222 seamanship secrets
- Loop your spring around the corner piling, then run it back to the quarter
cleat and take a full round turn. - On a single-screw boat, turn the rudder slightly toward the pier and shift
into reverse idle gear. On a twin-screw boat, reverse the outboard engine. - Adjust your spring-line tension as necessary. Attach a stern and bow line as
soon as the stern reaches the pier.
How to Dock a Twin-Screw Boat
with One Working Engine
If a single-screw power vessel loses an engine, you must repair it or arrange for a tow.
A twin-screw boat still has another engine, but its propeller and rudder are off set
from the centerline. Th is creates a boat-handling challenge. You have the options
of anchoring, being towed, or limping home with a single off set engine.
BEFORE ENTERING THE MARINA
Perform the following steps before entering the marina.
- Contact the dockmaster. Call the marina on the VHF, explain the situation,
and request line-handling assistance at your slip. - Lines and anchors. Set up bow and stern lines on both sides of the boat.
Rig a bow spring line to either side. Make each spring line about two-thirds
the length of the boat, and tie large-diameter bowlines in their ends.
Make up two short-scope anchors at the bow and stern. Th ese need
to be small anchors, easy to deploy and retrieve. If you lose control on
the way in, you’ll appreciate having an anchor to toss astern to stop your
momentum. - Side and bow fenders. Hang fenders on both sides. Tie lines to the eyes on
each end of your largest fender, and lash it horizontally across the bow.
When space is limited at the end of a dock, you can use a piling for turning.