Ep48. Anatomy of a DISASTER! Crashing my NEW SAILBOAT!
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2024
- Yep, I crashed...
Email: Bumbler@thebumblingsailor.co.uk
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If it's any consolation: most of us have been there and done that. I myself have been sailing for more than half a century and like you, have learned the hard way how to handle my boats.
A few things to consider for future adventures:
* Think ahead, yes, but be prepared to improvise if a plan goes awry - as plans do;
* Be aware of the shape of hull and keel and how that translates in the behaviour of the boat;
* Use the wind to your advantage as much as you can instead of fighting it;
* Often the most practical action is to get a line ashore first and then bother about tying up properly;
* Always have mooring lines ready for use on both sides and on both ends.
And finally, for what it's worth: I would have let the boat drift to the leeward pontoon and then pulled her over to the windward one by hand.
Fair winds to you!
Useful advice.
You touch on something I often get frustrated watching people not do. With small boats (as you mention) you can easily move them by hand.
We used to sail small cabin yachts on rivers in the UK… and moor at the end of dykes. Seen so many people try and turn their boat like it was a car and end up hitting multiple boats and get truly stuck.
I was often alone and would turn the boat 180 degrees in tight spaces by hand… would use double length painters… would step off and push the bow off and let it drift out… then when far enough out just go to the otherside (if you see what I mean) and pull it slowly round.
So much easier.
You got there, it may not have been how you intended but there was no damage and you 'expanded your experience', you learned something too !
Good going lad !
Small remark, hope you dont mind: as long as you keep the boat in reverse, you keep (all the) propwalk. Next time, try putting boat in reverse until you get a bit of speed and then put box in neutral and let it glide aft, you will then retrieve steering again, instead of just pushing against the propwalk You may have to practice this some more... but you'll get there, good luck! (this is why a large part of your upcoming yachtmastercourse is practice docking the boat)
Every landing is a good landing! .. nobody died! .. not too fast - so all good .. given all the factors against you, you did really well - and, by having a go, you've learnt a huge amount in no time at all .. brilliant! 🥳
You did not "screw up". The best advice I ever had (from an experienced and professional skipper) was "Slow is Pro" and take as many attempts as it takes safely. I love your humility.
You will get there, everyone has to learn. When I first bought a sailboat I had more than 25 years of professional experience from all kinds of vessels. Small dinghies, fishing vessels, ferries, tug boats, catamarans and cargo vessels up to 3000 ton.
But maneuvering a fin keeled sailboat with tiny engine in a tight marina for the first time made me look like a complete newbie. Under powered and with a pivot point I had no experience with. Luckily people at shore was very understanding and helpful. After a while you will eventually get to know your boats movement like your own pocket and it will be way easier to dock. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!
Claim that as a win! You berthed the boat, pointed in the direction you wanted. Your plan worked, you took into account both the propwalk and the breeze, I bet there's a bit of current moving under the boat too. Definitely a win. If I was a bit nearer to Portland I'd come and spend a day just maneuvering around the marina, drinking tea and mooring up to different berths .
Yes definitely a win in my book.
Similarly to the comments above, the fact that you were able to analyze what happened and explain it to us, says that you learned something. Valuable stuff man. Keep going.
Excellent video! Your struggles remind us that we're all imperfect humans who learn to walk before we run. All this takes time. Next time, have your dock hand relax with a folding lawn chair, ready to spring into action. It' gives the perception of being calm, cool and collected as you repetitively work towards perfection (practicing). Give yourself plenty of time to do this over and over again (within your physical and mental abilities). If you're worried about other boats, practice out in a calm protected bay, free of wind, currents and other boats. If there's a "safe" buoy you can use as a "landmark" all the better.
“I did a learning it’s painful” 😂😂, you crack me up 👍. Keep going big guy
Mate I love that the comments are so supportive and I will add to that we learn everyday sometimes its the mistakes that give us the best classroom - keep going mate.
Bumblard! Love seeing you on your journey. All the best 🧡
Winds a bugger! Things go wrong and I hate not knowing what I did wrong, I always feel better once I've worked it out. It's all a learning curve.
Good effort sir. Really love your humility and sharing the reality that most others face when they first set out in trepidation and anxiety.
Don't be too hard on yourself. We all have to learn somehow, maybe doing it on a less windy day would have been better but at some point you are going to have to deal with this type of conditions.
No damage, lesson learnt, it’s all part of the process!
I'm an even greener sailor than you, and with a boat that is wildly unpredictable backing down, I'm in for some similar fun as I learn to handle her. I've only backed her down once, to move her into a haulout slip two slips away, and it was a miracle I pulled that off.
But I have done quite a bit of flying, and one axiom I heard while training for that was that pilots (and boaters, for sure) have two bags with them when underway: one for luck, and the other for experience. When things go pear-shaped, if one of those bags is empty, the other better have something in it, or you're in real trouble.
Seems that you used up some luck on that one, but now have a little more in the experience bag.
Just like me, and just like any experienced sailor who finds themselves facing a new challenge (or an old one they have forgotten to watch out for).
Keep on bumbling!!
For what what it's worth Terry, I am an old dog "doing learnings" too in a new job. It is painful but we get there (I bloody hope so anyway).
You should get to know your boat when there is little wind and current,not the other way around. That's the lesson for you.
Good luck with everything!
Wind was a factor yes, but so is current. Have a look at the way the water is going, that also plays a part. But like you say, we have all done it and its time at the helm. Well done.
On instant replay I did not see a bubble. LOL. Many better comments here than I could contribute, but it's doing it and feeling it, instinct. Sometimes those that have placed advice or techniques in your head will not help in real life.
Well done matey, we have all been there. Mine always seem to happen in the summer in full view of the whole marina. :)
Mate well done, no screw up at all, you got there with no damage to your own or anyone else's boat so all good. And besides, you know the old saying: better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all!!!
Well done mate - everyday's a school day - onwards and upwards
With any yacht, you have to get it going fast astern then the rudder will do the job, then put it on tickover astern just to keep it going, this will help counteract the prop a bit.
I tend to always take the easiest route in to tie up & worry about getting away on another day. However I think that you should have gone in forward, starboard side to which would have been dead easy. then because you had a double berth the 2 of you could have manually swung the boat around with ropes to face out if you really needed to. However it wasn't really necessary to turn around anyway, with your prop walk you could have got out easily. anyway well done, it's all a big learning curve & use your prop walk to your advantage each time.
Experience is knowledge you have right after you needed it.
I have no idea on what you should have done but watching the docking was a learning experience for me made more real by you honest evaluation of what happened. You being honest and real is one of the main factors which are so enjoyable about your videos. To me, you being more scripted would take away from the entertainment value you so ably provide.
This is what scares me with my boat, as you know I have no more experience the you and manoeuvring in these tight marinas scares the scrap out of me. I think I would have done two things differently. First, although going in stern first is an essential skill, I would have chickened out and gone in bow first, tied up and waited till the wind dropped before turning her round using a bow and stern line while standing safely on the dock ( there's a clip on Tube of some guy doing it) and Second, I would not have done it with that much wind, my boat is so wind sensitive that there is no way I could even have tried what you did, so well done 10/10 for effort.
i love Portland marina, the tidal range is small but the wind is always blowing hard.
I thought they were all mad in Sardinia when I first lived there but this is why stern-to makes sense...
No 3rd party insurance claims is a good day.
I'm so glad there was no UA-cam when I was getting things wrong - anyway, if that's the worse thing that happens then you're doing ok.
By the way, worse things don't happen at sea - they happen when you're a bit pissed and manoeuvring your boat...
Two points of theory -before you first go into reverse angle the boat so that the prop walk turns the stern onto your desired heading before you gain rudder authority. This can be 45 degrees or more. 2nd - allow a very long run reversing into wind before you attempt to turn across the wind. With 20 knots blowing you will need to be quite fast. and the debrief was excellent. It’s great to learn from someone else’s experiences -keep them coming.
Love the honesty, well done mate, we all go through these things! Only thing I would have done differently, right from the outset, would be to not attempt to go straight from one berth to the other. Go right out of the marina, then get her reversing, and reverse all the way back to the second berth. Theres a couple of advantages, first off you can plan the departure and arrival seperately, so half the complication. Secondly, whilst you are reversing back in, you have the boat completely under control and can "feel" the impact of wind, current, on the way, and adjust your manouver into the berth accordingly. I learnt this the hard way, just like you. Have been living aboard and sailing solo for a couple of years now, and am still learning every day!
It all comes down to experience, mate. You gained experience from moving your boat. Chances are you won’t make the same mistakes again hopefully. It certainly wasn’t the best conditions to move your boat for the first time. Don’t beat yourself up about what you did or didn’t do, just chalk it up to experience. I’m glad you and your boat survived relatively unharmed. Best wishes from Bonnie Scotland 🏴🥃
Always remember that boats will go astern..... But not in any particular direction. Add wind and tide and you stand no chance. Been there done it..😊😊👍👍
The prop walk is going to be there regardless of the propeller until you get moving backwards fast. You don't want to do that. The way to deal with it is give a burst of reverse to get the boat moving backwards and then shift into neutral. Once in neutral you'll be able to steer. If you need more give it another blast of reverse and back into neutral. Hear me know, believe me later.
Nice one cap! Brave of you to share this. " I did a learning!" 😂
Think about what you now know about your boat and how she responds. There's definitely value in that knowledge.
I think the plan was good you just hadn't accounted for the wind. Don't beat yourself up over it, like you said it was the first time moving the boat and we all have to start somewhere. The only way to get the experience you say you don't have is to keep trying and you will get it. Hope the new job is going well and the dream is getting closer. Nice one Terry, you keep me chuckling 👍👍
Great vid, well done! I've been doing this for years and still spend some time working out the wind and tide strength and direction before I start. On a fin keeled boat current will generally win. If the wind is strong she'll want to sit arse in to the wind. You can't steer if you aren't moving (with the exception of prop wash if you know what you are doing). Use this knowledge to your advantage. If going astern, go straight astern first and get speed for steerage before you try and turn (otherwise the rudder is just a massive brake!). My final point would be to remind your line handler that if they make off the line, they control the boat not you(!), so they mustn't make off until told to. And they should not try to pull the boat around by hand whilst you're manoeuvring - on anything other than a really small boat, you simply aren't strong enough and it could result in nasty rope burns, and someone, and ropes, in the water near a turning prop and panicked skipper. Tell them to take a turn round a cleat (but not make it off) and sweat the line - much more powerful and less alarming for everyone! You did a really good job - don't worry about the scrapes, we all get them, that's what lots of fenders and practice are for.
Hi hello .
watching from Canada .
No worries mate , a lot of us are still learning . The thing is to learn from it so next time it happens things will go better .
I enjoy the Realness of your show .
Don't do a scrip , it won't be real then .
Anyways Ahoy mate.
Not seeing a problem here. Got the boat in the slip without damaging boat and/or dock. I call that a complete success.
Good to share and no third party claim. Having a long keeler I know that reverse is always a lottery. However the one consistent truth is the bow will head off downwind. In this scenario you were right to reverse into the berth. Given that both sides were available and you had someone ashore, get a line ashore and use ropes to get the boat where you want at your leisure.
Someone needs to make an online game/simulator, they'd make millions. Who hasn't done exactly what you just went through! I say you won because you didn't damage anyone else's boat!
Hello !! I know why you cant steer the thing successfully, its a common mistake, its quite hard to explain (easier to demonstrate) but hear goes,
Your boat needs at least two boat lengths to pass water under the keel and rudder to steer,
eg, when reversing out go two boat lengths beyond where you need to be before stopping,
allow for the wind pushing your bow downwind slightly, (when stopped)
Go straight for two boat lengths then turn,
(this is the same for going backwards)
Go straight for two boat lengths then turn,
the boat will not respond to the rudder unless water is passing past it at speed,
So going forward and backwards six feet at a time and expecting it to turn wont work !
(your at the mercy of the wind, and you'll drift,) again take it right out and try a long slow approach)
Going backwards be careful, not too quick or the rudder will bite to either side (just go slowly)
once you realise this your boat handling will improve 10X
try it ! I hope this helps
John
Your reversing was hard to watch, but nobody gets it right the first time. Keep learning and you'll be a master sailor soon enough.
Two things: if the prop is dirty with growth the prop walk is going to be severe and secondly the direction of prop walk is going to depend on whether your prop is a right or left-handed prop. Most props are right handed but there are some left handed ones out there. All the shaft drives I have seen were right handed and all the sail drives I have seen were left handed. Good luck once you get to know your boat it becomes easier
Brilliant for those of us with Schadenfreude. Great learning exercise.
You did fine! I've done worse for sure. I hit the dock when there wasn't as much wind as you had, but there was current that I didn't account for. Kissing the dock happens all the time regardless. Just know that every docking will always have its own challenges.
You need some SPEED before your rudder will turn you EITHER direction in reverse.
You should ALWAYS have a Dock Pole at the ready and a Throw line.
Even in a 30 knot wind you could broadside the end of the finger dock and throw your buddy a stern line to PULL the boat into the slip.
ALWAYS be ready for BAD things to happen so that they dont.
You did quite well👍 at least you recognized what was going on and adapted accordingly and came in nicely in the end at least the pontoon had protected corners , so something to bear in mind in the future so well done Terry another lesson learned for future mooring , secret is to keep calm and not get flustered 😊. .
There is NO shame in learning something! Just keep going at it, and you will learn. 😀
As already mentioned, boats in general are not great at going backwards. I would have moored on the opposite pontoon and moved it across on the ropes. When l started boating many years ago on the Thames the saying was 'boating is a contract sport'.
I think you did well. Most small yachts , actually most yachts do not behave well in reverse. Sometimes and I suspect in this case its better to get close enough to the dock to get a line ashore especially when you have someone on the dock. Two lines even better, one forward one aft, position the boat with the lines. Small boats are very affected by the wind especially in reverse. You can control the stern but the nose will go where the wind blows it.
Don’t be hard on yourself, you need to keep trying in different conditions to build experience and confidence, you will nail it before you know it.
I've been there mate. Try keeping your body out the way of the tiller too.
We all been there, I'm still crashing after 50 years of boating
when you can, ditch the two blade folding and get a three blade folding. ALOT more control and manoeuvrability in reverse!!
Mater of wind over water hard to master especially if waters moving as well
Fair play lad a good trick is when you need to change direction of the stern / bow in slow speed is -
If you want the stern to go to port
Steer the bow to strb 6 foot or so to get movement then put into reverse still steering the bow to strb the minute you start going astern helm over if you don't manage to get the full turn do the same method but driving forward.
Also don't have the helm full over because it just acts as a hand break rather than steering
Marinas are full of unused boats where the owner has had a bad docking experience and is then too nervous to take the boat out. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to stop overanalysing each “less than perfect” docking experience….and yours was a country mile from being a disaster. It was barely a hiccup 😊
A couple of years ago I made such a mess of my first attempt to dock in a new marina (with a big audience) that I had to move to a new marina 😂
Thats not a crash 😂. Thats a normal landing. A few more attempts and a bit more physics and you’ll be right. I just remember bow blows off and she’s better astern into the wind. 20 knots in a marina is not a good time to change pontoons. 😂
Don’t plan quite so much, you have the knowledge, trust your instincts then correct any errors as they happen. That’s how we all learn. There’s to many variables to expect text book manoeuvres.👍
“Jess tennis”. Love it 😊
I did a learning and it hurt 😅 love it😅
Don't beat yourself up it could have been much worse. Folding props are great on racing yachts but bollocks on a cruiser. The time it takes to reverse itself the wind acts faster then it can grip the Water. No one died
I wouldn’t over analyse it, as just when you think your the mutts 🥜 it will all go wrong.
Best time to play is in the wind as it’s the only opportunity to learn.
Small sailboats are like shopping trolleys 🤷♂️
Thank you. I appreciated this.
It will buff out. Its all a learning experience, and no one died or sank. 👍👍
Well mate you didn’t break anything and your still afloat! So it’s all good.
When conditions are are very windy and your short handed sometimes your better off going into a guest slip for the day
Shouldn't worry about that,I've taken gelcoat off a million pound motor yacht before
... great vid, keep up the good work :)
I'm abit behind with your videos, what make is your new boat. Cheers.
I don't see that as a failure Tery! Your 'Plan A' did not work, but you adapted well and got your boat alongside without killing yourself or anyone else. To be fair, your 'Adapted' plan was the plan I would have taken in the first place. As you know... boats don't steer well going astern, so the longer you DON'T use astern propulsion, the better it is. Don't beat yourself up! Learn from it and move on! Next stop? The Maldives yeh? A
TBF most aircraft accidents happen around airfields and they tend to end worse.
Captain Smal thumbs!
Long.
Live
FIN.
You could practice "back and fill"?
You just have to learn more about your boat🎉
That was agonising to watch. Next time go in forwards and warp the boat around in it's berth, if you want it to face the other way. You will always have much more steering control going forwards, then you will have going astern. Or you have to be going fast enough astern that you override the effects of wind and tide. That doesn't leave much room for error though, and a high speed crash is almost pre-programmed.
Have you heard of flukeing the tiller. Ya just pull or push hard and fast it will bring it around way quicker.
Doing this sitting down prevents you for quick turning the tiller all the way to the port/starboard! You really need to push the tiller all the way to port and starboard as quick as possible while you are shifting gears. This is NOT a job to do sitting down. You are sitting in tiller's way!!! Stand up away a bit out so you DON'T distract the tillers journey and bend down and up to shift gears. And remember, it is NOT a car, go a bit extra to anticipate the time that takes to change tiller position and shift the gear.
I think you were attempting the impossible? With 2 deck hands, one on the bow and one on the stern, and 2 shore hands one for the stern-line and one for the bow-line the helmsman could have coped with the situation.
The captain (you) would have been in the wardroom passing the Sandemans decanter around the table in an appropriate direction. Any bumps and scrapes would be dealt with by lashings to the crew members responsible at dawn the next day.
No mention of this would be made in despatches. Oooops that was your mistake.
No way we dont want scripted video we like the by the seat of your pants style
Hmmm ... reminiscent of when you and DCW tried to berth Pamela C and you guys decided to mount the pontoon instead! ... Just as well she's built like a solid thing! 😂 😂 😂 😂
Ooooh you just kissed it. 😅 Happens to me all the time.
Keep the right side up :D
Think abouth y're propeler some are riche others left that can change youre course wen you go afterwards
I honestly wouldn’t worry about. Clearly you’re not, as you would not have posted it on You Tube. Just don’t let it knock your confidence. Every boat owner in history has done the same thing, and they’re a liar if they say they haven’t.
I’m not an expert.. first use just enough speed to get steering. 2 use some lines learn to use spring lines 3 weather always set yourself up for success 4 most important give yourself a break
You're doing it wrong. I can make her back up to port. Here's the problem... take the wind and current out of the equation for a moment... you have to get good water flowing past the rudder for the rudder to be effective, BUT the prop is walking to starboard when engaged... your prop should operate with strong quick bursts followed by neutral, now steer to port. You should not be in reverse 100% of the time while backing down. Strong burst then neutral. It's counter-intuitive but you must get the feel for it. Leave the marina so you won't hit anything, go up close to a floating buoy, and practice around it so you get the feel of how the boat responds. I learned this on my old Flicka20 with a tiller. I'm now doing it on my new Baba30 with a wheel.
You’re betting your self up for no reason. It doesn’t always go as planned. No damage no problem.
it has not got four wheels. its a boat and they dont tend to go well backwards and compounded .by the fact the wind was against you. Your expecting the nr impossible unless youve done it a zillion times. just motor out, spin round and go bow in. tie up job done.
I call that a bit of a curveball pardon the pun 😊😊
nah, it wasn't that bad
So you’ve learned that moving a sailboat in a 20 knot wind is a horrible idea.
Just tel yourself i'm very experienced. A big ego wil help you in situations like this.
"Kind of crashed" ?Either you crashed or you didn't
Hey, it's a learning experience..next time you'll be sweet as.
Maybe get some training ;) This is not how you dock a sailboat
So 100% of humans think they should just be able to figure everything out the first time they do it here's a tip from a professional truck driver. Go find someplace you can't break anything or heard anything and practice over and over. Truckers are excellent drivers because we practice over and over before we ever start Trucking and everyday after. Pilots are the same way. Find some place away from expensive boats and scary things and practice
Also I've seen so-called experienced Sailors do far far worse than what you just did
Less talking and more sailing please! It saves me skipping forward through the talking bits. And when you approach your berth: keep moving - the flow of water over your keels and rudder give you control. Plan your approach and go straight into your berth without stopping first. Practice motoring in reverse too as this will assist your berthing stern first.
Mr bumble your problem is being useless. But so was everyone else at first!! Stop all your ridiculous thinking, just practice. ( and buy lots of fenders )