In the Northeast, nearly everyone seems to want to back into transient berths. I just don't get it, because it risks damaging an engine. In the PNW, it's the opposite case. I have found it nearly impossible to back up our Marinaut and make a turn into a slip when the wind is significant and coming from the wrong direction. This is a situation where those that suggest twins are the best way -- I concede that they have a point. A single engine configuration like our Marinaut, as well as for C-Dory's -- our boats are like leafs on the water, and often act as weather vanes with the engine as the pivot point. In Greenport, NY this year, and at the request of the marina staff, we attempted to back into a slip where the strong westerly wind combined with the current caused us to be swept into a slip sideways. It was not pretty.
We have essentially eliminated this problem by refusing in all cases to back our boat into a slip. We go in bow first. We have yet to experience a difficulty with this method. Since it throws marina staff off when they tell us whether to do a stern-in port or starboard dock, we just fender up on both sides, and enter the slip bow first. What is nice is that our boat is so small that we don't normally stick out beyond the dock finger. We stay neatly and safely tucked inside.
So I asked an experienced marina worker why marinas in the Northeast request people to back in. Their response was that it was more sociable. I suppose to an extent it is true, but a large number of marinas in our area of the country are so crowded and the transient berths are so expensive, that to maximize their profit, they want people to back into floating docks, and lash the boats together at the gunnels. People walk through other boat's cockpits to get to land. We refuse to do that, and it is ridiculous for our sized boat.
Incidentally, the nice thing about have a smaller boat is that in the Northeast, we are usually berthed in transient slips near boats our size that are normally unoccupied. We have plenty of space, privacy and can catch a good breeze. We have noticed that larger boats grouped with boats of similar or larger size at times may experience more crowded conditions with less light and air circulation.
Rich
We have essentially eliminated this problem by refusing in all cases to back our boat into a slip. We go in bow first. We have yet to experience a difficulty with this method. Since it throws marina staff off when they tell us whether to do a stern-in port or starboard dock, we just fender up on both sides, and enter the slip bow first. What is nice is that our boat is so small that we don't normally stick out beyond the dock finger. We stay neatly and safely tucked inside.
So I asked an experienced marina worker why marinas in the Northeast request people to back in. Their response was that it was more sociable. I suppose to an extent it is true, but a large number of marinas in our area of the country are so crowded and the transient berths are so expensive, that to maximize their profit, they want people to back into floating docks, and lash the boats together at the gunnels. People walk through other boat's cockpits to get to land. We refuse to do that, and it is ridiculous for our sized boat.
Incidentally, the nice thing about have a smaller boat is that in the Northeast, we are usually berthed in transient slips near boats our size that are normally unoccupied. We have plenty of space, privacy and can catch a good breeze. We have noticed that larger boats grouped with boats of similar or larger size at times may experience more crowded conditions with less light and air circulation.
Rich
