Transcription
For today's video, I want to talk about docking because docking is by far the hardest part of solo sailing.
The easiest way to dock is with the wind pressing you up against the dock. You have full control of the boat's forward and reverse motion, and so it just becomes a matter of timing. You want to enter the slip slow and under control, using the throttle and time it so the wind wind pushes you gently into the dock.
The next easiest way to dock is with the wind dead ahead. With the wind dead ahead, you don't have any sideways forces on the boat pushing you off course, and you can use the wind to slow the boat. You want to enter the slip with just enough speed to maintain steering control, and then let the wind on the bow do the braking as you step off and set the lines. It's important to keep control of the bow and set the bow line first because if the boat starts to turn, the bow will be pushed away and the boat will want to go sideways to the wind.
So, the wind coming from dead ahead, a beam pushing you into the dock, and even back to almost the stern quarter is all pretty easy. Winds pushing you away from the dock or a strong breeze from a stern while docking solo can be quite challenging. A strong breeze pushing the boat away from the dock can take control of the bow, and you can end up cockeyed in the slip. Once you lose control of the bow, the wind setting a stern line will do you no good. It's very important to maintain control of the bow when the winds are pushing you away from the dock.
Similarly, with the winds from the forward quarter, the bow can quickly turn away, and the boat can end up at a 45 or even 90° angle in the slip. When the winds are from the stern, the problem will be controlling your speed as you enter the slip. It can be quite difficult to slow the boat with a strong wind coming from a stern. If you give too much reverse throttle, you lose steering control. You want to control the approach with reverse throttle while still maintaining enough forward speed to have steering control. When you get into the slip, give some reverse to stop the boat and get the stern line on quickly. Once the stern line is secured, the wind will push the bow into the dock. You can also use forward or reverse thrust, depending on the wind direction, to control the bow and keep it pressed into the dock until all lines are secured.
When heling the boat, keep in mind that if your motor is not on center line and mounted on the port side like mine, then the motor will tend to push the bow to the opposite side, to starboard, when motoring forward. This can make pushing the bow into or toward the wind on the port side very difficult, but it will help to make quick, sharp turns to starboard and to push the bow into the wind on the starboard side.
When the winds are pushing me away from the dock, I use a technique I call "kissing the dock." This is where you face the bow into the wind and use the throttle to bring the bow right up to the dock, and then step off the boat with lines in hand to walk the boat into the slip. You can also kiss the end of the dock if there's not enough room or a large boat next to you.
When the wind is from a stern, I press the beam of the boat onto the end of the dock, then step off the boat with lines in hand and walk the boat around the corner and into the slip. If the wind is from the beam, you can come into the end of the dock with the bow pointed into the wind. Again, use the wind to slow the boat and press the beam right into the end of the dock. Step off with lines in hand. The only problem here is that the lines will be on the wrong side of the boat to make the turn into the slip.
Well, I hope you found this video helpful. Feel free to post any questions down below in the comments, and as always, thanks for watching.