February sailing on the Lower Chesapeake Bay. My son and I had a great sail. Wind was moderate. Temp was moderate. The wind did pick up to 20's as we headed back and made for interesting docking.
Nice one. Reversing into the 'street' (what's the correct term in English?). You stayed on the port side, making a large turn which is good with this wind direction. Personally, I would have opted for less speed for the last two boat lengths. Or even a small 'blip' forward to reduce the reversing speed of the boat. Good that you change position when reversing: not looking over your shoulder but stepping to the other side of the wheel. It makes life so much easier. The downside is that you can't see your crew member's actions (or lack of). Do you discuss with the crew what you're expecting (wind direction, wind speed, how the boat reacts to the wind) before you enter the harbor? Personally, I think that the boat had too much speed reversing into its berth. Your body language gives it away. You do a lot of things at the same time. And you had to control the crew member's actions. Fenders on the outside can be done the moment you enter the port. This is a good idea because it gives you some protection during manoeuvering into the harbor. When you discuss the whole docking procedure before entering the harbor and execute the procedure step by step, then the fenders would have been installed. And, on the + side: when everything is done step by step, the crew members look back at the whole situation with a positive feeling: everything was clear to them and worked smoothly.
Thanks for watching and the very helpful comments. I did feel that I need some extra speed to make sure that I could stay to the port side and to make sure the bow would come around into the wind when I made the turn. Facing backwards really is easier for me. a lot easier to glance back at the bow that to strain over the shoulder to the direction I am backing. The fenders were over the side before I started backing. And the docking procedure, and his role, was discussed with the crew, my son, before we left the dock. But he is not a sailor and doesn't sail often with me. I need to make sure I keep the tone of my voice more patient guest.... even family! Especially family 🙂 thanks for watching
