[C320-list] Docking Tool

[Doug Treff]

Tom,

I am a card-carrying member of the "my wife had rotator cuff surgery" club. 

Let me just tell you that you are very optimistic to think she will be able to help at all with boating this season. Mine had the same surgery (with torn bicep repair as well) in May 2019 and we were unable to really do much sailing without an additional crew member until very late in the season. And when we did, I was the primary person doing everything because she was still unable to do certain things.

I'm afraid I have to agree with Jeff - this is a bad idea. She will be trying to tug on the docking stick without being able to grab anything with her other arm which will be in a sling. A recipe for falling down (or overboard) and causing re-injury to the healing joint. They really want it immobilized (and her on light duty) during the healing process. It was almost an entire year and lots of PT before my wife had most of her range of motion and strength back in that shoulder.

I'm quite sure that if you describe to her doctor what you're envisioning, you would get a strong recommendation against it. It's time to look for a sailing buddy and let your wife be a passenger this season.

--
Doug Treff
doug at treff.us

On Sun, Apr 25, 2021, at 7:30 AM, Jeff Smith wrote:
> 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