For many of us, summer boating plans include coastal cruising to various ports. This often means booking transient slips where you have to accept what is available, anchor or grab a mooring buoy. Many skippers have aced docking at their regular slips, but they sometimes get a little shaken when the dockmaster sends them to a slip flanked by a big motoryacht and a towering sportfisherman.
Being prepared, and having your crew ready for whatever transpires, can save you from considerable duress, not to mention possible damage to your boat or finding yourself a viral sensation on social media. All of us can recall battles against current and wind with a pier full of dock-watchers. There are ways to avoid this scene: If you have any doubts about a tight slip, alert the dockmaster ahead of time.
Pro tip: You do not need to put yourself on the VHF radio with your concerns. Instead, call the marina, explain the situation and ask if a better slip is available, or if they have a suggestion to alleviate the problem. Sometimes, waiting for the tide to slow down or the afternoon gusts to subside can mean the difference between a hectic arrival and a serene landing.
When I do north-to-south deliveries, I know that every day and every marina stop will dictate different docking maneuvers. At my home slip, with pilings on either side, I have two bow lines and two spring lines to prevent the transom (and teak swim platform) from hitting the dock. A wrap of green or red tape on each line for port and starboard indicates where it starts to wind around the cleat about an inch from the forward tip. These lines remain on the dock when I travel so they cannot be damaged or lost, and will be readily available when I return.
My travel dock lines are a separate set that includes six 25-foot lines and two 30-foot spring lines, each with a loop spliced on one end. With this set, I can handle any slip possibility, as well as side-to dockage.
Each line has a 14-inch loop on one end for versatility and convenience. If you place the loop over the piling and then, later in the day, another boat comes into the adjacent slip next and tacks a loop over yours, remember this little trick to get your line free: Take the bitter end of your line, pull it through the loop from the other boat, and lift yours off. Be sure to add suitable chafe gear to protect your dock lines, and make sure you carry a sufficient number of fenders, and a pump to keep them firm (if they are inflatable).
I also appreciate that there is a difference between a vacation cruise for a family with young children and a delivery skipper with a schedule to meet. Regardless, good manners prevail. I recall one morning in a popular Fort Lauderdale, Fla., marina when I awoke to loud music blaring from a boat in a nearby slip. After the third or fourth round of the same song, I went out into the cockpit to locate the source. As it turned out, the owner or captain had left the boat, which was locked, and there was no way to do anything about it until someone returned. The dockmaster offered me a different slip, but instead I started the engines and began my trip north.
A lot of boats these days have powerful entertainment systems with more than enough audio horsepower to out-scream a runaway diesel. Some people do not understand how far the sound carries over the water. Keep that in mind when you light up your music or movies aboard the boat. Not everyone wants to hear it. I remember another captain (more like a salty clown) who turned on his VHF radio to hear the repeatable weather forecasts while he was getting his boat ready to roll. For 20 minutes, the weather reports kept spewing into the air. I finally asked him if he was waiting for the weather to change before he left to go fishing, but he had no response.
When cruising for lengthy periods, many skippers use the cockpit to carry a lot of loose items such as hoses, cooking grills, shore power cords, chairs, swimming toys, bikes, coolers and other items. They later remove everything and place it on the dock behind the boat to ease boarding without clutter. Make it a point to maintain a clear path, and avoid obstructing dock space for other boat owners and their guests to walk to their boats safely.
This article was originally published in the July/August 2023 issue.
