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Excerpted from Maneuver and Dock Your Sailboat Under Power

Throughout this book, we will explain the concept and combine it with real exercises that we will have you perform on a real boat. For now, however, we want you to work all the way through the book just imagining yourself on the boat to fully grasp the concepts in your mind. At the end of the course is a printable document that you will take to your boat in order to really do the exercises. At that stage, you will have embedded in your mind a superior knowledge of what to expect.

Through years of teaching this course, we have found this creates the best learning process for you. Here is your first real exercise for you to imagine now.

Exercise 1: Under power and going down wind, move towards one of the buoys and stop the boat with the buoy abeam of the boat. You’ll invariably overshoot. No problem, though, you’re in deep water and nowhere near a marina.

What you learned: You overshot for two reasons: the boat had a massive amount of momentum, and the wind is pushing you from behind. To do it better next time, put the engine into reverse about 5 boat lengths back at about 1000 rpm. As the boat begins to slow, gauge whether you should increase the engine speed against the approaching speed of the buoy. Work the engine up to 2500 rpm and down to ensure you stop in the desired place. Most people make the mistake of putting the engine in reverse too late, then having to overpower the engine at the last minute.

For more lessons, along with web-based videos to assist you, purchase Maneuver and Dock Your Sailboat Under Power from Practical Sailor.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.