208 seamanship secrets
or channel. Boats with left -handed props should look for pivot areas on the
right side. Th is takes advantage of your boat’s prop walk and helps you pivot
tighter and faster.
Look for emergency moorings and slips. Rig spring and stern lines on
both sides of the boat. Hang fenders along each side. Attach a length of line to
a spare fender and direct one crewmember to carry it about the boat (rove),
fending as needed. Look to the right, left , and ahead for open docks, slips, or
single pilings. If you lose propulsion, you’ll need a place to park. Concentrate
on the downwind side of the channel. Most vessels maintain some steerage with
a wind blowing between the beam and stern.
Rig anchor(s) for instant use. If your engine fails, you’ll want an anchor
ready to lower and set within seconds. Always have the bow anchor ready. You
might rig a dredging anchor astern. Dredging involves dragging a small anchor
astern, letting it bump along the bottom without getting a bite. Use it to slow
the boat when the wind or current is from astern. To stop the boat, pay out a
few feet of anchor line and snub it to a cleat. Take care not to foul your dredging
anchor in your prop or rudder.
THE REPEATABLE SLIP BACKING MANEUVER
I know of few mariners who look forward to backing their vessels into a slip. Add
a capful of wind and pour in some current, and things get dicey in a hurry. Not
long ago I was out with a group of people who were interested in boning up on
their single-screw boat-handling skills. Th e wind was blowing into the slips, so I
looked forward to a challenging aft ernoon of boat handling. We climbed aboard
a stout little single-screw power vessel, putted out into the canal, and proceeded
down the channel. Upon our return, they were anxious to practice backing the
vessel into its berth without any help from me. Th ey did well but weren’t quite
able to get the boat lined up for entry.
Th ey would stop the vessel within a boat length or two of the slip entrance.
Th en they tried to use the wheel to back the boat between the pilings and into
its berth. Th e wind toyed with us, pinning the boat against a piling or twisting it
sideways in the canal. Sailors in particular know the frustration of trying to back
their boats in this way. An auxiliary sailboat backing under power through a cross-
wind oft en behaves like a sailor topped off with one too many rum punches.
The secret to success starts with knowing what happens under the water.
When you shift into forward gear, the propeller shoots water directly onto one
side of the rudder blade. This is the prop wash we spoke of earlier, and your
boat responds instantly to the wheel or tiller: propeller + rudder = maximum
control. Th e moment you shift into reverse gear, however, you lose the power-
house combo of propeller plus rudder. Instead your propeller throws all of that
precious water toward the bow, where no rudder exists. How do you maintain