All this talk about docking brings back the beginning of the last season. I just moved to a bigger boat (from a 24 (tiller and outboard) to a 27 (wheel and inboard, with wider beam and all the issues with prop walk etc.). I usually sail with my wife, but one can easily consider it shorthanded or single-handed; she is a great help but not much of a sailor. I was incredibly intimidated initially. The first two dockings were somewhat nerve-wrecking. I started with reading a lot (this list and a few other forums). These tips help a lot. But nothing helps like practice. Most of us hate to hear "practice, practice, practice", but this is what helps in the long term. When I launched my new boat, very shortly I went out on the lake and practiced all kinds of maneuvers using the sails and motor; forward and back, stopping and accelerating, I threw a PFD and used it as a mooring buoy/MOB target. Some people looked at me funny, but I don't (and didn't) care. Towards the end of the season I did not have any problems docking. We don't have any currents, but the wind quite often is on the beam.
So in short, even if it seems quite intimidating at first, maneuvering a bigger boat is not such a big deal as it sounds initially. Btw. the only time I fouled the docking was when I had too many helping hands (4 guests in the cockpit and three people on the dock). As Wally said, it works perfectly, until many people are watching. It is a humbling experience. Marek (in quite cold and snowy Ottawa)
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