I would like some good advice on manouvring the Hanse 350 in harbours.

I find it very difficult as soon as there is som wind. We are only two on board, and so far it has been a disaster

Best regards Peterr

You would probably find reversing into berths/the wind useful. You just need to be committed and keep the way on. As soon as you stop you are at the mercy of the wind. Practice makes perfect or at least less damaging.

Don't be hesitant to ask someone on the dock to help! 

Best

Dave

Coming alongside a long pontoon

Coming in to a short finger pontoon

coming into some form of box berth.

Best regards peterr

As some of the others have said, you have to appreciate that as the saildrive prop is some distance from the rudder, so the ideas that you see in many books and articles about using short bursts of forward or backward to turn the boat do not work.  You have to be moving at some speed for the rudder to work well, so you cannot just move slowly into a berth if there is some wind blowing, you have to come in at a steady speed and then put the engine into reverse to stop the boat.  

We have develop a special technique that my wife (as helm) and I use to get into short finger pontoons, particularly when the wind is blowing you into the berth and I did do a write up that I sent to a magazine, so if you want a copy, pm your email address.   

 

I find it most important to do any maneuver very very slowly and in a way that you can stop the boat at any time fully controlled. This means - like already said above - that you should always head with the stern into the wind. By that means you can always keep the boat in position for as long as you want, for example to clear the lines or get one around a pile. Insofar I disgree with the above comment recommending to go into a box with speed. If this goes wrong you damage you boat and others. 

 

Also, do not hesitate to make - controlled - contact with a pile. You can slowly move into a box while keeping contact with the leeward pile. You can even turn the boat into the box by motoring into the leeward stern line turned around the leeward pile.

 

Finally, keep your fenders in while moving into a box. I find it astonishing how many sailors move into a box with their fenders outside only to - most predictable - get stopped by a pile and then losing any control of the boat.

 

BR Moritz

My tips are:

* Pick a box that is just wide enough for you to fit into.  If it is too big you may have problems getting lines over posts on both sides.  As previously mentioned, leave your fenders on the deck at this stage.

* Assuming I am going in forwards, I run my lines through the centre hole between the horns of my stern cleats and then use a stopper knot to avoid losing them.

* I let my crew handle the line on the port side while I take the starboard, as this is where my engine controls are.  Once the crew have the bowline over the post, they move forward throwing the fenders over on the downwind side as they go, and then call the distance on the bow

* I can then pull in the upwind line and take it onto the winch to control my forward progress.

* It REALLY helps to have someone ashore to take the bow line, but if no one appears, you can keep the engine in gear at minimum speed and inch forward until the crew is confident they can jump ashore or lasoo a cleat.

When I come in short handed I use a mid-ship spring line onto the outermost cleat on the pontoon.  From there using the engine as the "stern line" turning so that the stern comes into the pontoon.  On my 370 the bow does tend to swing into the pontoon even when powering off so I know to fender up the bow.  As you say, once this is done you can attach and adjust lines easily, finally turning off the engine. 

 

But the problem in real life is often that it is impossible to keep the stern into the Wind and when the boat slows Down it drifts very fast.

 

Best regards Peterr

 

Peter Blake

 

I think i will start to practice your approach. it seems to me that it includes the essence of all the very good and kind advice i have received. And if it is possible with the 370 it must be possible with the 350.

 

Best regards Peterr

In 99% of the time, we are sailing dual handed. In our home dock, we have marked the aft lines at the correct length of our berth. 

The helmsman always takes care of the starboard line, the other person always takes care of the port side. Reason for that is that the boat is quite wide. Initially we tried to let the helmsman do the windward aft line, but this did not work out as always one of the things, helm, throttle, line control went wrong while moving from the starboard side to the port side....

In most of the cases, there are other boats in the docks beneath us - it is no real issue if you lay on them while clearing and fixing the bow lines. 

Jan