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Old 06-09-2015, 02:05 AM   #49
Retriever
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City: Seattle, WA
Vessel Name: Akeeva
Vessel Model: Nordhavn 50
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 449
I've single handed the Inside Passage a couple of times (and am about to do it again, except this time with a side trip to Haida Gwaii). My Nordic Tug 37 is a single engine with bow thruster and is super easy to run by myself. Here are a few things that make it easy...

-Pilothouse doors on both sides
-Bow thruster
-Modest freeboard, so I can easily step onto the dock from the boat right from the pilothouse door.
-Engine room hatches in pilothouse floor. I can shoot temperatures and visually check the engine room and still glance ahead every 15 seconds.
-Practice. I run the boat ~700 hours a year
-Small enough that I only need 3 fenders on each side

One tip: I've learned to NOT attach a bow line when docking. Too many people grab it and tie it off at exactly the wrong time. Doing this with a midships line or stern line isn't too big a deal...a bow line, though, makes it impossible for me to control the stern. I actually prefer no help on the dock, unless the wind is blowing me off the dock at a pretty significant velocity.

Safety is a huge concern. I worry about falling overboard and watching the boat drive away. Therefore, I don't leave the interior of the boat unless it is in neutral or the engine is turned off. When I do venture outside (if I'm not at anchor) I wear a life jacket with a VHF, PLB, and flares. When I'm in the dinghy I always wear the kill switch and my life jacket (and they recently saved me).

The situation that is particularly difficult to handle alone is getting away from the dock when the wind is pinning the boat onto the dock. Spring lines make it easy, but it's difficult to get the springs aboard fast enough and then get to the helm before the boat gets pinned to the dock again. I'm talking 25+ knots of wind, so not that common a situation. Twins would help here...
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