Sailing Yacht / Marine Boat Handling Skills

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Watching pros is always worthwhile. I spent (wasted) a lot of time in Kuhlungsborn watching an excursion boat similar to the one you describe returning, several times a day. He had to turn to port to moor starboard-to to load/unload passengers and be ready to leave. There was nothing like enough room to do it in one go, so he would turn as far as possible on the first run, reverse hard while keeping the helm hard over as before, then chug forwards when the boat would turn a bit more, and then repeat the procedure about four times, always achieving the desired result in exactly the same way.

Wonder why he didn't steer to starboard when reversing. Perhaps the propwash was enough.

 

[johnalison]

Wonder why he didn't steer to starboard when reversing. Perhaps the propwash was enough.

The point was that it was a big heavy old thing and he would never have got steerage way going astern, or at least not enough to make use of. What he did was just more efficient, using each ahead move to kick the stern across without wasting time moving the helm over.

 

[srm]

When coaching I found holding the boat stationary a couple of metres off a fixed point a useful exercise. This involved balance of engine and steering against the natural forces of wind and current. It developed awareness of external forces on the boat and helped internalise their boat handling. A variation was to hold position in the middle of a (quiet) marina lane.

 

[Refueler]

Are you one of those people who uses a special word for the pointy end?

Considering the number of people who post about terminology on these fora - I find this a strange reply ....

I was just asking - not trying to be fancy / smart or insulting as someone has decided to do just a few posts above.

 

[Refueler]

The point was that it was a big heavy old thing and he would never have got steerage way going astern, or at least not enough to make use of. What he did was just more efficient, using each ahead move to kick the stern across without wasting time moving the helm over.

I can appreciate that ...

My boat is a lot less - but having a big prop / 43HP etc. - I am extremely limited on astern movement. Prop walk on my boat is something to be seen !!

 

[laika]

Considering the number of people who post about terminology on these fora - I find this a strange reply ....

No offence intended. I have a bad habit of inappropriately mixing high and low culture for comedic effect and inappropriate use of "park" (for a boat, horse or spacecraft) was an example of that. I believe Bathos was the most underrated of all the musketeers.

Isn't "docking" a hideous americanism when applied to a small boat in a marina?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

No offence intended. I have a bad habit of inappropriately mixing high and low culture for comedic effect and inappropriate use of "park" (for a boat, horse or spacecraft) was an example of that. I believe Bathos was the most underrated of all the musketeers.

Isn't "docking" a hideous americanism when applied to a small boat in a marina?

The problem is that people watch American sailing videos on YouTube and pick up American sailing terminology which is different to that used on this side of the pond.

 

[KompetentKrew]

The problem is that people watch American sailing videos on YouTube and pick up American sailing terminology which is different to that used on this side of the pond.

Imagine how shocked I was when I learned boo-ey may be the correct pronunciation of the word buoy!

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Imagine how shocked I was when I learned boo-ey may be the correct pronunciation of the word buoy!

I wasn't shocked, just p-d off!

 

[Refueler]

I have no idea if 'docking' is an americanism ..... all I can suggest is that considering a shoreline used for ships etc is usually referred to as a Dock ?? as well as Berth / Quay ..

 

[Refueler]

Imagine how shocked I was when I learned boo-ey may be the correct pronunciation of the word buoy!

I have to say that having spent considerable time in USA ... particularly in southern states ... 'boo-ee' does grate a bit on the ear !

 

[roaringgirl]

It’s certainly a matter of what is right for the conditions. 2500 rpm will only be needed when wind or current make it necessary. I was referring to the common nervousness about going dead slow and the sense that one needs to do anything in a hurry. I was put in the position of needing to do a 180 turn in the club harbour in Goes, leaving a foot or two at each end. This required a twenty-point turn, which the audience seemed to appreciate, but no harm done.

I agree that one should be able to turn in the boat’s length. I still remember the first time I was required to do this, it was in a 36’ motor boat on the Broads at the end of Thurne Dyke and I was 12 yrs old at the time. I just swung the boat round and gave a touch of reverse and it was done. I can’t do the same in my current boat against the prop wash and wind due to a combination of saildrive and limited rudder travel, but in other conditions I regard it as routine.

I can turn our boat around in her own length, but if there's a wind blowing, then by the time I've done it, I might be on the other side of the harbour!

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I have no idea if 'docking' is an americanism ..... all I can suggest is that considering a shoreline used for ships etc is usually referred to as a Dock ?? as well as Berth / Quay ..

In the parlance that I'm aware of, a quay is a wall suitable for ships to tie up alongside with an area of land behind it, e.g both sides of the River Liffey in Dublin below the Talbot Memorial Bridge.
A jetty or pier is a man-made structure, designed for the same purpose, projecting out into a body of water, e.g. Carlisle Pier in Dun Laoghaire, originally built to accommodate the mailboats, although a pier may also serve, on its outer side, as a breakwater, e.g. West Pier, Dun Laoghaire
A basin is an area of water, with, generally, a narrow entrance, and bounded on all sides by walls backed up by land, e.g. Alexandra Basin, Dublin.
A dock is similar to a basin, but is enclosed by a set of lock gates and a sill, so as to preserve a suitable depth of water, e.g. St Katharine's Dock, London, and a series of similar structures in Liverpool
To my mind, "docking", as a term for manoeuvering an object so as to bring it into a position to allow it to be attached to a larger, stationary object, is a product of the American Space Programme.
Why they use the word"slip" for what we refer to, so much more succinctly, as "haul out" or "lift out", I have no idea?

 

[Biggles Wader]

"Slip" is a hard bit of roadway that enters the water at a suitable angle for launching floaty things. If you try and walk on the green bits below the high tide mark you realize why it is thus called.

 

[flaming]

Why they use the word"slip" for what we refer to, so much more succinctly, as "haul out" or "lift out", I have no idea?

The Americans I've sailed with use "slip" to mean "Marina finger pontoon berth".

In general there are some aspects of sailing terminology that are important as they define distinct things very precisely. Tacking and gybing being great examples of those.

And others that are just different words for no advantage, as there cannot be any confusion as to the meaning.

"Mooring" instead of parking being a prime example of those....

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

"Slip" is a hard bit of roadway that enters the water at a suitable angle for launching floaty things. If you try and walk on the green bits below the high tide mark you realize why it is thus called.

We all know that, but Americans use 'slip' as a verb to describe lifting out boats in general, not just those which can be 'launched or 'recovered' using a sloping, partly green slippery ramp.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

The Americans I've sailed with use "slip" to mean "Marina finger pontoon berth".

In general there are some aspects of sailing terminology that are important as they define distinct things very precisely. Tacking and gybing being great examples of those.

And others that are just different words for no advantage, as there cannot be any confusion as to the meaning.

"Mooring" instead of parking being a prime example of those....

I thought they referred to the pontoon as a 'dock'.

 

[flaming]

I thought they referred to the pontoon as a 'dock'.

Boat Dock vs. Boat Slip: What is a Boat Slip? | ShoreMaster.

What is a Boat Slip vs Boat Dock: Differences + Photos Explained

I'm pretty sure that they mostly use "boat ramp" to describe the place you go to give your car a bath whilst your boat watches....

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

A light anecdote on the side:
A group of Glenans 5.70s short-tacked in through the long narrow, "always-wind-on-the-nose", entrance to North Harbour on Cape Clear Island and came alongside the ferry pier, under sail, whereupon a tourist standing on the pier asked; " How come your engines are so quiet?" ?

 

[johnalison]

A light anecdote on the side:
A group of Glenans 5.70s short-tacked in through the long narrow, "always-wind-on-the-nose", entrance to North Harbour on Cape Clear Island and came alongside the ferry pier, under sail, whereupon a tourist standing on the pier asked; " How come your engines are so quiet?" ?

We were tied up in Horsey Staithe in our hired 2-berth boat Gay Lady and enjoying a quiet evening. A couple of small boys wandered past and were examining our boat.
”It hasn‘t got an engine” said one, puzzled.
”Well, they don’t in Arthur Ransome either” replied the other.