Any advice for high-wind docking in this situation?

[play dough]

Whether bow in or stern in, my experience is that you want to be driving into the wind and let the wind assist the bow swing. It's very difficult swinging the bow against a crosswind. In that condition the bow will swing a certain degree depending on wind speed and the boat will just crab down the fairway at an angle to the wind. I had a 27' single I/O and eventually learned that when both backing out and entering the slip, doing so into the wind was advisable. It was just too hard to get the bow to come around into any significant breeze.

 

[km1125]

My suggestion...

Stop a bit earlier in the fairway. That scrubs off speed but allows you to stay powered and accelerating (slightly) into the wind so you have control for the turn.

Don't actually center yourself on the slip prior to pulling in. You want to be headed toward the windward side.

 

[Golfman25]

My suggestion...

Stop a bit earlier in the fairway. That scrubs off speed but allows you to stay powered and accelerating (slightly) into the wind so you have control for the turn.

Don't actually center yourself on the slip prior to pulling in. You want to be headed toward the windward side.
View attachment 132027

That can pinch him on the edge of the dock, and any miscalulation into the transom of his neigbor. Don't ask how I know.

 

[km1125]

That can pinch him on the edge of the dock, and any miscalulation into the transom of his neigbor. Don't ask how I know.

I'm not really sure how. Too many folks try and make a nice 90 degree turn and lose all momentum going into the wind, and then the wind starts pushing them sideways into the dock (or the neighboring boat). If you're coming into the slip at an angle into the wind, you still have some momentum towards the wind as you make the turn and point the bow the rest of the way into the slip.

With his boat and slip, he can be almost 6' offcenter when the bow enters the slip (to the windward side). That allows for the wind to take the bow and move it towards the center while the aft end is coming into the slip more towards the center.

 

[Golfman25]

I'm not really sure how. Too many folks try and make a nice 90 degree turn and lose all momentum going into the wind, and then the wind starts pushing them sideways into the dock (or the neighboring boat). If you're coming into the slip at an angle into the wind, you still have some momentum towards the wind as you make the turn and point the bow the rest of the way into the slip.

With his boat and slip, he can be almost 6' offcenter when the bow enters the slip (to the windward side). That allows for the wind to take the bow and move it towards the center while the aft end is coming into the slip more towards the center.

Unless the wind is perfect, it will take more than the bow. It will push the boat sideways.

 

[The Bill Collector]

Today I was paid to Captain a '98 270DA I/O. I had never operated this type of vessel. I had the basics in my mind but reality showed I was lacking. Again my favorite saying: never approach anything faster than you are willing to hit it, proves to be true

 

[PlayDate]

I would probably watch your neighbors bring their boats in a few times to see the techniques they are using. Having wind on the bow in my opinion is preferable to having it an angle on the stern.

In either case, once you have the angle on the slip.....you have to commit with confidence or the boat will fall off to the wind and hit another boat.

I was at a marina where owners were allowed to install these to help with the wind. Owners would come in at an angle and let the hull rest on the wheel as they pushed into the slip.

 

[km1125]

Unless the wind is perfect, it will take more than the bow. It will push the boat sideways.

After re-reading what I posted, I went back and fixed it. I used 'stbd' when I meant 'port'!!

 

[wayne0]

I had a very similar slip with my 25-ft single IO. We often had a wind coming straight down the runway. I would come up bow into the wind as you're indicating in your diagram. This allows you to stay in gear but be moving at a slower Pace due to the wind resistance.

The key is to make a sharp turn into the slip at the last minute but with thrust. Without thrust you're just going to drift back into the boat or slip on your starboard side. You basically have to drive the boat into the slip with authority. That doesn't mean hammer down, it just means to be assertive. As soon as you're in your slip you'll be moving and need to be ready to hit reverse and counter steer to straighten the stern up.

THIS!

 

[440 Jim]

You could also drive past your slip and let the wind slide you back into position using reverse to keep your bow towards the left finger.

In this wind direction, yes. It varies daily it seems on the south Ga coast so we have to evaluate wind, current, and tide before planning our approach everytime.
A couple weeks ago the wind was blowing us directly toward the slip, current and tide were fairly slack. We just pulled in, brought the stern around to face the slip, let the wind back us in. It will vary with conditions.

Sometimes I have as much trouble docking my single 23 Bay as we do the 440CV. I generally am bow first with it, but back the 440 in.

I still have not perfected our wide tide swing, and unpredictable wimds and currents. I can ger flustered still when coming in. I generally get it out and let my son bring it in. For the larger boats I would reccomend a set of EarTec headsets. Hard to see the back of the swim deck from the helm.

In Sebastian where I grew up the wind was always pushing you toward the west side of the river, giving you a impressive cross wind to work while trying to get in a perpendicular slip.

Keep practicing, I still am after 40 years of boating!

 

[FootballFan]

On my boat, and the couple before this one, wind impacts the bow more than the stern. Just the opposite with current, stern is impacted before bow.

Not sure if that holds tru for your boat.