Warping out of a marina berth

Peter,

thats the sort of approach I was puzzling over. You're right, we don't carry enough line for a long slip (could tie some together, but the knots would probably catch on a cleat). Crew was only self & wifey, so leaving one on the pontoon was probably a no-no /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Thanks Simon,

yes that probably would have worked - the boat next to us was a Cornish Crabber, so somewhat smaller. We should have been able to swing around in the manner you described - having walked her back a few feet, we could also probably have got a slip from our stern onto the finger pontoon the other side of the Crabber, which would have given us a little more leverage.

Ah well - we'll do better next time!
 
Re: p.s.

[ QUOTE ]
Push the tiller hard a-starboard and give a short hard blast of forward gear to stop the boat dead. Although the rudder wants to turn the stern to port, the water forced over the rudder by the prop will in fact kick the stern smartly to starboard. Before she gets any way ahead, give a burst of astern, still keeping the tiller locked as described. Propwash effect will again kick the stern to starboard. If that still hasn't done it, then give another brief blast of forward gear which will yet again kick the stern to starboard, all without moving from the spot.

[/ QUOTE ]


I agree that, depending on the position/size of prop and rudder, prop wash can be very effective - its a stern thruster. I have had people onshore tell me that I was cheating by using a bow thruster when all I was doing was using propwash.

But I don't follow your directions. Prop wash works in the same direction as the rudder would under normal circumstances. ie with the rudder positioned to turn you hard to port and therefore move the stern to stbd (but doing nothing because you are not moving), a burst of ahead will kick the stern to stbd, just as you would expect.

Hmm, ok its hard to explain with words isn't it!
 
Re: p.s.

At the start of the manoevre the boat is going backwards, so steering would have worked the opposite way, if it wasn't for the flow of water going past the rudder from the throttle in ahead gear.

After that it's the bursts of forward power that turn the boat, and the burst of reverse are simply there to stop the boat developing forward speed - as the astern flow goes nowhere near the rudder then the rudder position doesn't matter when in reverse gear.
 
Re: p.s.

[ QUOTE ]
At the start of the manoevre the boat is going backwards,

[/ QUOTE ]

Aha! Now it makes sense!
 
Re: p.s.

The boat to starboard is a Cornish Crabber. So the transom has a nasty corner.

Here's how I do it, with a semi-long keeler and a 15yr old 9hp v*lv*

1) Put a fender or two amidships starboard. Slip a 8m long line through a cleat of eye on the port transom of the Crabber, which will be 3/4 near the end of your Moody. Have crew member stand there with a fender and holding the double line.
2) Release all lines except for the crew-held line. The wind keeps you pinned to the pontoon on port anyway.
3) Motor backwards slowly. The crew member walks forward, keeping tension on the line. This should start making the stern turn into the wind, due to the propwalk, once the crew member has walked past the centre of rotation.
4) Once the boat is clear of the port berth, let the wind blow the nose away and motor out backwards.

Doing it solo, I would lead a slip line from the barge to my boat and pull her out.
 
Re: p.s.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Push the tiller hard a-starboard

[/ QUOTE ]

ie with the rudder positioned to turn you hard to port and therefore move the stern to stbd (but doing nothing because you are not moving), a burst of ahead will kick the stern to stbd, just as you would expect.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry I wasn't clear - what I meant was push the tiller to the starboard side - which if you were moving forward would of course be the right side to turn the bows to port. As you say: hard to explain, with all these ports starboards tillers wheels rudders forwards asterns lefts and rights and no bit of paper to sketch it on!
 
Re: Thanks all..

No it isn't. Guys I don't always have the confidence to motor astern into the wind....does it work just as well with a canoe stern ?? perhaps even better?
 
Re: Well, actually...

Motoring astern is just as simple as ahead:
with a tiller: look backwards and point the tiller where you want to be, and that is where you will end up.
CAVEAT:
1) do not go too fast, because your rudder isn'T balanced anymore. If you're going too fast, the tiller will at some point slam all the way to one side, pinning you fast in the cockpit and making a radical turn (or so I heard, from a friend * ahum*)
2) your centre of turn will move backwards, so the nose will swing out more.
 
Sorry am I missing something?

This has been covered many times in PBO, YM and ST to name but a few mags.

Donald
 
Donald,

I asked a specific question based on a comment on a previous thread. I received some good replies, then, as often happens, good old Fred Drift appeared. So we've digressed a little into some more general points, which as you point out, have probably been covered in the mags.

But if we avoid any topic that may have been covered in the mags at some time in the past, then no seamanship/boathandling/tuning etc threads will be posted. I think the forum would be a little duller without them.

John
 
Well said John, and just to perk things up a bit here is a suggestion that you have never been given and has never been printed in the history of maritime publishing.
Guess that gets everyones attention (and puts my neck firmly on the block).
...Last summer I was in a similar situation, though the breeze was a bit more towards my bow, rather than dead amidships. Even with a kick to port in reverse I doubted my ability to get the bow through the wind. Failure would mean drifting helplessly onto the next set of pontoon fingers which were very close. As already mentioned a spring to my stern led to an adjacent boat would pull the stern round nicely, but this is difficult singlehanded and if the doubled spring jams you are in a real pickle.
The solution? I made up a spring out of 40lb fishing line carefully measured to bring me up short at the right spot. I had no idea if this would work or snap like cotton.
Backwards I went, fending off the bow as best I could, the boat came up against the line, turned neatly on her keel, I cut the line and off I went to cheers from a Frenchman on the pontoon! Brian.
 
John

it was meant to be tongue in cheek. If this has offended you in any way, my apologies.

Donald
 
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