How to Dock a Boat
Docking needs time and patience. It’s important that you understand how to manage external factors, like the wind and current, when sailing. Here are some tips you can follow to dock a boat.
Purposes of Learning to Dock a Boat Properly
Having the right skills of docking a boat lets you avoid accidents.
Knowing how to dock a boat correctly is one way of being a responsible person when sailing.
Docking shouldn’t take a lot of time and effort to do. Learning the correct techniques will help you perform this task easily.
External Elements
When you’re out in the water, external factors, like the wind and current affect how you maneuver your boat.
Water current is the direction the water runs under your boat. The wind affects where your boat is going by the resistance is puts on your sail.
These 2 elements wouldn’t be hard to control if their direction is aligned to where your boat is going. It’ll even help you properly steer your boat to the correct angle, but if these factors go against the angle that you what to position your boat in, you’ll need to take more control.
Assess
Know the direction of the water current and the wind. They play a very important role on how you’ll dock your boat. These are the things that will help you decide on the speed and angle that you need to have when docking your boat.
Docking Preparations
Have your gears and lines ready for docking.
If you’re not sailing alone, don’t forget to tell your companions that you’re about to dock. Informing your crew would allow them to help you out.
You need to have 3 lines ready when docking. These lines are the bow, stern and midship.
Going in
For beginners, it’s advisable that you go slow when docking so that you’ll only have minimal damages if in case, you commit an error or miscalculate.
Low Current and Wind
Put the steering wheel in neutral position. As you come near the dock, turn your wheel so the boat becomes parallel to the platform.
When the boat is already parallel to the dock, shift back to neutral and then reverse to stop the boat from advancing further.
If the wind’s path is towards the dock, allow the wind to take you there by having just the right speed and pressure on your boat.
Dock with more power if the wind is coming from the opposite direction. This will cancel out the wind’s effect on your boat.
Strong Wind from the Stern
If there’s a strong wind, you need to apply more thrust than you would normally do when there’s only low wind.
If the wind’s direction is on the back end of your boat, slow down and prepare to put your boat on reverse at an earlier time to stop it from further advancing forward.
Keep in mind then when the wind is at the back end of your boat, it’ll speed up your boat as you near the dock. To avoid this, you need to have an equal amount of pressure as the wind and go in at a higher speed.
Another way of avoiding the effects of a strong wind is through back slipping. You’ll be able to put more power on your boat without worrying about the added speed from the wind.
Practice and learn how to dock in different situations. Avoid accidents by knowing how to play with the elements when you’re out on your boat. These elements are what makes sailing exciting. Don’t let the wind and current outwit you. Remember that there’s no thrill in sailing when the skies are clear and blue…