| While sailing, you should have adequate knowledge | | | | features, high tide or low tide, presence of other boats |
| and proper skill to maneuver your boat on water. | | | | in the vicinity, and how best you can tackle available |
| Efficient handling of boat would prove easier if you are | | | | conditions to go through a smooth docking process. |
| able to turn your boat in any direction. These simple | | | | While learning to dock your sailboat, you should try to |
| techniques help you deal and cope with all types of | | | | practice in a quiet harbor where number of sailboats is |
| wind and sea conditions. | | | | few or almost nil. Before starting with docking process, |
| Maneuvering Techniques | | | | plan every action considering available weather and |
| Important maneuvering techniques include: | | | | harbor conditions. While docking, it is best to work into |
| Tacking | | | | the wind. This provides a natural brake if maneuvering |
| Although tacking is a very simple technique of | | | | is not very successful. However, going along a strong |
| maneuvering your sailboat, it is extremely essential to | | | | wind can cause difficulties, as your sailboat would then |
| understand when to tack and use proper skill of | | | | move towards other boats or dock when you do not |
| tacking. Ideally, tacking refers to changing direction of | | | | want it to do so. |
| the sailboat such that bow of the sailboat is into the | | | | Presence of tides and tide movements play an |
| wind or faces wind directly. So a tacking maneuver | | | | important role in mooring techniques. While tying up |
| instructed by the helmsman is when he steers the | | | | your boat in a mooring, be sure of length of mooring |
| sailboat through the wind direction, passing over the | | | | line. The drop between high and low tide could vary |
| bow of the sailboat. | | | | between few inches to around forty feet. Incorrect |
| Gibing | | | | mooring could cause your boat to remain swinging in |
| Gibing is a very skillful technique of maneuvering your | | | | mid-air when the tide goes out. |
| sailboat. This is a team effort and every crew should | | | | While docking, it is necessary to reverse briefly to slow |
| remain aware of specific roles assigned to him or her | | | | momentum and keep engine on so that you are able |
| while gibing. This maneuvering technique requires | | | | to monitor the boats movements perfectly. When |
| accurate timing and precision to carry out the action | | | | docking a larger sailboat it is normal to place on the |
| smoothly. It is important to maintain perfect balance of | | | | outside edge of the hull, fenders. These are inflated |
| your sailboat while gibing to avoid any untoward | | | | rubber sausage in shape of items complete with |
| incident of capsizing. The main sheet should be pull in | | | | attaching line, to attach to the boats handrail. Consider |
| as tight as possible without losing boat speed, when | | | | and keep note of wind conditions before approaching |
| the signal is given to gibing the wind direction will pass | | | | or leaving the dock. |
| over the stern of the boat, at the stage when the wind | | | | Mooring to a mooring buoy within a harbor or river, can |
| load on the sail is reduced the main sheet should be | | | | sometimes be easier than docking to a pontoon. To |
| released and left to run. The wind will fill the sail and | | | | moor a boat, you should approach the buoy bow first |
| the main sheet can then be pulled in to its optimum | | | | with crew ready with a boat hook. The mooring buoy |
| position. | | | | will have a short length of rope with a float attached; |
| Docking & Mooring | | | | this should be picked up using the boat hook and |
| Docking is another important and essential | | | | attached to your sailboats deck cleat. The buoy is |
| maneuvering technique. Successful docking depends | | | | anchored to the sea or river bed by a large diameter |
| on various associated factors like wind conditions, boat | | | | rope and then chain fixed to a concrete block. |