I85PREP
⌘ K
HK Coxswain Grade 3 study materials
HK Coxswain Grade 3 study resources

HK Coxswain Grade 3: Ship handling, manoeuvring and seamanship of small local craft

HK Coxswain Grade 3 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Ship handling, manoeuvring and seamanship of small local craft

What the exam tests

Ship-handling questions test control of small local craft in wind, tide and confined water: berthing, anchoring, turning, recovery of a person overboard and handling wash. Hong Kong's strong streams and congested piers make these practical, not theoretical.

Core rules and concepts

  • Know your propeller effect. A right-handed propeller often walks the stern to port when going astern; check your own craft. Use short ahead and astern bursts and allow the stern to swing before committing.
  • The pivot point moves: about a quarter of the length from the bow when going ahead and from the stern when going astern. Turn in a confined basin by using the pivot, not by applying full helm and full throttle.
  • Windage acts on the hull and superstructure; current acts on the underwater body. In crosswind berthing, approach at an angle, use a spring line and let the engine hold the craft against the line.
  • Squat increases in shallow water and at speed; bank effect can suck the bow toward a bank. Slow down in Tolo Channel, Rambler Channel and near moored craft.
  • Anchor with scope of about five to seven times depth in normal conditions, more in a blow. Veer under control, check transits, and weigh anchor vertically with the engine assisting.
  • Local streams are strong at Lei Yue Mun, Kap Shui Mun and Ma Wan. Plan arrivals into the stream where possible and avoid being set onto buoys or piers.

Worked example

You are berthing a 10 m launch at a public pier with the flood stream setting east and the wind from the southwest. You approach from the east, heading west into the stream, at a shallow angle. You prepare a headline and a spring line. At the pier you touch gently, pass the spring ashore, then use ahead power against the spring to hold the bow in while the stern is warped in. If the approach looks wrong, you go around again rather than forcing it.

Traps

Relying on reverse to stop a heavy craft; ignoring prop walk; approaching a pier with the stream on the beam; using too much speed and wash; anchoring with too little scope; and forgetting the kill cord or passenger briefing.