If this is a rare occurance, I would radio ahead to see if anyone was around
to help you dock.
If this is likely to be the norm when docking at your slip, and you plan to
sail singlehanded...I'd find a better location.
No sense in looking for trouble, it'll find you on it's own.

engsol wrote in message
...

This has been likely asked before.

I'll be retiring this spring, and buying a sailboat, 30-32 feet. I have
limited experience,
mainly two J-World courses, plus ASA through Advanced Coastal Cruising,
plus a two week trip off the Calif coast, plus a bit of racing on a
Santana 20.

In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I
plan
to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this....

I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into
another boat
sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One
thought occurs
to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more
questions....will I need
to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or
will I
have to make my own?

Is this idea even worth it? Last year, we (class of 4 students on a 37
foot J-Boat)
tried to dock on the lee side of a dock in 35+ knots. It took all hands
( 4 men and a teen)
on the dock waiting to catch lines to snug us up, and it was a bit of
effort.
I was amazed at how much force the wind exerted on the boat. It was
obvious that
to dock a boat that size, in those conditions, a single-hander would have
to be
lucky as well as good.

In case you're wondering why the concern...I'm too old to jump a 4 or 5
foot gap
between the boat and dock, and know I'll need to sail smart.

Thanks for any advice/imputs.
Norm