[C320-list] Backing into slip

[Rod Boer]

Dennis,

My slip faces NW so when the wind is up I often end up with my stern against 
the first pier on my port side with the wind trying to swing the nose to 
port.  Unfortunately the boat to my port has a large anchor sticking past 
the slip so I really can't afford to let the boat fall off in that 
direction.  My wife wraps the spring line around the rear cleat and I really 
rev the engine to pull the boat around the pier.  The boat is rubbing hard 
against the pier while I am doing this and I have not seen any problem with 
the rub rail.  My biggest problem with the rub rail is sun damage as it is 
always exposed to sun.

Rod
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dennis Harris" <dharris02 at embarqmail.com>
To: "C320-List" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Backing into slip


> Rod, Warren:
>
>    In warping around, how does the rub rail hold up against the warping 
> pressures on the piling?  I've seen this done with Pearson's at our 
> marina, but their rubrail seems more substantial and I've been hesitant to 
> use this technique.
>
>    I also use the carabiner hook on the safety line to manage the stern 
> all the time.  If you tie a loop in the safety line at the correct 
> position adjacent to stern boat cleat (where boat is in correct position 
> when docked), the carabiner hook will slide along the line but will be 
> stopped by the knot, so not only does it take care of keeping the stern in 
> position, but it also limits travel back into the slip so there's no 
> chance of hitting the dock from backing too far.  If you don't have too 
> much power on, you can keep engine backing even as you go forward to deal 
> with bow.  Once in position with the stern cleat at the loop in safety 
> line, shift the carabiner hook to the loop and the boat can neither go 
> forward or backwards in slip and stern can't slip down on finger pier 
> (assuming it is on downwind side).  This is useful also in departing the 
> slip, where if you place a temporary line between the stern boat cleat and 
> the safety line loop, you can now take all the time you want to properly 
> place normal mooring lines on pilings, dock, or wherever you keep them (in 
> past, I had problems with crew taking too long to place dock lines "just 
> so" on pilings when I needed to go due to crosswindl).  For departures, a 
> temporary line from the admidships cleat to/around the upwind safety line 
> gives extra time to place the forward lines properly on pilings so loops 
> don't hang out into the slip to hang on stanchions when leaveing or 
> returning.  Once all normal lines are clear, untie the amidships line 
> (crew or me), untie the line through loop (me) and we are free and clear 
> to motor out.  Also, for docking, a second carabiner hook lead 
> from/through amidships or bow cleat outside the stanchions back to pushpit 
> with opposite line end lead back around the sheet winch and to a camcleat 
> at cockpit allows person steering the boat to deal also with the bow. 
> After helmsman hooks and secures the stern carabiner line, hook also the 
> bow carabiner line on the safety line, then tighten the bow line (from 
> helm position) as necessary during the docking to keep bow off the 
> downwind forward piling....this latter technique is useful when single 
> handing.
>
> Rod Boer wrote:
>
>> I do this often when the wind is howling.  We call it warping the boat 
>> into the slip.
>>
>> Rod
>> Odyssey, #688
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Warren Updike" <wupdike at hotmail.com>
>> To: <c320-list at catalina320.com>
>> Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 10:52 AM
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Backing into slip
>>
>>
>> No one seems to have mentioned this yet; but, here is a strategy that has 
>> saved my buns more than once.  When the wind or current make a bow or 
>> stern approach problematic, I bring the boat alongside the pilings at the 
>> entrance to the slip - hull perpendicular to the slip.  Best done heading 
>> into the wind.  Then, using one of the dock lines from the pile as a 
>> spring to a stern cleat, back the engine and you will rotate the stern 
>> into the slip. Best done heading into the wind.  Once the bow is at a 
>> reasonable angle to the wind, let go the line and continue into the dock. 
>> Once the beam is inside the pilings, you have it made.
>>
>> Another trick with a safety line from the dock to the entrance piling is 
>> to have ready a piece of line with a loop on one end and a hook on the 
>> other. Immediately after entering the slip, on the windward side, hook 
>> the line to the safety line and drop the loop over a cleat.  Now you can 
>> forget about that side and concentrate on the rest of the process.
>>
>> With our first sailboat, I was nervous about looking like a lubber in our 
>> new marina.  That is, until I watched the circus around some of the "old 
>> salts" making their landing.  I found that no one criticizes a botched 
>> docking, and everyone applauds a good one.
>>
>> Warren & Pattie Updike
>> C320, #62, 1994, "Warr De Mar"
>> Frog Mortar Creek, Middle River
>> Chesapeake Bay
>>
>>
>>
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>
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