How to leave the dock in a crosswind – Sharpen Up Episode 16

How to leave the dock in a crosswind – Sharpen Up Episode 16

all right recording sound excellent okay
welcome back everyone this is sharpen up
episode
something whatever number that was um
and we’re going to be leaving the dock
St to with lazy lines leaving the dock
in a crosswind with boats either side of
us okay leaving the dock in a crosswind
with boats either side of us in this
video you’re going to learn how we sit
up which lines to release first how to
add power onto the engine and we do this
without any thrusters okay we’ve got
thrusters
or and if you’ve got them you put them
down you get them ready but we don’t
have to use them all right they’re
they’re for helping not for doing okay
you’re going to learn about that and
then when to turn coming out of the
birth of the endel all right here we
go first thing you want to do is
obviously all of the normal things you
need to clear the power cable is up the
plank is up and stowed the dingy is
secured on the ding your washing is off
the line all of these things your tight
cockpit is tidy everything is done in
that respect you prepare your quarter
lines make sure that they are off the
rail and they are ready we rushed these
guys so we didn’t get a chance to do
that and then they started easing lines
with them still looped on the rail we
saw it okay um and and the whole idea of
this maneuver is that you’ve got time to
stop and you’re doing it stage by stage
the only time you can no longer stop is
after you’ve released that line you’re
driving out of the birth now and to be
fair in that time if you had to stop you
could lay down on the boat to Port
manage the fenders but we’re not getting
there yet so so first step prepare all
those things swim platform up fenders in
place if you’ve got a large crew then
have the man fenders on the lewood side
have the man fenders everywhere that’s
cool uh what we need for this is someone
on the PK quarter line someone on the
starboard quarter line and someone on
the helm all right all these steps I do
this solo you can break this all down so
that it’s done on your own it’s just
step by step first thing we do we’re
going to drive against these Stern lines
okay drive against our two Stern lines
they are now our control lines and we’re
going to ease them out a little bit ease
them out a little bit we’re talking a
couple of feet so that the boat moves
forward out of the birth at that point
we can hold and see how the boat’s
reacting do we have enough power to hold
the boat in this position because you’ve
just gone forward two or three feet your
lazy lines at the bow are doing less
that will be a little bit slack is the
boat handling it if you’ve got 25 knots
on the beam all right it’s not likely
that it’s going to hold it with just a
small amount of power so you need to add
power on your throttle if you’re single
Rudder you need to check the position of
that Rudder it will react to to aurn
Rudder because it’s pushing thrust over
the rudder so you want to turn it
slightly towards the direction you want
to go or away depending if you want to
move your Stern or your bell then you
can go to the bow and you can ease your
lazy lines okay ease the moing lines on
the bow start with the lewood line ease
that first is it all good okay you can
drop that one then we ease the starboard
line and wait if you’ve got a Gusty
windy day you want to see what the gusts
do and whether or not your position with
your Windward control line can maintain
your position without that line before
you drop it in the water once you’re
confident with that and this can take as
long as you need it to take once you’re
confident with that you can release that
line and let it sink okay we’re good
you’re checking for traffic all the time
especially before we take off that last
line from there
okay back down to the helm and in this
case they only have two people so
they’re going to do it with two people
on these rear lines power is on and we
start easing those lines together to
move the boat out of the slip all right
we want to move the boat out of the slip
to reduce the amount of time and the
amount of distance we have to cover by
before we get blown to lewood if it’s
really windy I go five meters out you
know as long as my lines will actually
let me in order to maintain this
Windward position easing out easing out
once we decide all right I think we’re
ready to go our lewood line was no
longer doing anything and we adjusted
our Helm to bring the boat up up to the
Windwood boat and press against it in a
held position we release the port
quarter line in this case the lewood
quarter line which is the port side he
pulls that in and clears it done and
then Lucas came over to the stared
quarter line and started Manning that so
that the Helms person could just
concentrate on the
driving we then if we want to go further
we can man your fenders if they’re if
they’re starting to hit the other boat’s
fenders you need to lift them over all
slowly this is your last point of no
return effectively and you can get right
down to this one line keep the power on
waiting for the traffic to clear or
whatever you might do if it’s really
windy I wait for the last gust to hit
and then die down and then I go at that
point ready to release ready lines all
clear triple check it no knots or
anything slow the power down a little or
go back to neutral if it’s a lighter
wind day allows the boat to Just Bounce
a little off the windward boat so you’re
not dragging along it then release and
Power on as they pulling back in we
start driving out of the birth making
sure your Helm was straight at the
beginning if you’re too close to the
windward boat you actually turn towards
it because that’s going to pull your
Stern away and it’s just a little bit
then straighten up and then if you’re
getting blown down onto the port side
lazy line you get your Mast or your Keel
past that point where you need to Pivot
around and then turn towards the danger
okay because you can’t beat the wind if
you turn up wind the boat will slow over
into it
anywhere is that about it
sounds good all right how how was that
maneuver for you guys okay so ready to
eat get these ready to ease yeah yeah we
good yeah we yeah no we want to go we
want to go that’s right cuz I want you
to see this so Line’s ready enter
forward
GE goe looka stop get your line ready
it’s not
ready okay EAS a bit more EAS a bit
more keep eing more on yours
Lucas more on yours hold on your hold on
yours on starbard hold there more power
you’re not in forwards yet into forward
gear you’re locked yeah you’re not
locked more power and
forwards more we need I need to feel the
power
push there we go okay good so now you
feel to see whether or not the bow comes
up
okay so see now we push up and that will
bring us closer to the windward boat are
the thrusters
down are they down yes okay cool okay so
see now the wind is still pushing you so
you need more power in order to make
that that’s it just like that okay ease
a little bit lucus just a
little that’s said where is your
Helm okay so if you turn it this way
little see how it brings it closer to
the windward side just like that okay
okay okay so lock that off go to the bow
Lucas and ease and then
release that’s
okay so now we’re holding basically just
on this line okay you can turn a little
bit this way to come nose bow to the
wind a little that’s it just just a
little that’s it release port
side okay
so now just ease starboard side just
ease it and see how the boat
reacts okay hold is a
slack okay just hold you always wait you
always give it a moment to see am I
doing the right thing okay and it’s
holding fine so
release yep
release okay okay so now both both are
released now we’re just holding on the
power from this line uhhuh and the
engine okay so first of all we want to
be slightly more to Windward always more
to Windward so look us ease a little
ease a
little all right and everything is slow
to
react okay so now we’re coming slightly
up this way
okay ready to ease yours a little now we
ease together hang on stop stop stop
stop stop stop you’re rushing you’re
still wrapped on the
rail thank you sir okay now slowly
slowly stop
slowly everything slowly okay so Lucas
leave yours mainly slack you ease here
so now we can just work our way out of
the birth if we had 30 knots okay slowly
slowly if we had 30 knots you have to be
in control the whole time okay okay now
see we’re moving away from this boat
more wind is on the Bell so hold look
really no no no no no no no no if Bo is
holding so thrust no we forget the
thrusters they don’t exist they don’t
exist look if we turn this way it’s
going to pull our Stone this way if we
turn this way it’s going to pull it back
this way add a little bit more power
just add a little bit more power that’s
a lot
more that’s the same okay that’s all
right okay so see when you add this
power it it’s going to pull up on this
Windward line okay and we’re just
patient always
patient all right all right ease it a
little bit more that’s it hold a little
bit more hold okay now it’s really
turning you up to the windward side
which is good okay so now Lucas yours is
doing nothing right right release yours
and bring it in and then you’re going to
take over this line on
starboard okay so you come over slowly
slowly slowly all slowly take over that
line now we’re just on one line okay
what’s your Helm what’s your
Helm hold Lucas hold there we go okay
straighten the helm all right he’s a
little more
Lucas watch your on here it’s your Helm
that’s doing this okay turn this way
yeah but close there we go there we go
that’s okay all right so now you’re
holding on one line okay this is
absolutely fine now we say get ready to
release hold hold Lucas hold slow down a
little ready to release that’s it okay
should I make just wait just wait slow
down a little okay ready to release
Lucas slow down a little more straight
hel that’s it release Lucas and back
into forwards just a little that’s it
now straight Helm cuz it’s turning okay
that’s it just like
that tell us when the line is
[Music]
clear okay now you’re watching yesing
turn towards the danger this way a
little this way this way and neutral
neutral Neal
[Music]
neutral
yeah all right now I need to get my
drone back okay yes understanding where
your Helm is so that when you go you’re
not driving to Port okay so did you see
in the moment that we before we left we
slowed down allowed the boat to come a
little away from the katamaran and then
release and then you’re
driving and two people piece of cake
okay so we we decided we were at the
point where we’re okay to release the
port line it’s no longer doing anything
okay release Lucas can come over here
and he can manage this so you’ve got
your thrusters that’s it and we didn’t
need any thrusters we got bow thrusters
Stern thrusters and did we need any of
them no sir
no
excellent so that was leaving the dark
and we had had uh I looked at the the
wind indicator we had 12 knots crosswind
okay uh it’s not a lot but that method
works when it’s very windy in this case
I could we could leave that do we could
have let our lines go and driven out
really we still would have drifted over
to the boat but you could do it so it’s
not like it was a massive wind it’s a
good wind to learn that on so in this
case in 20 knots um if you’re leaving
the dock in 30 knots on a crosswind like
that you’ve got to work really hard you
need fenders you need team you know
we’ve done this but let’s say up to 20
which is a normal thing that will work
you just have to add the right amount of
power make sure that that starboard
quarterline is your control line the
windward line is your control line and
that it’s well maintained and you’ve got
to keep the power on if you back off the
power then the boat comes backwards and
it drifts down when it hits the other
boat so those are the biggest things
okay is have your control lines ready
have your people manning and everyone
knows what to do before the maneuver all
right we went over this twice and first
time doing it so of course there was
still some direction needed but that is
how we leave the dock with a crosswind
when we’re between two boats and yes we
had to rush it because that boat on our
port side was about to leave and I
really wanted to get the shot
[Music]

After many requests here is Sharpen Up Episode 16: How to leave the dock in a crosswind. This episode was filmed in Star Grad, Hvar Island in April 2024. This technique is helpful when leaving in a crosswind and you have boats to leeward or on both sides. Especially if they are close to you and there are long mooring lines out ahead.

0:00 Overview
0:45 Explanation walkthrough by Nick
5:32 Manoeuvre in realtime
11:15 Wrap up
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Filmed and Edited by Nick Hathaway, 45 Degrees Sailing
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