Kingston Mariner
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2019
- Messages
- 40
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Wanetta
- Vessel Make
- 1983 Ocean Alexander 40 Europa
My wife and I have been in possesion of our new to us OA 40 for about a month now, our first big boat. 40', twin FL 120's and 22,500 lbs. dry weight is a world apart from our 24' outboard powered day sailor. Our broker referred us to an excellent captain under whom we now have about 15 hours of guidance, performing mostly close quarter maneuvering. After our last outing we all felt it was time for my wife and I to take it out on our own.
Our slip is a tight fit for our boat, plus we board from the swim step so it requires docking stern in. We intended to take the boat out a week ago but the winds were too strong for our comfort level. Yesterdays conditions were perfect so we made a game plan and gave it a go.
Our goal was just to dock the boat. We would pull out of our slip, turn up the fairway, spin 180 degrees in the fairway, return to our slip and back her in. I missed the first three attempts but finally nailed it on the fourth and docked it four more times without a miss before heading out for a short cruise.
The wind had picked up considerably when we returned. It took me three attempts to figure out how to deal with it and again on the fourth try I finally slipped her in. No crashes, no damage, no drama, by all means a success! Very pleased.
Our slip is a tight fit for our boat, plus we board from the swim step so it requires docking stern in. We intended to take the boat out a week ago but the winds were too strong for our comfort level. Yesterdays conditions were perfect so we made a game plan and gave it a go.
Our goal was just to dock the boat. We would pull out of our slip, turn up the fairway, spin 180 degrees in the fairway, return to our slip and back her in. I missed the first three attempts but finally nailed it on the fourth and docked it four more times without a miss before heading out for a short cruise.
The wind had picked up considerably when we returned. It took me three attempts to figure out how to deal with it and again on the fourth try I finally slipped her in. No crashes, no damage, no drama, by all means a success! Very pleased.