Agree about dockside help. Many times a powerboater not used to pointy boats, will pull my sailboat's bowline too tight to the finger. Last year, A 20 year veteran boatyard worker helped me to tie up. I had all my lines coiled at the gate and was motoring in neutral into a slip with a slight headwind, keeping steerageway and planning to give her a slight burst of reverse after I got inside the outer pilings. I asked the guy to take the bowline as it came in reach and before I knew it he tied it tight to a cleat midway on the float, and before I could do anything the bow was pulled to the side and the hull pulled into the finger. I jumped onto the float and stopped the boat but not before the hull ahead of my fenders was gouged by a sharp edge of a plank. I asked why he didn't allow the boat to fully enter the slip and why tie to the wrong cleat? He said wasn't aware of my ability and he didn't think I could stop the boat and he was used to 70 foot Viking Yachts that have so much power they can destroy the dock. He meant well. We're still friends, but now I only hand out a midship line when people want to help. If they pull on that too hard, the fenders will protect the hull.
Chuck Resolute 1990 C&C 34R Atlantic City, NJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Bina" <billb...@sbcglobal.net> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Sent: Friday, January 3, 2014 8:10:13 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List single handing I actually don't like strangers assisting me in docking. We haven't rehearsed together, and that makes for surprises that I can do without. The other tip, is that although you don't want to come in too fast, most botched dockings I see are caused by going so slow that steerage and lift on the keel becomes weak or lacking. When entering my slip, I'm traveling downstream, usually with a crosswind. I have to move faster than the river to maintain control. Knowing what stage of tide is critical, as just before low tide, is the fastest current of all. That also means my boat goes sideways faster as I make the turn across the current to enter the fairway. So I need to compensate for that as well. If the tide is rising, current is slower and docking is considerably easier for me. Practice is more than just repetition. You have to observe details and remember them. Bill Bina On 1/3/2014 11:42 AM, Curtis wrote: > Being a good single handler doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. It’s > not that you have to do it all yourself at the dock. Plenty of people > at my dock, and always willing to grab a line. Asking for help in a > tight means you are being smart. The more I do it the better I get at > doing it. I also think of all sorts of thing that help me aide the > process. Like running the anchor chain and rode in a loop from the bow > to the stern with a pin release to let me drop anchor. Makes it real > nice and simple and safe to boot. > Keep us posted on the progress. > Cheers, LT > > > _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
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