great for pointing this out, though. I know there are many newbies out there that are just absorbing all of this great information. All you Ol' Salts (what do you call a lake sailer

)have so much to impart on us. THANK YOU...THANK YOU!

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/16/2013 : 13:22:19

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by RAG Sailor
 ...Since then I learned to thread the eye-loop through the slip cleat; turn and tie it and then take the other end (the portion that appears on the slip now) and tie down the boat...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I'm not sure that's what Davy was driving at. You can use the loop on the bow cleat and cleat the other end on the dock, where you can leave it while you're out sailing, adjusted just right for your docking situation. But instead of dropping the loop over the bow cleat, you should feed it through the "throat" of the cleat and then wrap it back over the horns.

That way it can't lift off. If you need to make two dock-lines to the same cleat, you can drop the first loop over the cleat, and then do the "locking" method with the other--it'll lock both lines. That's easier with larger-thoated cleats than the C-25 has. Mine look like this:

...but my dock-lines aren't pink.

(They're twisted nylon.)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 10/16/2013 13:26:48

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