Docking In Heavy Wind

[zeehag]

i use a midships line for stabilizing boat and preventing it from leaving the dock . it works. then bow then stern line as i step onto the dock.

i do not usually dock my boat during high winds--and i dont usually leave then return to a dock with my boat. dock time is repair time.

[boatman61]

Zee has it right... if your solo its the way to go..
If you've crew its even easier... come in wind on the nose as you start your turn.. use one of those combi boathook/mooring aids to drop a loop over the cleat and haul in and tie off..
(If your a cowboy lasso)...set into appropriate gear at tick over while you tie off to keep you snug...
How's that for a vague description...
I should add as I come in all my lines are cleated off, through their fair leads and led draped over the lifelines to mid-ships...
as I come to kiss the finger.. into neutral.. go mid-ships and flop the centre line loop over the cleat... back to the pit and flick her in reverse ay tick over and she'll snug herself up while I tend to the lines.. bow to applause... accept compliments.. you know what I mean...
But seriously.. if you've a regular spot try setting things up for this and do it on a calm'ish day... see what you think..
No..?
Oh yes.. it can be done without them lines going overboard.. watch the charter boys bring boats in at Road Harbour and other places sometime..

[zeehag]

when i dock solo--
i bring bow and stern docklines to the waist of the boat so i can get them in order without losing way...cannot let boat run with the wind--and cannot panic--must be deliberate and pre- planned movements. my midships line is first to secure. then bow and stern.
i will not step over lifelines.
i watched a friend of mine fall into water between dock and crocker ketch still under way into the dock----you do not want to have to go there. (i saved her but it was a difficult thing to do and risky as hell.)

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Zee has it right... if your solo its the way to go..
If you've crew its even easier... come in wind on the nose as you start your turn.. use one of those combi boathook/mooring aids to drop a loop over the cleat and haul in and tie off..
(If your a cowboy lasso)...set into appropriate gear at tick over while you tie off to keep you snug...
How's that for a vague description...
I should add as I come in all my lines are cleated off, through their fair leads and led draped over the lifelines to mid-ships...
as I come to kiss the finger.. into neutral.. go mid-ships and flop the centre line loop over the cleat... back to the pit and flick her in reverse ay tick over and she'll snug herself up while I tend to the lines.. bow to applause... accept compliments.. you know what I mean...
But seriously.. if you've a regular spot try setting things up for this and do it on a calm'ish day... see what you think..
No..?
Oh yes.. it can be done without them lines going overboard.. watch the charter boys bring boats in at Road Harbour and other places sometime..

This works very well, assuming you have a finger to dock against. The original challenge posed was. How do you dock when you ónly have two posts (pilings) set about 5 meters apart and about 12-15 meters from the dock. No finger.

And assuming you can dock it - how to you Undock?

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by CCBullseye

A lot of times I throw the hook over and relax until the wind dies down some before trying to dock.

That's advice I wish I'd followed more than once.

For instance, when on arrival in strong winds after a long offshore trip, it's necessary to make a tricky final approach manoeuvre in tight circumstances, usually nobody's in good shape for the mental gymnastics to come up with a good plan and the physical chops to carry it out ... and more particularly for the unambiguous and intelligent and intelligible communications needed when plan A doesn't go as expected ...

I've seen some spectacular melt-downs, with normally sanguine individuals losing the plot more or less completely. I think part of the problem is that the excitement of an arrival at some time in the next 24h means that most on board go into overdraft on the sleep front, expecting to pay it back on arrival. Nobody wants to miss the milestones of a big arrival: ticking off the offshore islands and dangers, the famous lighthouses, seeing the land get bigger and the shipping more numerous and interesting, etc etc...

I've sailed with some really experienced skippers who keep something in reserve for such contingencies, and you can see them resisting the urge to relax and consider the trip's done and dusted just because the harbour has been entered ... but it's still hard for those of us who tend to avoid confined spaces.

The trouble with following CCB's good advice comes when there's some perceived time pressure.

Often someone seems to have a plane to catch, but (and I'm embarassed to admit even knowing this) occasionally it's nothing more than the desire to break some notional "dock to dock" time record.

Note to self: "dock to hook" in good shape means more than "dock to dock" with frazzled nerves, let alone a bent stanchion or rope burns to a hand.

At the other end of a major trip, namely departure: I'm a big fan for keeping in mind the possibility of pulling into a quiet corner and swinging to the hook for a night after all the preparations and emotions involved in leaving, rather than heading off to do battle on the wild blue yonder when the wind is fresh and unfavourable.

But I tend to forget that the reverse sequence can be beneficial on arrival.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by CCBullseye
A lot of times I throw the hook over and relax until the wind dies down some before trying to dock.

Me too. I've seen what often happens the other way.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by carstenb

This works very well, assuming you have a finger to dock against. The original challenge posed was. How do you dock when you ónly have two posts (pilings) set about 5 meters apart and about 12-15 meters from the dock. No finger.

And assuming you can dock it - how to you Undock?

I think I'd approach that the way I'd pick up a Med style mooring in a marina... fender up the lee side well... and have a longline running bow to stern... reverse up and drop the line over the pole and haul in the slack and hold.. then using the engine to jockey the stern, and the line to control the bow make your way in.. needs teamwork..
if your big enough to have bow thrusters... easy peasey japanesey...

[Neo]

Originally Posted by atoll

the technique is the same as springing onto a short along side berth,where the wind is blowing the boat off the dock.

for a stb side dock once the spring line is tight,putting the helm over to port and giving some power in fwd will cause the vessel to go sideways towards the dock.

like

[Blue Crab]

GPS, Epirbs, sat phones, plotters, lectric sheet winches, lectric toilets, roller furling mainsails, bow thrusters, forward-looking sonar ...

Engraved invitations to incompetents. Little wonder tow boat biz is booming.

Luddicy lives!

[Geoduck]

LOTS OF FENDERS - INFLATABLE BOATS - YELL AND SCREAM LOUDLY AND OF COURSE - PANIC!!!!!!!opcorn :

[mesailor]

I would not enter the slip. To much can go wrong. If anchoring is not an option or too much trouble, why not "Dock" against the to pilings. If the cross wind is at right angles to the slip you could point into the wind, throw some fender boards over the side and tie up. You can't get off the boat right away, but this is not the priority. When the wind dies down you can take your time and do it right.

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by mesailor

I would not enter the slip. To much can go wrong. If anchoring is not an option or too much trouble, why not "Dock" against the to pilings. If the cross wind is at right angles to the slip you could point into the wind, throw some fender boards over the side and tie up. You can't get off the boat right away, but this is not the priority. When the wind dies down you can take your time and do it right.

Congratulations!!!
You win the prize for best answer yet!

[Capt.Alex]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

Congratulations!!!
You win the prize for best answer yet!

Unless the boats in the adjacent slips are protruding beyond the outer piling s. I don't think your neighbors would appreciate you using their transoms or pulpits as pilings....

[Andrew Troup]

A praiseworthy plan, but it does rely on "When the wind dies down"...

hmm.... some parts of the world, that might not happen for a while, maybe even days....

[Capt Phil]

One of the most important piece of info for anyone to have is understanding how their vessel behaves in cross winds. Every boat is different, sail, mono, cat, power, each behaves differently and the characteristics vary exponentially with the increase in crosswind speed. I've had more than my share of 'oh ****' moments on deliveries but have been lucky enough never to have 'cracked the egg'.
One memorable moment was stopping at the big boat dock in Cabo San Lucas on a delivery from Barre Navidad to LA in a 70 footer (power), well equipped with a bow thruster. For those unfamiliar with the docking protocol there you must come into the slip stern first but they do have line handlers to take you lines. Having been into the docks there before, I was familiar with the drill which was very helpful.
We had previously dropped into Puerto Vallarta to have some work done so I was fortunate to be familiar with how the boat handled particularly at low speed in close quarters.
In Cabo' we came down the fairway until we were about 3 slips to windward, all fenders on the leeward side touching the water, spun the boat until we were pretty much parallel with the slip fingers and had lookouts on bow and stern where we had about 4 feet freeboard off both bow and stern having been directed to a slip with larger boats on either side. As we began to pick up speed lying ahull to the cross wind, I waited until the stern was halfway across the slip entrance and slammed both engines astern for about 2-3 seconds then neutral. The boat cleared the windward slip corner by about 2 feet and slid directly down the length of the slip. It took a touch of the bow thruster to windward to compensate for entering the wind shadow of the boat tied to windward which caused thw wind to push the bow leeward, a shot of forward on both engines to slow our way made astern and there we were, without touching either finger slip or the dock astern.
The boat was known to the line handlers who commented in spanish, "Nuevo Capitan?" I replied, 'Si, Gracious, Amigos'. Tipped them generously and shut the vessel down.
The point of this little tale is to familiarize yourself with your boat, the harbor, the slip configuration and the weather. Don't leave anything to chance or guesswork. ALWAYS have a plan B... in this case, I would have passed on the slip entry and left the fairway to enter from the entrance to start again.
As stated elsewhere on this post, if in doubt of your ability or surroundings, anchor out and wait on the weather to change. You can even take your skiff in to scout the marina before entering if unfamiliar with the layout and hazards. Cheers, Phil