As a commercial mariner, I continue to be amazed at how the yachting industry handles their lines 'backwards'. We keep control of every line on board, only dropping an eye onto a cleat on the dock. In this case, you could have set up a Spring Line ready to go from the midship set of bits. Fairlead the line back to a winch close at hand to the tiller & throttle and it would be far easier with more control (Scott did a good job here, but worked harder than he had to). As you were backing in, lasso the dock cleat with the spring line, take up the slack and then take a couple of turns around the winch. Controlling the tension on the line as you continued to back in, she would have laid flat along the dock and you would have 100% control.
Exactly! I see it in a lot of clips, where they want to get off the boat asap when moorings. Stay on the boat! Especially single handed, take the line dubbel as we say and control the boat with a stern or slipline ,depending on the wind, using the torq of the lines and your engine. In the Netherlands we have 60 feet long 100 year old sailing boats with no bow thrusters 😉 who use the same technique. Let your boat do the hard work and keep in control.
Thanks everyone for the comments! I think I need to clarify a few things on this particular docking maneuver as I see some commonality to questions and remarks. My approach was the generic go slow and careful method as you might apply say to chartering a boat larger-than-your’re-used to and docking in a Virgin Gorda Marina with an entire restaurant watching. A target audience could also be a new owner coming from a much smaller boat. Some factoids from that day: This boat was new to me as were its characteristics. That day was first time visit to the slip and the marina. Cleat layouts, if indeed cleats vs rings, etc unknown. No stevedores to been seen. Wind was blowing boat off the dock. (watch the big flag while coming in) Tide was receding (boat off the dock) Boat backs to port (boat’s transom moves off the dock) Forward dock lines were too short to reach the gate. (see it on the deck) I agree with the two previous commenters approaches. However it would be best to apply those techniques after you get used to the boat and have visited the slip a few times in various conditions. In many cases you'll have people on the dock to assist but you can't count on that. I’ve been inspired by your comments and plan on posting what I believe you all are looking for and that is a reverse in with side current, a cross swell, wind blowing you to the adjacent fully varnished one of a kind masterpiece. For drama there should be two hysterical children complete with jumping theatrics accessorized with a pissed off seasick spouse standing on the (wrong) rail with luggage coming apart. That would be fun to make. Stay Tuned.
Prachtige film. Mijn ervaring is dat je beter kunt voor komen dat je van in zijn achteruit weer naar vooruit moet schakelen. Je ziet dat het schip door het wiel effect behoorlijk van koers veranderd. Ik zou zelf met meer snelheid de box in varen .Met een boegschroef is de punt van je schip prima onder controle te houden . Ik gebruik altijd mijn zwemplateau om vanaf aan te leggen. Als mijn stuurboord landvast gelegd is, dan is het in zijn vooruit zetten en rustig wachten. Probeer het eens. Overigens heb ik geen boeg en hekschroef. Ga zo door!
Scott, Thank you for taking the time to make such an informative video, very time consuming to do. We sail a Catalina 30 and have never backed her in. Your video gave the knowledge and confidence to try it. Nice breeze showing on that flag, but you parked the midship gate perfectly for an easy step off the boat, smooth! I was trying to figure out your location and then the Costello’s sign gave it away. I’m in West Cove just over the point. Thank You! Bob
Nicely done. I'm sure you know, but just in case, the only line you really need is the midship. So long as you've got 'er cleated in tight, neither the bow nor stern can pull away. It was a trick I learned a few years ago and made single-hand docking so much less stressful.
Totally correct. Tie off a centre line first and hold against the dock on fenders. Then you have all the time in the world to set bow, stern, and springs.
I still remember the look on the marina attendants face as I sailed up to the gas dock, dropped sails, and brought her up close to throw the bow line to the attendant. ( my engine was out, so I had to sail her in). 37' sloop.
Nice to see somebody that actually knows what to do on their own without having two or three people running around the deck with, maybe 4 or 5 different lines. Well done. Nice touch
I really enjoyed your demonstration of docking a 449' sailboat. Ignore all the negative comments. One can always think of heavier conditions to make this even more difficult. he only remark i'd make is, and maybe you did the before leaving: just wind the line ones around the bolder on the dock and tie them up ont he boat. You can untie them while leaving the dock.
Thanks Siemen, I made this originally for the new owners. They went from novice to intermediates that very first season. I do have a video of docking in literally a whirl pool, wind, current, tight slip, new owner, people watching etc. Maybe I'll post that one too.
Now try doing this in the Mediterranean (MED mooring) with a bit of wind on your bow then you will be giving your neighbors a big hug. This mooring is good in calm conditions on a pontoon, if there are boats on both sides and you are reversing with same speed/momentum then you can easily get the bow caught by the wind.
Great job, I don't think people realize, explaining every step and doing it at the same time usually takes twice as long. For all the bashers, I'd say throw up your video's and show the world how it's done.
Thanks. I created this years ago to help a client with their new boat. It's interesting how many views its received. Of all my videos this one attracts the "experts" for sure! Thanks again and happy sailing to you!
Nice job. If I can advice you though, it's a good habit to not stick your arm in between the steering wheel, specially when you're backing up or changing gear. You can seriously hurt your arm or even break it, specially in older sailboats. Use the weight of you're body to hold the steering wheel while you're arms are doing the work over the wheel. I know you have bow thrusters but like I said it's a good habit. I move sailboats daily. I see people moving sailboats daily. I've seen it all, almost all. Lol. 🤙
if anyone has ever tried to teach a beginner..... there are a lot fine points that are automatic for a veteran that a novice is completely unaware of. Thanks
It eases the jockeying of dock lines if you use the mid ship line as a tug line. Choke it up very short temporarily and the boat is going nowhere. A fender at that cleat, one forward and one aft and you are in great shape. Three fenders one string. You can take your time with the other lines.
Well done, but not as smooth as it should be. Too much hard work. Plus w/o bow thruster would be a problem doing this way. Plus if there would be another boat (next to yours), could be crowdy. May I suggest maneuver going backward? 1st: stopping the boat 2nd: driving backward, then turning the steering wheel back to the left. Using inertia to 'glue' the boat to your pier. 3rd: the boat will 'kiss' your site of the pier and stayed there long enough to fix the lines. You can do this technique even in strong wind. W/o the bow thruster of course. ;)
Never stretch from the dock to the boat to retrieve a line, especially when the boat is blowing further away. Done it myself, ended up in the water. Won't do it again! Seeing some of the other comments, i am a huge believer in a mid-ships line, engine and rudder. The other approach I might have taken was to reverse down the aisle rather than ahead; the wind from the then starboard side would have been across the bow from stbd to port on approach, but enough way and a touch of bow thruster should have done it.
Laughing my ass off. Great job, sir, boat safe at dock. What you have below in the comments is the new "digital" version of taking a birth opposite the yacht club bar!!!!!!!!!!!! haha
I cringed when Scott just casually dropped dropped the stern line on the aft deck. All I could see was the line shimmying into the water and wrapping around the prop.....
That was a sloppy landing plus he got off the boat while it was still moving. Always stop the boat before getting off otherwise it could get away from you or make you struggle (the way he did).
Maybe it is an idea to add the "How to single hand dock your ship with the help of a bow thruster in no wind conditions." in the title, hopefully it will stop the bitching of the ungreatfull people in the comment section.....
I guess that it makes me feel uncomfortable to watch single-handed sailors stepping down from big boats that still are moving. I always prefer to lasso the windward stern line and, once secured, one click fwd and rudder towards the pontoon. Boat secured, you can then do whatever you want; no stress, no running, no pulling lines directly. Directly pulling a line without passing it through a cleat is inefficient and dangerous. Anyway, I guess we all do it our own way. Fair winds.
Not all boats are the same. Modern flat bottom skeg keelers like Jeannaus with bow thrusters can turn in their own length and reverse like a car. Try the same thing on a heavy displacement full keel yacht and you might impress me.
Exactly right Steven. Full keel boats response times, fuller turning circles, using forward thrust on the rudder briefly, all make for a different experience. And, the new dual rudder fin keels are different too. (this one is a single) Something like this traditional schooner: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LgVmnTBsMnY.html I dock by myself (not shown in the video) yet I find its less sensitive to the wind than the modern boats. Its all fun and rewarding once you nail the procedure.
If you're going to make videos like this... get yourself a lav mike so you don't have to rely on the camera mike. Everytime the camera was pointed away we lost almost all your audio!
Don't leave the boat empty, engine running and get off to tie up. REALLY BAD PRACTISE. What if the line comes off the boat cleat? or you get prop wrap? or 20 other possible things go wrong? Your boat is adrift without crew..how great an idea is that? Lasso a dock cleat from the boat. STAY ON THE BOAT until it is secured. DON'T TAKE RISKS .......EVER!
But he never let go of the boat. The first thing he did before leaving the boat was to grab the lines and immediately secured the midship line. In those windy conditions, lassoing the line would be problematic.
Let's see... no wind... bow thruster... big open area... big slip. Even had the bow line not in a readily usable place. Now do it with some cross wind, no thuster and in tighter quarters. Then you'll get at-a-boy's!
"It's what the yacht club people do". Yeeah...that's why you should not do it. All you have to do is secure the stern then put it in forward neutral and it will hold the bow against the dock. Its not this complicated Mr Yacht Club guy. This is why I like to learn from real sailors. Not guys who hang out at the yacht club.
That was not stellar. You stopped the natural turn you had going. And you should have been farther in. And you could have scooted the back end in by goosing it in forward. And you should have had the bow line at the gate.
"It's what the yacht club people do". Yeah, well who cares what they do. If America did what the British wanted us to do in 1776 you would not have that boat.
