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3B1: Docking & Undocking
Usually it's easier to dock bow in. Have your mate at the side rail opening, ready to step off and
secure the stern line, against which you can pull to swing the bow in toward the dock. By having your
mate ready to disembark when close to the dock, he/she will not have to jump to the dock, risking a
turned ankle or falling overboard. It is the skipper's job to put the boat next to the dock so the mate
needn't jump, but merely step off!
Approaching a dock, have
fenders out as required and have the
bow line already rigged, passed through
its hawse pipe, and draped back on the
side of the boat between the stanchions
so it can be reached from the dock.
Never put a line from a cleat over a rail:
the boat's weight will bend or break the
rail if it pulls against the line! When the
mate's ashore, the line can be easily
reached!
If dock clearance permits, spring the boat forward so that it pulls forward on the stern line. This
will bring the stern close to the dock. Let the bow line out enough so that the boat can rest against the
stern and midships fenders.
3B2: Maneuvering in a Harbor
With its twin screws, you'll do best if you center the rudder and steer with the engines only! The
props are so large that the boat will respond well except in high winds just with use of the propellers in
forward and/or reverse. Take your time, and keep the boat running "dead slow" so that you can plan
each approach. You shouldn't need to use the throttles at all.
Filling the Fuel Tanks
With the large fuel tanks, you can fuel the boat pretty fast using a standard hose and nozzle
(like those on auto gas pumps). Fuel each tank, taking the hose around the fore-or-aft deck to reach
the outside fill pipe (don't drag the hose over the decks or teak rails: have someone help you handle it).
Fill both the tanks completely but do not spill fuel! You can control the flow rate by sound, as the fill
pipes make the characteristic "getting to the top of the bottle" pitch change when the fill pipes begin to
fill when the tanks themselves are full. (The tank vents will gurgle before the tanks are full, so when the
vents begin gurgling, slow down until you hear the fill pipes' pitch change.)
You can determine fuel levels in three ways: By the sight gauges in the engine room on
each tank (accurate); and by the fuel quantity page on the Garmin GMII 20 and by the fuel
quantitiy page on the Maretron GSM 250 next to the master bed. You can also use the fuel page
Garmin GMI 20
3B: Maneuvering Suggestions
on the Maretron 800C in the lower helm eyebrow panel.
Section 3B: Maneuvering Suggestions 3.5
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