This past Sunday we are coming back to the marina in some pretty bad chop 3-4 footers but sporadic or sloppy.. the wind was coming out of the NNW at about 15 knots. The entrance to the marina is pointed to NNE if you were coming out of it. You can see the 50' reference in the picture (I am 45') so the entrance is quite narrow if you think about the rocks and what little reaction time you have.
As I approached the entrance at idle and using manual steering the second I was just into the entrance the waves bouncing off the interior of the break wall and hitting the boat, instantly turned me to starboard.. almost 50 degrees in an instant... the steering was useless... I am now in the entrance and headed west to the rocks. I put it in reverse and got the stern turned enough to miss the port rocks and exit.
So now things got serious... I have never in all my years been in a situation like this and I was quite surprised how little control I had of the boat in waves and wind especially magnified by the confined space.
After my wife calmed down I decided to experiment a bit. I tried again with a bit more speed thinking rudder control would be better... it didn't help.... it did exactly the same thing...but I didn't go in as far and I was ready for it...so all was good.
Next I tried auto pilot at idle and it didn't react quick enough...same thing knocked me to starboard
Last.. I didn't use steering at all and just relied on forward reverse and throttle and that was the ticket in this situation... staying slow and reversing Port to turn the bow around with throttle was the ticket.
In the end I was very surprised with the size and weight of the boat how little control I had.
Short of not going in the marina is there anything else I could have tried or what would you have done?... I know you don't know the conditions.... the one thing I learned out of this is always expect the unexpected in any situation....that was the eye opener here ...I really came in unassuming... and almost paid a hefty price
As I approached the entrance at idle and using manual steering the second I was just into the entrance the waves bouncing off the interior of the break wall and hitting the boat, instantly turned me to starboard.. almost 50 degrees in an instant... the steering was useless... I am now in the entrance and headed west to the rocks. I put it in reverse and got the stern turned enough to miss the port rocks and exit.
So now things got serious... I have never in all my years been in a situation like this and I was quite surprised how little control I had of the boat in waves and wind especially magnified by the confined space.
After my wife calmed down I decided to experiment a bit. I tried again with a bit more speed thinking rudder control would be better... it didn't help.... it did exactly the same thing...but I didn't go in as far and I was ready for it...so all was good.
Next I tried auto pilot at idle and it didn't react quick enough...same thing knocked me to starboard
Last.. I didn't use steering at all and just relied on forward reverse and throttle and that was the ticket in this situation... staying slow and reversing Port to turn the bow around with throttle was the ticket.
In the end I was very surprised with the size and weight of the boat how little control I had.
Short of not going in the marina is there anything else I could have tried or what would you have done?... I know you don't know the conditions.... the one thing I learned out of this is always expect the unexpected in any situation....that was the eye opener here ...I really came in unassuming... and almost paid a hefty price