The Admiral

Besslb · Feb 13, 2012

Marin wrote:
One thing my wife and I keep intending to do but it never seems to be the right time despite how often we use the boat is for her to practice docking out in the middle of the bay.* Throw a floatation cushion overboard and have her maneuver up to it.

She has a good grasp of how to use the shifters and throttles, particularly since being exposed to the "swivel your hips" method of determining how to manipulate the shifters to pivot the boat.* But it's mainly been a lack of learning and then practice that has kept her from getting into the docking phase of boating.* Leaving a slip is no problem for her, in part because she's not heading into something unyielding but going away from it so she doesn't have the inherent concern about a big bang happening.

But one of these days we'll make time for her to practice with a floating "target" in open water.* Once she gets that down we'll try a dock.

*We hired a captain when we first bought the boat. If I remember correctly, we used a No-Wake buoy to practice circling around in small manuevers.* My biggest issue is my height.* The throttle cable sticks a little and I'm not tall enough to grab the throttle and manhandle it from above.* For me it's more like holding a beer tap.* So I'm a little timid with the precision needed in docking.

markpierce · Feb 13, 2012

Pineapple Girl wrote:
As to the question in general,*I am ok driving the boat in most situations, though I don't take it in and out of the slip (I want to practice this and become comfortable with it). *I occasionally*have to remind myself which is the transmission and which is the throttle, though I would know to throttle back down before shifting gears if I picked the wrong one at first

.*

*Know the feeling, Jennifer.* That's why there's five fenders on each side of the Coot.

markpierce · Feb 13, 2012

This spring*intend to MOB practice with a third-full (of water) Clorox bottle, hopefully with the Admiral eventually*being helmsman.* So, if you see the Coot operating "erratically" in the Carquinez Strait, you'll know why.

Marin · Feb 13, 2012

Besslb wrote:My biggest issue is my height.* The throttle cable sticks a little and I'm not tall enough to grab the throttle and manhandle it from above.* For me it's more like holding a beer tap.

*Don't know if you drive sitting down or standing up, or up top or at the lower helm.* But if you drive standing up perhaps something like*what we in the film industry call an apple box would help.* It's a sturdy,*fully closed box with oval hand holds cut in each end.* They are made in various thicknesses from about six inches to a couple of feet.* In every Paul Newman movie you've ever seen, whenever he was in a medium shot*or close up with another person (or a horse) he was standing on an apple box or walking on a row of them.* He was a really short little guy.

If you drive sitting down perhaps a comfortable foam riser underneath you would help.

Both ideas I'm sure you've thought of already but thought I'd throw them out anyway.....

Besslb · Feb 14, 2012

Marin wrote:
*Don't know if you drive sitting down or standing up, or up top or at the lower helm.* perhaps a comfortable foam riser underneath you would help.

*Haha...when driving sitting at the upper helm...I use my feet to steer, because I can't reach the wheel!*

** I have to stand up to reach the throttle!* hahaha.

On the UP side, I think our head and galley are HUGE!

rwidman · Feb 14, 2012

timjet wrote:
We've owned our boat for a year and a half. She picked out the boat and is still very enthusiastic about cruising on it. I don't want to change that. However she does not like or want to learn how to operate it. I've explained the many situations that may require her to have the skills necessary to do some basic boat maneuvering but still she does not want to learn and is very reluctant to take the helm in close quarters or in a channel with oncoming traffic. I've noticed her depth perception is not good as she is concerned about traffic that has no conflict potential, so I attribute this as one reason for her reluctance to taking the helm.*

While at anchor recently our windlass failed and she had to maneuver the boat up to the anchor so I could retrieve it manually. She did fine but I could tell she did not want to do this even though she realized there was no other way. Afterwards we spent some time allowing her to maneuver the boat in that same anchorage with the anchor stowed. Again she did fine, but did not want to do it.*

So, in order to keep her*enthusiasum*about using the boat I've decided to stop encouraging her to learn how to maneuver it. Our cruising grounds are the ICW in southern FL so if I was incapacitated she could set the anchor and call for help, which she does know how to do.*

I'm sure this is an issue with some others and could like to hear your comments.*

My wife would not operate any of our previous boats because they were "too fast".* She will operate our trawler* in open water and on the ICW and she will operate it as I deploy and retrieve the anchor but she will not operate it in a congested area or attempt to dock it.

She doesn't understand or know how to use the VHF or chart plotter other than to follow a pre loaded route.* I doubt she knows how to deploy the anchor by herself.

Does this concern me?* -* Yes, it does.* If something happens to me on the water and I'm not already dead, I would hope to be rescued and restored to health.

I'm trying to figure out how to teach her about operating the boat and electronics, but so far, I haven't come up with much.* If I could find a "women only" boating class taught by women, I would send her to it.* I think that would work better than me trying to teach her.

*

dvd · Feb 14, 2012

Ron,
As Bess mentioned, check out SeaSense. They are the group that ran the Women Boathandling course at Trawlerfest. Private instruction is a bit pricey - I don't remember how much the 2-day Trawlerfest course was, but it seemed reasonable at the time.

*

dvd

Pineapple Girl · Feb 14, 2012

Ron, maybe a power squadron or CG basic boating class?* Matt and I took one and it was fun.* We knew a lot of it but learned new things too.*

bnoft · Feb 14, 2012

Rosemary does not have a lot of interest in piloting the boat. I have mentioned that she might need to know and she can, I think, follow a course on the plotter. Last fall at an MTOA rendezvous we attended a session taught by Jeff and Karen Sigel (Active Captain) that dealt with on board emergencies. I thought it was well done and towards the end Jeff and Karen reviewed some procedures to follow for an emergency, MOB, health issues; anyway Jeff was saying to either call the CG or 911 if at a marina. My wife turns to me and says," Now let me get this straight, if you suffer a heart attack on the boat, I should call 911 or the Coast Guard before I call the yacht broker? Why?"
OUCH!

Boathommy · Feb 14, 2012

I like her sense of humor!!

I hope!!!!

FF · Feb 15, 2012

My bride came knowing how to sail, she has her own 30+ ft racer.

First date we went in the 9 ft Grumman and she COULD! sail.

Great.

When going out on my 33ft cruiser for the first time , she "accidentally" let her hat blow overboard .

When the MOB drill was complete , and her hat was drying out , my first test was over.

JD · Feb 15, 2012

bnoft wrote:My wife turns to me and says," Now let me get this straight, if you suffer a heart attack on the boat, I should call 911 or the Coast Guard before I call the yacht broker? Why?"
OUCH!

*Sounds like she has her priorities straight.

portager · Feb 15, 2012

My previous wife and I hired an instructor on our first charter. She learned to drive the boat in open water quickly, but docking was a lot harder for her. Everything was the instructor fault and I was glad I wasnt the instructor. I finally told the instructor to back off and I just single handed the boat.

I think the worst instructor for teaching someone to operate a boat is a husband/owner. The second worst instructor is a man. Women think different and another woman can teach a women better, especially if the husband is off the boat. I think the women only courses at the trawler fest are a good way to go. If you can afford it, SeaSense is even better.

The other thing that I plan to do (when I finally get a boat) is to install bow and stern thrusters. I know it will cost a lot, but I think thrusters on both ends will give the Admiral a lot more confidence and once she is comfortable docking with both she can start trying to dock without one or the other just encase they ever fail. The key is to keep it enjoyable so she wants to go out! I told my wife she only has to know how to operate the boat well enough to get me medical attention if I ever need it. She could get close and then call the CG or Vessel assist if she needs to.

skipperdude · Feb 15, 2012

My first boat I named after my Admiral.

It's good for at least a couple x-tra trips out with the boys.

SD

dwhatty · Feb 15, 2012

skipperdude wrote:
My first boat I named after my Admiral.

It's good for at least a couple x-tra trips out with the boys.

SD

Our current boat (last boat?) is named after the Admiral. We were trying to come up with a name. I liked "Bufflehead" for short, stocky boat. Her female friends nixed that. I eventually suggested her name. Big smile and an "okay". I guess that she's not shy or self effacing.

The Admiral

Besslb

Guru

markpierce

Master and Commander

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markpierce

Master and Commander

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Marin

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Besslb

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rwidman

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dvd

Senior Member

Pineapple Girl

Moderator Emeritus

bnoft

Senior Member

Boathommy

Veteran Member

FF

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JD

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portager

Senior Member

skipperdude

Guru

dwhatty

Moderator Emeritus

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