Life onboard Saboteur means we have to be handy and problem solve (without killing each other). This means we are doing many firsts.
In a week of firsts, this week is up there including, but not limited to, the first time:
• Saboteur was ‘beached as’… let’s not do that again any time soon!
• The dinghy donk (outboard motor) shear pin, well – sheared – as designed… if only we knew that than. (FYI it was because we hit a rock in the shallows).
• Our friend, Mitch Bradford ‘Macgyvered’ a bolt to replace the pin… our donk was working again. Massive thanks Mitch and relief we are not up for a new motor. Mental note, we have to buy a new pin…
• We docked at Runaway Bay Marina, with Marty berthing brilliantly in the tightest spot we have ever parked in
• We docked at Sanctuary Cove Marina in the biggest berth we have ever had… nice.
There is a particular first I wish to talk about.
I skippered Saboteur out of Sanctuary Cove Marina. So far Marty (aka Martin Lloyd) has done all the docking.
After all, being a back seat driver is much easier that trying to manoeuvre a 20 tonne vessel that will not steer in reverse. Much swearing and cursing and the occasionally bouncing and fending off boats have occurred in the past. We are constantly improving our skills; my skills with the boat hook have been less called upon as my line throwing skills have improved, that is if there is someone to catch it and tie us off. And now my ability to simply step off as Marty glides the boat into berth as a pro. Likewise Marty’s skills at reading the wind speed, the current and the space we have to manoeuvre have all excelled.
Many an experienced skipper says the most stressful thing about sailing is casting off and docking. I have to agree.
I knew the day would come and on Sunday evening Marty asked me, ‘Why don’t you take us off the dock tomorrow?’ I replied, ‘Sure.’ I had been thinking the same thing myself. I knew I had to do this.
After all what could go wrong?
And so Monday came and we had planned to leave about midday on high tide. High and low tides are the best times to depart and dock because it is the time the current is as close to still as possible as it changes direction.
I went for a walk to the amenities block before we left. On my way back, I set about taking in my surrounds, where will the wind blow us once we release the mooring lines? We had three lines holding us. What could go wrong?
We finished off a few last minute tasks:
• Put the hose way once the water tanks were topped up
• Put the dogs in the life jackets and clipped them into the safety lines in the cock pit
• Put Zac on his lead.
The moment was getting closer…
Back to thinking about our departure. I had two options.
Option one, to reverse and turn as soon as I could turn and not hit the neighbouring vessel in the pen beside me.
Option two, to reverse straight for about 50 meters and turn after I had passed the fuel dock and not back into the mega super yachts.
Now where we were, there are many super yachts that are worth millions and millions. I can’t fathom how much some of them are worth.
We knew it was slack tide, we rechecked the winds. They were coming from the south, so unless it changed it should just blow us straight off. Perfect.
I check the rudder was straight and we discussed the order in which we would release the lines. Agreed.
We discussed reversing options one and two. We went for option one. It would give us more control of Saboteur more quickly.
And so the moment was on us.
I started the engine. Marty turned the engine blower (to blow the hot air out of the engine) and the anchor winch on. We were not travelling far, so it was ok to turn it on now, and it is a good back up if you lose control; you drop the anchor before doing damage to others, the fuel dock and yourselves.
OK, we were in neutral, Marty was on the finger and released the bow port mooring line.
When releasing lines, we can set them up so that they are lassoed on the finger and you can slip them from the boat.
Alternatively, you can release them on the finger and then jump on the boat.
My biggest concern if we did the later was that:
• the boat would drift away from the finger or
• with my dyslexia I would steer the boat in the wrong direction (away from the finger) or
• I would use the bow thruster and push the boat away from the finger
• And struggle to get it back, leaving Marty on the finger and me out of control with a 20 tonne boat.
The winds were perfect to hold us on the finger, so it was ok for Marty to release the lines from the finger. There was a lot of trust in my skills here.
As I write this I am reminded of when we did our International Day Skipper’s course. To pass, we had to be able to successfully dock the sailing school’s boat. I always went first, otherwise I would either forget what they had told us or start to stress as I waited for my turn. I could then relax.
We had to dock at a fuel dock, on the end of a T, coming up behind another boat and reverse park into a berth. Marty told me later, he was worried for me as I can get my left and rights back to front, especially in reverse. FYI, I nailed it then.
I had not docked since that Day Skipper’s course which was July 2018. It felt like forever.
And so, with the engines going, I changed from neutral to reverse and put about 700 revs on. Marty released the port bow line and threw it onto the boat. The boat was barely moving. Marty released the starboard line and I put another 1000 revs on. Remember, 20 tonnes is slow to gain momentum. Marty walked to the stern line which was mid-ships, released the line and walked back with the boat as she made her way backwards. I was a little too close to the finger, and the fenders were threatening to jump up. I touched the bower thruster.
Marty jumped back on board, told me I was clear to turn, and so I turned the boat using the bow thruster; once, twice and she turned in her body length. I dropped the revs and went from reverse through neutral and into forward gear, and put the revs on. I turned to port (left) as I was little close to the end of the fingers and the bows of some of these super yachts. (Because of my super tight turn). Nothing to worry about because the winds were pushing us away.
And with a big grin on my face, I took us out of the marina. It was massive relief to have finished another first. It was 12.06 pm.
Meanwhile, Marty went downstairs, put the groceries away, and hung out the washing. He finished and came upstairs with a perfect cup of tea, kissed me on the cheek and told me again how cool I am. We were both enjoying the moment. Marty snoozed in the cockpit, the puppies snuggled up and I skippered us to the magic of South Stradbroke Island feeling deeply calm and happy.
