Tips For Safe Docking: Docking a boat is an important part of sailing. You need to be careful while docking a boat; otherwise, you may damage the boat. This is important for beginners as well as expert sailors. If you do not know how to dock a yacht, this means you are not totally familiar with sailing.
At times, when a boat hits the dock at a fast speed, either of its sides may get seriously damaged. Moreover, the sailor may also suffer from an injury. Generally, it does not take a rocket scientist to dock a yacht properly. In this article, we have explained 5 tips that can help you dock your yacht safely. So, read on to uncover those simple tips.
Approach the dock
First of all, you need to keep control over the boat and reach the dock at a fair speed and shallow angle. Fast speed can cause the boat to hit the dock hard. You cannot afford to break your boat. So, keep the speed low as reverse gear cannot reduce the speed instantly.
Tie the fenders properly to the lifelines
Make sure you have tied the fenders to the lifelines properly. Apart from this, you should tie the bow dock line to the anchor cleat. Next, connect the stern line to the aft cleat before you get closer to the dock. This will give you support.
Avoid accidents and injuries
No part of your body should be between the dock and the yacht. Most new sailors make this mistake while trying to dock a yacht. Boats move easily on water because water is less resistant than ground. In order to prevent accidents and injuries, you should keep this point in mind.
Step on the dock
Do not leap on the dock. Instead, step onto it slowly. Leaping may cause the boat to move away from you suddenly. The yacht will swing and you may fall into water. So, step into the dock slowly by placing one foot after another. This is a safer method to get off a boat. Another important advice is that it is better if you step out off the yacht when it is closer to the dock.
Get help from a friend to tie the dock lines
You can toss the dock line to friend standing at the dock. Before tossing the dock lines, make sure you tie the rope to the cheat and double check it. At times, the other person does not secure the rope to the dock tightly, so you should check it to make sure it is tied tightly.
Keep an eye on the tide level as well. The length of the boat should be enough to tide the boat to the dock. Moreover, there should be proper distance between the dock and your boat. The direction of the boat may change with the direction of the wind if there is too much distance between the boat and the dock. So, keep all the tips given in this article in your mind. This will help you dock a yacht easily and safely. Do not lose heart if your first attempt of docking the yacht ends in smoke. Keep on trying.
This is a guest post written by Grant Headifen captain and owner of NauticEd sailing school. Grant blogs about sailing and writes online sailing courses. If you want to learn how to dock a boat and how to sail safe NauticEd can help you to learn or improve your sailing skills. Hope you love reading “5 Tips For Safe Docking”.
