Have you noticed how the best sailors seem to put in the least effort!<\/p>\n
I taught an Advanced Docking class a few weeks ago, and one of the class participants made a comment that showed a lot of insight!\u00a0 “It’s more about finesse than force!”\u00a0 That is so true.<\/p>\n
When I first learned to do a fairway turn, the shifts came hard,\u00a0fast, and furious and nearly always involved too much throttle which in turn led to another hard shift and too much throttle to correct.\u00a0 As my skills have improved, I find myself only shifting a couple of times during the turn using just enough throttle to hold my position in the fairway.\u00a0 As long as the boat is doing what I want (turning while staying in place) I do nothing.\u00a0 I jokingly tell people that I’m basically a lazy person and don’t want to work any harder than I have to.<\/p>\n
The same is true about every aspect of sailing.\u00a0 During the first day or two of Basic Keel Boat, tacks are accompanied by knees, elbows, and arms flailing.\u00a0 By day three, things happen much quicker and smoother.<\/p>\n
The best “docker” knows exactly how far it takes to turn the boat and exactly how much speed is required for best rudder control.\u00a0 Coming down the fairway, she sets the required speed\u00a0and when she gets to the required turning point\u00a0makes a simple easy turn.\u00a0 Then, knowing when to go into reverse (most likely without added throttle) allows the boat to ease to a stop just before the end of the slip.<\/p>\n
All of this requires you to know the boat<\/strong>.\u00a0 How much speed is required to obtain rudder control in varying wind conditions?\u00a0 How far does it take to turn the boat 90 degrees to port and\/or starboard under varying conditions?\u00a0 What are the effects of propeller rotation (prop walk and wash) in forward and reverse?\u00a0 Start getting this knowledge during the check out on that boat.\u00a0 But, that isn’t enough … every time you take a boat out practice a couple of basic maneuvers.\u00a0 Test for minimum maneuvering speed, bring it to a stop, back it\u00a0up, fairway turn to the right, fairway turn to the left, what happens in forward if you let go of the wheel (please don’t let go of the wheel while in reverse … bad things happen).\u00a0 All of this will take only a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n One last thought.\u00a0 Any time you see one of those sailors that make it look easy … WATCH!\u00a0 You will learn so much, and before long, it is you others are watching!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you noticed how the best sailors seem to put in the least effort! I taught an Advanced Docking class a few weeks ago, and one of the class participants made a comment that showed a lot of insight!\u00a0 “It’s … Continue reading