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Gain
Control Around Docks (22-3)
By Dusty Miller
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 One
of boating’s most difficult challenges is to get
on and off the dock when the winds are not going your
way. I have often watched frustrated boaters try to
draw their boats parallel on a dock in strong offshore
winds. They bring the bow up to the dock, and someone
jumps off or throws a line to a dockhand. When the line
is secure, the skipper rides forward on that line to
bring the stern-up to the dock. Unfortunately, all he
does is bring the bow hard into the dock, sometimes
to the point of doing damage. The obstinate stern adds
to the insult by not coming any closer.
Conversely, moving off the dock in an onshore wind is
just as difficult.
One method I have read and often hear is to secure a
breast line from a mid cleat on the boat to the dock
and, once again, drive the boat forward. This method
simply pushes the bow hard on the dock, puts an inordinate
strain on the mid cleat, and rarely brings the stern
far enough away to achieve a departure angle. There
are better ways.
First, land on the dock against the wind. The easiest
way to do this is to slowly back up to the dock and
when you’re close enough, hand a line across to
someone on the dock, or have someone step ashore with
a line that is attached to the stern cleat closest to
the dock. Secure the line to a cleat or bollard. Then,
using the outside gearshift, put the engine in forward
gear. Don’t use any throttle. Just put the one
side in gear and the bow will move up to the dock.
You can do the same if you have to come in bow first.
This is a little more difficult since the bow reacts
to the wind more easily than the stern, but if you secure
a bowline to the dock, you can put the outside engine
in reverse and draw the stern up parallel. It works
every time.
The lee shore challenge is met with the same process
but in reverse. To move the stern out first against
strong winds (which is always easier), secure a line
from the bow to the dock and put the inside engine in
reverse – again, no throttle. The stern will move
away. To move the bow out first, put a line from the
stern to the dock and place the inside engine in forward.
The bow will move away.
If you have a single direct drive or I/O, rather than
use the inside engine, turn the wheel away from the
dock before backing up (to depart stern first) or going
forward to depart bow first.
At some point, someone has to release the line from
the dock cleat or bollard. The skipper has to put the
boat in neutral long enough to take the tension off
the line. Then the line will have to be released and
brought on board quickly, before the wind puts you back
on the wall. For this reason, it’s a good idea
to bring the bow (or stern) well off the dock before
releasing the line. If there is no one staying on the
dock, not only will your crew member have to release
the line, he or she will have to get on board before
the wind does its worst. One way around this is to loop
the line from the boat over the dock cleat or bollard
and secure it to a cleat back on board.
Boats with prop pockets or deep skegs do not move sideways
as easily as other designs. In cases like this, to exit
stern first, place an extra fender or more toward the
bow to protect it from the dock. Now, put the outside
gearshift in forward and the inside gearshift in reverse
and holds them for a moment. Now, to keep from moving
forward, feather the outside gearshift – the one
in forward – by taking it out of gear briefly,
then back in.
The reason for this is that propellers are much more
efficient going forward than reverse. Although the two
engines on your boat are reasonably balanced, the prop
going backward will not provide as much force as the
other. So, the two sides will not be balanced unless
you feather the forward engine to let the sternward
engine catch up. Again, the reverse will get you out
bow first. Secure extra fenders on your stern quarter
or swim platform, put the inside engine in forward and
the outside in reverse. That will swing the bow away
unless the wind is too strong. Don’t forget to
feather the inside engine to keep the boat balanced
and pivoting rather than moving forward. (Page
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