I sail a O'day 20 on a inland lake, and today was a wonderful day for sailing. I dock at the end so I've never had a problem getting in or leaving. The water levels are really low now and the cove I normally curl into before i dock was lower then i thought. Had to pull my keel completely up to keep from bottoming. Anyway had so much trouble getting to the dock that I took a paddle back in. There was another boat coming in and he slammed his bow straight into the dock. Ive made this many times before but am I forgetting something? Could have motored in but today I left my motor in the truck. Any suggestions would be great, no matter how harsh. I felt really stupid coming in.
lost something I had
- Thread starter soldier1964
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The Centerboard (Your keel can't be pulled up, it is fixed! only the centerboard within the keel can be raised/lowered) does help a lot in steering, and also adds a lot to sailing control. I would have only pulled it up as much as I absolutely had to (to clear the bottom) while maintaining directional control. You don't say what way the wind was blowing relative to the dock, that could help us to suggest ideas for easier docking.
Docking can be a pain and is a art.
All it takes is practise, your head on a swivel, but not much talent, really.
With the center board up your boat will "slip sideways" on the water easier, I bet if you fooled @ with it up, you'd see how she acts and would be ready for any thing she does "stupid" (cuz it not YOU, it's the BOAT that likes to do stupid things- I realized this early in my sailing carreer)! I dunno know how many times I've asked my boats, "What were you thinking? Are you crazy"!
Always remember when you F*** up, 1000 people will be watching, when you dock like the space shuttle, your alone on the lake!
I always come in a wide arc, looking for boats easing out, get paralel to my docks about the middle of the slip water before I enter my slip.
I look at the current, waves, (did a power boat just whiz by sending a wake bashing towards you??), to see if it's gonna push me one way or the other, then I CREEP into the slip. I make sure my bumpers are down and ready to go WAY before I get into the dock area, my sails down (or on my last boat, the jib down, the main "weather vained").
All I want to do is steer as little as I have to and glide in.
I also have a bumper attached to the center of the dock in case I come in hot.
When I took the ASA class the instructor told me if your not bored coming into your slip, your too fast.
With a motor it's easy, just hit reverse gas it up to stop you, but a paddle? grab a dock line and hold yourself back, the paddle as a pole to keep your centered.
I use my E-lectric motor quite a bit to dock and slip away, for me it's easier to control, when I'm pass the "no wake bouy' I fire the gasser up, same returning.
Only once did I have a "OH SHEET"! moment.
2 power boats desided to race by the dock at high speed (on the shore side of the "No Wake Bouy", maybe 15' from the first slip and sent a tsumaimi wave into the slips. I was about 7/8 of the way into the slip when it picked me up and sent me on to the floating dock on the starboard side.
The floating dock went UNDER my boat and damn near rolled me over.
Thankfully the centerboard was down and I was standing on the "high" side just enough or the sailing Gods smiled on me or?? andI just scrapped off the dock, the rocking almost sent me over the side, but I had fallen to the deck floor adn roll about like a clown.
Was a scary few monemts.
Scratch the sheet outta my boat, sent a few people down to my dock to see what had happened, curse at the power boats a good way away by now. A few docking lines on some boats were snapped, a few boats battered @ a bit.
The more you dock, the easier it gets. Sometimes like the loading ramps, it fun to watch guys dock! Mostly guys with BIG H.P. boats trying to act cool? or have no "throttle control" are the guys who bash the docks.
Joe
Mariner 2+2
3686
take any advice or things I do with a can of beer er 2!
All it takes is practise, your head on a swivel, but not much talent, really.
With the center board up your boat will "slip sideways" on the water easier, I bet if you fooled @ with it up, you'd see how she acts and would be ready for any thing she does "stupid" (cuz it not YOU, it's the BOAT that likes to do stupid things- I realized this early in my sailing carreer)! I dunno know how many times I've asked my boats, "What were you thinking? Are you crazy"!
Always remember when you F*** up, 1000 people will be watching, when you dock like the space shuttle, your alone on the lake!
I always come in a wide arc, looking for boats easing out, get paralel to my docks about the middle of the slip water before I enter my slip.
I look at the current, waves, (did a power boat just whiz by sending a wake bashing towards you??), to see if it's gonna push me one way or the other, then I CREEP into the slip. I make sure my bumpers are down and ready to go WAY before I get into the dock area, my sails down (or on my last boat, the jib down, the main "weather vained").
All I want to do is steer as little as I have to and glide in.
I also have a bumper attached to the center of the dock in case I come in hot.
When I took the ASA class the instructor told me if your not bored coming into your slip, your too fast.
With a motor it's easy, just hit reverse gas it up to stop you, but a paddle? grab a dock line and hold yourself back, the paddle as a pole to keep your centered.
I use my E-lectric motor quite a bit to dock and slip away, for me it's easier to control, when I'm pass the "no wake bouy' I fire the gasser up, same returning.
Only once did I have a "OH SHEET"! moment.
2 power boats desided to race by the dock at high speed (on the shore side of the "No Wake Bouy", maybe 15' from the first slip and sent a tsumaimi wave into the slips. I was about 7/8 of the way into the slip when it picked me up and sent me on to the floating dock on the starboard side.
The floating dock went UNDER my boat and damn near rolled me over.
Thankfully the centerboard was down and I was standing on the "high" side just enough or the sailing Gods smiled on me or?? andI just scrapped off the dock, the rocking almost sent me over the side, but I had fallen to the deck floor adn roll about like a clown.
Was a scary few monemts.
Scratch the sheet outta my boat, sent a few people down to my dock to see what had happened, curse at the power boats a good way away by now. A few docking lines on some boats were snapped, a few boats battered @ a bit.
The more you dock, the easier it gets. Sometimes like the loading ramps, it fun to watch guys dock! Mostly guys with BIG H.P. boats trying to act cool? or have no "throttle control" are the guys who bash the docks.
Joe
Mariner 2+2
3686
take any advice or things I do with a can of beer er 2!
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