Docking by myself
- Thread starter Arnold
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Well then get the boat close enough, get on the side deck holding the spring, throw it behind the dock cleat or piling, tie it back on the boat and spring in. Then tie the stern and the bow lines. Or if its calm and you have the boat against the dock, step off holding the lines, tie the stern, then spring and boat from the dock.
Practice, practice, practice (you've probably heard that before).
You might be surprised what you can do with a boat hook...
If I don't miss my guess with an Express you're pretty much standing in the cockpit. If you can reach the midships cleat, fine, otherwise I'd use a stern line. With twins you can put the stern wherever you want it. Get the stern line on and go ahead on it. Leaving the cockpit while single-handed IMO is NOT a good plan. You can't reach the controls and you could go swimming, with the boat loose to do whatever it likes.
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In my experience, when single-handling, leaving the vessel, prior to the vessel being attached to the dock, is an error. Stuff happens. Get a line attached and secure( any line ), before you consider leaving the vessel. Pretty ain't required, so once the boat is tied to the dock, you can then pretty it up as much as required. Until that time, however, keep your feet on da boat. The Captain should always remain on the vessel until the vessel is secured.
Imho. Ymmv.
Note that when single handling, the ability to dock the vessel without assistance must be considered prior to going out! You cannot do everything with only one person aboard that you can do when there are others to help. All of this must be considered before leaving the dock. Proper prior planning can ( and does ) result in fewer difficult and/or dangerous situations.
Imho. Ymmv.
Note that when single handling, the ability to dock the vessel without assistance must be considered prior to going out! You cannot do everything with only one person aboard that you can do when there are others to help. All of this must be considered before leaving the dock. Proper prior planning can ( and does ) result in fewer difficult and/or dangerous situations.
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FWIW, I have a similar situation...when alone, the stern line and cleat is the easiest for me to reach, with my express. Fortunately, the predominant winds are a blow onto the dock scenario, more often than not. Twin engines help a great deal.
My boat is smaller express with just a single engine. The easiest, safest, and fastest cleat to work from is the stern cleat. Prior to approaching the dock I will have lines attached to the stern, mid, and bow cleat. The bitter end of the mid and bow lines will be tied be to the rail stanchion so I can easily get to them once I am on the dock. Once I get the stern tied off, I will put the drive in forward gear and turn the wheel to move the bow towards the dock. At this point I get off the boat and tie off one of the other lines. With two lines secured I can then go about and start adjusting all the lines.
A couple of years ago I had the stern line fastened, got off the boat to tie the mid cleat line. Just gave it a few wraps around the pole and noticed the stern line was tight. I went to the pole the stern line was tied to give it more slack. Left some line out and it was still tight. I looked at the throttle and saw it was still in forward gear. Needless to say I tied off the stern line as best I could and got back on the boat to put it in neutral.
A couple of years ago I had the stern line fastened, got off the boat to tie the mid cleat line. Just gave it a few wraps around the pole and noticed the stern line was tight. I went to the pole the stern line was tied to give it more slack. Left some line out and it was still tight. I looked at the throttle and saw it was still in forward gear. Needless to say I tied off the stern line as best I could and got back on the boat to put it in neutral.
Capt. Bill1
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I would add, and keep the engines running until you are fully secured.
I've lost count of how many times I've seen some one come into the dock and kill their engines before they are tied up.
Only to have the boat blow away from the dock, keep backing right into the slip or into another boat because they did not cancel out their momentum before they stopped the engines and can't get a line on fast enough. And now they have to hurry back to the helm and restart the engines before they hit something, blow away from or out of the slip.
I single hand my 48 most of the time. I don't need to expand much as most of what I would contribute has already been said by Pascal and others. I would emphasize the following. First, you will learn to have a plan before you get there. Does not mean you can't change the plan, but its a rare day I don't know my #1 & #2 options before they happen. Once you start truly, honestly considering all your scenario's before you enact them, you will find its the rare day that you make a fool out of yourself.
Second is that over time, I'm a pretty big stickler about not leaving the boat until I have a line tied. I've left the boat with only a stern line on, but that leaves me an easy path back on board if for some reason I "lose" the bow. Yes, this will cause you to re-think a few things. I've also gotten quite good at hooking spring lines from my walk around, again not leaving the boat. I also tie the boat so I can loosen all the lines from the boat when leaving. Sometimes that means I completely re-tie the boat before I leave, but I almost never have issues getting away, even in close quarters.
The not leaving the boat until tied rule will cause you abort a few more landings, but I strongly suggest not risking otherwise. The longer I do this, the more I am a stickler in not taking the chance. Had one too many close calls. Also, while you will be in a hurry to do things, don't. Find ways to slow the situation down so you can take in information before you make decisions. It's amazing how few situations require you to really run anywhere if you just minimize the necessary jobs and figure out how to take them one at a time. Get that one, strategic, necessary, perfectly executed ONE line on first, and everything after that can go at its own pace. If you need a SHORT stern line so you can pivot effectively, don't get in a hurry and allow it to become a medium length line (which throws your stern way out from the dock when you realize it was done at an angle in a hurry). Don't trust bystanders. Accept help, but verify everything.
Emphasize quality over speed and you won't need speed as much as you think.
Oh....and when its blowing 40, you had the dingy ripped off the sundeck by a 10 foot wave, there is not a single dish or glass left in a cubbord, or a single drawer left unflung. And you find that your getting blown off the dock before you can even run back and get that stern line. By all means, in my experience, don't be shy in either putting the anchor down for another couple hours before trying to land at the dock, or for that matter, slam the bow straight alongside the dock hard as you wish to buy enough time to get a damn line tied. Only took me an hour to buff the 10 foot long paint scratch off the hull after that fateful winter day. There were not too many others around who would have done better with a crew! I did get the help of an innocent bystander to grab the bow line thank goodness. Anyway, the point is, you can do it and its the rare day where you are just fully out of luck without a crew onboard. It does take judgement and planning though (judgement is more important than raw skill). Plus, if you exercise good judgement, you don't find yourself in the middle of a winter storm in the first place, but its nice knowing that if you do, you still have options, even if they are not the ones you would prefer.
Oh, and nearly forgot, why a stern line when single handing a well placed spring is almost always a better idea? Because on my boat I have safe access to the swim platform which is at dock level. Many of the docks around my parts don't have cleats. I can grab a cleat from the walkaround, but if its just a bolster (a bar or maybe a 6x6) you tie to, there is no way to easily get that. From the swimstep I can loop a line quickly on the stern without leaving the boat. If I had a cleat i could grab, I would not do the stern line in most cases.
Second is that over time, I'm a pretty big stickler about not leaving the boat until I have a line tied. I've left the boat with only a stern line on, but that leaves me an easy path back on board if for some reason I "lose" the bow. Yes, this will cause you to re-think a few things. I've also gotten quite good at hooking spring lines from my walk around, again not leaving the boat. I also tie the boat so I can loosen all the lines from the boat when leaving. Sometimes that means I completely re-tie the boat before I leave, but I almost never have issues getting away, even in close quarters.
The not leaving the boat until tied rule will cause you abort a few more landings, but I strongly suggest not risking otherwise. The longer I do this, the more I am a stickler in not taking the chance. Had one too many close calls. Also, while you will be in a hurry to do things, don't. Find ways to slow the situation down so you can take in information before you make decisions. It's amazing how few situations require you to really run anywhere if you just minimize the necessary jobs and figure out how to take them one at a time. Get that one, strategic, necessary, perfectly executed ONE line on first, and everything after that can go at its own pace. If you need a SHORT stern line so you can pivot effectively, don't get in a hurry and allow it to become a medium length line (which throws your stern way out from the dock when you realize it was done at an angle in a hurry). Don't trust bystanders. Accept help, but verify everything.
Emphasize quality over speed and you won't need speed as much as you think.
Oh....and when its blowing 40, you had the dingy ripped off the sundeck by a 10 foot wave, there is not a single dish or glass left in a cubbord, or a single drawer left unflung. And you find that your getting blown off the dock before you can even run back and get that stern line. By all means, in my experience, don't be shy in either putting the anchor down for another couple hours before trying to land at the dock, or for that matter, slam the bow straight alongside the dock hard as you wish to buy enough time to get a damn line tied. Only took me an hour to buff the 10 foot long paint scratch off the hull after that fateful winter day. There were not too many others around who would have done better with a crew! I did get the help of an innocent bystander to grab the bow line thank goodness. Anyway, the point is, you can do it and its the rare day where you are just fully out of luck without a crew onboard. It does take judgement and planning though (judgement is more important than raw skill). Plus, if you exercise good judgement, you don't find yourself in the middle of a winter storm in the first place, but its nice knowing that if you do, you still have options, even if they are not the ones you would prefer.
Oh, and nearly forgot, why a stern line when single handing a well placed spring is almost always a better idea? Because on my boat I have safe access to the swim platform which is at dock level. Many of the docks around my parts don't have cleats. I can grab a cleat from the walkaround, but if its just a bolster (a bar or maybe a 6x6) you tie to, there is no way to easily get that. From the swimstep I can loop a line quickly on the stern without leaving the boat. If I had a cleat i could grab, I would not do the stern line in most cases.
I have no desire to dock at 40mph. At that point I am trying to get it on the trailer and get hauled out. With high winds comes waves. Approaching the trailer is done under much, much, more power. At times it seems like 'V' is where it belongs and a wave will come along push the the bow 12". It's enough that the boat is now between the rollers and the fenders of the boat. Hard reverse to say the least. I'll give it 3 tries and then anchor until it dies down; only had to do that once.
A "well placed" spring line is great, but on some boats the spring is simply not "well placed" and on others the stern line is safer because you don't have to leave the cockpit. It may not be the classiest landing but it DOES work.
If I were single-handing and had my choice between passing a stern line from the cockpit or climbing out on some narrow, slippery walkway to pass a spring, I guarantee it'll be the stern line.
If I were single-handing and had my choice between passing a stern line from the cockpit or climbing out on some narrow, slippery walkway to pass a spring, I guarantee it'll be the stern line.
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Once you get a little more experience, you will learn that not all docking situations involve cleats.
I think the pier-to stern line used this way would actually be acting as an aft spring.
Our pivot points don't do quite as well this way; it works, but going ahead so that an aft spring pulls the boat into the dock works better in our case with the line running to our aft mid-ship cleat... just an example of different strokes for different boats.
In many cases I could pre-attach an aft spring to that mid-ship cleat, lead it back to the cockpit... and then when the time is right, put the other end on or around a dockside cleat or pile from the cockpit. Adjusting overall length on the fly after that becomes an issue, since we're a flybridge boat.
-Chris
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Before we accepted a gift of a 33' twin inboard cruiser from our daughter and son-in-law, I spent a day with a captain learning how to dock at and leave a slip. We did the training at the marina in Mamaroneck, NY. When I finally brought it to our marina in Eastport, Long Island, NY, I was surprised to learn that our slip was 3' narrower than the one I had been using for practice. The first docking was a failure. I had to back out into the bay and try again. The second attempt was successful, though not pretty. No damage to other boats, but some scuffing of ours. Four hours of practice a few days later, including during an afternoon 15 knot wind, improved my docking and leaving. Working alone, I had lines ready on the cleats onboard. I caught the stern lines first because the center cleats did ot line upo with the cleats on the dock for spring lines. Moral: Learn your boat, be prepared, have a plan, and practice. Hy
mrknowitall
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I think the nautical talk sent Arnold off to play a little golf.
"I think the pier-to stern line used this way would actually be acting as an aft spring."
It works something like a spring, but in my book it's still a stern line as it leads aft. A spring from the stern leads FORWARD.
So when I put out a bow line and back down on it is THAT a spring, or a bow line??? If it's a spring, then what is a bow line, and what is that line that leads aft from the bow??? (I must have been doing something wrong these past 40 years)
It works something like a spring, but in my book it's still a stern line as it leads aft. A spring from the stern leads FORWARD.
So when I put out a bow line and back down on it is THAT a spring, or a bow line??? If it's a spring, then what is a bow line, and what is that line that leads aft from the bow??? (I must have been doing something wrong these past 40 years)
The key is to get a line fastened. While a short mid-cleat may be the best, it's not the handiest on my boat. I'm not about to try to get that one tied off when I am by myself; too much running around. With a helper who knows what to do, it's possible. Someone who doesn't have a clue should not be on the walk-around handling lines; it's an accident waiting to happen. When docking by myself the only line I can easily get to is the stern line. With that firmly secured I can power the boat parallel to the dock.
I think it's just that an aft spring leads aft from the boat, and a forward spring leads forward from the boat. Don't think the naming of it takes into account which boat cleat you've attached it to.
A breast line is maybe another example of direction being relevant. One is often attached to a mid-ship cleat but leading perpendicular to the boat, so it's not a spring line...
-Chris