Going into a box
25 May 2015 | Svendborg, Denmark
Judy
Red indicates the box is occupied, Green that it is available.
The Danes Idea of a sunny day is one that is not raining.
Going into a box ...... Torben and I avoid it like the plague. We find ourselves, when entering a harbor searching for a place to side tie Tivoli. To make it more difficult, seems every harbor has a different "code" to let you know which spaces are available for guests. Some have a green square, others use words that are meaningless to me. Some have placards that are half red and half green, (now those are very confusing!) But we motor in, ready if we have to, to go into a box.
Why should we shy away from mastering this European way of docking? Well it's not as easy as it looks and the few times we tried, it hasn't been pretty.... Getting in a box requires long aft mooring lines, which I run amidships and tie a large loop at the bitter end secured by a bowline. As we pass the first set of pilings, I'm supposed to place the loop over the top of the piling, then run forward without a panic look on my face, as we approach the pier or cement wall at ramming speed. At this point, I'm supposed to leap off the bow pulpit with both bow lines in my teeth and secure Tivoli just as Torben slams it in reverse to stop us from running into the wall. It can be done. We've seen other boats do it with so little effort.
The term "wanker" ring a bell? The first time we tried this, we somehow got sideways and found ourselves somehow outside the box. Then there was the other day, we got ourselves all psyched up, made our approach and got stuck between the two aft pilings. (Tivoli was a little too fat!). Oh and then yesterday, we found ourselves pinned against a set of pilings because of some wicked current that caught my skipper by surprise. Torben was brilliant, he pointed Tivoli's bow to T-bone a dock rather than hit some body's boat and Tivoli pirouette around the piling and landed smartly right against a side tie! It was totally a Captain Ron Maneuver! If we were in the states everyone would have cheered! Fortunately I don't know what the people were saying! I don't care, I'm still flying the American flag with pride!
We currently are in the Danish Archipelagos which is the southern portion of Denmark. Beautiful county side and endless little islands. Svendborg is a city rich in maritime history dating back to the Middle Ages. They were famous for their expert boat building and to this day, still specialize in restorations of old sea going vessels. Seeing these ships up close puts our woes into perspective!