Careening is when you haul a ship down on her side with a tackle from the masthead to a fixed point on the shore while the vessel is still floating. It was common at one time but not so safe with today’s small boats. You can still see large steel rings in some harbors imbedded in the stone wharfs that were used to
anchor the tackle used during the days of sail.
Letting a boat dry out on a beach is usually fine and a great way to change a seacock or work on the bottom. I have done it with both full keel and fin keel boats with no problems at all. Just make sure the boat heels towards the shore so when the tide come in you start to float before you have water flowing into the cockpit.
Drying out alongside a dock is common in places like England but you need to be careful and this requires some experience before you try it. If you are new to this or don’t have someone experienced to help be careful because some boats are not a suitable candidate for this.
All the best,
Robert Gainer