Do you Tell your crews to jump off the boat when docking?

[rockDAWG]

Ooop, typo I meant "docking"

Just wondering how other skippers do their docking.

I am from the old school. I never permit my crews to jump off the boat to secure the line to the dock. There are so many ways to dock without risking the safety of the crew. If the dock is unsuccessful for the first approach, go around for the second time. The boat can be replaced or repaired, the life of the crew is not. The safety of my crews comes first, my boat comes next.

From the last trip, the captain was yelling at me because I failed to jump off the boat.

What is your take?

[St Anna]

I step off with a spring attached to the genoa winch.This stops the boat. I only leave the boat when it is stopped or going so slow and if I have to jump, it is too far.

My wife steps off, if she can, further forward with another spring.

I go, first, like you do. However, I am not an expert at it. Here is one question to throw out there - I feel the longer you have been away from a berth (either miles or time), the more difficult it is to smoothly get the boat into a berth -thoughts?

Shouldn't be any yelling onboard ever - the volume is inversely proportional to the ability of the skipper! [& it broadcasts the fact!]

[mamadawn]

Originally Posted by St Anna

Shouldn't be any yelling onboard ever - the volume is inversely proportional to the ability of the skipper! [& it broadcasts the fact!]

I think I'm going to embroider this on a pillow.

[bljones]

Nobody leaves our boat until the boat has stopped moving. Springlines are your friend. As we come into our slip the bow man drops the springline over the endmost cleat, the boat comes to a stop, the helmsman raises the rpms and turns the wheel to port, the stern snuggles up against the dock on the starboard side, helmsman ties off the stern, then disembarks and heads forward to take the bow lines from the bowman, who has been holding to the dock cleat with a boat hook if needed. no one gets hurt, no one gets wet, and no yelling required.

[JagsBch]

Originally Posted by St Anna

Shouldn't be any yelling onboard ever - the volume is inversely proportional to the ability of the skipper! [& it broadcasts the fact!]

Why have I never heard this before

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by bljones

Nobody leaves our boat until the boat has stopped moving. Springlines are your friend. As we come into our slip the bow man drops the springline over the endmost cleat, the boat comes to a stop,

Unfortunately, some Captains do not know the beauty of springline. It is hard to tell the guy who has sailed for 40 years to use a springline. He always puts in the springlines last.

[jaschrumpf]

What is this "crew" of which you speak?

As you might guess, I usually single hand. But when I have crew aboard (read: "my kids"), I position one of them on the bow (I back into my slip) with the boat hook to grab off the pilings whichever stern line is windward to us.

As I'm coming in I put a spring line over my port winch to stop us, and I also have a short (3'/1m) line attached to the piling at the end of the finger pier that I also slip over that winch to hold us close to the pier until I can get the other lines on.

It's easy enough for me to dock my boat alone that I don't really need to assign multiple crew to places even when I have them. I suppose if I had a bigger than 28' boat I might find a use for them, but at the present time they're not necessary.

And I would not have them jump off the boat, ever. They step off the boat, and no one does that until she stops moving.

[jackdale]

Step off - when ready.

I also teach / use the single line docking with a spring line.

[Minnewaska]

No one gets off the boat until she is idling against the spring line. If I have extra crew, someone can step off then and accept a bow and stern line thrown from the boat to the dock. We typically double hand. One crew at helm, the other throws the spring line around the cleat and secures the bitter end back to the boat, then proceeds to do the same with the bow and stern lines.

Ironically, we are much more successful in getting it right with just he two of us than if someone is waiting on the dock and doesn't know our procedure.

In our worst episode this past summer, I backed into the slip. My wife tossed the spring line to a dock hand that was waiting. He was expecting a bow or stern line and was confused by the spring instructions. He tied it too long and as I backed to take up the slack, it became evident with only a foot or so to spare and I backed right into the dock.

That caused some tension in the voice of the Captain, I'm afraid, despite the insinuation of my skill level. I now have a firm rule that "unfamiliar helpers" never tie a line to the dock, they only place it around an object for you.

[AdamLein]

One of my crew I usually have to hold onto his harness to prevent him from jumping off. However I do not insist that the vessel be at rest before crew carefully step off.

For some reason I find it much easier to get a spring line on a cleat while standing on the dock.