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Old 11-27-2010, 08:29 AM   #12
koliver
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City: Saltspring Island
Vessel Name: Retreat
Vessel Model: C&L 44
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,663
RE: Stern tie - I need your opinion

I haven't experienced any chafing on my stern tie lines, only dirt from pulling them back aboard through bark or over open dirt. I wouldn't rig any hoses or other anti-chafe gear.
When tied stern to, especially in the Desolation Sound area, where there tend to be lots of boats close by, my stern line is usually pulled taut enough that when swimming, I can't depress the middle of the line more than a few feet.
I use 1/2 inch nylon 3 strand. I have one 200 foot piece, and one 300 foot piece. I stow them in dairyland boxes and the deployment is this:
I drop the anchor, back in relatively close to shore ( to the full extent of the rode) and leave the boat at idle in reverse, with the first mate on the controls, holding position.
take the dog and the box of line into the dinghy, first tying one end off on the stern of the boat.
reverse back to the shore, letting the line pay out as I go.
take the dinghy painter and the box and jump ashore (the dog is on his own now)
carry the box up to the tie-off tree and pass it around and return to the dinghy.
take the rest of the line back to the boat and tie it off.
take the boat out of gear.
Bob's your Uncle!
unless of course you need to go back for the dog.
Only if I cant get a good spot close enough will I resort to single part line, tied off with a long loop, the bowline far enough down so I can get to it from the dinghy.
The amount of current in the anchorage sometimes is too much for the position holding skills of FM, so in those conditions there is a longer time taken in total as some retraining is necessary.* In most conditions the whole task is so quick and quiet the neighbours haven't realized our arrival until they hear the first person dive into the water.
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