[Public-list] how do you back this darn thing up?

[Todd Redhead]

 I hate backing up!!!  I do what ever I can to avoid it.  Even with some
practice - the bow is going to go the wrong way at least 25 % of the time
(at least that is how it seems to me.)  I dock bow-in to a finger dock on
the port side so coming into the dock is easy even with a cross wind.  To
back out of my slip, what I do is...  Put the engine in neutral, throw the
rudder hard over in the way that it is supposed to go - then using a bow
line and a stern line I walk the boat out of the slip pulling on the stern
line as the stern moves into clear water - till I get to the end of my dock
- then I give the stern one more pull just to make sure things are moving in
the right direction and I jump aboard.  Run down to the cockpit - let her
coast until the bow is completely clear - into forward gear and hit the gas.
Slick - usually...  

The only time this method is a problem is with a stiff breeze on the
starbard side which wants to force the bow in the wrong direction - what I
do then is let the wind blow the bow up to the end of the finger dock - the
give the bow a good hard shove in the right direction while holding the
stern line hard all as I jump aboard - then head for the cock pit and get it
into gear and moving foreward quickly so that I can stear the bow into the
wind.  If I didn't have the finger dock - I would be screwed.  I think that
I go out sailing a lot more because I am able to get in and out of the slip
without much worry.  I think the best advise with pilings is pad them up
good, then use them to 'bump' yourway into the slip.

The problem that I have with "give her a good shot of gas to get water
moving past the rudder" is it tends to get the boat moving faster than what
I am comfortable with in reverse. 

When you have onlookers - here is what you do...  Reverse out and which ever
way the bow goes - pretend that is the way you were planning to go.  Haha.

Todd
Strathgowan #400

-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Amy & David Swanson
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 5:16 PM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Subject: Re: [Public-list] how do you back this darn thing up?

When the afternoon breeze picks up, it blows at 90 degrees to the path into
or out of our slip.  If there is much wind (say 12 knots or more), the bow
wants to blow down wind regardless of the rudder angle, until the boat gets
a good head of steam.  In winds over 20 knots, the bow blows down wind, 
period.   We dock bow in, but we have very little water behind us so backing
.....

Etc....


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