http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related

"mmc" wrote in message
ng.com...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related


One of the great movies of all time.


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"mmc" wrote in news:48b194b4$0$19387
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related



You just can't beat professional pilotage...(c;

An 80-something monster came INSIDE the face dock to tie up to the
inside of it for the night. We were all enjoying some libation in the
Amel's cockpit with some cheeze balls someone had brought aboard.

I thought this guy was kinda BIG to be in such a confined space. The
tide was about 3 knots going out, making a bigger hazard for him to
overcome.

He idled the engines, then backed her down just a little to stop his
forward motion right in the middle of the "channel" between the long
face dock and all the finger piers mere mortals with some money dock
their pride and joys.

Before the boat even came to a stop, multiple whining noises from the
below decks electric thrusters started and as she still drifted towards
her night's berth, her captain rotated her on her central axis as if she
had a vertical shaft down her stack. After she passed perpendicular to
the current vector, he reversed his engines at idle and adjusted their
forward thrust to bring her into a standstill in the current. As that
got closer to reality, both thrusters easily parked her against the
inside of the face dock with about a foot to spare on both ends to the
big yachts fore and aft of her....a perfect landing with no motion at
all....as there was no room for error. They didn't hand the dock hands
the lines until after she was "parked", her main engines still
maintaining position against the current and her thrusters holding her
against the dock.....


It just isn't fair......dammit.

A kid could park that beast with a half day's instructions.


it just isn't fair at all.....

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention he did all this with a WIRELESS HANDHELD
BOX WHILE STANDING ON THE RAIL TOWARDS THE DOCK! It had a joystick on
it that controlled not only the bow and stern thrusters, but the main
diesel monsters in the bilge and their transmissions.

At least he couldn't....YET....put the dock slot into the computer as a
waypoint and just go have a beer.

Larry wrote:
"mmc" wrote in news:48b194b4$0$19387
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related



You just can't beat professional pilotage...(c;

An 80-something monster came INSIDE the face dock to tie up to the
inside of it for the night. We were all enjoying some libation in the
Amel's cockpit with some cheeze balls someone had brought aboard.

I thought this guy was kinda BIG to be in such a confined space. The
tide was about 3 knots going out, making a bigger hazard for him to
overcome.

He idled the engines, then backed her down just a little to stop his
forward motion right in the middle of the "channel" between the long
face dock and all the finger piers mere mortals with some money dock
their pride and joys.

Before the boat even came to a stop, multiple whining noises from the
below decks electric thrusters started and as she still drifted towards
her night's berth, her captain rotated her on her central axis as if she
had a vertical shaft down her stack. After she passed perpendicular to
the current vector, he reversed his engines at idle and adjusted their
forward thrust to bring her into a standstill in the current. As that
got closer to reality, both thrusters easily parked her against the
inside of the face dock with about a foot to spare on both ends to the
big yachts fore and aft of her....a perfect landing with no motion at
all....as there was no room for error. They didn't hand the dock hands
the lines until after she was "parked", her main engines still
maintaining position against the current and her thrusters holding her
against the dock.....


It just isn't fair......dammit.

A kid could park that beast with a half day's instructions.


it just isn't fair at all.....

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention he did all this with a WIRELESS HANDHELD
BOX WHILE STANDING ON THE RAIL TOWARDS THE DOCK! It had a joystick on
it that controlled not only the bow and stern thrusters, but the main
diesel monsters in the bilge and their transmissions.

At least he couldn't....YET....put the dock slot into the computer as a
waypoint and just go have a beer.




Friend has a center cockpit ketch with a new $30K wiring job. Went
out to set up the electronics and when returning, he asked the wirer to
back it in to the slip as he was apprehensive to do it himself.
After ripping off the outboard and bracket and leaving a big kreosote
black streak down the side, the wirer said he wasn't to familiar with a
center cockpit with bow thrusters!
Owner and wirer decided to split the repair costs!
Gordon

If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7...oystickve1.jpg

================================================== ========



On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:03:40 +0000, Larry wrote:

"mmc" wrote in news:48b194b4$0$19387
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related



You just can't beat professional pilotage...(c;

An 80-something monster came INSIDE the face dock to tie up to the
inside of it for the night. We were all enjoying some libation in the
Amel's cockpit with some cheeze balls someone had brought aboard.

I thought this guy was kinda BIG to be in such a confined space. The
tide was about 3 knots going out, making a bigger hazard for him to
overcome.

He idled the engines, then backed her down just a little to stop his
forward motion right in the middle of the "channel" between the long
face dock and all the finger piers mere mortals with some money dock
their pride and joys.

Before the boat even came to a stop, multiple whining noises from the
below decks electric thrusters started and as she still drifted towards
her night's berth, her captain rotated her on her central axis as if she
had a vertical shaft down her stack. After she passed perpendicular to
the current vector, he reversed his engines at idle and adjusted their
forward thrust to bring her into a standstill in the current. As that
got closer to reality, both thrusters easily parked her against the
inside of the face dock with about a foot to spare on both ends to the
big yachts fore and aft of her....a perfect landing with no motion at
all....as there was no room for error. They didn't hand the dock hands
the lines until after she was "parked", her main engines still
maintaining position against the current and her thrusters holding her
against the dock.....


It just isn't fair......dammit.

A kid could park that beast with a half day's instructions.


it just isn't fair at all.....

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention he did all this with a WIRELESS HANDHELD
BOX WHILE STANDING ON THE RAIL TOWARDS THE DOCK! It had a joystick on
it that controlled not only the bow and stern thrusters, but the main
diesel monsters in the bilge and their transmissions.

At least he couldn't....YET....put the dock slot into the computer as a
waypoint and just go have a beer.

"Wayne.B" wrote
If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7...oystickve1.jpg

I use this type of joystick: http://images.westmarine.com/large/289480.jpg

"Ernest Scribbler" wrote in message
et...
"Wayne.B" wrote
If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7...oystickve1.jpg

I use this type of joystick: http://images.westmarine.com/large/289480.jpg


Cool! The "Force Feedback" model! lol

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:48:51 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7...oystickve1.jpg

================================================= =========



On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:03:40 +0000, Larry wrote:

"mmc" wrote in news:48b194b4$0$19387
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related



You just can't beat professional pilotage...(c;

An 80-something monster came INSIDE the face dock to tie up to the
inside of it for the night. We were all enjoying some libation in the
Amel's cockpit with some cheeze balls someone had brought aboard.

I thought this guy was kinda BIG to be in such a confined space. The
tide was about 3 knots going out, making a bigger hazard for him to
overcome.

He idled the engines, then backed her down just a little to stop his
forward motion right in the middle of the "channel" between the long
face dock and all the finger piers mere mortals with some money dock
their pride and joys.

Before the boat even came to a stop, multiple whining noises from the
below decks electric thrusters started and as she still drifted towards
her night's berth, her captain rotated her on her central axis as if she
had a vertical shaft down her stack. After she passed perpendicular to
the current vector, he reversed his engines at idle and adjusted their
forward thrust to bring her into a standstill in the current. As that
got closer to reality, both thrusters easily parked her against the
inside of the face dock with about a foot to spare on both ends to the
big yachts fore and aft of her....a perfect landing with no motion at
all....as there was no room for error. They didn't hand the dock hands
the lines until after she was "parked", her main engines still
maintaining position against the current and her thrusters holding her
against the dock.....


It just isn't fair......dammit.

A kid could park that beast with a half day's instructions.


it just isn't fair at all.....

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention he did all this with a WIRELESS HANDHELD
BOX WHILE STANDING ON THE RAIL TOWARDS THE DOCK! It had a joystick on
it that controlled not only the bow and stern thrusters, but the main
diesel monsters in the bilge and their transmissions.

At least he couldn't....YET....put the dock slot into the computer as a
waypoint and just go have a beer.

Few to none of the commercial fishing boats that size have any kind of
thruster. Single engine as well. They manage somehow. Maybe they cheat
and use vast experience. The big problem, no matter what you have, is
gusty shifting winds.

Casady

If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7...oystickve1.jpg

================================================== ========



On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:03:40 +0000, Larry wrote:

"mmc" wrote in news:48b194b4$0$19387
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNx...eature=related



You just can't beat professional pilotage...(c;

An 80-something monster came INSIDE the face dock to tie up to the
inside of it for the night. We were all enjoying some libation in the
Amel's cockpit with some cheeze balls someone had brought aboard.

I thought this guy was kinda BIG to be in such a confined space. The
tide was about 3 knots going out, making a bigger hazard for him to
overcome.

He idled the engines, then backed her down just a little to stop his
forward motion right in the middle of the "channel" between the long
face dock and all the finger piers mere mortals with some money dock
their pride and joys.

Before the boat even came to a stop, multiple whining noises from the
below decks electric thrusters started and as she still drifted towards
her night's berth, her captain rotated her on her central axis as if she
had a vertical shaft down her stack. After she passed perpendicular to
the current vector, he reversed his engines at idle and adjusted their
forward thrust to bring her into a standstill in the current. As that
got closer to reality, both thrusters easily parked her against the
inside of the face dock with about a foot to spare on both ends to the
big yachts fore and aft of her....a perfect landing with no motion at
all....as there was no room for error. They didn't hand the dock hands
the lines until after she was "parked", her main engines still
maintaining position against the current and her thrusters holding her
against the dock.....


It just isn't fair......dammit.

A kid could park that beast with a half day's instructions.


it just isn't fair at all.....

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention he did all this with a WIRELESS HANDHELD
BOX WHILE STANDING ON THE RAIL TOWARDS THE DOCK! It had a joystick on
it that controlled not only the bow and stern thrusters, but the main
diesel monsters in the bilge and their transmissions.

At least he couldn't....YET....put the dock slot into the computer as a
waypoint and just go have a beer.

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:27:59 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

If you can dock a 692 footer like the Empress of the Seas with a
couple of joy sticks, why not an 80 footer?

Maybe so, but I bet it still has " No Tug " warnings signs on the
outside door[s]. The signs for that, and the bow bulb and the
thruster are intended for tugs. On the other hand, even I you want a
tug, a thruster might save paying for two or three. I have been on
cruise ships half a dozen times, and I don't remember any tugs. It was
never very windy, however.

Casady