Your favorite trick

As a boy I had an International Moth sailing dinghy which had an open transom. I used to enjoy sailing backwards until the water was at deck level and then accelerating the boat forwards so that it used to sort of pop up out of the water.
 
I pulled off a trick once, without even thinking about it, that I'm sure if I tried to replicate would all go horribly wrong.

Had been out with a bunch of other boats, and it was wet, rough and horrible. Decided that the best idea was to head into Yarmouth, but everyone else had done the same. We were only stopping to get some hot food for an hour or so, but about 4 or 5 boats, and explained that to the dory peeps at the entrance, and nice man said, there is some space on the small boat pontoon. So headed up the little channel, all in a line, with me leading. No obvious spaces except where the pontoon angles together, but it was between two boats on the angle, with their bows close together. Went past, and no spaces.

Signalled to other boats and had a think. I'm wet, fed up, need some hot food, and as we were reversing, saw the space again. Standing facing rear, with wheel in both hands behind my back, with no hand on throttle, I reversed down the channel, turned neatly in reverse between the bows of the two boats facing outwards on the angle of the pontoon, and in one deft manoeuvre, barely moving the wheel, came in a curve, between the boats, neatly alongside the pontoon, while cutting power on the throttle, chucked a line over a cleat, and on the other side threw a line to the nearest boat in the convoy and pulled it in hand over hand, as it nosed in. We then pulled the rest in, and managed to raft the boats in the angle between the two boats.

Got the water taxi, had food. Went back to boats, and had a miserable wet rough choppy trip back to the Hamble.

Probably one of the best manoeuvres I've ever pulled off, and no one even mentioned it! :)

I'd have to draw a diagram, as no one would ever believe what I actually pulled off in that stunt, in such a tight space, in effectively one curving motion with almost no steering or throttle movement.
 
Was a long time ago, 1977 I think, we were keen water skiers back then, a trick we tried was to screw three skies to the bottom of two deck chairs, we went to the beach very early of this memorable day and set the chairs into the shingle on the high water mark and buried the tow line which was tied to the front of the outside skis, which in turn was tied to a buoy off the beach,

The boat was launched and tied to the same mooring buoy, high water was not until late morning and we thought our plan had to aborted because of the amount of people setting up camp on the beach, as they do, with wind breakers, sunbathing sheets, etc. but as the tide rose they had to abandon their patch and go further up the beach, we were like giggling school girls, the two of us sat in deck chairs with rolled up trousers, complete with knotted handkerchief on head,our partners were on the edge of wetting themselves just watching this pair of prats acting out this 1950's holiday scene,

Well eventually the tide was at the correct level for this trick to work the people that set up earlier had, by this time moved up, out of our line of sight, another accomplice to this trick swam out to the boat, picked up our tow line and dropped the mooring and on our signal of dropping the newspaper we were pretending to read, he would give it the beans and we would shot off the beach and go skiing on our deck chairs to the shock and wonderment of the beach crowd,

Yes, you've guessed it, not a bit of it, we dropped the paper, he hit full throttle, we lurched forward and stalled a little then the 175horse mercury really got hold and snatched us off the beach at an alarming rate at which point the driver backed off the throttle and we sunk unceremoniously about 10 feet off the beach and everybody on the beach at first were stunned, but after a few seconds were laughing their heads off. it would've been a great trick, if it had worked, but it still made a lot of people smile that day.
 
epervier said:
Was a long time ago, 1977 I think, we were keen water skiers back then, a trick we tried was to screw three skies to the bottom of two deck chairs, we went to the beach very early of this memorable day and set the chairs into the shingle on the high water mark and buried the tow line which was tied to the front of the outside skis, which in turn was tied to a buoy off the beach,

The boat was launched and tied to the same mooring buoy, high water was not until late morning and we thought our plan had to aborted because of the amount of people setting up camp on the beach, as they do, with wind breakers, sunbathing sheets, etc. but as the tide rose they had to abandon their patch and go further up the beach, we were like giggling school girls, the two of us sat in deck chairs with rolled up trousers, complete with knotted handkerchief on head,our partners were on the edge of wetting themselves just watching this pair of prats acting out this 1950's holiday scene,

Well eventually the tide was at the correct level for this trick to work the people that set up earlier had, by this time moved up, out of our line of sight, another accomplice to this trick swam out to the boat, picked up our tow line and dropped the mooring and on our signal of dropping the newspaper we were pretending to read, he would give it the beans and we would shot off the beach and go skiing on our deck chairs to the shock and wonderment of the beach crowd,

Yes, you've guessed it, not a bit of it, we dropped the paper, he hit full throttle, we lurched forward and stalled a little then the 175horse mercury really got hold and snatched us off the beach at an alarming rate at which point the driver backed off the throttle and we sunk unceremoniously about 10 feet off the beach and everybody on the beach at first were stunned, but after a few seconds were laughing their heads off. it would've been a great trick, if it had worked, but it still made a lot of people smile that day.
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Got a good laugh out of this one :D
 
On route back to the Hamble from the West Country many years ago,when approaching close to Portland Bill out of the mist (fog horn blasting) mono skied 2 of my crazy mates past all the sightseers on the rocks and up by the lighthouse past and back into the mist on the other side of the race. Would i do it again now im older and wiser?---probably. The boat was a Cornice Express powered by a pair of 351,s
 
Sailing as sailing school flotilja leaders, on the day that the students need to sail from port A to B on their own, with all the instructors in a single yacht (hiding beers in coca-cola wrappers - no alcohol on school boats you see). This is during the easter holiday, so early april. In Holland.

Every time we pass a boat of students, we change from foul weather gear into swimming trunks before they can see us. We then suffer the cold for a few minutes as we pass them by. At the start, all the students see is our heads sticking out above the cockpit. As we pass, they get to see a bunch of instructors in full summers gear, suntanning, putting on sun tan lotion, while they are huddled in 7 layers of sweaters.

After we have put in a tack and are out of sight, we quickly rush back into our foul weather gear and go on an overdose of hot chocolate and soup to fight off hypothermia.

It increases our image as demi-gods, you see.

Most impressive manoeuvre: my boat has serious starboard propwalk in reverse. So I can go into a lock, and park her inbetween two double rafts of boats by pointing her in diagonally and then with the remaining speed, give her left full rudder, full reverse, and parallel park her (litteraly) within her own length. But I would kill a student if he/she would try that, because if my revers fails at that point, it will be expensive.
 
Many years ago I was trying to find a berth at the Folly Inn and could only find a gap which was between rafted larger motorboats either side, the space I judged was just about wide enough for my boat. So came parallel to the gap and let the wind push me in and tied up. I'll never forget the look on people faces and me thinking that went better than expected. I think everyone was waiting for me to bounce off there bows.

Mind you getting out was more of a challenge.
 
Sit in the middle of the tender.

Move the tiller thru 90' such that the prop is pushing along the line of the transom...

...and accelerate.

I can do about 60rpm :)
 
powerskipper said:
While boating???


mine is turning the boat from say facing down river, towards the berth and doing a 180 turn so she slides onto the berth facing up river.
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This next one is vaguely boatish, you'll see what I mean,


When faced with no water to play on, your petroleum oil explorers, will adapt to almost any environment, after all, you guys, the general public, will be paying our salaries when you buy your fuel, so don't be so down beat about the cost of a gallon:D

First the concept, bolt onesize fits all boots to shaped piece of ally,

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Then test run sandboard to see if it has potential,That's obviously not dangerous enough, we're oil workers for christ sake;)

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Then draw a couple of landcruisers form the motor pool, then move on to a elf and saftey briefing,

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OK who's first up for a try?

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This thing works! do you think the locals would buy into it?

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Practice, practice,

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Hey we're getting good at this,

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A few locals come and join us for a drink, but they've got terrible breath, but they are known as ships of the dessert.:rolleyes: boaty connection

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The scenery can be stunning but you never want to go too far on your own,

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Working with crazy frenchmen in the Algerian dessert close to the boarder with Libya 2005.
 
Hi,opening my wallet whilst droping my trousers,have found this trick quite handy when owning a boat!!
 
mm1 said:
Hi,opening my wallet whilst droping my trousers,have found this trick quite handy when owning a boat!!
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Round here that would result in the contents of your wallet being emptied, leaving you with the problem of how to remove the courgette.
 
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