Blowing in the Wind

It looks easier in the pictures courtesy Boat US

July 10, 2025

Last weekend I took some family out for a spin and we had a lovely afternoon. Things were splendid until we came back to the dock to discover that a visiting boat was moored in the space adjacent to mine. It’s beam made it pretty tight and the breeze had built some; I bailed on my backing into the dock and tied up at the less tricky visitor dock.

The breeze continued to build (to 25!). The transient boat was moved elsewhere and I now had plenty of space to reverse in but the headwind made things somewhat more hairy than I would have preferred. Fortunately, dockmates were handy to help and the boat was safely tied up and all was well.

In this issue, there’s a note about one of the new mini-courses, docking. Quite a timely coincidence. Getting a refresher now and again is certainly a smart idea. Even if you know what you’re doing, you may get tested now and again. Even experienced boaters need to stay aware of the circumstances and keep your skills sharpened.

John Morris, Online Editor

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