quote:
Originally posted by zane
that type of behavior is B.S.. I have an older 34 silverton w small blocks. in the wind its a bear, for me anyway.there have been a few times when i have had to make a couple passes before i backed into a spot. not too proud to admit that.that usually makes my future dock mates a little edgy,so they'll walk up on their bows and watch me come in. once Im all tied up i always thank them and offer them a beer for their assistance. good lord....if i ever hit someone i would be up their ass...soo sorry...i have insurance...ill help you buff it out...lets have dinner and laugh about this later. to say nothing puts you in a bad spot...you now have to say something.
these are the same people that let their garbage go everywhere,keep their music loud and loosen your lines on a common piling, cause "i like my lines there"
Zane, "not too proud to admit that" - no reason to be. I've been running boats for a living for 12 years, and the very best piece of advice I ever received, that I always try to impress on every one I train in hopes they'll [ay heed and pass it on, is "NEVER FORCE A BAD APPROACH". Whether it's a towing approach, an approach on a person in the water, or an approach on your own slip. Never, ever , ever, ever force a bad approach. No possible good to come from it. It's already fundamentally flawed, then you add the frustration factor, and the just-get-done factor, and the everyone's-watching factor, and there's just no good that can come of forcing a bad approach. I've been known to lay to the wind within 20 yards of the pier for over half an hour to make sure I'd have a controlled approach when I laid a tow alongside the pier.
Never, never, never be embarrassed to make a few passes. There's no surer way to broadcast and magnify the slightest boathandling error than to force a bad approach. When you have the good approach and have the warm and fuzzy, and you put the boat just where you want it, it doesn't matter how many approaches you bailed on. Recognizing a bad approach and seeing things about to go sideways is a sign of well developed skills, not the inverse.
(Besides, it's real easy to cover a good dock crashing with "hang on, I'm bringin' her in hot" - delivered in the right tone, everyone will readily believe you meant to do that. Sounds better than "Woops, I called that one wrong, hang on while we stress test the pilings)