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First time singlehanding, bad things happen, the sound of breaking fiberglass, etc

8K views 39 replies 27 participants last post by  bollaert2@gmail.com 
#1 ·
Alternate title: The big ship wharf to leeward is not your friend

Conditions:
True wind speed: 15 knots
In the channel, minimal tidal current
Approximately 8-9 PM, evening to dusk to night
Clear, 60°F

Outcome:
Minor damage and scuffing of port rubrail, port topsides
Serious bend to bow pulpit

I've been sailing my Ericson 27 for almost three years before, but never alone, for one reason or another. I'm planning a longer sail alone to take the boat to the boatyard for miscellaneous maintenance, and I wanted to do a brief sail to go through all of the motions to make sure there were no major problems.

Well, for most of the voyage, everything went fine, surprisingly easy.

The hardest part was dealing with the tether, which I've never seriously used before; it was constantly getting caught on things, tripping me, preventing me from going where I wanted to, or worst, getting caught up in other lines. I can see a tether working well for a fully-crewed boat, where everyone has a job/station, but I can't figure out how its supposed to work for a singlehander, when you need to go all over the place and do many things, frequently when things are in the middle of going wrong somewhere on the boat--and usually, about to get a lot worse if not resolved within N seconds.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but my simple West Marine tether also seems to require two hands to unclip at the far end, due to this safety bracket thing. I think I could figure out how to do it with one hand, but it's basically a huge pain, and probably puts me at more risk of falling overhead than if I didn't have a tether at all.

One of the most valuable functions that crew serves is preventing me from doing things that seem like a really bad idea. I don't do the authoritarian captain absolute chain of command thing; if I can't convince my girlfriend, crew, or other guests that it's a reasonable thing to do, we don't do it. (Among friends in emergencies, trust seems to work just as well as the chain of command does in the navy and merchant marine.)

So I've been trying to figure out how to calibrate my wind transducer, or at least, verify that it's reasonably accurate. There's this weather station with real-time wind reporting, and it seemed like it would be a great idea to pull up right next to it, and compare readings. It's on a wharf on the leeward side of the channel. The wharf is one of those big ship things, constructed from concrete and steel pilings and beams with a bunch of (mostly broken) pieces of wood over it. Basically, really nasty looking; I have no idea why I ever thought that would be a good place to tie up. (The best I can find is a photo of the backside of the structure; the front is the same construction, with the metal and wood nasty stuff hanging off the front.)

My thinking is that I'd just barely kiss it, sit there for a few minutes taking my readings, then be off. I found a "nice" part of the wharf that had the most wood and the least nasty-looking things poking out of it, and just sort of edged up to it. At first, everything worked, and although I found it hard to get the fenders into an effective position, everything was mostly OK.

The problem was leaving. When I tried to push off, I realized the wind was much to strong; I just ended up where I started from. There was pretty much no way to make headway or sternway without rubbing up against a million terrible things, and without headway, I couldn't turn. If I had a helper, I could have had them help push off while I gunned the motor, and it would have been totally OK.

(I've since learned that one of the proper ways to leave such a dock is a fender on the bow stem and a spring line, but this still would have required crew I think, and I'm not even sure it would have worked on the wharf, since it isn't actually a solid surface, just a bunch of pilings and beams.)

What I ended up doing was reversing and going forward in succession, running back and forth between the cockpit (where the outboard motor controls and tiller are, and the side, fending off. Terrible scraping things happened, but it sort of worked.

Somehow in the process of getting free, one of the pilings pulled off one of my fenders, and I made the really dumb decision to try to get it. The fender sucked, and was old and nasty and I was going to get rid of it eventually anyway. I don't know why I went back for it, but I basically ended up back on the wharf, but in an even worse place.

In the process of trying to get free again, because things were basically getting much worse rapidly, I motored forward into one of the pilings, which caught my bow pulpit. It wasn't fast, but, well, the boat weighs a few tons. Rending fiberglass is a terrible noise, and when you hear it on your boat, you'll feel it like it's corporal damage to your own body.

But the pulpit's sacrifice is basically what helped position the boat to get free again, and then everything was OK. The rest of the voyage was completed without incident.

I'm pretty bummed now about the damage, and not feeling very good about singlehandling. My understanding is that pulpits are not especially repairable, and this one isn't replaceable being out-of-production. I'd actually much rather just gotten holed or something, since that would be a straightforward fiberglass repair.

Early on in the Golden Globes race, Bernard Moitessier bent his bowsprit (3" steel pipe) in a collision with a freighter, and it was so emotionally crushing to him that he almost dropped out of the race. It was less about the loss of functionality, and more about the aesthetics. Fortunately, in his case, he has able to bend it back using his winches, so that you could hardly tell. I'm not a match of Moitessier, and I don't think I'll be able to bend this one back, even at land.
 

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#2 ·
Only two comments:
If you do not have a sailing school nearby, you can rent a lot of how to sail videos from Netflix.
Although I have not had this happen it is why I wear my harness and tether anytime I am going to the bow in most conditions. I imagine how bad a feeling it would be bobbing in the water watching my boat sailing away from me at 6 knots.
 
#3 ·
Sorry to read about your mishap. Things could have gone much worse. Nobody got hurt and you are ok to tell the story for others to learn. I tend to panic in situations like this, particularly at the end of a days sailing when tiredness and lack of energy kicks in. That's where I really appreciate having somebody with me on the boat, to look out for signs of fatigue.
 
#5 ·
I've wondered about tethers. I used to do a lot of mountaineering and one of the biggest hazards was getting tangled up in your rope. If you read 'Accidents in North American Mountaineering' (yeah, I know, a grim pub, but useful), you see a lot of accidents caused by or related to what is supposed to be 'safety' gear.
 
#6 ·
I am really sorry to hear that your first single-handing effort did not go well. I know that has to be a little upsetting, but as others have said, at least no one was seriously hurt, and the other good news is that you are looking at this critically and trying to learn from what happened.

There is a couple things that I would suggest. First of all, I use a mix of strong points and jacklines to attach my tether. In my case I have been recycling old kevlar core halyards for jacklines but its easy enough to make jacklines out of webbing, s.s. cable, or low stretch lines. At least in the short run, these can be cleated to your bow and stern cleats and run down the side decks. I have spent time studying how to run my jacklines so that I can move the length of the boat without having to clip and unclip, and to minimize tripping hazzard. (In my case, when not in use, the jackline sit against the crease where the cabin sides meet the deck) Basically, the jackline needs to pass over all sheet leads and you should get in the habit of using the windward jackline and making sure there is slack in the lazy sheets before you leave the cockpit.

Practice using the saftely clip on the teather. Once you get used to it, you can use it one handed. It takes some practice figuring out how your specific clip works and where to grab it to allow it to work efficiently. (And they are all a little different so practice on your own will not assure the same efficiency on a different teather.)

In terms of tripping over your teather, there are tethers which have elastic in them that 'scrunch' up when not under tension. When scrunched the clip barely reaches the deck and so is less of a tripping hazzard. The factory made ones are pretty expensive and the elastic lasts maybe 6-8 years, so I have made a replacement using very heavy webbing and shock cord and the old hardware. (Don't make your own if you are not skilled at this kind of structrual hand worked stitching.)

Jeff
 
#7 ·
In terms of leaving the dock, I have several key suggestions. First of all, I would suggest that you probably should have rigged a couple dock boards. These are horizontal planks that are perhaps 6-7 feet long with a line on each end that allows the dockboard to hang from the lifelines in a horizontal position. A fender is hung between the hull and the dockboard on each end of the dockboard.

Dockboards are the hot ticket when tying up against a piling since they are more tolerant of the position of the piling than a single fender, and keep the vulnerable parts of the boat further from the piling. You would have wanted one against a piling near amidships and astern. The trick in using a spring line single-handed is setting it up so you can deploy it from the cockpit. That means a springline rigged from the stern cleat around the piling forward and back to the cockpit.

Leaving the dock you would initially back against the springline which would push the aft dockboard against the piling and then pivot the bow away from the dock. This takes patience and timing, but once the bow is angled out, (perhaps as much as 45 degrees), then you put the boat in forward. The trick is to release the free end of spring line and quickly pull it around the piling and back on board before it fouls your prop. (Some folks carry a polypropolene springline only for this purpose) By starting out in reverse it does not require you to be in two places at once.

Jeff
 
#8 ·
Don't get bummed about the stainless. If you're OK putting out the money, there are shops that can fab a new one. The fact that the boat is out of production is irrelevant.

I know nothing about the folks in your area, but this might be a start:

Stainless steel fabricators in South San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco Stainless steel fabricators - YP.com

Near me (in NJ), there is a place that specializes in stainless steel for marine purposes. They make the flying bridges for the big fishing boats, stainless steel rod holders ("rocket launchers") for center console boats, stainless steel floating docks and railings, etc. A place like that can knock out a bow rail in no time.

I'd call some of the places above, explain what you need, and if they don't do what you need, ask for a recommendation.

You may also be able to find someone to repair that section. I'm not as certain about that, because of the kink, but it may be possible. The fabricators above may be able to remove the bow rail and fix it or, if you are OK with the aesthetics, may be able to sister in a piece.

OK, so now all hope isn't lost. Your baby can be brought back to close to her original appearance, and possibly even better than before. Now let's talk about single-handing. I'm still a novice, so I can't give you advice drawn from years of experience, so take this all with a grain of salt, but you did fine under the circumstances. I'm not sure I would have tried single-handing the first time in 15+ winds, because of the freeboard of my boat. I would just get blown around, and I'd be panicing. I also probably wouldn't have tried to tie off alone in those conditions. That being said, I applaud your confidence in TRYING it...you got farther than I would have. You also just learned some very valuable lessons, including how to leave a wharf.

I share your concerns about tethers. I am afraid all it will do is get me tangled up. To what were you clipping in?

In the end, I can understand why this would have shaken your confidence. But I think, with all due respect, that you're being too hard on yourself. You got home! You didn't have to call for a tow, and the only boat or other property that was damaged was your own. That's a good start.
 
#11 ·
I recently had a similar experience as being stuck on the dock by a strong wind because our motor failed. Only in my case, it wasn't a dock, it was a couple of big expensive power boats (they had big fenders, and little humor). I got the motor started again and stuffed the launch just like you did. Just a game of expensive bumper cars.
 
#12 ·
Shorten up a forward stern spring line and back down on your engine. The bow will swing forward and you can release the stern spring line from your helm station without having to run anywhere. Live and learn. At least you didn't bounce your boat of other boats.

I'll tell you what someone told me after I had bumped into a few things. "Good. Now you can stop worrying about what that would feel like and get on with it."
 
#15 ·
OP,

I had similar learning lessons when I first ventured solo south (from VT). My experience was mostly floating docks. I was lucky to have a hand at my first set of piles. Otherwise it would have went viral on youtube for sure.

I was told (as stated above), that long sacrificial boards (fenders on you, boards on piles) and springs were the way to go. After several lone attempts early in the mornings (calm waters, and no witnesses :) ), I got the hang of it.

As to the tether. Jacklines run just off center on each side, bow to cockpit, hard cleated. If using web, twist the web every 6-8 inches, this helps to not slip on the flat surface. I always double cleated when in the cockpit (one to each side), yes a pain, but felt very safe. Then when moving forward for hanking(yes), reefing, etc, un-cleat one side and move up the line. Should not have anything in the way for snags. Practice at the dock (or hook). It should be fluid.

I couldn't tell from the post if you were cleating, and un-cleating your way forward... IMHO this is a bad idea (unless you are using 2 tethers). Having been airborne on the bow several feet above, I couldn't imagine not being tethered or in the process of tethering at the time.

Anyway (hard won lessons) my 2 cents...

Happy Solo'ng
 
#16 ·
First of all, it seems like you have identified your errors which is important.
You've got to start thinking in terms of "risk vs. gain".

Was the risk of damage from the old wharf worth the gain of calibrating your wind instruments? Maybe... depends on your skill level. Be objective about your abilities.

Was the risk of further damage worth the gain of recovering a nasty old fender that you were going to throw away anyway? Nope. Not at all. Not even a little bit. So you learned from your mistakes which is great! Slow down, be deliberate, think "risk vs. gain" next time you're out there.

Second, I just want to say, don't give up. Go out there, practice, give yourself lots of room. Think "risk vs. gain" before deciding on a maneuver. You'll get better. If I only sailed with crew, I'd never sail.

The pulpit can be repaired or replaced by a fabrication shop. Don't sweat it.
 
#34 ·
You've got to start thinking in terms of "risk vs. gain".

Was the risk of damage from the old wharf worth the gain of calibrating your wind instruments? Maybe... depends on your skill level. Be objective about your abilities.

Was the risk of further damage worth the gain of recovering a nasty old fender that you were going to throw away anyway? Nope. Not at all. Not even a little bit. So you learned from your mistakes which is great! Slow down, be deliberate, think "risk vs. gain" next time you're out there.
I've been reflecting on this, and I think this model really resonates with me. I've learned through my training and profession to be very quantitative about things. I think that consciously deciding to consider the risk, every time I try something risky, might really help improve decision-making.

The part I've been considering the most, though, is that I don't really have a good way to assess the risk of various activities. I'm not experienced enough to know how things can go wrong. In this case, it seemed that docking to a wharf wasn't much different from other stuff I've docked to before; what I didn't consider were the effects of wind. It's obvious in hindsight, but ahead of time, it's hard to really see everything that can go wrong.

Tied up in this is basically the reality that I'm going to have to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone if I'm going to continue to improve my sailing skills. I have to try new things, that seem slightly harder than things I've already done.

I still can't believe I went back for that crappy fender though. I have no idea what I was thinking.
 
#18 ·
I agree with all those who have told you not to feel too bad about your experience. Singlehanding is a continuous learning experience. If the boat ends the trip still on top of the water, it could have gone much worse.

The most important singlehanding lesson I keep learning (over and over) is to plan everything before you start. That means the time to figure out how to get off that dock is before you tie up. That's when you can rig fenders or fender boards if you have them, and plan which way to arrive and which way to face to make leaving easier. (Unless the wind is blowing exactly at right angles to the dock, it may help to face into the wind when you're leaving, so that you don't have to turn as far before the wind will actually blow your bow away from the dock.) The more you sail, and the more situations you experience, the easier it will be to foresee the issues and plan ahead.

On the damage to your bow pulpit, check out some used marine hardware stores. I did a quick Google search and saw what looked like two stores in the bay area. One of them may have a pulpit from another Ericson 27, or a pulpit from some other boat that could be adapted to fit on your bow.

Good luck and keep sailing.
 
#19 ·
The surplus store idea is a great one. I know it's a long drive, but Minney's might have it. They are down in Costa Mesa, not too far from the beach and all the sailing in OC. You could make a weekend of the trip and bring home the rail if they have something that could work. I'd probably still call a fab shop first to get an estimate for the repair cost, and then I'd call Minney's and see what they have. You could also ask them to keep an eye out for one.
 
#21 ·
Yes, tethers are a pain and do get caught on things. The good news is that once you get used to moving from one place to another, it becomes second nature to flip the tether around those snag points.

When singlehanding, it is often necessary to simply avoid going into situations where you cannot sequence every move you are going to make. Going in toward an unfamiliar dock, I find it pays to make a practice run, sort of a touch and go, to see close-up what the conditions are to get the boat alongside and tied up.

You didn't get hurt, stuff can be prepared. Lessons, unfortunately, always get learned the hard way. Once learned this way, they are never forgotten.
 
#22 ·
Mostly my sailing these past 40 years has been solo. I occasionally still get it wrong and learn something new, so do not fuss over your one bad experience.

Re tethers: I run two webbing jacklines inboard of everything, from the pulpit, one each side of the mast, below the genoa sheets, over the cabin, inboard of the winches, to the pushpit. They are kept very taut so that they can't flop around and get under or around unwanted obstructions. The tether is kept very short - about three feet only - and at each end has those safety snap clips that require two deliberate actions to release. If you have a longer tether, just make it into a loop around the jackline with the two clips back to your harness. The idea of keeping it short means that a) you won't trip over it and b) you can't fall overboard. Because even if you are clipped on, if you go overboard at more than three knots you will probably drown. Once sailing, I NEVER go out of the cockpit without clipping on. The jacklines are tight enough to make good backrests when seated in the cockpit.

As for rough jetties and docks to leeward - I try to avoid them, but if really necessary, always use fender boards and spring lines. In the situation you described where the jetty is on a lee shore, another way out would be to put an anchor over the bow while still 30 or 40 metres off and fall back on the anchor cable (make sure the anchor is holding!), secure a stern line or two lines (one from each quarter if possible) to the pilings, by passing the line (s) around the pilings and back on board (to make letting go easier). Then when ready to depart, let go the stern line(s), retrieve to keep away from the prop and haul in the anchor while motoring very slowly ahead, with tiller or wheel centred.

Because I use all-chain rode for anchoring, in tight situations I am not too nervous about motoring right up until almost over the top of the anchor before going forward to haul it in, so as to reduce the time adrift before getting back to the cockpit. I do not clip on while anchoring or leaving as I need to be able to scamper quickly between bow and cockpit - but so close to shore, if I do go overboard it hopefully will only be an embarrassment not a disaster.
 
#23 ·
Normally I prefer the method described by Jeff_H - backing into a board/fender to bring the bow out.

However, cruisers with sterns infested with davits, dinghies and even swim platforms just can't go that route without bending some pipe.

The important thing is to realize that your boat isn't a flat slap, it's fat in the middle and that can be used as the fulcrum of a level when properly fendered/protected and that spring lines lead around a piling and back to the boat are the way to go.
That means carrying a plethora of 15 foot dock lines (like a lot of weekenders do) is not sufficient. You really do need at least one good stout line at least 1.5 times the length of your boat.
I'm not an experienced single hander - done it, like it except it's a lot of work because you have to make your Rum and Coke Zero's.
The important thing is to think ahead and plan what if's and how to's for almost everything. Then abandon plan a immediately if it starts going wrong and improvise like the viagra commercial.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Firstly, thanks for all of the encouragement! It made such a big difference in my mood, as I'll describe below.

What I didn't disclose is that this was a shakedown trial for a longer ~20nm singlehanded beat in 30 knot winds up to a boatyard. jimgo remarked that 15 knots seemed like a lot for my first try, but the fact I'd have to be comfortable with a lot more was my main motivation. (I've sailed enough in these "typical" SF Bay conditions with crew to be comfortable-ish it them, with crew.)

I was going to abandon the cruise after this terrible experience, but the forum really helped me turn it around; the reason I haven't been responding is due to being on the water or at the boatyard until now. I've been reading every night, but I haven't had the internet quality or energy to type up a good response.

The 20nm voyage went flawlessly. A lot of firsts for me singlehanding, including anchoring, high winds, some navigation, etc. Highlights include:
  • I've gotten tethering working better, especially after Jeff's advice. Once I practiced more, I realized it was possible to do the tether one-handed, and the whole thing is partly a matter of planning things out in advance, and anticipating what's going to happen. I still de-tethered for anchoring, which I thought was reasonable.
  • The wind usually dies a little while after dark, but it was especially abrupt this time. It was pretty amusing going from 30 knots to 5 knots, in the space of five minutes, meaning I no longer had enough wind to beat to windward and maintain steerage in the left-over chop. Hypothetically this would be a dangerous situation, in the higher-traffic northerly part of the Bay, in a shipping channel, but of course the motor worked fine; I just hate to spoil a serene night on a bay with a noisy 4-stroke.
  • Anchoring seems so easy, even singlehanding. I don't get what the big deal is that people are always talking about messing it up. Just get in position, use the motor to stop, then idle; the wind push the bow away, but it doesn't especially matter; drop anchor and let out scope, and use the motor to set and check.

I spent some time with the damaged bow pulpit, and learned a few things:
  • All of the bolts are accessible, eg, not under the non-removable headliner that is underneath most of my deck. Maybe this is just my noviceness, but this is a big deal to me, because it means it's almost trivial to remove.
  • The fab shop at KKMI wants a little over $2000 to build a new one, plus glasswork to repair and beef up the deck base. My job manager seemed to think that the idea of repairing it was suspicious. Maybe I should push harder here, or get a second opinion.
  • I guess I don't actually have to deal with this right now, because the pulpit seems to be pretty sturdy still (I've pulled on it, hard, and there was also no obvious damage to the welds or opposite-side bases.), given that it's so easy to remove and drive wherever.
  • Touch screens, like my chartplotter and my cell phone, absolutely refuse to work after they get a certain amount of wet, no matter how hard you try to dry them in wet conditions. The Raymarine e97 has backup hard controls; the Galaxy S smart phone doesn't.

I really appreciate all of the advice (in addition to the unconditional encouragement) as well; despite reading tons of internets and Don Casey books and all of that sort of thing, I still have no idea how to approach problems like this, and it really helps to have you guys help frame the problem in my mind. I'll update as appropriate on stainless status, and on future singlehanded developments. But I don't think I'll go anywhere near a wharf or pier for a long time.

There's something ironic about singlehanding. It's so lonely, even when you want to be by yourself. If something awesome happens on the water, and no one else is there to see it, did it really happen? The first thing I want to do is tell someone about the adventure; and the first thing I want when anything goes wrong is someone else to help. I will admit that for the windiest and choppiest part of the trip, where I was getting re-soaked every minute or so by larger waves, I was actually bored somehow...

(Apologies for my usual length. One of my essay-assigning English teachers did something terrible to me at some point that makes me not be able to write concisely. I always have to do a separate pass to prune, and it still comes out long.)
 
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