"Parking Lessons"
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Mark Yashinsky
Look at teh number of books about boat handling under pwr
They can give you many ideas under various conditions and some talk about the different characteristics of underwater design handling them. YOU CAN DO IT!!
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Ken Coit
Re: "Parking Lessons"
It looks like all my foibles have been covered, so let me add this:
A georgeous 74 ft. commuter came into Beaufort, NC on Thursday evening, with Captain, at least 2 crew, and paying guests. Shelley and I watched her make and attempt to land at the outside pier. After one miss, I decided to run out there and help as the usual wharfingers had gone for the night; Shelley followed close behind. Crew on the stern tossed a line to Shelley and she dropped a loop over the piling. Captain then tried to bring the bow in. Without a bow thruster, this does not work. He decided to go around and try again, but did not wait for the line to be removed from the piling before powering aft at good speed. Things were getting a bit tight when I asked Shelley to get away from the piling as something was sure to break. We got the Captain's attention, he took the tension off the line, we got it removed from the piling and it was pulled aboard without fouling the props. He then took her out into the river to turn around. This time he came in against the tidal current, the bow crew was able to put the line across my left shoulder, just as she said she would. The line was looped over the piling, the Captain was able to bring in the stern, a stern line was looped over a piling after a discussion about whether "she" had told me to take a line followed by a terrible toss of the entire mass at once.
We later learned that they had a very long and trying day. Clearly they were ready to be fastened down and had lost some of their ability to think carefully about what needed to be done. Even with a Captain's ticket, a relatively simple landing site at the end of a 90 foot T pier, current running parallel to the pier, and with no other boats nearby, it was a difficult landing. There is always another lesson to be learned, if only in thinking out the process before executing.
I try not to forget that each time we leave or enter the slip. The practice never stops.
Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
Splashing on Monday after 10 days on the hard
parfait@nc.rr.com
A georgeous 74 ft. commuter came into Beaufort, NC on Thursday evening, with Captain, at least 2 crew, and paying guests. Shelley and I watched her make and attempt to land at the outside pier. After one miss, I decided to run out there and help as the usual wharfingers had gone for the night; Shelley followed close behind. Crew on the stern tossed a line to Shelley and she dropped a loop over the piling. Captain then tried to bring the bow in. Without a bow thruster, this does not work. He decided to go around and try again, but did not wait for the line to be removed from the piling before powering aft at good speed. Things were getting a bit tight when I asked Shelley to get away from the piling as something was sure to break. We got the Captain's attention, he took the tension off the line, we got it removed from the piling and it was pulled aboard without fouling the props. He then took her out into the river to turn around. This time he came in against the tidal current, the bow crew was able to put the line across my left shoulder, just as she said she would. The line was looped over the piling, the Captain was able to bring in the stern, a stern line was looped over a piling after a discussion about whether "she" had told me to take a line followed by a terrible toss of the entire mass at once.
We later learned that they had a very long and trying day. Clearly they were ready to be fastened down and had lost some of their ability to think carefully about what needed to be done. Even with a Captain's ticket, a relatively simple landing site at the end of a 90 foot T pier, current running parallel to the pier, and with no other boats nearby, it was a difficult landing. There is always another lesson to be learned, if only in thinking out the process before executing.
I try not to forget that each time we leave or enter the slip. The practice never stops.
Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
Splashing on Monday after 10 days on the hard
David Low wrote: Just bought my 1st sailboat - "Second Wind" a Cape Dory 30 - Hull #166. After our two day 140 mile delivery from Colington Harbor, NC to Deltaville, VA, I love this lady even more! (It was supposed to take 3 days but with 18 knot southwesterlies she told us to keep going).
I can sail her well but am limited on getting her into and out of the slip. I want to be able to single hand the boat but must improve my "take off and landing" skills.
Fellow sailors have told me to chose a calm day and just manuever her around at slow speed to get the feel of her. Other say to plant a milk carton anchored with a brick and motor around it.
Any other suggestions??
parfait@nc.rr.com