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Old 04-25-2015, 08:02 PM   #31
High Wire
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City: Cape May, NJ
Vessel Name: Irish Lady
Vessel Model: Monk 36
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,966
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2bucks View Post
"If you cannot see either back corner of your boat, a member of your crew must watch the gap between you and the dock as you back up, and tell you where the boat is. "One foot clear" etc. The most important command is "STOP THE BOAT!". Not "Hold on" or You're too close". Get this last command clearly established before your first docking."



So Mike you're trying to say that good communication between the watchperson and the helmsperson is important? I finally took down the bridge surround canvas on my old boat so I could see the corner as I could not ever, after 15 years of trying on that particular boat, get anything but, "your doing ok" or similar to the question of "how close are we?".

As we're drifting backwards the conversation went like this:

How close are we?
You're doing OK
No, in feet, how close are we?
You're fine
How far away from the dock are we?
Well, uhmmmm, well, YOU'RE GONNA HIT!
Why wouldn't you tell me how far away we were?
I thought you knew
Why would I ask if I already knew?
Well, because you were doing OK until just there at the last

I swear that my wife is a direct descendant of Gracie Allen. The way she can process information and make it come out 190 degrees off is amazing. I know the phrase is 180 degrees, but you can quickly adjust if you know it's exactly opposite. The tricky part is when there is the the extra 10 degrees and you never know which side it goes on.

I love her to death, but, you just have to know the limitations.

Ken
That sounds so familiar! We discuss every docking before hand, but the plan still breaks down when the first line goes across. After a year we are no where near being coordinated enough to use a spring line to get into a tight space.
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Archie
Irish Lady
1984 Monk 36 Hull #46
Currently in Cape May, NJ
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