If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
By that I mean to make an approach but be willing to abort and circle and try again. If you're using a technique to let the wind and current line you up and try to enter as straight as possible, you will sometimes find you misjudged the speed with which the wind and current would carry you or let them turn you more to the side than desired. You're dealing with many forces at once and that's easy to do. Far wiser is the boater who says they misjudged and regroup and then get it right than the one who compounded a mistake with more.
I once docked a pontoon boat for someone who just couldn't get it into the slip. The first thing I did was just floated by the area to get a feel for the conditions and the boat, which was unfamiliar to me. Then I approached almost sideways knowing how the wind would turn me and line me up. It reminded me of a small plane landing once in very windy conditions and one moment we look like we're perpendicular to the runway and suddenly we're down and straight and perfect. The pilot knew the conditions and the plane very well.
Then experience becomes the best teacher.
By that I mean to make an approach but be willing to abort and circle and try again. If you're using a technique to let the wind and current line you up and try to enter as straight as possible, you will sometimes find you misjudged the speed with which the wind and current would carry you or let them turn you more to the side than desired. You're dealing with many forces at once and that's easy to do. Far wiser is the boater who says they misjudged and regroup and then get it right than the one who compounded a mistake with more.
I once docked a pontoon boat for someone who just couldn't get it into the slip. The first thing I did was just floated by the area to get a feel for the conditions and the boat, which was unfamiliar to me. Then I approached almost sideways knowing how the wind would turn me and line me up. It reminded me of a small plane landing once in very windy conditions and one moment we look like we're perpendicular to the runway and suddenly we're down and straight and perfect. The pilot knew the conditions and the plane very well.
Then experience becomes the best teacher.