I'm single handed most of the time. I'm in a single, but oversized slip, so there's room between pilings for my stern to hit the boat next to me. If the wind is on the beam, I've found this technique to be very helpful.

First I have a piece of old 3/8" halyard strung between the outer and inner pilings, as tight as possible.

Second, I have about an 8' piece of 3/8" line with a snap hook on one end. I wrap the end around the primary winch that's on the windward side. Backing into the slip, as soon as the stern clears the piling, I clip the snap hook onto the rope between the pilings, then adjust it by taking up on the winch. That keeps the stern under control while I walk forward, guiding the boat into the slip by grabbing my bow line hanging on the piling and walking forward until I can secure it to the bow cleat.

Works pretty well for me.

[url]http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?produ...(link is external)

John, sorry to hear you'd moved, I'll miss motoring over to say hi.

If you dock is long enough and it has a big cleat on the end of it, this may help (midships spring line is your best friend, along with a Nauti Duck "Dock-O-Matic")

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6379.0.html[/url](link is external)

John,

I kept trying to catch you at Alameda Yacht Club, never caught you.

I understand wanting to be closer to the bay as it is quite a trek down the estuary. I used to crew on a boat out of Berkeley about 35 years ago. Yep much closer to the bay and dumps you right in the slot, the windiest spot on the bay.
I recall many a sleigh ride heading back to the Berkeley Marina. Surfing down wind with thirty knots behind you.

I will accept the slog out for the warm mellow down wind run down the estuary.

If you get tired of the excitement surfing home and bashing into you slip, the berth next door to me is open at Grand, you would get the advantage of a really great neighbor.

He is a power boater but a great guy.

This may seem like a defeatist response, but.....change slips. From my understanding, you are completely working against the natural prop walk of your boat. If you apply a burst of reverse as you suggest, you will kick the stern to port toward your neighbor. If you come in a bit too fast and have to hit reverse, you will kick the stern to port and hit your neighbor. I don't consider your thought of leaping from a moving boat to be a good option. It only takes once. Your best shot is to back in, but you run a big risk of having your bow blow down to starboard unless you rig a midship springline and catch it on the way in. I've been in 5 slips in 28 years and always selected them so I would back out cleanly to port. Life's too short to constantly deal with things like this. JMHO.:o

Mike

I am in a similar situation, so I have 5 fenders on the side, so if I drift over, both boats are protected from damage if they touch.

I back into the slip, with one line fixed to the aft cleat and the other the bow cleat.
Once far enough in, I step off and use the two lines to control the boat.

When I have crew, I hang the permanent mooring lines on the post at the entrance to the slip, as we back in the crew grabs the line and drops it on the midship cleat. This stops the boat and allows us to attach the other lines.

When we enter, if things are not right, we abort and do it again.

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John,

You could remove your diesel and install an old Atomic Four, the prop on those turns the oposite direction and the prop walk would help push you towards the dock.

Just a thought.

John,
I have that same problem sometimes with Juniper. Prevailing winds are from the stbd bow, and things are OK, blowing me towards my own finger pier, and not towards my neighbor to stbd. When winds are from the port beam, port bow, or port aft quarter, my normal left-handed turn into the slip just won't work. What I started doing this year is to stop well outside the fairway, and then back into the fairway, well past my slip. I then power forward into my slip (and into the wind), turning right into the slip. A burst of reverse will stop the boat and pull it towards my finger pier. I have a line attached to the midship cleat on the boat. As the boat stops, I can hop off, and attach that midship line to the midship cleat on the dock. The bow or stern might fall off a touch, but not enough to hit anything. From there I can attach the bow, stern, and spring lines at my leisure. Things are a LOT less stressful with this approach. I get few strange looks from the other docks, but I could care less. Catalinas (as opposed to full keel boats) back very well. Just make sure you keep a firm hand on the wheel while backing. Let it go, and it will slam into the stops, which is not good for anything. Hope this helps.

Hi Guys...Good conversation. Looks I get a chance to give advice instead of asking for it, which I usually do. :)

I think you've touched on it already John. And following some of the other comments, I think you're correct in approaching your dock with a greater angle, considering your strong port side wind. And that you have a slip partner to your starboard side.

Think of your approach to the dock as "crabbing" if you will. Then use the prop walk to stop you as it moves the stern to port and stops you in position. I used this approach into Sam's a couple months ago, and it worked great. All I had to do was walk off with the bow line in my hand and secured to a mid-dock cleat, then grabbed the stern line off the boat while standing on the dock because the stern was still right there.

Because to the port wind, and an angled approach, you may find that you like your new dock...

The method that Tom S uses would be my pick. Another variant on this would be to proceed forward down the fairway, go past your slip, then do a 180 degree pivot turn, then come back and enter your slip with a stbd turn and use reverse to pull you to port.

John, that's great news. Congratulations. Today would not have been one of those days to try it! Pretty windy, even for here! :)

You might be interested in this:

Docking 101 [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6379.0.html[/url](link is external) [includes a link in Reply #1 to a very good single handed topic]

All the best,

Stu

Good job John, I guess the slips next to me will stay empty for a while.

Steve
John has an issue causing him concern and your lighthearted response is uncalled for.
To suggest replacing the Universal with the old Atomic Four is a ridiculous suggestion and uneccessary expense.
Clearly the best solution is to utilise the existing motor and simply revese it on the mounts and have the prop facing forward.

Peter,

I guess that it took someone who's toilet bowl swirles in the opposite direction to come up with such an advanced thought process.
Good call.

Steve
Your wry sense of humour has had me me in stitches for ages.
I am in the presence of the master. Keep it up.

Peter

Hi John

Is there a place close to your slip where you can copy the circumstances, say a marker buoy etc.

Try different approaches, speed angles etc.

If you can find a place like that you can do a mock docking and practice the results of what you change in the approach without any other impediments

Hope this helps

Glad you found a solution, John.