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Don't "drive" your boat like it's a car!

14K views 59 replies 34 participants last post by  budvar 
#1 · (Edited)
I was at a public dock last weekend. A sailboat (probably around 40 feet with a fair amount of freeboard) was docked behind me. We were both pointed in the same direction, with the dock on Starboard and a stiff breeze coming from Port. The "Skipper" first got my attention, when he started removing his fenders before leaving the dock. He cast off, got aboard, put the boat in gear and started rubbing along the dock (towards my boat!). I don't know if he ever realized the wind was keeping him against the dock, but after several feet, he spun the wheel more to port, and the boat finally responded, with the bow veering to Port and the stern cantilevering over the dock. He soon realized the stern was going to hit a dock piling, so he gave the boat more throttle. Fortunately, the boat had impressive acceleration and the stern missed the piling by about a foot! As he passed me, I yelled; "Been a Skipper long?". He stared blankly at me and asked "What?".:laugher

I'm no Master Mariner, but it absolutely stuns me how many "Skippers" give little or no consideration to the effects the forces of nature are having on the operation of their vessel. I would think all "Sailors" would at least have some awareness, and plan accordingly (as they have chosen wind driven craft). I would be WRONG!

In his situation, I would have left the fenders on, powered gently forward or backward to see if the boat would respond. After all, the current could have been helping. If not, I would have run a stern line though a dock cleat and doubled it back to the helm, holding the boat while powering the bow away from the dock, then releasing it , and waving to the nice man in the boat docked in front of me as I passed! Sound right?
This is a excellent video on docking under various conditions, and addresses the conditions mentioned above 37 minutes in. http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...t=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoGMAEjiHmU

Other stories of the lack of situational awareness are most welcome. I have several! The most common are skippers turning into their slips too early or late to accommodate wind conditions, and refusing to abort and try again, based on what they should have just learned!
 
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#2 ·
Skippers like the one you describe above are invaluable to the sailing community. They get tired of the repair bills and sell their scratched-up boats at a huge discount shortly after they run aground for the tenth time. This provides the savvy guy with gelcoat expertise a great way to obtain a reasonably solid, not-too-old vessel for next to nothing. The trick is to avoid being on the receiving end of him coming in to the dock.
 
#3 ·
Our slip is on a long side pier, with perpendicular finger slips across from us. Skippers are either backing past us for their side slip spot or hugging next to us, to make the turn into their finger slip. Most do a fine job. Some scare the crap out of me. Occasionally, even the good skippers get in a bind and botch one up. So far, no impact. Fingers crossed, throws salt over shoulder, etc.
 
#4 ·
I've made my share of Youtube-worthy bloopers. I'm sure I'll make more. We were all new at one time. This thread could be a good way for everyone, new and old, to learn something new. Hopefully it won't turn into a way to simply make fun of people.

So far (knock on wood), our most egregious lapse in situational awareness involved the Naked Lightning Dance but, we're still young (ish) and there's plenty of time for something truly dangerous/costly/embarrassing.
 
#19 ·
I have made entry and exits that were perfect, then again sometimes i am glad no one saw that. There is a young fellow that that just finished a circumnavigation on my dock. He docks like a rookie. Go figure. Bottom line the only way you get better is to do it often. I don't make fin of anyone I usually offer to help.
 
#5 ·
One of our race crew was a professional (so I am told) race car driver. Once the owner let him dock the boat, survived the experience & banned him from the helm, restricting all docking to himself, my wife and me. I recently experienced his car driving, last time I will be in a car with him behind the wheel.
 
#6 ·
I'm no Master Mariner, but it absolutely stuns me how many "Skippers" give little or no consideration to the effects the forces of nature are having on the operation of their vessel.
This is the tidbit I'm having the hardest time getting through to the Admiral. That wind and current effect the boat at ALL times, if you aren't tied to the dock you ARE moving.

I screwed the pooch coming out of the slip on Tuesday. We are port side to the finger, bow in. The boat has considerable prop walk to the left in reverse, wind about 6-10 from the starboard beam. We need to back out to the right, then exit left.

My plan was have my wife drive, ease back in reverse with me walking the boat out, at end of slip give a shove to get the stern moving to the right and step on. Worked fine up to that point but I came out to slow and/or needed to shove the bow out as well. Ended up the bow blew left before we cleared the end pile, little creosote on the bow pulpit, face crimson. Haven't always been the smoothest in and out of the slip but that's the first time I bumped into something. Inexpensive lesson, probably won't happen again. :D
 
#7 ·
dale, you need to run a "bannister" line between the dock and the end piling. a line looped around the bannister will allow you to control the nose of the boat, and an aft line looped around the end piling can be used to turn the stern. rig the lines right, and you don't have to either jump on the boat as it is leaving, or jump on the dock as you are docking.

GOB covered this a while back:
"SLIP EXITS WITHOUT ANGST
BY JESS GREGORY
Employ virtual dock hands to control your boat's bow. The pier banister, a bow walker for the soloist.

Article Number: 4763
Issue: 73 - July/August 2010
Page No: 62-63"
 
#8 ·
We have that issue, I'll take a look. This was more a case of me not thinking it through, and it's only the 3rd time I've taken the boat out of the slip.

The piling is right at the end of the float, float has a large metal ring at end around the pile, not sure if the bannister line would help in that case.

Will take a look at the article, thanks for the info.
 
#9 ·
L124C -
It's a shame your neighbor didn't know how to spring his boat off the dock. As a matter of interest I usually remove my fenders before departing unless I need one to spring off of.
Fenders are no substitute for a good rub rail.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Glad you brought this up. By "rub rail", do you mean the horizontal rubber trim strip 4 to 6 inches below the tow rail (deck), common on Catalina's (for example)?
Or, are you referring to the rubber bumper rails provided on most docks. If it's the former, they are far too high to protect the hull from the dock (In fact, I'm not sure what they actually do!)
If it's the latter, I wouldn't trust it to protect my hull on a public dock. One loose screw or nail could do some serious damage. Especially using the method in the OP. He could have had a twenty five foot gouge in his gel coat!
Anyway...please explain how the rub rail works.
 
#10 ·
I was the only crew on a delivery of a beautiful, brand new, 50 footer to New Port RI from Mt. Desert Island, ME. The owner of the company that built the boat was skipper. He backed into the slip at a speed that had me cringing and trying to anticipate the impacts. It all happened quite fast. I braced for impact a couple of times as he calmly throttled and spun the wheel. Without even a bump the yacht gently came to rest against the fenders in the slip. It was a brand new boat that cost about 1.5 million. Its Endeavor Blue Awlgrip finish never even got scuffed. When you really know what you are doing it is automatic. Can you tell I was impressed?

Down
 
#16 ·
Yes, someone who is really comfortable with the boat and has lots of experience (at least with similar boats) is really a thing of beauty! I hope to get to that point, but so far every time I pull into a dock I am nervous. I have been on boats where they pull in with just the right speed and don't even have to kick it into reverse, there is a lot of art to it since there is current, wind and prop walk all to orchestrate. Everyone says it comes with practice. Tell that to my father, he has been driving for almost 70 years and still can't park! :laugher:eek::laugher
 
#11 ·
I dang near tore the bow pulpit off a charter boat years ago, long before I owned my own boat. This was a 36 foot Dickerson that some friends and I got for a week of local use. I was about 30 at the time, and had a fair amount of sailing experience, but very little docking and none of that as skipper.

Mid-week of our charter, when everyone else was at work, I went down with my sort-of girlfriend (zero boating experience) to re-locate the boat for our next outing. We were alongside a pier to starboard, with a dock maybe twenty feet behind us. We were faced away from our destination, so I would have to turn the boat around. My plan was to just back away to port and get out into the channel, thinking that I had plenty of room to clear the dock behind us. But as soon as we started backing, the wind started the bow swinging much faster than expected. It became clear that it would swing into the dock that I had expected to clear, with quite a bit of force. My only choice was to gun the engine with just a few seconds to spare, and this allowed the bow to clear by a couple feet.

By luck, the wind continued to spin us around and quickly put us into position to motor down the channel. As we departed, some wiseacre called out, "Been a skipper long?!" I hollered back, "What are you, some crotchety old sailnetter?" ;)
 
#14 ·
I wouldn't be too fast to trash someone's boat handling. It may be that skipper never encountered a similar situation before - after all most are in a slip or on a mooring and only side tie at the occasional fuel dock.

Besides karma - in the form of an unexpected wind gust - can be a *****. And the payment will only happen when the dock is jammed with people :laugher
 
#22 · (Edited)
I wouldn't be too fast to trash someone's boat handling. It may be that skipper never encountered a similar situation before - after all most are in a slip or on a mooring and only side tie at the occasional fuel dock.
Besides karma - in the form of an unexpected wind gust - can be a *****. And the payment will only happen when the dock is jammed with people :laugher
There was no "handling" in the OP. My point was that there was no consideration of what the wind was doing to the mast and freeboard, or what tide was doing to the keel. The "thought" process was simply: "I'm going to drive this boat out of it's parking space, by pointing it where I want it to go, just like I do with my car". Often, the weight of the vessel and lack of brakes isn't a consideration either.
He never encountered a dock on Starboard and wind on Port?
Perhaps he should have skippered a smaller, more manageable boat to learn how a boat responds to the elements, before single handing a 40 foot boat in the SF Bay.
Sure, unforeseen circumstances and gusts can derail the best made plans, and I've freely admitted my blunders in this forum. However....there should be a plan. There wasn't in the OP!
I don't intend to be condescending in anyway, but I see examples so often it honestly amazes me. Fortunately, this thread has already produced a worthwhile exchange of ideas.
 
#15 ·
A number of westbound boats were windbound one day in Cobourg harbour (ourselves included). Spent the day mucking about on the boat, reading etc. I noticed a brand new 40 ft boat backing out of the slip and heard the skipper declining any help from folks close by. His wife was on the deck with a boot hook as a precaution. The wind caught his bow and it slammed into the dock as he was throttling and steering like crazy...got out of the slip and started blowing into shore lined with rocks...more crazy throttling and steering with limited results - infact making their situation even worse. A bunch of us are now heading to the area as fast as we can to help. He was starting to clear the shore but his bow was headed to the stern of another boat. He ended up sidewise against this boat and if I recall correctly, it was at this point that his wife fell off the boat almost banging her head on the other boat on the way down. She clambered back on board visibly angry and upset (and sopping wet). Finally they cleared the area and headed to their destination, which was the fuel dock. 20 minutes later they returned and as they approached the slip someone yelled "can we give you a hand docking?". The soaking wet wife glared at her very quite husband while responding "yes - please!". Despite the very warm temperatures, I suspect it was very cold on the boat for the rest of the afternoon!
 
#17 · (Edited)
A friend of mine just bought a new twin engine 31' powerboat (with bow thruster). I've been helping him get used to it (docking, etc), even though he is an "experienced" boater (smaller power boats). He is a good friend, but I have to say that some people just shouldn't own boats. He has no situational awareness of winds, currents etc, and is totally oblivious to his wake (even though I've told him repeatedly) and my best advice to him is to buy the Gold vessel assist plan. Helping him has explained a lot about what I see happen out on the water and in the marinas.


I had to laugh at the title of the thread because a month or so ago I tried to drive the car like I drive the boat. I was parallel parked and I turned the wheel hard toward the curb and put it in forward in order to kick the stern out.....
 
#18 ·
Run just about all boats sail & power to 80ft. First thing I explain to anyone is to stop and take gauge of current wind and others. If you don't come to a complete stop before attempting to dock you have no exact knowledge of the forces against you. I don't mean stopping directly in front of the slip but somewhere that you can maneuver safely. Never throw a bow line to a dock handler. Use spring lines both approaching and departing. Practice Practice. It always amazes me when experienced sailors have trouble handling their boats around docks.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I'm no Master Mariner, but it absolutely stuns me how many "Skippers" give little or no consideration to the effects the forces of nature are having on the operation of their vessel. I would think all "Sailors" would at least have some awareness, and plan accordingly (as they have chosen wind driven craft). I would be WRONG!
Problem is.... I was that guy once. I attempted to be prudent and respect the current that I knew was in my area by leaving at slack tide. Slack tide.... High tide, and slack current are different things, on different (albet similar looking) tables.

I motored off and end tie with lots of room to make a turn, but the following current caused me to hit the boat in front of me. Minor damage to both (I paid for their damage).

A bystander who helped commented about how idiotic it was to leave when the current was rushing at 3+ knots. "All you have to do is look down at the water to see it." I didn't look down at the water, I looked at my tide table. A also wonder if I would have been able to see it, the way I can now. Now when I see seaweed streaming out sideways from the dock I take note, but not then.

I was 6 months into the learning adventure that continues today (sailboat ownership) and I knew not what I didn't know. Yup, I was that guy.... I just pray that I'm not still that guy. ;)

MedSailor
 
#33 · (Edited)
Problem is.... I was that guy once. I attempted to be prudent and respect the current that I knew was in my area by leaving at slack tide. Slack tide.... High tide, and slack current are different things, on different (albeit similar looking) tables.
Thanks for your candor. This is a lesson sea kayakers learn VERY quickly (I am one), and that I think many sailors don't appreciate!
A bystander who helped commented about how idiotic it was to leave when the current was rushing at 3+ knots. "All you have to do is look down at the water to see it."
I don't think the problem was "leaving", it was knowing how to leave.
I didn't look down at the water, I looked at my tide table. A also wonder if I would have been able to see it, the way I can now. Now when I see seaweed streaming out sideways from the dock I take note, but not then.
Not to mention the way your boat was probably tensioning it's dock lines. In the OP, the force that was required to remove the fenders should have been a hint that the boat wasn't going to be anxious to leave the dock.
I was 6 months into the learning adventure that continues today (sailboat ownership) and I knew not what I didn't know. Yup, I was that guy.... I just pray that I'm not still that guy. ;)
Well....lets see. What would you do differently now?
In all fairness, I think your situation was a little less obvious to a neophyte than that in the OP. Though...the potential outcome was the same, which is what made me put down my coffee and pay attention!
So in the interest of disscusion, how would you handle it now?
 
#30 ·
I had one a couple days ago, Saturday.

I was driving "Sea the Day" (Photos ? Click images to enlarge; click images to shrink ? Sail Connecticut Access Program, Inc) and had a small group consisting of one wheel-chair bound person and two staff members. We had just completed our sail and were on our way back when the director called on the radio that the boat "Shazam" he was skippering with about six passengers some severely handy-capped had engine trouble and was drifting out of the channel towards the rocks.

I was closest so I maneuvered my boat to to tie to his for a hip tow.

I'm coming down the fairway with this ungainly combination of one small outboard and two boats, and about 11 people. Several have never been on a boat before, some are non-verbal and some are non ambulatory. I've already reduced speed to steerage as I have to turn into a smaller fairway.

Just then a giant power boat, probably 45' with a bridge deck about two stories above the water backs out directly in front of me not even looking. He was checking to make sure he didn't scratch his boat backing out.

The director is freaking out wanting me to go into reverse.

I didn't want to do that unless there was no other option as once stopped I knew I would have little control which way I would go when getting started again.

I five blasted the guy and made it clear I expected him to backup up and let me make my turn.

Fortunately he did.

The thing that is interesting is that you have maybe three seconds to make a decision as to what to do. You don't know if the decision is right until it is all over.
 
#32 ·
I dock at my home's pier so obviously all my docking has been absolutely perfect :)

Fuel docks and 'dinner docking' is occasionally less than perfect because (and I mean this) often the teenager on the pier can not understand or follow simple instructions screamed at him over the roar of my diesel cycling back and forth at full thrust or the clank of my rudder going side to side slamming the stops while my depth alarm screams it's warning and my crew throws a 40 pound ball of rope at him over the echo's of my perfectly varnished 4 inch wide rub rails splintering on a piling (a bit late throwing the rope dear), although it might be that the dock hand is confused by the ever so helpful shouted instructions all of the salty skippers are hollering at both him and me.

But seriously, I learned the value of fenders and spring lines warping nuclear submarines off the tender, and continued learning from Navy docking and then Capt Jack's excellent tutorials. The only time I've had a hard time docking was with my power boat, dang thing can't turn unless the engine is running. Who designed rudderless boats?
 
#36 ·
Back in my 20's I had managed to purchase my first real boat. A Cherubini Hunter 25. I loved that boat. I had finally graduated from sinbads, snarks,force 5's and lasers.

Anyway I took some friends out sailing one day and on the inbound the old Johnson long shaft quit on me. The entrance to the marina was a quarter mile long creek barely wide enough for the boat with a left turn into the marina and a left turn into the slip. We were just in the channel when the motor quit.

Everyone gasped in a panic. The wind was directly on the stern so I lashed the tiller and hauled the main up in about 4 quick bursts and jumped back on the the helm. Of course I couldn't control my speed on a run down the creek. So we plowed along at 6 mph. LOL! Everyone was silent. I prayed to god nobody was coming out of our swampy little marina.

We made it to the main fairway and I brought her over and hauled in the main a bit hugging the down wind slips. At this point everyone in the marina stood holding their drinks just watching the show as we came flying down the docks. As my slip came up I dumped the main sheet, turned upwind into the slip, and ran forward to catch my own lines as smoothly as if I had done it a thousand times. Nobody onboard even stood up. I dropped the main with the flick of a wrist and began tidying up.

Big boats make the yachtsman, small boats make the sailor.
 
#41 · (Edited)
Back in my 20's I had managed to purchase my first real boat. A Cherubini Hunter 25. I loved that boat. I had finally graduated from sinbads, snarks,force 5's and lasers.
Anyway I took some friends out sailing one day and on the inbound the old Johnson long shaft quit on me. The entrance to the marina was a quarter mile long creek barely wide enough for the boat with a left turn into the marina and a left turn into the slip. We were just in the channel when the motor quit.
Everyone gasped in a panic. The wind was directly on the stern so I lashed the tiller and hauled the main up in about 4 quick bursts and jumped back on the the helm. Of course I couldn't control my speed on a run down the creek. So we plowed along at 6 mph. LOL! Everyone was silent. I prayed to god nobody was coming out of our swampy little marina.
We made it to the main fairway and I brought her over and hauled in the main a bit hugging the down wind slips. At this point everyone in the marina stood holding their drinks just watching the show as we came flying down the docks. As my slip came up I dumped the main sheet, turned upwind into the slip, and ran forward to catch my own lines as smoothly as if I had done it a thousand times. Nobody onboard even stood up. I dropped the main with the flick of a wrist and began tidying up. Big boats make the yachtsman, small boats make the sailor.
You da man!... Not exactly sure how your saga applies to this thread though. You sailed well, and didn't drive your boat like it was a car.
When the s**t hits the fan, you gotta do what you gotta do and hope for the best. It should be pointed out that you probably had other, less dramatic options and that you most likely would have had rights over vessels coming out of the marina. However, it seems like you handled the situation well. You took what could have been a chaotic situation, and managed it, by taking advantage of existing conditions. The guy in my OP on the other hand, took a manageable situation and turned it into chaos by ignoring existing conditions.
 
#37 ·
OK, not exactly about docking, but the sedan comment reminded me of this.

One day, BVI's we get in early and drop the hook. Number of years ago, I think might have been Norman, anyway, before it was all loaded up with moorings. Cocktail time. Enjoy the scenery.

A 50 ish Bene comes in from the big charter operator, with crew of at least 8. One guy at helm, rest of a crowd very animated. Someone says to him, hey, why don't we park over there?

He says back, "what do you think this is, a Sedan?"




Anyway, all of the experts that started out perfectly doing everything, and never had a docking or anchoring incident, please raise their hands.
 
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