A really bad day docking my sailboat 

There is no pride lost captain, it takes guts to show what you showed with you in the video all the way, could see the stress and anxiety in your face and the rapid throttle and wheel use as a result. I have yet to see a boater who said his first docking was smooth - we wouldn’t have all the stories around the bar table otherwise. 😜

Best part about this video is when you told your crew "you did good." You didn't get flustered, you didn't yell and you eventually got it done. Bridge resource management 101 👍🏾

Thanks for the upload. I really like that you decided to upload the "failed" attempts as well and a great learning lesseon!

Thank you for sharing this. No matter how many times we dock or leave the slip, situations like this are inevitable. I love how you have made this a valuable training tool for everyone. My heart always pounds whenever we dock! Fair winds to you sir!

As a sailor with 33 years of experience, I can see one egregious error that it took me a long time to learn. When backing, you shouldn’t turn the rudder to extreme angles. Turning requires decent water flow over the rudder, and turning the rudder to the stops actually acts as a brake due to extreme drag. A far better strategy is to give yourself plenty of room, back very slowly, and use minimum rudder angle… doing so will provide faster turning and better control.

We've all been there :) Kudos to you for showing what is about every 5th attempt at docking between pilings

Super high value instructional video. Composure Epitomized, Fantastic work Captain!!

As a novice sailor, these kind of videos really help me build up strength confidence for my upcoming obstacles. Lesson learned! Great job, and thank you captain! 🙏🥰

Been there, done that - got the fender smudges to prove it... Thank you for sharing your learning experience. I'm still new to sailing, so I can relate - and this video with a demonstration of how to come up with "plan B" when "Plan A" fails helps me so much more than watching short videos of "perfect docking".

I thought I was the only one who has days like that!!!! THANK YOU SIR!👍 Henceforth, you are my brother.🙏

Thanks for sharing. I know what it's like when the boat is not behaving as expected. This year I almost have mastered using prop-wash to swing the the bow around, and what a difference that has made

Fair play for posting this, weve all been there!

It was painful for me to watch this video as well. Not because of what you did, but because I saw myself doing the same on several occasions. When I did it, there was no RU-vid to watch and learn from. Without you posting your experience, many boaters (newbies and old timers alike) would unknowingly find themselves in the same situation. There is no telling how many dings you have prevented. It is commendable that you swallowed your pride and posted the video. I have over 40 years experience with a considerable amount in the inside passage and Alaska where there are high tides with lots of current and wind. It has taught me (and you reminded me again) that situational awareness is extremely important along with knowing how your boat will behave in such conditions. Then make a plan before you are in tight quarters. There are times when it is appropriate to go out and drop the hook until conditions improve. Practice, practice, practice. Good job and Thanks so much!!

It’s a lot more difficult than people realise. Good to watch someone face the same issues that we all do …. 👏👍

Massive respect for publishing this warts and all. Never stop learning 💪

Hey Chuck. Good for you demonstrating it can go pear shaped for even the most experience sailor. I'm seen skippers with 30+ years make same or similar mistakes. As they say you learn more from your mistakes than when it goes perfectly well. In my opinion, 2 big lessons here 1. you kept calm throughout, even when it wasn't going to plan. 2. you didn't get ego or bravado get the better of you. You knew when to abort and didn't damage yours or another boat. Both pride & fender smudges are easily fixed. This video is a must watch for anyone who docks on a finger / catwalk berth. Well done.

Been there and done that. Full marks for showing it and the stress you experienced. Docking in wind is hard. I’ve used young dock crew who move the boats to get me in. Always amazed at how much power they use to get it done. Well done skipper, you’ve earned a beer.

I docked my sailboat countless of times, and so often one or more things went wrong. I wished I filmed it like you did. We all learn from our mistakes. It's hard to see in the video, but you either have current, or your propwalk moves your stern to starboard when going astern (left turning prop). Hats off for staying calm and moving slowly.

Thanks for sharing, brave and honest. It's a useful video. Sooner or later all skippers are going to get caught out close quarter manouvering in strong winds, and sometimes more than once. It's an embarressing and potentially costly situation, which is why most of us conveniently forget about our own nightmare day. I bet you learned a lot from it!

Whew! Bet you’re glad that’s over! A few folks have suggested keeping your boat to windward and using a slower approach… you obviously have learned the perils of going too fast AND not being on the windward side of the alley. I would add putting the boat in neutral several feet before your backing turn with reverse helps the boat glide to her sweet spot & saves your transmission. Biggest suggestions: go slower, stay to windward, don’t go past your slip before turning. Let the prop walk be your friend. Oh… never try to pivot on a piling… too many opportunities for damaging your boat or someone else’s. You figured out the errors (& we’ve all made them!) and I’m sure you’ll remember the feel when it’s all “right”…. You’re a real gentleman for sharing this.

I'm also still learning and I think the final maneuver was beautiful. The boat was yours and you executed once you understood the conditions better. It's an abstract feeling that I've felt when doing more difficult dockings, and this is the best way I can currently describe it. That's what I saw in that final maneuver. Well done sir. O7

Just found this. Thank you for being willing to post this. So many lessons learned from this as opposed to a flawless docking.

Thankfully we don't have these box moorings in the UK. Always good to see somebody being honest and showing how it can go wrong and why. Speed and abusing your transmission. An instructor taught me you have three gears: forward, neutral and reverse just take it slowly it should be like watching paint dry. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for putting this out there. I’m 6months in to docking a 35.1, it ain’t easy. Thanks for the lessons and sharing your experience and knowledge. It helps others.

Hey Chuck! Nice work for posting such a video. Shows humility which can be in short supply in boating! We'll give it our best detect & correct. Here goes: 1. Once in reverse, you need a boatlength or so before the boat settles down. So give yourself time for that; 2. The first point is the reason why forward-reverse-forward-reverse doesn't work well for boats like it does for cars. It is best to start on a reverse course and keep it there until the very end; 3. These boats have their rudder behind the propeller, so the rudder is basically useless in reverse until you reach around half a knot speed. So unlike cars, a multi-point turn doesn't really work for boats (unless you are actively using prop walk, which deserves its own point); 4. Use that prop walk. It can be your friend; 5. Use the whole width of the corridor, not just the center. Favour the opposite side, esp if it is the upwind side like this example. Have fun! You'll get it. 👍

Nobody injured, no damage to anyone else’s property, just a couple marks you can buff out? That’s a successful docking maneuver. No room for egos at the dock, just get your crew and your boat tied up safely.

I love that you shared this! You didn't hit any other boats and eventually made it in, so...win! Most of us have been there and anyone who says they haven't is probably lying. On my 1st attempt at stern-to docking on a larger sailboat it took me 4 frustrating attempts, then a stop at a mooring ball to regroup and calm down, then finally made it in. As you discovered, you can't overcome the force of the wind on the bow if you don't have enough speed, and getting that bow into the wind is critical with that wind direction. I'm sure you've got it all figured out by now! Thanks for sharing.

The human side of docking. Thanks for sharing.

It is immensely pleasing to see a video about the trials of berthing in windy conditions. Far, far too many videos only show it being done in mill pond conditions. Thank you.

Appreciating the honesty of this video immensely. Remember though, steer before gear. I'll bet the post-cruise martini never tasted better!

Thanks for having the guts to post this. We've all been there to some degree and you can't get better at boating without having this kind of experience. One of the things I love and respect about sailing is it takes anyone who comes at it with pomp and pride and CRUSHES those!

Thanks for not letting your ego prevent helping the rest of us learning to dock. It's a tricky business!

Most courageous posting ever!

Thank you so much for posting this. I have so much docking anxiety as I haven't done it yet. Watching it go poorly and seeing the abort and recovery is very helpful.

thank you for showing all the video and your experience. I find these types of video much more valuable tot just the "here is how to do it and how easy it is". I find most people get nervous if oath are judging and that creates m ore issues still. Awesome again to see how you guys worked as team, encouragement and providing these window into your learnings so outré can learn too !

Well done for showing what it's really like on a bad day! Real respect for you!

I am in my year two of my sailing and I am still learning to learn to dock flawlessly. Thanks for sharing that these things happen to most experienced people too and that gives me more confidence!

I find docking to be the most stressful time of a day on the water. It's great to have this point of view video, it enables me to think through what I would be doing in each moment of the manoeuvre. Well done for not losing your cool. I've been in situations like this when it just doesn't seem to work even though what you are doing seems to be the right thing. No two attempts are ever the same, it's just a matter of getting to know the boat and the conditions. I have hopes to be as good as you are one day.

Respect, we’ve all been there and still learning. Why it succeeded the last time? In windy conditions dock backward with a loooong run in reverse on the luff side, and know the center turningpoint of your boat (usualy 1 meter behind the mast)…and be easy on the throttle. And remember; Any docking you can walk away from is a good docking. 😉

I have a 45' Hunter and I have had many days like this one. You did an excellent job...you didn't hit anything, you kept your cool and you knew when to abort and try again. My boat does not handle well with any wind on the beam greater than 9 or 10mph and it always seems like a good gust hits me at the worst possible time. That said I've never hit another boat and have not caused any damage to my own or to the dock.

Better your pride damaged than anything else. But to me your pride is intact, you kept calm, did not panic by trying to over powering it (which causes more problems and you hit things harder), you persevered and you got there. You kept your crew calm, no shouting, no blaming, all very calm and collected, I would crew for you. Thank you for sharing.

Sometimes you watch the show, sometimes you are the show. I've been on both sides myself, you didn't lose your cool, most important thing.

Thank you for sharing this. Just got my first boat which is much bigger than what I learned on. About to go through a bunch of lessons now on docking it. Props for not panicking when things weren’t going your way 👍

A great educational video . There is no point in showing how to do it in no wind . In my opinion there shouldn't be any scars to your pride. You worked out pretty quickly what and how to change it , during the whole process you kept your calm, no panic, no shouting. Thank you.

I watch these time and time again. 3 things need to be in your favour, wind, tide and prop walk. And, never stop the boat if you have to deal with any of these two, you’re dead in the water. Well done for persevering, everyone has their mooring hells!

We all have to learn... The first day I took my 20ft yacht out under power the weather was still, the water smooth as glass, I went from the launch pond to the finger mooring perfectly, the marine hand taking me to my new slip said it was perfect. The second time out, still calm but not like glass this time it took me two attempts to get out of the finger pontoon and about three attempts to get into the mooring finger, even with a novice deckhand assisting with the lines. The third time out, on my own, with high ripples and a gentle breeze from the starboard and quite a strong current from the bow, and it easily took me several attempts to dock on my own, and some of those were 'oh poop' moments where I needed to react quickly to sudden gusts... I learnt a lot more that day then on the days when things went smoothly... I've not read the comments, but I bet there is more praise for you showing us this 'bad day' video than there would be had you shown us how you do it perfectly. You've just made a lot of novice boaters feel right at home...

I had almost the exact scenario a few weeks ago. Was feeling pretty confident in our new slip and that over confidence got the best of me. The worst moments are when you decide to abort but end up so close to the neighboring boats and turning away will likely swing one end or the other into them. You did a great job maintaining your composure (on the outside as we all know what we're feeling on the inside!). As long as it is a learning experience without significant damage or injury, all is good and it makes us better sailors. Thanks for sharing as it makes us realize we're all in the same boat so to speak.

The bow is much more influenced by wind than the stern. You might have sharpened your angle to minimize the wind, I was happy to see you figured out for yourself. Based on what I saw, on this day and doing it the way you started out doing it, the bow was never going to come around. You needed to turn your bow to stbd when your bow was just short of your slip. 80-85 degrees would be a good suggestion, but depends on wind. You tried to go way past your slip and then go into reverse, get up a head of steam and be able to steer it in with the rudder. However the wind was keeping the bow from coming around. It also appeared to me that you were trying to "kick" the stern to port by turning to port and giving the motor a quick blast forward. That was never going to work. You should have turned the wheel all the way to stbd, and a quick kick forward. Even this might not have worked because you started out running perpendicular to your slip. As you were approaching your slip, and as your bow came just short of your first piling, you would want to turn to stbd. until you were, as I said earlier about 80 degrees to your slip. Then with your boat in reverse, your prop walk (not wash) would pull the stern to port and the bow would go to stbd. and you could have backed straight in. Remember "Neutral is Your Friend". After initiating a "kick" go back to neutral and see what the boat is doing. Typically It will continue rotating in which ever way the prop and rudder were utilized. Check out this video to see how this organization teaches students to back to a slip. You only need to modify what they are teaching, based on wind. It's rather long, you can skip ahead if you already feel comfortable with the first half. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PoGMAEjiHmU.html Good luck and keep practicing!

We were born to learn from mistakes. Thanks for your video

Thank you for posting this. Sometimes it's not apparent how difficult this can be. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of errors to get better. But just about the time you think you've done it all, you'll get another lesson :)

That took a LOT of humility to post! Kudos! As they say, any landing you can walk away from without blood or a dollar sign attached is a success. And it's slways easy for others to arm chair quarterback. You didn't loose your cool or yell at your first mate. You both held it together. 👍

In this situation it would be better to pass your slip much more to the starboard side of the passage (right from the centre, nearer the opposite side boats), then reverse with more speed into your slip. Being too near the port side with the wind from the starboard will always push you onto the obstacles on your left and limit your manoeuvring. The wind will pivot your bow to port, especially with lower boat speeds. You can't control the bow directly (without the bow thruster) - only the stern, and even that only when the boat is in significant motion.

Very good captain Chuck, It challenging for sure when the wind or current is affecting the you and your boat, I think you did a great job at not getting frustrated and cussing like many do. Keeping a level head studying the wind current and how your boat maneuvers is best practice every time. My suggestion is to slow down a bit more and be gentle on the forward and reverse. It all takes practice. Empty docks and slips are a great place to practice if you can find one. They offer more relaxed practice as there is no other boat to hit. Jim Rodgers

It is a great courage to show how something is going wrong. Compliments for that. The movie is great.

I've never sailed a boat (yet) much less docked one but I've been a truck driver many years. One of the first lessons I learned (the hard way) driving and backing, is to not try to force a bad situation. If you get the set up wrong just suck it up, move back to a safe place and take a moment to evaluate the situation and think of a plan. Rinse and repeat. In my early days I could easily take multiple attempts to back that trailer in places that should have been easy. Experience and patience are key. All these years later and I'm still learning lessons the hard way. Just a few weeks ago I had to have a wrecker pull my trailer out of a ditch because I tried to make a turn off a busy highway onto a narrow business entrance with dirches on both sides. Instead of being patient and waiting for traffic to clear, I didn't want to hold up the cars behind me so I went ahead and tried to make the turn.... $1500 wrecker bill later and another lesson on patience learned. My wife and I are taking the ASA 101 in July and it looks like I have a new huge learning curve to overcome. Thank you for posting this, it's truly educational!

My dear chap, we have all been in that situation! You persevered and got your yacht in, and that is what matters. Best wishes from England

I thought you did really well … and YOU DID! 👏👏 I teach docking and undocking all over the country - got my first skippers job 40 years ago on a 58 footer in Spain….then I joined the Royal Navy and drove warships around the world … so I really know what I m talking about 🤙 You know your key to success on your 3 rd attempt …?!! Speed ! More speed 👏👏 the number 1 reason for docking fails is going too slowly , but you must use ALL of your 28 hp to stop … lol Plus…. you gave yourself a tad more room with your Jilt to the far side as you were backing up …. 👍 Just to be helpful … once you were in your dock I saw you do what ALL my clients do until I ve coached them….. you were looking forwards while going backwards and not looking how far off your stern was. So…. Really well done - you stayed “in the fight” -I coach that ….. just look backwards or sideways to see your stopping point in your dock 🙂👍 👏👏👏👏👏👏🥂

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing. We have put ourselves in almost identical situations and ended up with similarly injured pride. I seem to find it easier to advise sailors on RU-vid than to execute a tricky docking manoeuvre in the heat of the moment. I hope I learn as much from my misadventures as you do from yours! Thanks again, fair winds to you.

Thanks for sharing, very valuable learning opportunity!

Chuck, I tip my cap to you for posting this video. Years ago we owned a Catalina 30, wheel steering. We kept the boat at a marina similar to yours, and required back in only. Sailboats are not made to back in a slip, and many times I had the same challenges you showed. I continue to this day to feel a panic attack when I think about docking that boat, or watching your video. Thank you sharing with everyone.

That was was so real. Happens to us all. Even the most experienced.

No injuries. No major damage. You did great!!!!

I think you should be going backward from the very beginning and then make a backward left turn instead of right turn which you try without success. Or you could be docking forward. This is even easier.

I felt your pain when I watched your relentless tries and it reminded me of how I found a solution for my problem. Chuck, most posters responded with support and kind words. Some provided solutions that are helpful. I would like to add mine as this maneuver is not suggested. Come down the fairway as you do and as you get close to your slip reduce your speed to 2 Knots or less. Then when you are one boat width close to your port boat, which is docked to your starboard dock, turn hard to starboard as if you are trying to dock in the slip just to your starboard slip. Put in revese and turn hard to port at idle. This will make your stern move towards your slip and your boat should be parallel to your slip. After the stern enters the slip straighten the rudder and let it slide into the slip. You will have to practice as how to move back into the slip. I always back in with my Catalina 36. If I go in with bow first - whn I pull out the wind blows the bow down to starboard and I then have to back up all the way on the fairway. Going forward out of the slip gives me more control.

Thank you for sharing this and being honest! I’m buying my first boat coming up and with limited docking experience I am quite nervous.

I got here from your Catalina 27 video. I just bought my first boat and it's a 1988 Cat 27. Thanks for posting your experiences! I'm trying to learn as much as I can and this is really helpful. Fair winds!

Nerves of steel! I have a 25 just learning too and getting back to my slip leaves me wrung out and in need of a stiff drink

Thanks a lot for sharing one of the bad ones. We all learn a lot from those... 😊

Good reminder prior to purchasing, size up the previous owner as much as the boat! Nice progress and admire your humility. I had a heck of a time docking head in to my slip in a good blow turning the same direction as my prop walk. Super light boat with a big prominent bow area. Don't know that i ever got the hang of it having moved to another marina where my turn is now opposite.

thanks. this kind of videos are very helpful

Been there, done that! I had a similar Hunter, a 2005 38. Also a Variprop that had quite an aggressive pitch in reverse. The stern moves to port in reverse, especially when you put the boat in reverse to slowdown and change to moving the boat backwards. In this case, that and the wind blowing the bow also to port is why your boat just crabbed to port. I learned the thing to do is to turn the boat out in an open space and back in from somewhere with enough room to turn around, however far from your slip that is. With room the boat will spin in its own length as long as you turn to starboard. Engine into neutral, slow down to dead slow, wheel hard over for a starboard turn. Now into forward and a blast of gas to push water over the rudder, back into neutral. As the boat turns and starts to come to a stop , into reverse and a bit of gas to use the propwalk to keep the boat turning, then again as the turn slows a little bit of forward. Always plan to spin the boat to starboard. But hey. What you did worked and that's all that matters. It's always possible to go find a space to sit with the boat stern to the wind and take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan a different approach. We live and hopefully learn.

Everyone has bad days backing into pen, conditions are always different and you will learn from this one.

Thanks for sharing. We all went through this. I also recorded and watched my own videos of docking/sailing. I found there are lots of details in these videos that help me find where to improve. I think the steerage is the key in docking especially in the windy condition. In your successful attempt, I noticed the boat actually had the steerage all the way into the slip. Without the steerage, you have to put the boat in the precise position to compensate the effect of wind, current and prop walk.

Heh, I have been there! You feel like everyone in the marina is watching and judging :)

The good about the Hunter Is all the interior volume, the bad is that is comes with a lot of freeboard and catches the wind. You got it done, strong work. Never stop learning!

You made your day. No damages no injury's. Maybe spend some dollar for a bow truster that makes live easier after a nice sailing. Thanks for the video.

Great video, thank you for showing it is not allways going right. I experience the same, but it happens to everyone. Regards Sander from the Netherlands.

I feel your pain.... I myself had a bad day mooring yesterday too.... practice makes perfect!!

Been there done that. The good news is that you got it👍

Well done i know it`s not easy, but you will get there, we all had to practice.

So either go well past your birth so that you have lots of control when you reverse up or reverse up the channel and use slip momentum to progress the turn. Going 1/2 a boat length past your birth and then reversing is never going to work as you found out. By the time you have control the wind has taken your bow down. Also when you reverse, yo don't check your bow frequently enough and it's clear that you line your stern up without lining watching what the wind has done to your bow. For me I would reverse up towards the birth so that I can turn in to an open birth and use momentum to make the turn. Any time you are forward / backward, repeat on the throttle is the time to stop because you wont have control.

great video thanks from over the pond “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

Immediately, I hear the wind - tide and current to me unknown. Proper job fella. We start, learn and get better in life from failing. Not getting it right every time. 👍

1) everybody has done this at some point 2) if you embarrass easily, sailing isn’t for you. Great job keeping your cool.

I feel your pain. New boat owner, here, with a full keel to boot. Having wind to contend with definitely makes it more complicated. I'm curious, why is everyone Med-moored? I have an old boat, so I always go in bow first. Overall, well done. No damage and the process added to your experience level. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing. It is hard to back into a berth with wind and all.

Glad i m not alone 😂, that’s learning . Thx for the video 👍😊💪🤘

Very instructive

Thanks for sharing, docking can be such a challenge - we get it wrong so often but as you said - "still learning"! 🙂

Nice video, it is a nice demonstration of what does not work and what does work. I am not sure about your debrief: "I should have made a strong pivot into the wind and and let it help blow me back into slip." In this case, you need to use your backward speed to throw your bow against the wind (so exactly what you did in the last attempt). To me, the last maneuver definitely was *the* way to do it. One could perfect it, but I wouldn't try another way. With more wind, just use more backward speed and be more assertive when you point stern into the slip, this gives you momentum to throw your bow against the wind. Then, the bow just follows the stern. One other cool thing that you did is the forward left turn using prop wash at 7:46; it anticipates and counters the prop walk when you engage the engine backward.

Nobody's perfect. Thanks for shareing.

Thank you for sharing this

I think you did well. The important decisions you made was to abort rather than trying to force issue. Good show. Going through something similar I now get going in reverse till I have steerage and enter fairway going at the appropriate speed, ensuring steerage and backing into the slip. Cheers. You did us all a favor putting this video on. Cheers.

Let's just call it, "testing the maneuverability of the boat under adverse conditions." Mission complete.

Was rooting for you the whole time. Calm and collective.

amusing for viewers, appalling for the skipper, but respect for honesty

I have to reverse my big bellied 1974 S&S Skeg Hung rudder shaft drive (with hideous port prop walk) 38ft yacht through about 1200ft in an S shape to starboard and around this annoying bow sprit from a big race yacht into a tiny pocket berth in front of all these terrace restauarants in wind and tide. No times have ever been alike and I barely breathe in any of them.. I’m not sure it ever gets easier but our ability to bail out at the right time does get better :). Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing the learnings! I'm sure you are a Pro by now.

Thanks for sharing the experience, bet you needed a good drink after that