Catamaran Training Day 1
Over a year ago we'd been put in touch with a lady who is a certified instructor for sailing and operation of large catamarans. Marla is a very in-demand instructor and travels the world educating people how to sail and operate their catamarans. She's not often in town, but the stars aligned for a window of spectacular weather and her being available. So, on the 14th, Marla, A and myself plus our friends I and P, along with our broker, Scott, spent the entire day on the vessel literally learning the ropes, and then some. (Well, not Scott, he's already a pro) Scott brought along our brand new spinnaker which he and the guys raised and we all admired for a few minutes while we had barely a breath of wind.
The goal of the day's instruction was to get A and myself to the point where we feel comfortable taking the ship away from the dock and bringing her back without crashing into any other boats or the dock. And preferably without wetting our pants either!! Friends I and P were not given boat handling / helm instruction, but they were given plenty of instruction, along with A and I, on handling the dock lines in preparation for departure and return. With such a large boat and tall top sides, you can't just have someone standing on the dock untying the lines and then hop on board as the vessel begins to leave. That would leave someone in the drink pretty fast! Marla went over the procedure for slipping the midship and stern lines, commands between helmsperson and linesman, and extensive instruction on handling the port and starboard throttles (plus bow thruster if needed) to safely maneuver in tight spaces. We covered procedures for preparing the vessel such as selecting the helm (bridge or cockpit), starting the engines individually, revving them forward and backwards while tied, testing the bow thruster, and various safety procedures.
We began with me at the helm and the guys handling the dock lines. While still attached at the stern dock line, I swung the starboard bow outward, and when it was at enough of an angle to clear the boat in front of us, I called for A to slip the stern line. After I brought the vessel away from the dock, Marla had me learn how to centre the helm, after which she had me do some drills practicing turning on the spot in one spot, clockwise and counter clockwise, while keeping a fix on two static positions, one off each side. She had me lock off the helm (the wheel), as all maneuvering at slow speed and in tight quarters is done with the port and starboard throttles on a catamaran. (Turn left: port reverse, starboard forward. Turn right: port forward, starboard reverse. Fine tuning using variations on this, often with one engine in neutral) We also practiced bringing the boat to a stop while underway, anticipating how long it takes to bring it to a stop and how much to dig in the reverse throttles. She then had me move to a more confined space, between a buoy and a marina, and practice the same "moving in a box" routine as before. The guys were working on rigging the spinnaker at this time, while we had an audience on the marina's dock.
Raising the Spinnaker
Getting ready to set the anchor
No tight quarters on this vessel!
Darkness fell and thick fog rolled in just as we were putting the boat to bed for the night. We had a successful day thanks to very skilled instruction, and feel like the most difficult hurdle has been overcome.
Our fantastic instructor, Marla
The goal of the day's instruction was to get A and myself to the point where we feel comfortable taking the ship away from the dock and bringing her back without crashing into any other boats or the dock. And preferably without wetting our pants either!! Friends I and P were not given boat handling / helm instruction, but they were given plenty of instruction, along with A and I, on handling the dock lines in preparation for departure and return. With such a large boat and tall top sides, you can't just have someone standing on the dock untying the lines and then hop on board as the vessel begins to leave. That would leave someone in the drink pretty fast! Marla went over the procedure for slipping the midship and stern lines, commands between helmsperson and linesman, and extensive instruction on handling the port and starboard throttles (plus bow thruster if needed) to safely maneuver in tight spaces. We covered procedures for preparing the vessel such as selecting the helm (bridge or cockpit), starting the engines individually, revving them forward and backwards while tied, testing the bow thruster, and various safety procedures.
We began with me at the helm and the guys handling the dock lines. While still attached at the stern dock line, I swung the starboard bow outward, and when it was at enough of an angle to clear the boat in front of us, I called for A to slip the stern line. After I brought the vessel away from the dock, Marla had me learn how to centre the helm, after which she had me do some drills practicing turning on the spot in one spot, clockwise and counter clockwise, while keeping a fix on two static positions, one off each side. She had me lock off the helm (the wheel), as all maneuvering at slow speed and in tight quarters is done with the port and starboard throttles on a catamaran. (Turn left: port reverse, starboard forward. Turn right: port forward, starboard reverse. Fine tuning using variations on this, often with one engine in neutral) We also practiced bringing the boat to a stop while underway, anticipating how long it takes to bring it to a stop and how much to dig in the reverse throttles. She then had me move to a more confined space, between a buoy and a marina, and practice the same "moving in a box" routine as before. The guys were working on rigging the spinnaker at this time, while we had an audience on the marina's dock.
Video: Learning how to turn a 52' catamaran in tight spaces
After these drills, Marla had me drive out into the Arm to catch a bit of wind so that the guys could get the spinnaker raised and filled. There wasn't much wind to speak of, just enough to fill the sail and for us to admire the pretty colours. That is one big sail, wow! After they doused it and put it away, it was time to find a nice place to anchor for lunch. We crossed the Arm and when we had about 90 feet of water under us, Marla and I gave the go ahead to the "deck hands" to set the anchor and bridle. We enjoyed a long lunch on the forward deck under beautiful warm January sunshine, surrounded by spectacular mountain views and glassy water. A sea lion was happily devouring fish nearby (yes, sea lion and not a harbour seal), while two bald eagles and a raven kept close watch.
Raising the Spinnaker
After lunch Marla had me drive to the marina's breakwater and do some maneuvering drills in even tighter quarters between the large breakwater dock and a lineup of breakwater logs. She had me drive in forwards, accounting for tide and drift, and back out, and then turn around and back up to the edge of the breakwater dock. She then had A do this same drill. Afterwards, I drove us back into the harbour, now setting my newly acquired skills to the test by going to the fuel dock. We fuelled up the port tank, then I drove us to our slip and brought us into the dock while the guys practiced tying us up. (Drive forwards parallel the dock, close to the other boats. When forward in our spot, 'kick' the stern to the dock by leaving the port thruster in neutral and the starboard thruster in reverse. The stern is then tied off and the helmsperson uses small bursts of bow thruster to bring the bow in to the dock.) Then, we did it all over again with A at the helm and me slipping the stern line. A took us out, turned us around and brought the vessel back in like a pro.
Darkness fell and thick fog rolled in just as we were putting the boat to bed for the night. We had a successful day thanks to very skilled instruction, and feel like the most difficult hurdle has been overcome.
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