Recommended books on docking?

[sailorchic34]

I don't think you can read a book and learn about docking. It just takes lots O practice. Slow is pro, but not too slow. Which way the wind blows, current, prop rotation type of rudder, etc.. Each and every type of boat handles different.

Having some someone aboard to show you how to do it, helps. It takes lots of time to get good enough to not put fenders out first.

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

At which point you usually find that you end up mixing and matching instruction 1 from book 1 column A with instruction 9 from book 3 column D.. and then you make up some kind of personal adaption on the fly because nothing else you've read deals with something you're faced with right now...

The more possible approaches you have in your head, the more likely you are to pull out one that might actually work.

That's why I'm looking for books.

I've been through Duncan Wells' Stress-free Sailing: Single and Short-handed Techniques and it had some intriguing ideas.

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Jdege

The more possible approaches you have in your head, the more likely you are to pull out one that might actually work.

That's why I'm looking for books.

I've been through Duncan Wells' Stress-free Sailing: Single and Short-handed Techniques and it had some intriguing ideas.

I agree, If you have a lot of information readily available to you (ie you've read the books and can actually remember what you read), then you can call on that when you need to. Having said that there's no substitute for experience, but having more information has never been a bad thing in my experience!

Just don't have false confidence. In theory there's no difference between theory and practice, how ever in practice it's a different story all together...

[sailorchic34]

It is amazing how fast docking happens, your first few times. Sort of like parking a car on an icy hill. Trying to remember a passage in a book, while turning into the slip, Well It's flies out the window. Been there, done that as have everyone.

The wind is pushing or pulling, the boat next door is amazingly close to your slip, specially when you dock a sailboat with a 6 foot (or longer) bowsprint.

I pulled into a new marina yesterday, and turned into the slip next to the main connector dock. The boat stopped 6" from the side, and I casually walked off to tie it up. Then tied a fender to the side. Like getting to Carnegie hall, practice, practice and more practice.

[Snore]

Pick one book and read it. Then go out an practice slow speed maneuvering. In a small bay, or ICW lake (not sure where you are).

Trying to learn docking by reading books and watching videos--- well kinda like learning how to make love by ahhhh---reading books and watching videos.

[TonyNA]

At the risk of getting too much information check out Steve and Linda Dashew's books that are now free to download and devour:

SetSail » Free Books

Have a look at Practical Seamanship....covers docking and maneuvering in tight places quite well IN THEORY.

Bottom line.... as other has said above PRACTICE!

[tkeithlu]

Wow! It's almost a lost art, with 25' (!) boats having both bow and stern thrusters and marinas assuming that we can get a 44' single screw no thruster doesn't steer in reverse 60,000# 15' beam boat into a tiny slip with a cross wind. Practice, practice, practice, including just approaching but not touching a channel marker. Our rule is that once the short midship is on a cleat, the rest can be dealt with with lines, but we still have trouble with well-meaning dock hands grabbing a bow line, pulling it in, and rolling our stern out to the nexrt slip. One rule is be sure that you are talking to the dockmaster, not the secretary, on the radio as you approach. A second is never be embarrassed to say you need line help or need a t-head berth

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Snore

Pick one book and read it. Then go out an practice slow speed maneuvering. In a small bay, or ICW lake (not sure where you are).

Trying to learn docking by reading books and watching videos--- well kinda like learning how to make love by ahhhh---reading books and watching videos.

I guess you just need to watch the right videos

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

It is amazing how fast docking happens, your first few times. Sort of like parking a car on an icy hill. Trying to remember a passage in a book, while turning into the slip, Well It's flies out the window. Been there, done that as have everyone.

The one thing I picked up from the single-handing book I mentioned is that you need to set things up - get your lines in position, etc. - while you're out in open water, before you had in to the dock.

I can see how that would be essential for a single-hander, but I think it would be a good idea for everyone. Come into dock with a plan, and an alternative if things don't work the way you'd expect. At least until you've done this enough that you've internalized things.

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Snore

Pick one book and read it. Then go out an practice slow speed maneuvering. In a small bay, or ICW lake (not sure where you are).

Minnesota - plenty of lakes to choose from.

Originally Posted by Snore

Trying to learn docking by reading books and watching videos--- well kinda like learning how to make love by ahhhh---reading books and watching videos.

This is prep for an ASA 118 - docking endorsement - class I'll be taking in a couple of weeks.

[Steve Bean]

I second tkeithlu's suggestion of practicing by approaching a channel marker. Another way that keeps you away from a channel, where you might confuse somebody, is to find a convenient open area and drop a marker overboard, maybe a cardboard box, and practice approaching it from various wind angles. It will drift with the current, so you have mostly the wind to deal with. Learn to maneuver in reverse, too.

[Snore]

Looks like you are trailer sailing a smaller boat with an OB in MN.

Don't over think it.

Focus on learning maneuvering a boat at slow speed. On small boats like that you can man handle if you mess up. As others said practice with things that float like fenders tied to a light anchor line. It will give you a good understanding of how the boat moves, and how prop rotation affects turning radius.

When you can dock a small trailer sailer without spilling the beer--- moving to a bigger boat will be a snap. Just get one line onto the dock to stop the boat and it all comes together.

[valhalla360]

As a few others have said, PRACTICE.

Trying to book learn it isn't a bad thing but even similar boats will handle differently.

Way back we took the 31' boat over to the 50' slips early season when they were empty, calm weaher and went in and out of a dozen or so till it got easy.

[rogern]

Check out Jack Klang's videos on youtube, or buy his dvd oops amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Jack-Klang-Sailing-Singlehanded/dp/B003RC4O4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464880436&sr=8-1&keywords=Jack+klang+docking+dvd

[SVTwilight]

Chapman, YouTube and lotsa Practice in that order.

For practice try arrivals and departures under sail from a mooring first rather than a dock, nothing to hit that way. If you do not have a mooring available, just use a spare anchor with a fender attached.

It is also fun and useful to practice anchoring under sail and weighing anchor under sail.

We do all this every year and it is an amazing confidence builder.

Served us well several times when the engine had a glitch and we didn't want to cave and call the tow boat.