开云体育

Yuuuuuup.

Copying and pasting a long reply I wrote to someone else, who was more new to sailing and single handing,
with a different cut-away-full-keel boat, on Reddit, a while ago:

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Guessing she's similar to other cut-away-full-keel designs in that you basically don't have steerage in reverse.

Any current will grab your keel and spin you stern down current. Any wind will grab your mast and spin you bow down wind. Prop walk might spin you too.

Hopefully you don't actually have current in your marina. That simplifies calculations a lot, not to.

For the most part, you need to anticipate what the boat is going to do and simply not leave the berth if she's going to do something you're not prepared to deal with.

demonstrates maintaining way backwards while using forward thrust to make adjustments in which way you're pointing.

A long time ago, I read that "backing then going forward repeatedly seldom works out well" but being able to do exactly that successfully is often what you need to do. If wind and current aren't spinning you faster than you can cope with by backing to give yourself room ahead of you then going forward with steering, you're okay. If conditions are relatively calm, do everything slowly... back only to maybe 2mph max, and forward to the same when you go forward.

Getting out of the slip, you'll probably either be slowly and gently sliding along bumpers and/or walking the boat back so she's already hanging out a bit. Having help casting off lines is nice but if conditions are agreeable and you tolerate some sliding against fenders, single-handing is possible. I try to balance the boat so the that she's hanging from one line by the cockpit. It might be a line around a pylon. Then I can undo one cleat and pull the line free of the pylon all at once and make sure it's on board and free of lines that pull it overboard, then gently reverse out.

Remember that rubbing things slowly is far better than hitting things quickly. Error on the side of calm. Have a plan B. If you can't get pointed how you want, have lines on the stern in larks heads you can quickly pull out so you jump on to the end of a finger with a line and snub it then reel the boat back in. Then if things go south, all you have to do is slowly come along side something. Likewise if you're going slow, you can throw the engine in neutral and run forward with a boat hook or broom or oar and gently fend the boat off of other boats and docks.

I find 1-2mph offers a good mix of steerage and ability to manually intervene with a 27' boat's mass in fending the bow, jumping off and catching the boat and physically controlling her, etc. You can still give bursts of power but keep your actual speed well under control.

Another useful trick for full-keel and cut-away-full-keel boats is rudder sculling. Pushing the tiller firmly to one side, pausing for a fraction of a second, then pushing firmly the other direction creates thrust. You can do that directionally, pushing firmly in one direction but mostly letting the tiller straighten on its own the other way, or on focusing your sweep towards one side. Doing that focused on one side with one or both of those techniques turns you even when you're not making way or going very slowly. That's something you can practise in the berth with docklines slacked.

Depending on which way your prop spins in forward and reverse, prop walk will be opposite. Test giving bursts in forward and reverse in your berth with lines slacked too.

I know that's a lot of stuff, but like sailing, this is really about having a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, etc. I've seen owners of fancy new highly maneuverable yachts hit the rocks because they stubbornly persisted in trying to do things one way when it wasn't working. There's plenty of time later for a postmortum on why prop walk or making way in reverse while giving thrusts forward or whatever technique didn't work. For now, just put her in neutral and run forward and fend or grab a finger end or some empty slip.

More than anything else, go slow and come and go in calm conditions with light traffic while you're getting the hang of it and build confidence and skill that way. If there's a slip on the end of a dock that's relatively open or even a large fuel or pump out dock that's wide open, practise coming and going from that. If you're ever coming in and it's blowing and you don't feel like you can make it in to your own slip, stay at the pump out dock until it's calm. Always Plan B, C, D. You're half Manatee and half seabird. There's no room for pride.

Any time you can test something before doing it, do so. Want to know what the wind is going to do to your boat? Slack lines in the berth and push her to wind ward and watch what happens. Want to know how much time you have to get out of the slip before the wind pushes your bow in to the finger? Slack lines and push the boat away and count the seconds. Do dry runs with at least one line still attached and see what she does when you start to push her stern out clear of the finger if you're bow-to-wind right now. Push her all of the way out so she hands from a bow line but make sure you have plenty of line and know how to snub it and keep your hands well away from cleats while wrapping line around to snub. Consider trading your slip for one where you're bow-to-wind if you don't already have that. It makes coming and going in sailcraft easier.

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Pasted in its entirety in case any of the extra bits are helpful, with apologies for the wall of text.

Definitely check out that youtube video link of using forward thrust to steer while making way
backwards.

Welcome, and congratuations on your boat purchase. Obviously, we're fans here =)

-scott