docking seamanship 211
Repeat the maneuver in reverse gear. Th is time, use only reverse and
neutral gear. Leave the wheel amidships. Turn sideways so that you can
see astern. Pick a fi xed object to aim for (pier, buoy). Start off by placing
both engines in reverse and get her moving astern. If she wanders, put one
engine in neutral for a second or two. To push the stern to the right, use just
the port engine; to push the stern to the left , use just the starboard engine
Port and starboard pivot (wheel amidships). Stop the boat. Pick a range or
an object off the beam. Place the wheel amidships. Pivot to starboard by
placing the port engine in forward and the starboard engine in reverse.
Check your range alignment. Stop the boat. Pivot to port by placing the
starboard engine in forward and the port engine in reverse. Check your
range alignment.
Port and starboard pivot (full rudder). Repeat the maneuver, but this time
use full rudder. Turn the wheel completely to starboard and leave it there
during the starboard pivot. Turn it completely to port and leave it there
during the port pivot. Maintain alignment with the range.
Use full wheel for a fast, tight pivot in high wind or in an emergency.
Otherwise, keep the wheel amidships for close-quarters maneuvering or
transits in and out of a marina.
Engine delay and forward surge. Does your boat’s prop turn immediately aft er
putting it in gear, or does it hesitate? One Bertram I skippered had a full
1-second delay on its big Detroits. Th en again, it also carried 27-inch props.
When the boat went into gear, it let you know it! Plan your maneuvers in
tight quarters a bit early if your boat has a clutch delay like this.
Th e more powerful thrust of forward propulsion causes the boat to surge, or
jump ahead, when pivoting. To off set this, engage the reverse engine a fraction
of a second before you engage the forward engine. Or, back off a hair on the
forward engine’s throttle during the pivot. Either method works to keep you
aligned in tight maneuvers.
Docking and Undocking with One Spring Line
In the early 1990s, refugees fl ed the terrible conditions in Haiti, making their way
out to sea in tiny, leaky raft s. Because of U.S. policy, the president ordered the
Coast Guard to fi nd, rescue, and repatriate the refugees back to Haiti. A message
from the State Department warned of violence in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Our orders were to get in, transfer the refugees to Red Cross vans waiting on the
pier, and then get underway immediately for sea. We devised a plan for a fast,
temporary mooring that would allow quick departure.
We took a single spring line to a bollard on the pier, leading it back to
the ship so that we could control it onboard. This kept our line handlers out