Another Boat manoeuvring in windy conditions thread

[ProDave]

We had an "issue" last week getting off a stone wall we were moored to, with the wind pinning us onto the wall. No amount of pushing off manually would keep the boat off the wall long enough to get enough way on to steer it away from the wall.

I will elaborate more what we did and how we "solved" it, later but it was not graceful in any way.

This would also apply to being pinned onto a pontoon, and other boats / obstructions to limit your options.

Boat is a Hunter Horizon 23 with an outboard in an offset well, so there is no wash over the rudder from the motor so does not steer until you get a bit of way on. In any event even if it did steer trying to turn off the wall would turn the stern back into the wall.

How would you do it?

 

[Refueler]

If pinned that badly ... I'd take the anchor and throw it at 90 deg to bow and use that to pull bow away from the wall ..... make sure decent fender aft transom ... as bow comes off - engine on slooooow ... to help bow get pulled by anchor ...

If you have a grappling folder and rope - that's ideal for this and easier than the full on anchor.

It may surprise - but even big ships - in restricted ports with limited tug service - may drop anchor before going alongside - to aid getting off dock.

When my engine failed on my 4ton 25ftr ... I used a combo of genny and anchor alternately to manoeuvre all the channel up to HYCo .....

 

[PaulRainbow]

A spring line could be the answer. Depends on the conditions and the boat as to which one/which way. For instance, reverse against a short line from the stern cleat to the wall, or motor against a bow line tide to the wall. The line really wants to be rigged to slip and a fender or two might be needed close to the cleat.

 

[srm]

Bow spring may work, especially if you can steer the outboard thrust in its well, plus substantial long boat hook to pole off the stern (essential kit on any boat unlike those silly telescopic alloy things). Once stern far enough out full astern into the wind fending the bow off and slipping the spring.

 

[Refueler]

Bow spring may work, especially if you can steer the outboard thrust in its well, plus substantial long boat hook to pole off the stern (essential kit on any boat unlike those silly telescopic alloy things). Once stern far enough out full astern into the wind fending the bow off and slipping the spring.

If you did that on my SR25 .... depending on which side berthed - you'd slam back into the wall ...

If I remember rightly - HH23 has very limited turn allowed for the outboard....

 

[ProDave]

Just to add a bit more, the "wall" was one side of a lock on the Calley canal. It would be too deep (lock was full) and I doubt the lock keeper would be impressed with you throwing an anchor out.

Reversing off the wall is what we did, but even that went "wrong"

OB won't turn in it's well.

 

[Refueler]

Just to add a bit more, the "wall" was one side of a lock on the Calley canal. It would be too deep (lock was full) and I doubt the lock keeper would be impressed with you throwing an anchor out.

Reversing off the wall is what we did, but even that went "wrong"

OB won't turn in it's well.

ok .. all methods will have their place ...

 

[dunedin]

Just to add a bit more, the "wall" was one side of a lock on the Calley canal. It would be too deep (lock was full) and I doubt the lock keeper would be impressed with you throwing an anchor out.

Reversing off the wall is what we did, but even that went "wrong"

OB won't turn in it's well.

Then should be fairly easy. Wait for any other boats to leave then get ropes across to other side and pull over to that wall. Tidy up ropes and then depart
Caledonian lock keepers would prefer taking 5 minutes to help depart safely than have a bump in their lock.
Even with bow thruster have very occasionally ended up pinned in a berth unable to get out of. Generally case of roping round - or get prepared, get kettle on and wait for a lull or change in wind direction.
PS In the Caledonian and Crinan we keep a sturdy brush on deck - regularly use it to push off wall to get moving. Should work even easier in a small boat.

 

[jbweston]

Conventional theoretical advice is to attach a spring from the bow (rigged to slip) to a point well back and motor forward against it until the stern is well away from the wall, then drop the spring as or just after starting to motor astern.

That's the theory and it works well enough in practice a lot of the time. BUT . . . not if the wind's too strong, if the boat isn't easily controllable going astern, if there's little space, if the shape of the boat doesn't allow the stern to come far enough out, or for numerous other reasons.

I have had success with what someone who suggested it to me called a Dutch spring. Attach a line from the stern cleat on the side away from the wall, running it back (astern) to a cleat or bollard ashore (rigged to slip). Then motor forward (which of course many boats will do more powerfully than going astern). The boat then pivots round the stern cleat with the bow coming off the wall. Keep motoring forward until the bow is 90 degrees off the wall or pontoon by which time the stern is off the wall by the length of the line. Then slip and motor nonchalantly out. Which of course is impossible in a lock but works in a habour with plenty of space or coming away from the dead end (bottom of the 'U') between two lines of pontoons.

 

[srm]

Or just warp/walk her out of the lock like in the old days and depart where the wall curves outside the gate.

 

[B27]

Send someone to the windward sine of the lock and throw them a line?

Springing off usually works, given sufficient fenders.
Use another boat to get the bow out?
Most people will co-operate, if you admit you could do with a hand.

Top tip is to be on the windward side in the first place....

JB Weston's post above is a good idea, more so in a smaller boat where you could keep the leeward quarter off the wall by manual force?

 

[Wansworth]

On a coaster a spring was rigged right round the stern an made fast amidships,big palaver but enabled the ship to fully spring off

 

[srm]

Send someone to the windward sine of the lock and throw them a line?

Better still give someone the line to throw from the windward side, much easier and better range. Have done just this a few times to move a boat in small harbours.

 

[jbweston]

Send someone to the windward sine of the lock and throw them a line?

Springing off usually works, given sufficient fenders.
Use another boat to get the bow out?
Most people will co-operate, if you admit you could do with a hand.

Top tip is to be on the windward side in the first place....

JB Weston's post above is a good idea, more so in a smaller boat where you could keep the leeward quarter off the wall by manual force?

When my friend told me about the Dutch spring, I was sceptical. In fact it worked well with my old Sadler 34. The secret was a good strong fender aft on the wall side. I found that there was pressure on it at first but quite quickly it was away from the wall/pontoon as the boat was pivoting around a position roughly at the shore end of the line, So in fact the stern was moving out as the bow moved out, only not so far.

Clever people these Dutch. If indeed it really was the Dutch who invented it.

 

[ProDave]

Yes the No 1 thing I learned was tie up on the windward side of the lock. In this case we were sharing the locking with a big steel barge, already on the windward side. And from the canal at the lower side of the lock, the wind was not so obvious. But the lesson learned is demand the windward side of the lock, and in this case that would have meant let the barge go on his own and wait for the next locking.

 

[dunedin]

Yes the No 1 thing I learned was tie up on the windward side of the lock. In this case we were sharing the locking with a big steel barge, already on the windward side. And from the canal at the lower side of the lock, the wind was not so obvious. But the lesson learned is demand the windward side of the lock, and in this case that would have meant let the barge go on his own and wait for the next locking.

For the Canal try the brush / pole approach. Don't need to get too far out to exit lock. Or take breast rope onto barge if you are departing first?

 

[B27]

Yes the No 1 thing I learned was tie up on the windward side of the lock. In this case we were sharing the locking with a big steel barge, already on the windward side. And from the canal at the lower side of the lock, the wind was not so obvious. But the lesson learned is demand the windward side of the lock, and in this case that would have meant let the barge go on his own and wait for the next locking.

Could you not have walked across the stern of the barge with a line to the windward wall?

But OTOH, there comes a point where you don't want a big boat to windward being blown down on to you.
If there's space, moor to the barge not the wall and leave before him.

 

[davidmh]

On the Dutch spring idea, which way do you put the rudder when going ahead

DavidMH

 

[ProDave]

Could you not have walked across the stern of the barge with a line to the windward wall?

But OTOH, there comes a point where you don't want a big boat to windward being blown down on to you.
If there's space, moor to the barge not the wall and leave before him.

But that would have required us to anticipate there was going to be a problem.

The barge left first and it was only after that, we cast off and found the wind would not release us from the wall.

Now we are a bit wiser next time I hope we can just avoid the situation.

But more generally if you had this situation in a marina, the wind was blowing you hard onto your pontoon with a lot of other boats about, how would you do it. At least we were last boat in the lock, so nothing else to damage.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Take a mid ship spring, afterwards, onto the opposite wall of the lock and wind in tight, set to slip, quite long. Slip inboard mooring lines and motor forward against the mid ship spring to opposite wall and the boat will pivot around the secure point on the other wall and pull you off the wall your pinned to. Start to slip the line spring on the other wall, and get forward drive then slip. Of course you might not have sufficient engine power, but I think you would.

I use this method to wind my yacht off the pontoon during winter gales, and an age ago to get out of a pontoon berth.