The typical “thing” to do with a boat as you ready dock lines and fenders is to continue\u00a0motoring around while getting everything in place.\u00a0 This has always made me a bit nervous, especially if I have inexperienced\u00a0crew.\u00a0 With inexperienced crew\u00a0often times they are at the wheel while I am the one\u00a0doing the work.\u00a0 After all, I know how far down to hang a fender and how to tie the proper knot to hold it in place.\u00a0 When I see another boat circling like this I tend to stay far away.\u00a0 A moving boat has\u00a0the potential of hitting things.\u00a0 Interestingly, I have\u00a0never seen a boat hit something\u00a0while holding position.<\/p>\n
Here is a nice easy solution.\u00a0 While in safe, open water, point your stern directly into the wind.\u00a0 The natural “weather-vane” effect now holds your bow in place.\u00a0 Put the boat into reverse at a low RPM.\u00a0 Just enough to keep the wind from blowing you forward.\u00a0 In most cases, leaving the throttle at idle is enough.\u00a0 The boat may drift slowly in the direction of the prop walk, however, it won’t be very noticeable.\u00a0 Now, turn the wheel over to the inexperienced crew to\u00a0monitor everything and let you know if a problem develops.<\/p>\n
As a test, I practiced this maneuver the other day and moved less than 50 feet over a five minute span of time.\u00a0 Plenty of time get everything ready without the dangers associated with working on a moving boat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The typical “thing” to do with a boat as you ready dock lines and fenders is to continue\u00a0motoring around while getting everything in place.\u00a0 This has always made me a bit nervous, especially if I have inexperienced\u00a0crew.\u00a0 With inexperienced crew\u00a0often … Continue reading