Drying out against a wall

[NigelBirch]

I've not done this before but thinking of trying it out Saturday night at Bideford if I can find a plank in time. Presumably one still ties up with a bow line, stern and springs but make sure you can slip them from the boat as we sink down. Any advice gratefully received!

 

[Thamesbank]

Quick tip

Lean the boat slightly against the wall before it settles!
Maybe check that nothing big is lying where you want to go!
Good luck! It's easy really.

 

[sailorman]

mast hd line ashore to hold boat into the quay/ posts

 

[Stevie_T]

IMO, have long springs which as you rightly say can be adjusted easily from onboard, would suggest using just turns round the cleats and on the wall round turn and two half hitches so they can be released under tension as well in a emergency. Don't have your breast lines too tight and ensure she is leaning (slightly) to the wall (1 degree or more is enough) to keep this lean either weight the deck by placing anchor and chain or similar on the wall side of the deck or use a spinnaker halyard attached to the wall or land somewhere with a slight tension on. If you have a tight spinnaker you will need to stay with her and adjust as she goes down.
Alternatively you could raise a weight (say a bucket of water) up the spinnaker halyard and attach it semi slack to the shore, this would also induce a slight heel but would not need adjusting to the same degree on the way down.
Let the heavy people sleep on the wall side /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Hope that helps, Im sure others will share other ideas.

Have fun

 

[michael_w]

Take a halyard ashore, spinnaker out of preference as it usually has a swivel block, handy for alignment.

Shift some weights on the wall side (anchor + chain) and make sure she lists towards the wall as you take the ground, but don't over do it as you'll lean at too jaunty an angle.

Don't forget a ladder for getting off and a dinghy comes in useful. Start scrubbing as soon as possible before the seaweed dries out.

Finally make sure there is a nearby pub as the flood tide seems to take forever to rise.

After you've done it a couple of times, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

 

[Csail]

Easiest way is to put a line from the mast to the wall and as she is just starting to touch put a bit of tension on it but not much. Remember even though the boat weighs x ammont all of that is vertical therefore only a tiny lean on the wall is better. Then tension bow & stern lines ready for next low water. (once your happy)
If there is a swell use a pulley type system with loads of rope to reduce strain on mast etc. I use old RAF mountain rescue rope which stretches very vell.

 

[Erre]

Combination of much of the above. In summary...
1 Long bow and stern lines (say twice the length of your vessel) put ashore at high tide as far forward and back as you can.
2 Jerry cans and other moveable weights to shoreside decking. Kedge anchor at the end of the boom and boom swung out shoreside and held buy a preventer.
3 Halyard from mast top to athwart-ships on the quay with a decent tension. This will ensure that she never has a chance of moving away. The other measures ensure she shoulders the quay.
4 As she touches, release the springs and as you have already ascertained, watch/feed the bow and stern lines if needs be. (If they are long they might not need much moving at all).
Once grounded and dry. USE BAULKS TO SUPPORT THE OFF-SIDE. Do not work under an unsupported vessel (Please be mindful of this and NEVER abuse this rule)..
5 Once ready to rise again, ensure the halyard previously put ashore has sufficient slack. Remove the supporting off-side baulks. Leave everything else.
6 Adjust bow and stern lines and re-fit springs once afloat.

All common sense. That being said, I once had an 87' oak ketch fall away from a quay!

Good luck.

 

[PembrokeshirePromise]

Agree with most of the above - but in our case (fractional rig) masthead halyard is not great as its not well supported.
Spinnaker halyard is better - but having had the boat start to settle the wrong way once /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif - despite doing all the above - we had to do a quick bit of pulley work at about chest height on the mast (which coincided with c. top of the wall).

Since then I've always had ready a rope to do this with (and a couple of snap blocks to give some advantage). In fact if you take 2 lines from this height to the wall at an angle of about 45 degrees forward and backwards - you have pretty good leverage without stressing the mast as much. Also can control the fore aft settling (within limits).

Seems to work for us.

 

[ctelfer38]

To add to all the good advice already given. You have not said what type of keel you have. As you have not done this before, have you established that your keel is suitable for taking the weight of your yacht? Just checking. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Erre]

You make a good point PP. Some folk would add to that which I have listed above and keep a breast line horizontally from the quay to a large free-running loop around the mast thereby allowing it to rise (sometime with halyard assistance) as the tide goes out. This keeps the pull on the vessel horizontal at all times and avoids the need for topmast strain.

CT - His profile says he has a Westerly Konsort which will be built well strong enough. That being said, what yacht exists whose keel cannot take its own weight? I sure as hell would never wish to be aboard one!

 

[FAITIRA]

If the keel as has been said is suitable, don,t use anything but bow and stern lines, induce a heel in as suggested of 2-3 degrees, keep the lines tight, the strech in decent lines will cope with the fall,don,t fiddle with them, DON,T have a line from the mast but have a "breast line" about midships to the outboard sheet lead block, then to a the sheet winch. When the boat touches, tighten this to hold her in. No fear of forgetting to release the mast line as she rises, once she has settled with this system you could go off and leave her to rise and fall on her own for a month.

 

[jonathankent]

If it is a Westerly Konsort.... aren't they bilge keel anyway????

 

[ctelfer38]

Erre, Of course I should have looked at his profile. Interested in your second point though - I would not favour drying out alongside - unsupported - with a narrow profile fin keel. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[sailorman]

[ QUOTE ]
Erre, Of course I should have looked at his profile. Interested in your second point though - I would not favour drying out alongside - unsupported - with a narrow profile fin keel. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

TRY THIS for size my learned friend

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[ctelfer38]

I give in!. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Erre]

CT - I apologise if my comments sounded/read a bit short. That was not intended at all but re-reading them I can see that they could be seen to be so. Sorry!

 

[theotter]

........and remember its not like the winter lay up where you are securely shawed up. If moving around o/b tread carefully becuase one persons weight too far fwd or aft can tip the boat. Thats when you find out how long your bow and stern line are!

 

[ctelfer38]

Erre, No offence taken; but very nicely said. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Piddy]

This was my first time with this boat, so I had a line from the shore to every cleat fore and aft, a line from the mast head and a lower line straight across to the shore. This was tricky as there wasn't a suitable place to fix it to so I made a bridle between two adjacent rings. (The harbour master was a bit squiffy about me tying to the railings on the shore!)
Despite my paranoia she settled beautifully and didn't move at all.

Cheers

 

[NigelBirch]

Westerly Konsort bilge keel....