Sailwind How to Unstuck Your Boat

Publish date: 2024-07-30

Tips to Unstuck the Boat

Let your sails out and close haul them. Turn the rudder away from the dock and then right click to lock it. Then push then boat with the ‘F’ key. You might be able to do it from the dock, or you might need to get into the water. Then run and jump until you get back in the boat. When you have turned enough to get forward speed, set your course and try and avoid sandbars etc.

If you fall out of the boat when sailing, you can catch up to it with the run and jump method. It’s a bit tricky at night in a storm though, so always have a lantern burning when you are on deck.

You’ll get the hang of pulling your sail in when docking. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of collision damage, but it’s satisfying when you dock well. Watch out for a bug I encountered coming nose in to the dock end then tying off. The boat heeled over as I was unloading (only one rope tied up) and sank.

When you tie off you can tighten the rope either from the boat side of things by left clicking on the knot and then scrolling the mouse wheel, or from the dock side by right clicking on the rope after tying up and scrolling. Left click on empty space to let go of the rope (not on the tie down point itself).

Taking the sails in when docking can be done a little at a time, or quickly, depending on the type of sail and how it is rigged.

For example, I would normally start taking in the default lateen on the Dhow when I get into one of the channels near Gold Rock City, as in, a mile or more away from the dock. But I only take it in a little, because I still have a mile to go and now I can see underneath the sail better. When I’ve turning toward the dock, then its time to take it in at least halfway, and if I think I’m still going too fast, even more than that.

Gaff sails have many options; some are rigged to be hauled up (and thus will quickly roll back down when its time to take them in, in a second or less) whereas others will deploy by dropping in a second, and then take much longer to winch back up. In some cases, though, if you don’t have much time to take the sails in, you can at least loosen them on their sheet winch so that they’re luffing in the wind and not pushing the ship forward. Loosening the sheets won’t do much good if the wind is coming from directly behind you and you’re sailing with gaffs, fore sails (jibs, genoas), or lateens; those can be let loose when the wind is abeam or ahead of you. Be aware as well that sails which are luffing will still pull your ship a little off course, it simply won’t make you go faster.

If I’m sailing in a ship with 2 masts or more and with more than 2 sails, I generally take in all except 2 sails when I get quite close to any harbour. It’s possible to use the smallest of the sails available for this purpose. Even a large ship like the Brig will handle fine with a small gaff and a tiny jib while on approach. That should also aid with maintaining as tight a turn as possible, since the sails cannot make the ship go too fast, and faster = wider turning circle. [edit] And even so, after the ship is halfway through a turn, if there’s a gaff available to let loose as a “spanker”, it can happily accelerate out of a turn and fairly smartly, too.

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Written by jamespfp

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