Contributor: Carefree Boat Club of Southern CT
We are proud to introduce our new, regular, email series, Sea School! Throughout this season we will be sending out important tips, covering a variety of boating topics that will, not only make you a better boater, but allow you to have a more pleasurable experience on the water.
Our first Sea School topic covers the importance of having a competent and helpful crew. It is very important that you take advantage of the extra hand and eyes that you have on board when docking, undocking and while underway.
Too often we see Carefree boats out on the water with fenders hanging over the sides. The fenders are secured to boats with a slip knot so while underway, fenders hanging over the side can be dislodged and lost overboard. The fenders are not inexpensive, and should be secured on the boat while travelling.
As captain of the boat please assign the job of pulling in fenders to your crew once you depart the dock. They are of no use while hanging over the sides underway, and boating in such fashion screams “novice boater.”
Do not be afraid to make your crew work for you, after all you are the all-powerful Captain!
Task your crew with simple jobs when departing a dock and returning. Such tasks include:
- Accepting lines from the dock staff and coiling and stowing the line out of the way to be easily retrieved when needed
- Pulling in and stowing away fenders
- When docking the captain must communicate with the crew where the boat will be berthed, for example: Bow in or stern in, port side or starboard side tie up, wind and current directions
- The captain then needs to assign duties to the crew
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- Hang fender on port or starboard side
- Add three docking lines to port or starboard side Bow, Stern and center cleats
- Have crew ready to toss lines to dock staff when arriving. It is very important that you have the crew ready to act and involved to avoid any mishaps and to make docking easier.
Assigning a crew member to each section of the boat, while docking can be incredibly helpful. Having crew members ready at the bow, stern and center of the boat will allow for lines to be thrown to dock staff efficiently, and give you the chance to fend off should another docking attempt have to be made. Putting your crew to work will make your boating experience not only easier, but more relaxed!
