Redundancy:

Perhaps it is decades of producing training or POP films that instilled my love of the service manual. Whatever the case I believe it a worthwhile art form.

Having a master service plan for a voyaging vessel is critical in my thinking. Stuff happens and I can’t count on being the person who might have to take care of an issue. So I create a master BOOK where all knowledge or at least the resource to such knowledge exists.

The sea is a cruel mistress and there seems to be a little guy who runs around once you start passage sawing on things. There is actually quite a bit of inertia motion on a boat in a seaway which combined with the saltwater environment can raise havoc with what was a 100% serviceable system.

One thing that I have learned from years of cruising is that in your voyage planning you really need to consider carrying what you need with you for the most part. Most important I believe every vessel such as Defiance must have 100% spare parts for a wide variety of possible failures if for no reason but it’s there. Chasing parts from a strange place is costly and one big pain.

First any person who can do so should spend some time at least reading the master web site and following the progress in pictures even if they never intend to turn a wrench.

The BOOK is indexed by system or function so even if you do not know how to troubleshoot and fix something you will be able to point a qualified person directly to the problem saving huge amounts of money.

General Operational Handling

Defiance must be handled like a real boat. Generally in any yacht harbor you can be assured if you hit it, you can sink it so I hate going in to small boat harbors and much prefer to anchor and take the dinghy in. First beware of small fiberglass pleasure boats, for some reason they often behave like dazed dolphins playing under your bow. Believe me one will do it to you, just the ju ju of a particular form of water user.

Second, handle lines properly: You can not hold Defiance without having the line around a cleat or bollard!!!

Third, take care of your own business, do not involve the unknown.

Handling the Defiance, or Defiance and a tow IS a contact sport. Just as you work a tug. In close quarters it is expected that you may root your bow into a wall and power up, helm over to turn. Defiance has no bow thruster, but does have one big propeller and power.

You work Defiance with line and the prop as much as you do the rudder. The easiest sharp turns can be made to port as there is a huge amount of prop walk and it does not take as much as you might think to learn. A huge amount of the trick (other than getting confused) is at your finger tips with the shift. Second you do NOT RUSH Defiance. Do not panic if you stop moving, even with moderate winds Defiance does not start to drift very quickly, there is time to think.

A typical procedure docking:

In a home port mooring situation it does not take long to develop a technique that become not much more work than parking a car. The trick is always the unknown. There is absolutely nothing that will screw you up as much as someone tying offs a line you don’t want, let alone the risk to people who not know how to handle big boats. but be careful who you give your lines to. Unless you know the person, do not give a line to a stranger. Period.

Every case is different, I have to choose one example so it will be approach to my Waupoos berth.

An average docking at Waupoos is shown in the graphic where the final spot required a 90 degree turn into a 60’ long space is pretty tight. In all procedures you do very little with the throttle. Gentle does it, it is a big wheel and engine asks and it will give. But docking is art, not muscle. You have some handy mechanical allies with Defiance which compensate for direct feel in the 100% positive controls. You cannot feel Defiance at first and there is absolutely no comparison to a small pleasure boat so don’t look for it. This is operating heavy equipment not a Honda, do it by the numbers.

Crew and passenger placement:

Do not have anyone directly on the helm station platform as it can get pretty physical swinging the wheel and anyone who has been clipped by the steering wheel can attest to how hard it can smack you. Equally you will in all probability steps out on to a side deck at some stage so keep passengers out of the area.

Preperation:

• Before you go into harbor.
• You are ready period. That is what you do. Not in harbor if you can help it.
• Secure the dinghy on the hip if you are towing it.
• Set all fenders and lines. No last minute messing with fenders or line.
• Test your controls are working right and that there is nothing hanging over the side, cabin doors open and in the locked back position.
• Pull your act together, every docking and approach reflects on vessel and crew, be proud.
• Practice with the radios and your signals and you can impress the natives.
• Finally, ALWAYS use the rudder indicator to judge the next move.

Defiance like to go left, as long as you have the rudder pointed where you want it, you will do so under almost any condition, if you have the nerve.

Evaulate the situation:

The approach at Waupoos is straight toward the gas dock with a good 140 feet between boats. This is lots of room but chances are you only will have a small portion of the gas dock you can get near due to other boats fueling etc. This is a straight approach with a full 180 degree turn into a space 20’ longer than the vessel.

• Start by lining up on final turn once you are through the breakwall.
• Go into to neutral, and coast to judge current and wind.
• Once satisfied, and putting that into the bio-computer as reference, put idle power back to Defiance.
• You can get a bit of swing from your forward momentum, on first approach, (I do) but you are better off at first to stop before starting the turn as it will take a while to get used to the inertia this much mass has. You get better faster than you think and I have taught several people to dock Defiance.
• Rudder hard port (rudder control stick#) Forward click on stick. = Defiance almost pops forward when you engage a gear. The stern will squat and the bow rise and you go in the direction of the rudder.
• One two seconds in gear, just in gear then out again at idle is about the amount of thrust I use when maneuvering. Sometime I have to throttle but on a good day I bet I could do it without touching the throttle.
• It takes me about 3 or 4 forward – reverse cycles to make the first 90 degree turn, to where Defiance is probably 6 feet off the breakwall and parallel to it.
• * In most cases someone will come to help. Be polite but choose if you take a shore assist as they will usually secure you before you are ready messing you up.
• On the final 90 degree turn to the dock I will usually get to a bit of throttle just for that little kick. It can take a dozen or sometimes more forward aft jig saws for the final parallel.
• There are advance line maneuvering options that can also be employed after practice, but forward-aft is predictable and safe. What line you secure first will depend on the prevailing wind. The guiding rule for bringing a big boast into a dock is to get one line ashore safely that will allow the boat to drift off safely until you can get a second line ashore.
• No grandstanding.