Are You Mocked at the Dock!

Watching people go into the locks around here is quite an adventure. It's easy to spot the skippers who know their boat and know how to handle it. It's also easy to spot those who don't take the boat out more than once or twice a year.

Practice makes perfect!
 
I love watching the guys who know how to do it. At Pillar Point one night we were on an end-tie. The Harbor Master had told us we had the whole thing, but I tied up to the outside corner anyway. Just in case. About 3:00AM I woke to the sound of BIG diesel engines idling. Made it into the cockpit just in time to see this HUGE 3 story fishing boat materialize out of the fog. Once in the inner harbor they spun that giant boat around and parked it behind us. 5-6 inches behind us. 5 feet sticking off the other end. Made out 43 foot boat look like a canoe. Came in slowly, majestically, no revving engines or bow thrusters. It was beautiful. I was out on the dock with pants and shoes on. Got there in a panic. Did nothing but applaud and go back to sleep. On the other side of the coin check out the Angel Island docks on any given Sunday. If you take your boat there to, bring all your fenders and keep a sharp eye out.
 
Best docking job was by a woman captain probably 30 years old in a private 130 foot yacht. She had crew of 2 put the boat in a spot I would have felt uncomfortable. Had maybe 7 feet clearance at each end. Took total of 5 (really) minutes from the time she slowed near the dock. She came down from wheel house and the three of them headed for dinner I assume. No banging no bumping no revving engines but the boat did have thrusters. Current was probably 3 to 5 knots. Talked to them and she was the full time captain and the crew were full time. Owner wanted the boat moved from Alaska south to Canada quickly.
 
Lock 45 on the Trent Severn (in the story above) is one of the busiest in the system and provides no end of comedy and drama for the onlookers. The lockmaster and crew are real pros when it comes to handling novices and idiots alike. It is the final lock before exiting into Georgian Bay and we were based at a nearby marina for fifteen years.

In the late nineties we were in Lock 45 during its only recorded malfunction to that point. After being lowered to the Bay level the control door broke and we were raised again and then had to exit the lock backwards. Four hours later with the help of a Parks Canada diver, the lock was operational again but not before the delay of dozens and dozens of craft. All this happened on the Monday of a holiday long weekend in August.
 
I've been through Lock 45 probably 50 times over the years. Generally, most folks know how to traverse the lock within reason, however there are some that just shouldn't be boating. I've been hovering in the currents below the lock for 2.5 hours on a long weekend, waiting for a turn to lock up while the boats start piling up in the relatively small bay at the bottom of the lock. Not fun.

Paul
 
AKBASSKING said:
I am still lock virgin....:wow:
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Tom, we could fix that ya know! If you ever want to bust your lock cherry and come up river, and want an additional crew member for a couple of days just let me know. I'll take the train down to PDX and ride up with you.

It's a piece of cake once you've done it. Unless the wind is blowing, then you want someone on board who has done it enough times to not have to ask what needs to be done next.
 
Below is a Google Earth capture of the entrance and Guest Dock area of our marina. The marina entrance is to the lower left. My boat is about 55' overall and shown by the red arrow. That is my permanent slip as I am too tall for the covered ones.

I have to enter the marina and spin the boat more than 180 degrees to line up for a stern in approach to the slip. The long angled dock to the left is about 100' and there is usually a 50' Hatteras that sits at the lower end. I have to back in to my slip making a backing turn to port for the last 50'. I nail it every time. I've done in daylight, at night, in high winds and alone. And if there is a crowd on the docs I often get applause. I do not have thrusters.

What I do have is a 48,000 lb. boat with a full keel and 24", 4-blade props. I feel I can put this boat anywhere. Am I bragging? A bit, but I have practiced....a lot over the years and made myself aware of what any vessel I am handling, will do with any given input, either from me or Mother Nature. And I do kind of like the applause.

 
NorCal Boater said:
Am I bragging? A bit, but I have practiced....a lot over the years and made myself aware of what any vessel I am handling, will do with any given input, either from me or Mother Nature. And I do kind of like the applause.

I don't look at that as bragging. It's a statement about your confidence in your ability to put your boat where you want it, and that only comes from docking it enough times under a variety of wind conditions that you know how your boat responds to your commands and you know your capabilities.

I'm pretty much the same way and I view those perfect dockings as "no touch landings". There's no shame in taking a second approach but it's always nice to nail it on the first try.
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Jackie J V said:
I've been through Lock 45 probably 50 times over the years. Generally, most folks know how to traverse the lock within reason, however there are some that just shouldn't be boating. I've been hovering in the currents below the lock for 2.5 hours on a long weekend, waiting for a turn to lock up while the boats start piling up in the relatively small bay at the bottom of the lock. Not fun.

Paul
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Here is a good video of the lower side of lock 45. As Paul mentions, it gets a bit "hairy" when too many boats are waiting in the current to lock through. There is almost no waiting space.
[video=youtube;zPjzZgOMbac]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPjzZgOMbac[/video]
 
Great video. I had forgotten how close the buoys are under the highway bridge.

On the long weekend that Lock 45 broke we observed a huge backlog of boats awaiting transit. There were around 50 above the lock and 75 below by the time we finally got through. The local pirates were making a killing hauling boats around the lock when owners couldn't wait.

James
 
Great video Frank! I've been in there, with slightly lower currents, but 40 or so boats circling around waiting for the opportunity to get to the wall while tightening up to make sure no one skips the line. It gets pretty stressful when you're doing it, for a couple of hours and can't even visit the loo...

James, it is really tight under that bridge. I had forgotten how tight until I took the 560 through summer before last. Being a few inches offside would be a whole lot of hurt (really big Boulders just under the water).

Paul
 
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