short fingers singlehanded

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Following the thread on slipping singlehanded, wondered what other peoples approach is to arrival singlehanded at short fingers...

I have a classic IOR 70's shaped boat, with a big wide beam..... I increasingly find nowadays that the fingers seem short, and my challenge is that if I arrive singlehanded, then by the time i've got the wide part of the boat alongside the end of the finger, then the bow is only 3 feet from the pontoon.... as I have a substantial kick to port in astern, I have to go in slow..... not always easy....

I personally use a centre cleat, and drop a loop over the outermost cleat on the finger and then motor against it to spring on.... but it gets hairy as I am usually very late in getting the loop on, so is quite high risk.... it doesn't help that my cleat is quite a way inboard, so I have to be very careful what stanchions I go between, and consequently compound the problem of being late getting the line on....

I've wondered about putting a snatch block on the toe rail in the centre, and leading the warp back to a winch by the helm...

What is your approach to this?

 

[Malcb]

Exactly the same as I posted in 'Slipping Short handed". I don't have a centre cleat. So I have fitted, on both sides, a shackle to which I can clip whatever I want. For my own berth I use a fixed length line with a loop that is exactly the right length to stop the bow half a meter from the end. I just use an adjustable length boat hook to drop the loop over the cleat. If I am going alongside when I'm away from my normal berth, I will use a mooring line (with a loop for the cleat) which runs though a block, which I clip to the toerail shackle, and back to a winch next to the helm.

And sometimes, just to please Talbot, I use a Bosco boat hook.

 

[stephenh]

Yes - Snatch block on the toe rail just abaft the mast and back to a winch

I use a boat hook to put a hosepipe covered loop over a shore cleat. Got the idea from Sailing Today some time ago - it is a variant of the noose used to catch live alligators.
The rope comes out of a hole made in the hose pipe loop an inch before the end of the pipe, this leaves the end of the pipe to go over the end of the boathook and pulls off easily.
Poor description - but it works.......

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Sound useful.... but you're right... its a poor description!

Have a go at explaining again!......

 

[bumblefish]

Picture worth a thousand words!

 

[stephenh]

No picture, no scanner - so here goes the thousand words...

Take a 2 ft length of half inch hose pipe.
Cut a half inch dia. hole in the side of the pipe say 2" from one end.
Thread a long 3/8ths rope through this hole, and the longer part of the hosepipe.
Tie the short end of the rope back on itself with a bowline.
You now have a bowline loop which is covered in pipe - this keeps the bowline open.
The short, empty "stub" of pipe slips on the ball end of a boat hook.
By tensioning the remaining part of the line against the boathook the loop will stay horizontal (and can be held in one hand) thus enabling the loop to be placed over the cleat.
A tug on the boathook, the pipe falls off, and there you are - the rope is round the cleat and the boathook back on board.
The long end of the rope goes through a snatch block and back to a winch.

phew... I could have made one in the time it has taken to write this....

hope this helps....

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Perfect... think i'll give it a try!

 

[bumblefish]

Is this any good, before the children go to bed. just put it together?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

The power of the internet!

 

[bumblefish]

Yes, but it is now past bed time and the children are playing catch the giraffe in the garden!

 

[stephenh]

Exactly so.....as they say in Cornwall - its perfect, but it will have to do.......!!!

I found that it needs "wearing in" and gets easier to use with time.

Thanks for the picture assistance.

Good luck with the giraffes..

 

[bumblefish]

Well the children seem to have no problem with it, so far they have caught a netball post, the dog, a downpipe and a hanging basket!

 

[Parsonsheath]

I reckon that bumblefish spoils his kids, we had to make do with guinea pigs!

 

[bumblefish]

In the last week we have lost; one hamster, one guinea pig and two goldfish, just the giraffes and elephants to go!