Smart Marina Berthing Tips

Marina berthing is notoriously difficult.

You have to manoeuvre an expensive yacht in a small space and avoid colliding with the other expensive boats around you!

Here's some Smart Marina Berthing Tips to help you feel more confident.

General points

• Slow is good...

Most people make mistakes when they go too fast.

If you go fast you have less time to make adjustments and you will do more damage if you collide with a pole or another boat.

• Run-ups are good...

Give yourself plenty of room to get your yacht nicely under control in reverse before you start making the turn.

• Practise in open water...

Before you try to reverse into a pen it makes sense to be confident with how your boat handles in reverse.

Take some time when you are in clear water to slow down and stop. Then put your yacht into reverse and try a number of reversing manoeuvres.

Hanse yachts handle very well in reverse with very little prop walk. Other boats don't handle so well and the stern will often kick to port when you go into reverse.

It makes sense to know about this before you enter the marina.

Smart Marina Berthing Tips - Going into Reverse

Here's some more detail about going into reverse.

Slow down to less than 4 knots. Then go into neutral for a few seconds. Then select reverse gear and wait for your yacht to stop. Keep looking forwards until you stop.

Then as your yacht starts to go backwards turn around and face the stern. Don't let go of the wheel at any stage.

Smart Marina Berthing Tips - Lining up the Pen

Judging the curve to turn into the pen takes a bit of practise.

One good way is to line the outside pole of the pen up with the outside quarter of your yacht.

If you are going slowly you will have time to make small adjustments to the curve if you need to.

Just before you enter the pen go into neutral.

And stay in neutral as you straighten up and head into the pen.

Hanse yachts stop pretty quickly.

Around half a metre or so from the end of the pen select forward gear and high revs to stop your yacht.

Then once you are happy put the engine into neutral and secure the lines.

Your confidence will grow with practise...

... and of course for SmartBoating yacht syndicate owners we are on dock every day to help you.

We're happy to catch lines or even berth your yacht for you if you want us to...

... it's all part of the service.

Here's some tips to help you with marina berthing of catamarans

And some advice on leaving your marina berth safely.

More Yachting Tips

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