Coaching on Undocking/Docking in Annapolis

[thomcat]

Thanks again to everyone for the heaps and heaps of good advice, for the correction on my terminology (on prop walk vs prop wash), and for the addition to my vocabulary of a few new terms (a la TrentePieds).


As for the extra information that some folks have asked for: my Cat27 has a right-handed rudder (which means port prop walk, if I'm not mistaken) and a wheel with separate throttle and gear levers on either side.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by thomcat

As for the extra information that some folks have asked for: my Cat27 has a right-handed rudder (which means port prop walk, if I'm not mistaken) and a wheel with separate throttle and gear levers on either side.

Right-handed PROP (turns clockwise in forward gear) does indeed usually result in prop walk to port in reverse gear.

But it's actually like a ellipse: )

Prop walk to starboard in forward gear, prop walk to port in reverse gear. (This all before the prop really starts driving the boat, before the rudder has much affect.)

So back to your theory about backing down your fairway. Could work. Get close to the slip. Probably don't have to fool with "kicking the bow out" anywhere. Just use short shots of reverse to walk stern to port. Lay up your port side rubrail (gently) against the outermost slip pile, if necessary. More short shots of reverse to continue moving stern to port.

By short shots, I mean go back to neutral as soon as you can feel/hear the prop starts to bite. Varies with boats (and engines, and gears), but could be anywhere from maybe 1 to 2 seconds with lever in reverse, then immediately back to neutral. Repeat as required.

If you DO have to correct the bow a bit, an extra second in forward gear will sometimes begin to overcome stern walk to starboard. Doesn't take much.

And then... if when the boat is in neutral and going where you want it to go... chill. Let it work for you.

We usually set our rudders amidships as we approach the fairway, and then never touch them again during docking. Your single, and probably larger, rudder may act differently... so you can experiment with that. And in fact, once you get enough way on, you can probably even steer the boat in reverse... something to take into account if you're backing down your fairway... before you begin the actual docking maneuvers.

-Chris

[TrentePieds]

Thom sez: "As for the extra information that some folks have asked for: my Cat27 has a right-handed rudder (which means port prop walk, if I'm not mistaken) and a wheel with separate throttle and gear levers on either side"

As I feared — you'll be busier than the proverbial one-armed paperhanger :-)!

Ranger is ahead of me. He's picked up on your confusing right hand "RUDDER" with right hand prop. No sweat - you've got the concept right.

You remember I said that you have to be able to con the boat from wherever you are aboard her. That requires some specific terminology that actually comes from bigger ships than ours, but you will find it very, very useful. Again, dif'rent strokes for dif'rent skippers, so I'm gonna tell you how it works in TP. She has a wheel on a pedestal with shifter and throttle on opposite sides of the pedestal just like your boat.

We don't have a rudder indicator to show the deflection of the rudder, and one is not necessary because the linkage twixt tiller and wheel is mechanical. The wheel is its own rudder indicator. The linkage should be adjusted so when the rudder is truly midships, i.e. zero deflection, one of the spokes in the wheel should point straight up. You prolly have what's called a "destroyer wheel", i.e. a wheel made of stainless steel and having a perfectly smooth rim. The spoke that points strait up when the rudder is midships is called the "king spoke" and it should be marked with a "frapping" (like a "turk's head" knot) so you can find it with absolute certainty without having to look at the wheel. A paint mark won't do!

If you deflect a rudder more than about 30º it begins to act like a brake, but in your boat the rudder will deflect considerably more than that. So do what I do :-)!

There are only five helming commands for when you are under power (helming commands for when you are under sail are different and we will get to them later). They are: 1)"PORT - hard over!! "; 2) "PORT - standard!! "; 3) "MIDSHIPS!! "; 4) "STARBOARD - standard!! " and 5) "STARBOARD - hard over!! "

None of these commands can be mistaken for any other command ever given. Therein lies certainty and therefore safety.

In TP (your boat will be slightly different) a "standard turn" is what you get when you lay the king spoke to port (or starboard) so the NEXT spoke points straight up. Again in TP, a 30º deflection ("hard over") happens when the SECOND spoke from the king spoke points straight up.

So now you can steer the ship even if you are way up on the foredeck. You call e.g. "STARBOARD - hard over!! ". The crewmember you have "told off" to be helmsman responds "Rudder is starboard hard over, Sir!" It's okay in our little boats to skip the "sir" bit ;-). But it's ABSOLUTELY essential that the action taken in response to the order be reported. Now you, from way up on the foredeck, can steer the ship :-).

In a like vein, there are only seven engine commands: 1) STOP!! ; 2) SLOW AHEAD!! ; 3) HALF AHEAD!! ; 4) FULL AHEAD!! ; 5) SLOW ASTERN!! ; 6) HALF ASTERN!! and 7) FULL ASTERN!!. Like the helming orders, none of these engine orders can be mistaken for any other order ever given. Certainty and safety again.

"STOP!! " means "engine running, gears in neutral"; "SLOW!! " (whether ahead or astern) means "engine at idle, gears engaged". Idle for you is probably about 900 RPM - it is what it is. "HALF!! " (whether ahead or stern) in TP means 1,250 "on the clock". that gives her three or three-and-an-'arf knots ahead, slower astern. "FULL!! " is "cruising RPM", in TP about 2,300. That gives her "hull speed" flat water.

You can work out yourself the RPMs that are appropriate for your boat. When you've done that you can con 'er in all circumstances from wherever you may be aboard her.

I took the trouble to amend your sketch so it is to scale. You've plenty of room to so what you have to do, and in my next missive we will use it for a blow-by-blow description on just how to do it.

All the best

TP

[Hudson Force]

In order to develop these maneuvering skills for all conditions and dock configurations each time you're out for a day sail select one of those ubiquitous crab trap floats for your practice mark. Bring your bow to the float in a straight line from each of the four cardinal compass points; back directly to the float from each direction; lay the port side mid-ship next to the pot float in each direction and then the starboard side. You may not need to try all these each time but try them in different wind and current conditions. Of course, part of the skill practiced is to not catch the line from the float in your prop!

[Statistical]

ASA schools normally have a docking endorsement single day course. Beingin annapolis it would be hard to throw a rock and not hit a sailing school.

[rls8r]

Statistical - The Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship - near Rock Hall has a very good 2-day course on docking which earns the ASA 118 Certificate. They use an Island Packet 32, which has a fair amount of (but not too much) prop walk. Their approach is similar to (but not exactly the same as) what is being described by TrentePieds. My Cruiser's Forum icon shows my boat anchored in Davis Creek - just off the Lankford Bay Marina where the Maryland School offers their classes.

I don't see any prerequisites to take the ASA 118 docking class. That would be a good idea. The Maryland School is a bit more expensive than some others in the area - but theirs is a 2-day class while others seem to be (as you say) 1-day classes. They also offer women-only docking classes, which could possibly be of interest to the girlfriend.

Then again, several Annapolis sailing schools will provide individual instruction on your boat. Of course - all the courses and instruction cost more than drinks and a sandwich. After all, it is Annapolis.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

We usually set our rudders amidships as we approach the fairway, and then never touch them again during docking. Your single, and probably larger, rudder may act differently... so you can experiment with that. And in fact, once you get enough way on, you can probably even steer the boat in reverse... something to take into account if you're backing down your fairway... before you begin the actual docking maneuvers.

An additional thought on rudder: In your case, if rudder amidships throughout the whole docking maneuver doesn't work well... I think the first thing I might TRY... after backing down the fairway to the vicinity of your slip...

Would be setting the rudder all the way to starboard, and leaving it there while you work the prop walk.

I suspect it would have no affect on your prop walk to port in reverse. I suspect it'd have little or no affect on prop walk to starboard in forward.... but might help to better reposition the bow if you ever have to add "an extra second" in forward to realign the whole boat... before resuming your short shots of reverse.

Just guessing, though, with no hands-on about how your boat actually handles, etc.

-Chris

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

.............................Would be setting the rudder all the way to starboard, and leaving it there while you work the prop walk. .........................
-Chris

This short statement from Chris is key to one of the most important skills in maneuvering a sailboat. ...especially for those long keel boats that people have difficulty turning in small spaces, but it works for all.

While leaving the rudder well to starboard and alternating spurts of revving the engine in forward and reverse, you should be able to develop the skill of turning your boat in a clockwise direction (viewed from above) within a space little more than your boat's length.

Practice this in unobstructed space without significant wind or current to perfect the technique. Later, with wind or current, you will adjust the time and rpm's in forward and reverse to remain in the small circle.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

An additional thought on rudder: In your case, if rudder amidships throughout the whole docking maneuver doesn't work well... I think the first thing I might TRY... after backing down the fairway to the vicinity of your slip...

If you're placing your rudder amidships, how are you steering into the slip? I don't imagine you're swinging an outboard around...

As mentioned up-thread, when making sternway the bow simply follows the stern. It's very similar to driving a car; you can make a large loop and "drive" right into the slip. A large turn is nice for this, as you have time to counteract the rotational motion of the turn so you're don't carry that rotational motion into the slip.

Regardless of how much rudder you need for the turn, once aligned with the slip your rudder control should be fairly delicate; you can pick a stern quarter and focus on keeping it, say, 18 inches from the finger as you glide into the slip.

Things get more interesting once wind and tide are in play, but in calm water it's rather straightforward. I'll usually be in neutral well before the turn, and only shift into forward to stop the boat once in position. One thing that I've noticed tends to get people into trouble is they put the engine in forward or reverse to make an adjustment, then they focus on the steering and forget that it's still in gear. They only realize it once the boat has gathered undesired momentum in some new direction.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

The spoke that points strait up when the rudder is midships is called the "king spoke" and it should be marked with a "frapping" (like a "turk's head" knot) so you can find it with absolute certainty without having to look at the wheel.

A brief aside on this: never trust such a mark you haven't verified yourself.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by requiem

If you're placing your rudder amidships, how are you steering into the slip? I don't imagine you're swinging an outboard around...

In this mode, no steering involved. Without sternway, rudder doesn't do much. The whole maneuver is prop walk.

Varies with different boats, different rudders, different props, etc...

But the general idea is just to work the ellipse -- ) -- back and forth to crab the stern into the slip. Slightly more backward, less forward if forward is required, each time.

-Chris

[Happ]

I would suggest you get a wall you can practice against. When practicing stay 10’ from the wall. Don’t actually dock. This way if you miss you don’t hurt the boat. As one said puts your boat in reverse and see which way the stern “walks.” Find how slow your boat can go while the helm will still respond. You have to be going at least that speed in order to maneuver. Remember if at all possible dock into the wind.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Happ

Find how slow your boat can go while the helm will still respond. You have to be going at least that speed in order to maneuver.

I might quibble a bit with this.

In many boats, if prop walk works, no helm response is required. No need to make any rudder adjustments. Therefore, no speed is desirable.

Yes, if rudder is required, some additional speed might be necessary... but more often than not (in my experience), "none" is usually better.

Boat dependent, of course...

-Chris

[Happ]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

I might quibble a bit with this.

In many boats, if prop walk works, no helm response is required. No need to make any rudder adjustments. Therefore, no speed is desirable.

Yes, if rudder is required, some additional speed might be necessary... but more often than not (in my experience), "none" is usually better.

Boat dependent, of course...

-Chris

I agree totally. However as you are coming up to the dock you need to have steerage. Yes, done correctly once you put the boat in reverse to walk the stern in steerage is not in play. I use to come up to the dock in Hans Christian 54 at a slowest speed possible then hit reverse to walk the stern in and come to a stop where I wanted the boat. The bow sprit was always the biggest concern. Dock need to be clear of everything the sprit might hit.

[Paul Annapolis]

If I may weigh in... you wrote "First, jump onto the dock and secure the bow line. Second, get back on board and lead a very long stern line outside all the rigging, take it onto the dock and walk down the dock to where you want to secure it."
I would say that this a bad idea for many reasons, not the least of which is nobody should ever jump off a boat onto a dock. Such a maneuver might, just might possibly be necessary as a last resort if single-handing, but giving this task to an inexperienced boater invites disaster. It's just plain dangerous and why?? Is it because of fear of damaging the dock...or damaging he dock but what about damaging the sailor?. There are so many other safer and more effective ways to deal with this situation without endangering life and limb.

Rather than go into more details, please allow me as someone with a lot of experience docking hundreds of different types of sail and power boats in hundreds of marinas NOT to do this as described. What is much more important is to know just how the wind and current will affect your boat, inform the crew of their role, know how you and your boat will respond, and then throw a line over a piling or cleat FROM the boat...and in most cases from the midship but every situation, boat and dock will be a bit different.

Even if you were able to secure the bow without getting hurt, how will you get onto the dock and back on to the boat (at the bow as the rest of the boat has blown downwind? if the crosswind is so strong to necessitate thinking of jumping? By the time you are on the dock, the boat will have blown away...but even if tied at the boat, you will now have NO maneuverability.

Docking against the wind is actually easier in many respects than with the wind, but if it so strong, then why not consider docking elsewhere, getting shoreside help or waiting, or anchoring? Please do not JUMP on or off a boat anytime unless absolutely necessary.
----------------------------------------------
Docking if there is a strong cross wind:
(Not for a narrow slip, but when there is lots of space downwind of the dock)
If you try to come in parallel and get blown off when you slow down, one option is to come in bow first to the dock. First, jump onto the dock and secure the bow line. Second, get back on board and lead a very long stern line outside all the rigging, take it onto the dock and walk down the dock to where you want to secure it. Third, get back on board and leisurely winch the stern in. Fourth, pour a drink and relax.[/QUOTE]