The 50-foot flybridge cruiser was reflecting light much like the surrounding skyscrapers as I approached the New York City marina. I jumped on board, opened the large sliding doors and hatches in the forward stateroom, and began to run through the systems. She was mine for the next four days, and I wanted to be prepared.
I had served as crew aboard the loaner boat frequently that season with colleagues. We circumnavigated Manhattan Island, took clients sightseeing to the Statue of Liberty and headed north on the Hudson River. I was surrounded by seasoned boaters, both marine editors and advertising executives, and I learned things that became a checklist of sorts for boat safety, piloting and preparation.
Thanks to everything I gleaned during that long summer, my weekend of being in command went swimmingly well. When it came time to return, nearly all the out-of-towners who had stepped on board decided they would disembark late and hop on commuter trains or taxis back to their homes. I was both thrilled and apprehensive, since docking at this marina had humbled me on a few occasions. Our seasonal slip was in a small, confined marina with formidable currents and shifting winds. Our spot was in the back corner of the marina on the inside of a finger pier that required fast maneuvers to avoid careening into the fleet of sailboats that lined the back wall. More than a few times, I had tried to do too much, once leaning too hard on the bow thruster, almost learning the hard way what could happen when an electric bow thruster overheats.
Now, without my experienced crew to offer advice, I was at the helm and passing under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. I steeled myself for what was to come. At the mouth of the marina, conditions were the opposite of what I’d expected. My plans were dashed. I’d have to blast the throttles just to get in against the current and wind, and then what?
I recalled the actions of a beloved colleague, now gone off to his reward, who had found himself in a similar situation. I abandoned my oft-practiced series of adroit maneuvers. I brought our bow pulpit inches from the sailboats, and, with just a light hand on the throttles, let the wind and current push the tall boat along the finger pier.
Sometimes, doing almost nothing yields excellent results.
This article was originally published in the April 2023 issue.
