HAFENMANÖVER_ Grundlagen

There is no doubt that harbor maneuvers are among the more challenging situations when handling a boat This often stems from the skipper's lack of routine a new or previously unknown boat such as from a charter fleet unknown harbors and also disruptive influences like wind and currents But also simply and movingly at the somewhat neglectful treatment of the subject in boat training It's no surprise that many skippers break out in a cold sweat as they approach the harbor entrance and a certain tension sets in aboard We will address this in the following chapters demonstrating all classic maneuvers with a small crew Once the fundamental procedures and mechanisms are clear They are gradually dissolving into satisfaction Even if a branch or subsidiary occasionally runs a bit smoother than planned no problem Experts and know-it-alls naturally appear in all ports around the world But they are either on land or have already forgotten their own harbor disaster Before we start here are some general tips and notes that will help you prepare for and carry out your harbor maneuvers Be prepared Get familiar with the local conditions before entering the harbor being familiar with water depths the position of the mooring buoy communication channels and so on You will often find this information on the nautical chart or the harbor and area guides hopefully available on board If something is unclear or if you are unsure a call to the harbor master or a look online can help Also part of good preparation is making sure all lines and fenders are not just at your desired mooring spot But rather they should also be clearly and ready for use with some lead time This also applies to crew briefings It is important to discuss the planned exercise early on with all participants and assign appropriate roles Next important point - wind and currents Because in the harbor these two factors can quickly become problematic To prevent this you should familiarize yourselves as early as possible with the wind and current conditions in the harbor We know at all times from which direction the wind and current are coming Can we provide appropriate training areas during maneuvering or even make use of their influence To maneuver as smoothly as possible we also recommend that you always try to go against the wind or current This makes the whole thing much more relaxed because you can make intuitive and easier corrections with the machine and the rudder Do you also know the individual handling characteristics of your boat We can almost start for example with the slip effect or the handling characteristics I would like to briefly go into more detail about one point namely the rigging of your boat Our Bavaria features a centrally located propeller that is directly fed by the rudder Thus even with little or no forward motion we can achieve a rowing effect through the machine's forward thrust Even if the boat is still moored in the harbor This helps us for example with most maneuvers involving reefing sails and gives us additional control over the boat as well However with newer or larger yachts we often find separately arranged twin rudders on the sides without a central rudder Here the rudder is no longer directly driven by the propeller which can make the described maneuvers more difficult However there are also advantages when steering under sail Thrusters commonly found on larger yachts can compensate for any disadvantages in maneuvering in the harbor Get familiar with the individual conditions of your boat before every turn One more tip I've actually made it a kind of habit to mentally rehearse the upcoming harbor maneuver and all possible problems beforehand In this context you can also come up with a Plan B in case the maneuver doesn't work right away Otherwise stay calm and practice practice practice under initially calm conditions If help is available at the dock you should not hesitate to take advantage of it or actively seek it out in difficult conditions