Docking in an Unfamiliar Marina w/ Unfavorable Winds and Currents

[Nick J]

Ever pull into or out of an unfamiliar marina with conditions that are less than ideal or favorable? In this first post, we look at planning for exiting a dock and marina in unfavorable conditions, and planning to essentially make those conditions viable and safe.

Common Questions
Given these wind conditions, How should I get off the dock?
How could I have managed my route planning better?
Here's what went wrong on my last trip, How should I handle it differently in the future?

-------------------

We got a late start on our 60nm trip from Alderbrook to Everett, so we decided to stop in Port Ludlow for the night instead of pushing it and having to arrive in Everett after sunset. The problem was the wind was forecasted to be 15-25knots the following day and we would either have to fight an ebb tied with the wind, or take advantage of the flood at the cost of a wind against tide situation. I knew this going into the decision, but what I didn't consider was the difficulty of getting off the dock at Port Ludlow. The situation:

20-25knot wind pinning us to the dock
Stern in
Boat pulls to port in Reverse, negligible pull to Starboard in forward



Concerns:
I didn't know if I could turn the bow into the wind using the rudder under way, prop wash, or prop walk before drifting into the docks down wind.

Solution we used.

We used bow and stern lines to handline the boat over to the adjacent dock. This had the advantage of the wind pull us off the dock and provided a point where we could use a spring line on the bow to keep the bow into the wind. we looped the bow line and aft spring line over the front of the dock cleat. My wife handled the bow line and I handled the spring line. I moved the rudder hard over to starboard, put it in gear, and eased off on the spring line while my wife held the bow line. The stern drifted down wind, the bow stayed put, and the boat came around into the wind. We exited the slip, both lines came off the front horns of the cleats, and we pulled the line into the boat to ensure the did not get pulled into the prop.

Hind Site.

This worked really well, but I did feel a bit silly handlining the boat over to the adjacent dock and It did rely on the slip being empty. There was also a risk of the lines getting fowled in the prop even through we mitigated it by looping them over the horn and taking care to keep the tail on the boat and pulling them in as soon as they were clear. We thought the worst that could happen is we would drift back to the slip we originally started from.

This could have been avoided by going straight to Everett the previous day, docking in the other slip the night before, or spending an additional night in Port Ludlow (Of course we had plans the following day that I didn't want to cancel).

Questions:
What would others have done?
is handlining a boat a "seamanship" thing to do?
Would I have had any chance to keep the bow into the wind?
Should I have gone down wind then reversed out?

Additional thoughts:
The decision to stop in Port Ludlow proved to be a poor one as the wind ended up being worse than forcasted. I made it even worse by delaying departure from Port Ludlow until after the tide sifted which resulted in going in a wind against tide situation. It turned out to be the roughest crossing we've ever done. There's quite a bit more to consider and it would take a while to post all variables which is why I decided to ask about the dock departure instead of the trip planning.

Here's an Instagram post from Sailbainbridge of the conditions (I was unwilling to take my hands off the wheel long enough to video our crossing):

S A I L • B A I N B R I D G E /// Capt Ben Doerr on Instagram: "Rough and rowdy ride down the backside of Whidbey today. The Salish Sea sure was in a mood. But our steady ship performed brilliantly and was quite comfortable even through the worst of

193 likes, 16 comments - sailbainbridge on April 8, 2023: "Rough and rowdy ride down the backside of Whidbey today. The Salish Sea sure was in a mood. But our steady ship performed brilliantly and..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Jerry VB]

My 2 cents:

handlining the boat over to the adjacent dock

Handlining the boat is good seamanship and was an excellent choice given your situation. IMHO, handlining a boat is a lost art. I once helped a single prop large classic cabin cruiser back into a dock and they did it entirely by handlining and motoring against cleated off dock lines to pivot. It was very impressive. My "help" consisted of cleating off dock lines so the deck hand did not need to jump onto the dock.

I've backed down fairways in situations like yours where the wind prevented me from pivoting the bow around as I would normally do. I will either back up the fairway until there is a junction where I can back into the 90 degree junction and then motor forward out, or, if the fairway is wide enough, I will back up until I have clearance and then motor forward and do a "U" turn to get the bow around. Once you have some forward way on, our boats will pivot tightly.

Remember, three lefts make a right: 270 degrees to port = 90 degrees to starboard. Back up across the fairway and then turn the boat to port to spin it 270 degrees. By the time you spin the boat to port you will have some way on plus the prop walk will be helping you plus you are dragging the bow through the wind rather than trying to push it.

 

[Christian Williams]

Lines to other docks, sure. Sometimes no other choice.

My first thought is manhandling to get the boat pointed in the right direction, when possible. That beats engine maneuvers anytime.

My boat has strong prop walk to port, such that if pinned port-side to a fuel dock by strong wind, getting off is a real issue, especially if there are boats fore and aft. Almost impossible without help.

Folks don't credit the inherent challenges of sailboats without bow thrusters. It is possible to get into a "hopeless" position, which for me is blown to leeward in a tight slip environment. Fending off is difficult--to leeward is a line of sharp pointy bows. Prop walk can work for or against me in this situation. The only solution is gentle shifting forward to reverse for half a boat-length , patiently waiting for an angle to develop. I have been pinned doing those maneuvers for 20 embarrassing minutes with a lot of people watching. It raises the question, how did I put myself in the hopeless position?

I am now determined to avoid that, especially when alone. With nobody else aboard to fend off or rig lines, one error of judgement can put us in a real pickle.

 

[Pete the Cat]

In my years as a Maine harbor master, I got some schooling in folks negotiating our unfamiliar docks--what works and what doesn't. You efforts seem exceptionally seamanlike from the averages I saw. In our situation, the Town dock is on a river with substantial ebb and flood currents against a prevailing wind. Even after 20 years of using the dock, I still sometimes need to abort the attempt at a last minute because the current is not as predicted or the wind direction or current force is not as I had anticipated. So here are some observations from watching---some of them might be insultingly basic, but I have to remind myself and it is good discipline to write this down.
1. Make a plan early and communicate it to everyone on the boat. Most importantly, make sure folks who are not competent do not try to "help" at the last minute or jump to the dock. All lines set and led, fenders ready--never do anything in a rush.
2. Be prepared to execute and equally ready to abort the effort if something is not right. A slow pass to assess is seamanship if you have the opportunity. Take your time. It can be impossible to properly come along side a tight dock with a half knot current in the wrong direction. The tide predictions are frequently inaccurate by that much due to runoff and back eddies in marinas. If you need to abort a landing take your time to reassess and reset.
3. Go slow. Approach any situation with no more speed than you absolutely need for control. As one of my mentors decades ago told me, "Start out your approach slow, and slow down". Most boats will "walk" the stern of the boat (generally to port with a RH prop) and this is, IMHO, more useful than a bow thruster in docking situations. A bow thruster will point the bow of a sailboat (but what is the rudder for?????) in a direction, but the prop walk will move the whole hull laterally---much more useful in my experience. Learn the characteristics of your boat at low speed before your get into such a situation. Combining this with MOB practice can help sharpen your ability position your boat at low speed.
4. Using lines for springing into and off a dock (See Chapman for the best explanations I have seen) is first class seamanship---I rarely saw folks demonstrate this skill, though our docks generally favored the technique of backing down on an aft spring to pop the bow away from the dock (much more effective than the performance of most bow thrusters). Any time I saw folks using lines like this, I was relieved that we probably had a yachtsman coming in and not an accident.
5. You may get help from the harbor master or locals. There is nothing wrong with asking. And there may be valuable information about current conditions and local custom. But i would never ever rely on dock folks "helping" you with the lines. I had dock attendants who learned skills through the season, but you know much more about your boat than they do. My experience is that "help" generally does not work out to be helpful with no disrespect intended for the folks who offer.
One more word while I have your attention; The instructions of a Maine harbor master is law. Under state law they are law enforcement officers at the level of a Deputy Sheriff though they generally do not carry weapons or wear uniforms. . I am not sure about other states. I had a few problems with folks from away who did not understand that. FWIW.


FWIW.

 

[bgary]

is handlining a boat a "seamanship" thing to do?

Absolutely. In fact, I'd argue that anything you do that gets the boat out with no yelling, bleeding or crunching sounds is "good seamanship"

I was in Ludlow a couple of summers ago, and rather than the usual gentle westerly there was a pretty stiff southerly blowing. And even though I was tucked in to leeward of a big powerboat, my boat was heeling 10 degrees while at the dock - and more in the gusts.

When it came time to get outathere, I asked the marina to send one of the dock people to give me a hand (I'm usually by myself on the boat). What I ended up doing was running a spare spinnaker sheet from a car at the forward end of the outboard track, around the back of the powerboat to a helpful fellow standing on the end of the upwind dock. I walked the boat aft out of the slip like I normally do, but with that line being used to help hold the bow upwind as I reached the end of the finger, rather than blowing down and scraping along the dock (or hitting the piling) as I gathered way astern. Worked fine. When the boat was halfway out of the slip, I climbed on, put it in gear, boat stayed straight (with the hand-line helping to hold the bow off the dock), and as I cleared the slip and headed out they tossed my line onto the bow.

Not at all sure how I would have done it if I hadn't had a second pair of hands. I had thought about running a line around the piling and back to the boat, so I could do both the steer-the-stern part and the hold-the-bow-upwind part myself, but I didn't love that idea. Haven't yet thought of something I like better, but still chewing on it. Most likely, I would have hung out until wind moderated.

BTW, crossing the mouth of the Hood Canal in a gusty southerly is... invigorating <lol>

$.02
Bruce

 

[Tin Kicker]

I learned by watching the Chesapeake work boats years ago. My old slip is seen here from above and the fairway was so narrow that when I pulled forward there was literally one arms length (actually 7 ft) to touch the boat across from me. (Open water is to starboard as pulling forward)

I hand lined in and out almost every time. If with somebody to go out I'd throw two lines around the cable between my slip and the neighbor. The passenger with the fore line would simply walk aft then bring their line in. The aft line was cleated at one end and I held the other. As the boat came forward to the outer piling I held the aft line would till it pivoted us down the fairway and then I'd release and pull in the loose end. Without a passenger and in neutral, I'd hand over hand along the cable till getting to the outer piling, then again hold the rear line, engage forward until the boat pivoted far enough to release it.

Returning, I'd pull up with the piling on my port side from the helm, throw the line over it, then reverse to pivot back in to the point I could hand-over-hand along the upwind cable.

 

[Christian Williams]

The photos remind me how easy I have it with a finger pier on both sides.

 

[Jerry VB]

Remember, three lefts make a right: 270 degrees to port = 90 degrees to starboard. Back up across the fairway and then turn the boat to port to spin it 270 degrees. By the time you spin the boat to port you will have some way on plus the prop walk will be helping you plus you are dragging the bow through the wind rather than trying to push it.

Diagram of what I'm dubbing the P-> maneuver. You can extend the upwind (backing) leg for more sea room and to build some speed to help drag the bow through the wind.

 

[southofvictor]

You were backed in stern-to, right? If there was a boat in the adjacent slip do you think you could have sprung the bow out enough to get way on and pointed in the right direction before the bow blew down onto the dock ahead of you? Or was it blowing too hard and the angle not right?

Great post btw, thanks for putting it up! I’ve still never gone out in our Ericson single handed, and everyone’s input on this type of post helps me work out how I’ll do it.

 

[matias]

Courtesy of Maryland School of Sailing.

 

[Nick J]

You were backed in stern-to, right? If there was a boat in the adjacent slip do you think you could have sprung the bow out enough to get way on and pointed in the right direction before the bow blew down onto the dock ahead of you? Or was it blowing too hard and the angle not right?

Great post btw, thanks for putting it up! I’ve still never gone out in our Ericson single handed, and everyone’s input on this type of post helps me work out how I’ll do it.

Yes, I was stern in. The "P" maneuver above @Jerry VB detailed would not have worked for me, but might be a good option for someone who's bow in. If I were trying this, I would just reverse out to open water (just out of view of the snapshot) and give myself plenty of room to make the maneuver.

If a boat was in the adjacent slip and the owner was aboard to give permission to board his boat, I could have had a dockhand tend to a bow line. I do get a little nervous about people throwing long lines aboard in situations like these due to the potential for fowling the prop. Maybe using someone's line and having my crew throw the line to the dock or adjacent boat would be a good plan.

At any rate, 20-25 is a strong wind and there's a lot of boat between the prop and bow to catch it. I may be underestimating the boat and my ability to handle it, but there's almost nothing worse than loosing your bow in a tight fairway with little to nothing to do about it.

 

[southofvictor]

At any rate, 20-25 is a strong wind and there's a lot of boat between the prop and bow to catch it. I may be underestimating the boat and my ability to handle it, but there's almost nothing worse than loosing your bow in a tight fairway with little to nothing to do about it.

That’s for sure. I think you did it right, hand lining yourself into position where you’d have the best chance of success and least risk of getting blown down into those docks. Nice work!