GENERAL INFO
Instructional Guidelines
for
Teaching in Lido 14's
PHASE V - Docking; Use of Hiking Stick
A. DOCKING THE BOAT
1. Slow sailing. In docking the boat, the crucial factors are knowing where the wind is coming from and how fast the wind is blowing. The recommended technique is slow sailing to the dock on a close reach, similar to the procedure used in recovering a person-overboard. Ideally, the boat should be sailed slow enough that the boat stops right next to the dock, allowing the crewperson on the foredeck to just step off and tie up the boat. Considerable damage is done to the Lidos by people docking the boats too fast and banging into the dock. The boat should also approach the dock at an angle that will allow the crewperson on the foredeck to step off without interference from the jib.
2. Reducing speed. Like recovering a person-overboard, large course corrections should be made early. If for some reason the student is traveling too fast as s/he nears the dock and wishes to reduce boat speed quickly, there are several methods to use:
a) Using the tiller as a brake. The student can move the tiller hard to one side of the boat, hold it there a couple of seconds, and then move the tiller hard to the other side of the boat, hold it there a couple of seconds, and so on. Hard over means "far over," not "violently over." Not only will the resulting zigzag course of the boat give a greater distance in which to slow down, but the rudder will also exert a good deal of braking power. Furthermore, by feeling how the boat responds to the tiller , the student will get an idea of just how fast the boat is going through the water.
b) Using the mainsail as a brake. If the boat is still traveling too fast after using the tiller braking method, have a crewperson push the boom forward to backwind the main, using wind pressure against the main as a brake.
c) Shooting into the wind. This is done by heading the into the wind until the sails are fully luffing along the centerline of the boat (the jib and mainsail will both be released since the boat is being slow-sailed). This procedure is called "shooting into the wind" (going into irons) and is not recommended as standard docking procedure since the student will lose ability to regain speed if s/he overestimates how fast s/he is approaching the dock.
d) Aborting. These speed-reducing procedures for braking the boat should not be used as a substitute for slow sailing, but as last-minute contingencies to avoid hitting the dock. It is preferable to have the student abort the docking maneuver if it appears his/her course and/or speed will result in a crash, and then try again.
3. Docking with an east wind. With an east wind, the mainsail should be lowered and the boat sailed to the dock under jib alone, unless the west side of the dock is available for docking.
B. USE OF THE HIKING STICK
1. Position. The hiking stick is held in the hand nearest the stern, the mainsheet in the hand nearest the bow. The student sits forward of the tiller and the hiking stick. Note that the student can place his/her toes under the hiking straps to help balance him/herself.
2. Tacking using the hiking stick.
a) The student, while sitting on the gunwale, pushes the tiller hard alee with the hiking stick.
b) As the student crosses the boat, s/he pivots the stick toward the stern and changes hands. The tiller should always be under control.
c) The hiking stick is now re-extended and the student sits on the new windward gunwale. When first learning this maneuver, it may be easier to have the student sit on the new windward seat prior to hiking out on the gunwale.
