# Oskar's Harbour Puzzle (java) - impossible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715 "2004-12-27T00:05:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/1 "2004-12-27T00:05:58Z")
I’ve been working on [this puzzle](http://www.btinternet.com/~henleymob/Harbour/Harbour.html) for a while now, and I’ve convinced myself intuitively that there is no solution. I’ve gotten to the point where all but two of the crates are on the boat. Somehow it seems unlikely that someone would go to the trouble of designing this as essentially an elaborate prank. (“Ha! You could literally work on this forever and not be able to solve it!”) Can someone provide either a solution or a rigorous proof that there is none? If it is solvable, I would really like gradual hints, rather than just a solution, if possible. Of course, spoiler boxes would be appreciated. (Type (spoiler)the solution/hint here(/spoiler) but use [square brackets] instead of (round ones)) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/2 "2004-12-27T00:21:14Z")
How do you get the crane to drop the cargo and go back? ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/3 "2004-12-27T00:25:19Z")
You don’t. There can never be any empty space under a crane. You have to bring a smaller crane next to it so that it carries the smaller crane back with it, instead of the cargo. Problem is, the smaller cranes can get blocked from use by big stacks of cargo. I hope that made sense. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/4 "2004-12-27T00:32:31Z")
It’s do-able. I didn’t keep track of the moves though – I was just sort of blindly clicking things. But at least you know it’s possible… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/5 "2004-12-27T00:33:47Z")
I can only get the tallest and next tallest cranes onto the ship. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/6 "2004-12-27T00:36:00Z")
Gah! Now I’ve done it, but, like you, I have no idea how! I suppose I’ll need a pad of paper… ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/7 "2004-12-27T09:10:14Z")
I did it. Not too sure how exactly. Strange puzzle. When I am more awake I’ll try it again and write down the moves. Slee ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/8 "2004-12-27T10:51:19Z")
Here you go. Warning - all I did was take screen captures at each step and shoved them into a word doc. It’s about a 1.6 MB file. [http://userweb.suscom.net/~sokosfamily/puzzle.doc](http://userweb.suscom.net/~sokosfamily/puzzle.doc) It’s nowhere near the best way of solving it but at least its a solution. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/9 "2004-12-27T11:46:40Z")
I disagree. You hit on the key: you take the three-high containers back onto the dock for a while ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oskars-harbour-puzzle-java-impossible/281715/10 "2004-12-27T12:08:23Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Here you go. > > Warning - all I did was take screen captures at each step and shoved them into a word doc. It’s about a 1.6 MB file. > > [http://userweb.suscom.net/~sokosfamily/puzzle.doc](http://userweb.suscom.net/~sokosfamily/puzzle.doc) > > It’s nowhere near the best way of solving it but at least its a solution. … **engineer\_comp\_geek** , you are an engineering computer geek! 😉 Thanks for the solution, it was driving me mad!!! 😃