Wind gave me fits docking my 39 EC today.

[geriksen]

I like to "swish' it in and not touch anything but....
When the wind is blowing gently resting your stern quarter on the piling/pole and levering it is absolutely the way to go.
I used to use the "position the bow slightly upwind so the wind blows it down into position" method but there is a problem with that method and I don't do that anymore for this reason. As you are going into the slip your bow is swinging with downwind momentum and it usually ends up banging the boat against the downwind side of the slip as you go in.
Another thing I have learned that helps when the wind is blowing is to put the stern in the slip about ten feet or so then stop. At that point lever/straighten the boat up as needed. After it is nice and straight then back in the rest of the way. This keeps you from banging or grinding again the poles/pilings as you back on in.

 

[rondds]

John - understood - floating docks are NOT good for pivoting off of. Esp with your blue hull! I guess the dock wheels help but they too can cause abrasion.

 

[320Bob]

...More than anything he will be able to teach the Admiral basics and not get bitched at for telling her how to do something. Again...money well spent. :thumbsup:

Great minds run in the same channels. I contacted my surveyor several days ago who is also a captain that lives a couple of blocks from my marina to do just this. The Admiral's only docking experience was once with our Mariah last year and she went bow in. My new boat will be delivered to the marina Friday and either Saturday or Sunday she will have a docking lesson along with me.:thumbsup:

I found this thread quite reassuring that even a bunch of old boating veterans get a touch of "sphincteritis" when docking and not just a newbie like myself. One of the major reasons I went with a Sea Ray 320 is it was the smallest recent-year used boat I could find with inboards to make docking easier. I also moved to a marina with has larger pools to maneuver in and double slips with pilings in the middle to prevent collisions with your slip mates.