cardude01
Guru
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2012
- Messages
- 5,290
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Bijou
- Vessel Make
- 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Took my parents for a little cruise this morning. Dodged thunderstorms all the way back to the marina, and as I was getting ready to back into the slip the wind really picked up and it and it started pouring.
The wind overcame my bow thruster and blew the bow starboard towards the dock and got me sideways. I aborted the docking attempt, shifted into forward to get away from the dock, and then into reverse to attempt to back out of the fairway (couldn't turn around due to the wind) and figure out my next move.
I decided to try to tie up to the end of the dock and let the storm pass, but as I was trying back around the corner of the end of the dock using the bow thruster to bring the bow around to port, the thruster overloaded and quit, and we slammed into a pole on the dock about amidships. Luckily the pole had some thick rubber on it so it did no damage but the whole experience surprised me how quickly it all got away from me.
In hindsight I realize I shouldn't have tried to round the end of the dock in reverse. I was really leaning on the thruster trying to get the bow around so that's why it quit. I suppose I should have just gotten to the middle of the fairway and held there, or maybe backed out of there completely and away from the dock.
I also suppose when I saw that storm coming I probably should have waited to dock instead of trying to beat it, or maybe should have taken that end tie on our dock before it got bad and waited it out there.
Any suggestions?
The wind overcame my bow thruster and blew the bow starboard towards the dock and got me sideways. I aborted the docking attempt, shifted into forward to get away from the dock, and then into reverse to attempt to back out of the fairway (couldn't turn around due to the wind) and figure out my next move.
I decided to try to tie up to the end of the dock and let the storm pass, but as I was trying back around the corner of the end of the dock using the bow thruster to bring the bow around to port, the thruster overloaded and quit, and we slammed into a pole on the dock about amidships. Luckily the pole had some thick rubber on it so it did no damage but the whole experience surprised me how quickly it all got away from me.
In hindsight I realize I shouldn't have tried to round the end of the dock in reverse. I was really leaning on the thruster trying to get the bow around so that's why it quit. I suppose I should have just gotten to the middle of the fairway and held there, or maybe backed out of there completely and away from the dock.
I also suppose when I saw that storm coming I probably should have waited to dock instead of trying to beat it, or maybe should have taken that end tie on our dock before it got bad and waited it out there.
Any suggestions?
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