[C320-list] Docking Tool

[Jeff Smith]

Tom,

I am not an orthopedist but I can’t imagine they will think it is a good idea to have your wife on the bow with her arm in a sling. My wife is what I like to call “vertically” and “athletically” challenged. We pull stern in to our slip. She drives us out of the slip and out of the marina, which works well because I am going to raise the main anyway. Coming in, she uses a boat hook to grab the windward bow line if possible. I have a dock line attached to the stern port cleat (our finger pier is on the port side) that I run outside of the lifelines. Once we are close to the finger pier, my wife grabs a bow line and I step off with a line on the stern in my hand, making sure I am in neutral first. 

I am sure there will be people who say this is unsafe, so caveat emptor. Once I am on the dock with a line on the boat, though, I can keep it in the slip if the tides and wind are extremely strong. I use this when I am single handed. 

You might also watch this video. It is similar to the docking stick though you would do all of the work using a continuous line with a loop attached to the boat at your pivot point. I have also used this procedure when single-handed. It has the added bonus that you do not leave the boat without a line on a cleat on the dock.

Good luck to you and your wife. I had shoulder surgery 11 years ago and it still bothers me to sleep on that side. 

Jeff
S/V Sailmates, #121, 1994

> On Apr 24, 2021, at 5:50 PM, Tom Grass <tgrass462 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> My wife is going to have rotator cuff surgery next month.  I'm looking at
> products that might help US to come into a dock under more control.
> Usually I am at the helm and she is on the bow.  Here is a product I saw on
> facebook (youtube video:  https://youtu.be/zi936rcrZCY) that could possibly
> assist us.  The initial thought is that my wife would use the pole to
> capture the cleat and I would then pull the line tight from the helm.
> 
> Have any of you had a similar problem?  What are your opinions of this
> product (on the youtube video? )   Any ideas of what else might help during
> her recovery.  Thanks in advance.
> 
> Tom & Tracy Grass
> S/V Bucket List
> 2008 Catalina 320 MK II
> # 1135