Maneuvering Your Boat with Dock Lines— Part Three

of Five

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

Ahoy sailors, as mentioned, we will discuss the third technique of five techniques to help maneuver your boat with dock lines. Stay tuned— the following article will discuss the fourth technique.

Technique 3: Checking A Line

This technique allows you to use a cleat or piling to adjust a vessel’s position or move it along a dock in the prevailing wind or current direction. Checking a line allows you to adjust or feed the line out while using the strength of a cleat or piling to keep control.

For example, here is what you do if you’re moored port side to a dock and need to move your vessel forward a few feet to free up space for another boat to dock at your stern. The wind is blowing, but luckily blowing from your stern and along the dock in the direction you need to move. Use the wind to move your boat along the dock while controlling it with your port stern line.

1. Untie all dock lines except the stern line. If the wind can blow the bow away from the dock, have someone hold the bowline while walking along the dock.

2. If the stern line is tied directly to the dock, relax the line at the port stern cleat, but keep a half turn—or more, if needed, on the cleat while holding the bitter end of the line, applying tension to prevent it from paying out.

3. When ready to shift the boat, slightly reduce pressure on the line, and a llow the line to pay out in a controlled manner.

4 Once the ship has moved to the desired position, check the stern line by w rapping it around the cleat and securing it as usual.

5. The process would be very similar if the stern line is looped around the dock cleat and attached back at the stern cleat. In this situation, one end of the stern line would remain attached to the cleat. When ready to shift the vessel, feed out more line from the bitter end while checking it as described above.

Please note that the scenario described above assumes the stern line is strong enough and of sufficient length to reposition the boat to the new location. If that is not the case, replace it with a longer line before shifting. Once secured, you may need to shift the stern line to another dock cleat or piling if another one is better positioned.

If there is concern about keeping the vessel under control (due to stronger winds or currents), you can have a crew member check the bow line during the maneuver. Finally, you can also use checking to control a vessel in other situations. For example, when docking during high wind or rough current conditions, a dock line with one or two wraps around a piling can be used to control movement into a slip or berth by simply adjusting pressure on the line.

On The Horizon

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

2023 Chaos Rally (March 25-26)

SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara Yacht Club will be hosting the 2023 Choas Rally from March 25-26. The Chaos Rally was initially created in the summer of 2020 as a preliminary way to get boats back on the water in a low-density yet fun and engaging way. The event has multiple levels of creativity, allowing competitors to choose when they start over the course of two days and the order in which they will round each of the designated course marks. Every boat must begin no earlier than 10 a.m. on March 25 and fi nish no later than 4 p.m. on March 26. Participants can choose to start on either day as long as they complete the course by 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 26. The order in which competitors can select their start time will be decided via a live random drawing online on Thursday morning preceding the race. Each competitor will submit their top three start time options, and a schedule of starts will be put on the online notice board as soon as competitors declare their start time window. Each boat must start on or after their selected start time but no later than four minutes after their start time. There will be no race committee for this event, and each boat will be required to record its start time, order in which they pass the marks, and finish times. This will be delivered via text or email to the SBYC Race Director for the event to be scored. Registration is now open and available online via Regatta Network. To register, please visit https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registration_form.php?regatta_id=25905.

2023 California Dreamin’ Series (April 1-2)

LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Yacht Club will host the 2023 California Dreamin’ Series from April 1-2. The event is governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing. The sailing instructions will be available after 6 p.m. on March 30 on the official notice board (ONB) which is located on www.lbyc.org. Up to eight skippers will be invited. Skippers wishing to receive an invitation may register t heir request with the OA by submitting the RFI form posted on the ONB. Priority will be given to skippers com- peting in all three events of the series. Only skippers invited by the OA, and who confirm acceptance as detailed in the letter of invitation, will be eligible to enter this event. Submission of the entry form posted on the ONB, and payment of the non-refundable entry bond in the amount of $300, shall accompany the acceptance of the invitation. All competitors shall meet the eligibility requirements of World Sailing regulation 19.4. All competitors shall obtain a World Sailing Sailor ID by registering online at https://www. sailing.org/inside-worldsailing/organisation/our-family/world-sailing-profile/. Skippers shall inform the OA of t heir World Sailing Sailor ID at registration. The skipper shall complete registration, pay the entry fee of $750 USD (inclusive of the entry bond in NOR 4.2), arrange the damage deposit of $3500 USD and ensure that all crew members complete crew weighing on March 31 between 1000 to 1200 or April 1 between 0900 to 1000 unless extended by the OA. To be considered an entry in the event, the skipper shall complete all registration requirements and pay all fees in USD. The prize for the winner of the Long Beach Stop will be the skipper’s name engraved on the Barney Flam Perpetual Trophy. Takehome prizes will be awarded to the top three teams for the Long Beach Stop. In addition, skippers will earn points toward the overall California Dreamin’ Series based on their finishing results as set forth in the 2023 Notice of Series. For the complete NOR, please visit https://bit.ly/3Ju1EqR or https:// www.lbyc.org/regattacalendar.

2023 Lido Invitational (April 1)

MARINA DEL REY— The South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club will host the Lido Invitational on April 1. This race is a standalone race and not part of any series. The format will be similar to the Sunstroke/ Thursday Night D inghies series which commences on April 27. This race will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing. One design classes will be subject to the rules of their respective class. The event is open to one-design dinghies. To be eligible to compete in any race of the series, competitors must complete and sign an online entry form at RegattaNetwork.com and pay entry fee prior to 5 p.m. on the evening of March 31. The race entry fee is $15 for single-and double-handed classes. Non-registered boat may pay $20 cash to PRO, dockside any time up to 11:30 a.m. The series entry fee for Juniors under the age of 25 is $10. The Starting Signal will be at 1 p.m. for the first race each evening, with five races scheduled. Results and prizes will be announced in the clubhouse after racing where light snacks will also be available. For the complete NOR, please visit https:// bit.ly/3L02OLN.