Learner Driver

[Guest]

Re: Learner Driver - you\'re kidding? Here\'s 10!

You're kidding, surely? It doesn't really get easier it's just we come up with better excuses for when things go wrong!

I've been sailing for years but still worry like the devil when motoring into a downwind slip in my caraan park. To me, mooring the boat in a 15+ knot downwind is the worst part of sailing bar none. I quite happily sail. in 33 Knots + wind and thnk nothing of it.

Those who you see executing lovely three piont turns must, I'll bet, all be sailing French fin keelers with modern rudder and engine configurations. Go ask the owner of a Rival 34 (for example) how these lovely offshore cruisers behave in astern! If they say anything positive, they're lying ...


As to my ten tips, off the cuff, they would be something along these lines:

1. Go slowly. Forget the queue behind you, go slowly above all else.

2. Have your mooring lines made up and marked prior to entering your slip.

3. Tell your crew what's going on, and what will happen if it goes to hell.

4. If it's blowing too hard, choose a slip on the end of a pier and tie the boat up there. he marina can move it on the Monday morning if they wish, once the wind has calmed down.

5. Keep your insurance policy well updated.

6. Buy BIG fenders, bigger than your neighbours (bigger than the average).

7. Buy LOTS of fenders.

8. Have at least one ENORMOUS fender in case you are heading for the inevitable. It works better than a foot!

9. Take wide corners.

10. Reduce your windage ... lower the spary hood, rool up / remove your dodgers, anything to stop the wind from catching you and drive you into the neighbouring caravan.

... when I started writing this, I doubted I'd have enough to get to 10 - ther's probably more - such as practising on calm days instead of just going out!

 

[gunnarsilins]

After 30 years of sailing....

....I must say that one major reason for getting in troble in marinas etc is that many people are not prepared enough.
I cannot understand why it seems to be so hard to do this extra round turn and buy themselves some more time so everyone one on board really got the time to finish all preparations and not at least important, learn what will be done and who´s doing what.
No, when (mostly him) the captain-husband-helmsman see a unockupied berth he immediately turns the rudder hard over and throws the boat like a missile in to the berth. While the kids still are putting the fenders out (probably on the wrong side) and all what can be seen of his wife is her butt because she´s standing on her head in a deep locker looking for the warps.

Result: Screaming and shouting, scratches and bumps and maybe even some tears and lost pride.

And in the end, for some mystical reason, it always seems to be the wifes fault, or the kids......

 

[dk]

Although I agree heartily with all the helpful replies I would just like to point out two of the most important aspect of parking that are often overlooked. Propwash and tidal stream.
Find out which way your boat's stern nudges when astern and forwards. Most c-ups are caused when the helmsman whacks the engine full throttle into reverse to slow down, only to discover the propwalk forces him off course at the last minute. Once he knows which way it goes he can use it as an aid for parking.
Aleays check the tidal stream on a pile or similar before approaching your berth and make adjustments accordingly. As with the propwash - you can often use the tide to your advantage by ferry-gliding. Remember, it's always best to park uptide as the water flowing over the rudder will give you steerage even at very low speeds. This is exactly why planes always take off and land into wind.

Good luck & happy berthing!

 

[snooks]

Once you get uot...

Do a couple of boat handling courses, you wouldn't dream of driving a Ferrari if you didn't know how to drive, why should a boat be any different?

I am by no means good a handling yachts, I get by, and haven't hit anything too hard. I had two good teachers, but the best way I found was a few afternoons, when the sun is out...find a clear patch of water with a mooring buoy and plenty of depth, then just practice, practice, practice, do the following over and over again until you keep getting it right...try just touching the buoy with the bow (no need to pick it up), coming along side it (on both sides), and touching in with your stern. take a freind out and take it in turns, do this for a couple of weekends in a row, might not sound like fun....but what are 4 days compared to a life time of worry?

 

[Guest]

PeterB said it all
"Learn how to manoeuvre at minimum speed, and how to recognise when you might need something more than the minimum"
and even that might be to fast, when in a marina or a tight spot with every change of direction "PUT HER OUT OF GEAR" and coast along untill you wish to give a blip ahead or astern. The only other thing is to think and plan ahead, so the slower you go the longer you will take to hit another boat (;-))
Dave.

 

[Guest]

Manouvering a yacht in a marina is a bit like driving a car on an icy, and winding road.
- gentle on the accellerator
- no sharp steering movements
- no using the breaks

Naturally, things get complicated with wind and tide, but the basics remain the same.

 

[Guest]

Learning

After 10 years if you think you know-it-all.
After 20 you're not so sure.
After 30 you think you know what you need to learn.
After 40 you're convinced you've hardly started.
After 50 someone's moved the goalposts!

Take things slowly after all sailing is the second slowest sport on record it's more like a game of chess than motor racing .

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good Attitude

Welcome to the club. You never stop learning. You are on the right lines.

 

[duncan]

Re: Good Attitude

What an amusing and educational thread - thanks to all who have contributed so far - and those that will no doubt follw!

Further possible tips -

1. Always offer to help boats near yours come into their berths whenever you can - they might help you one day when you are shorthanded

2. I agree with all the comments on speed, handling and practice - but spend a day going in and out of your own berth ; try different approaches for different conditions and all with plenty of helpers on board and on the pontoon (but try to avoid relying on them for a manoevre, they're just insurance).

3. Plan and prepare when in virgin territory.

4. Finally have confidence in the ability of others - they will enjoy it more and will probably surprise everyone.

Happy boating

 

[Guest]

You are right about staring at TV screens! I have just found this thread and read all the responses and feel that we have a mixed bag of attitudes out there with a few 'go to a sailing school and learn to do it properly' comments! Well I had an instructor on my boat ofr the day and we spent a lot of it with him passing the time of day with the wife while I steered around Southampton Docks using throttles only ... oh and we did a ferrygliding mooring but when we came back to the marina to moor [the bit I needed help with] and I admit the wind was about Force 3-4 [not too hairy] then I handed him the helm and sadi show me how it's done so I could learn - he made [almost] as big a pig's ear of it as I first did! Blaming gear controls and the marina berth being about as tricky as they get ... now there was some truth in that last comment because as a new berthholder in a marina you do get the worst berth as all the good ones have been queued up for! The gear controls were a bit sticky so I renewed all them and the cables and I chose seperate throttle and gears! This will probably create comments because all the 'experienced' ones out there think single lever are best .. well, as my twin V8 powered 32' cruiser does about 2-3 knots on one engine in slack water and as I discovered the first time I moored up she accelerates very well when you give her a 'burst' that it is far better to leave the engines idling and slip the engines in and out of gear and do it all slowly. If you do want to stop then if you are going forward on one engine put the other engine astern for a few seconds and take both out of gear [same rpm - idle!] then she will [almost] stop, buy time to evaluate and re-evaluate!

Practice does make it easier and good wind and tide helps considerably. If your 37' is like my 32' it 'sails' sideways quite well in anything more than a gentle breeze! The books all say tide is the strongest factor and in some conditions when the tide is sideways to the berth that's true but a strong awkward wind on a planing hull [no keel, etc] is a nightmare. Have you a bowthruster? You may want to consider one as it does 'buy' you valuable seconds in evaluating, etc - I want one but cannot afford one yet!

The important thing is don't give up! A 37' is a handful but learn how she reacts and how fast she reacts and how strong that reaction is! Use the wind and tide to your advantage if you can and once you are lined up with the marina use engines more than steering! I take one engine out of gear when I am about 30 seconds away so I can reset dead ahead [will pull to one side on one engine] and do it all slowly - hover over the gear controls, resist increasing power above idle unless absolutely necessary as it usually takes everything onto a different level and if it gets hairy try and reverse out of it and go around and try again [airline captains sometimes do this!] and FORGET who is watching - most of them are there because they are too ******* scared to keep trying and learning!

Where are you in The Solent? Email me on sts.mail@virgin.net if you don't want to broadcast it! ;-)

 

[Guest]

Re: Good Attitude

I have just done a long reply [sorry] but I wanted to highlight the 'aft spring' method of mooring! I describe it a little more in 'Mooring Techniques' in this forum ... I have personally had much less problems since adopting this technique and it is less stress on your wife/crew!

 

[Guest]

Well done,, your off and running,with that attitude you'll succeed,keep going and make loads friends whilst giving yourself weekly heart attacks. Now you know why most sailors drink<s>

 

[Grehan]

If anyone's interested . . . we've had tuition (from a Yachtmaster Examiner). 2 days actually.

Good and bad.

More experience and guidance = more confidence and better handling success.

However, some notable foul-ups by us, under the instructor's guidance, and by the instructor himself, left us somewhat bewildered. Wind/tide conditions quite unexceptional, but she wouldn't back out to port or stbd, wind directly on the stern, pontooned-up. With the gap between opposite boats about our length and no more, even protracted toing and froing got us nowhere, except stressed.
Instructor suggested using a long spring that jerked the stern round once we'd backed out as far as the opposite boats. Worked ok . . . -ish, but we still clipped a sticky-out jackstaff with our sticky-out pulpit rail. Tuition interrupted while we decamped to the chandlers for a replacement.

There really is (seems to us to be) just no room for error, the boats are that tight together. And our boat is not a thin deep fin keel, big spade rudder, spin on a sixpence jobby. Mind you, its not a long keel high displacement thingy either.

Of course, the following non-instructor day, our marina boat-mover (a brilliant and natural - all the time every day of the week - unfussy handler) poured a certain amount of scorn on what we'd been told. We'd engage him as a teacher but the marina will only countenance 1 hour Saturdays only, and he's more expensive (!).

Hmmmm . . . .