Home Depart from & Return to Dock and/or Slip
Depart from & Return to Dock and/or Slip
Purpose-Value:
- Practice and develop the boathandling skills of leaving and returning to a dock and/or slip.
Setting Up the Drill:
- Equipment: powerboats rigged with bow, stern and spring lines, and fenders
- For beginning operators, use a dockside that aligns with the wind or current (whichever is stronger).
- For sufficiently advanced operators, use a dockside that has a crosswind or crosscurrent (whichever is stronger).
Conducting the Drill:
- Each boat leaves from the dock by backing away, and then circles to make an approach at minimum control speed, and brings the boat alongside the dock.
- Operators practice leaving and returning from both sides of the dock.
Teaching Tips:
- Repeat the drill until all operators can successfully leave and return to the dock and/or slip.
- This drill is usually used for operators with some experience.
- For first-time operators without a trainer onboard, the Rubber Docking Drill should be used until the operators have developed their skills enough to avoid hitting the dock hard.
Common Errors:
- When departing, turning the engine (or rudder) in the wrong direction when backing away from the dock or slip.
- When docking, making approach at a speed greater than minimum control speed.
- When docking, turning the engine (or rudder) in the wrong direction when reversing to bring the boat parallel to the dock.
References:
- Safe Powerboating Handling On-Water Skill Standards 2.1, 2.2, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and their rubrics
- Start Powerboating Right! textbook pp. 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 & 59 (rudder steering), 61 & 62 (rudder steering)