Scott Vernon wrote:
Last time I backed into the slip with a strong x wind, I went much
further down the fairway, backed her pretty fast, made the turn and
stopped just in time. I was kinda proud of the 'parking job' I did,
till I reached for a dock line and noticed I was in my neighbors'
slip.

I've done that. Fortunately, our slip neighbor's boat was out at the time...

One thing I've learned, if a dock approach is at all iffy, figure some
way to make your approach so you have the maximum possible bail-out
option. The is always a stray gust of wind, just waiting for the perfect
moment to make a fool of you.

Last fall we pulled into a small boat basin to drop off some friends...
after pulling into the T-pier easily and they stepped off, we backed
against a spring line and then pulled away to circle... there was
perhaps 50' of open water and a large (70' or so) expensive yacht on the
opposite side of the basin, which was also the windward side. Well, for
reasons that should be obvious, I tend to favor the windward side but
this time that backfired. As we circled around closer to the yacht, the
wind suddenly reversed and we were *much* too close to those gleaming
megabuck topsides. A very nice lady with an English accent leaned over
their rail and said, "I say, I wish you wouldn't come quite so close."
All I could do was reply with a shrug, "I wish I hadn't come so close,
too." We did get backed around without any contact.

Fresh BReezes- Doug King