Maneuvering Under Power and Docking | Online Course

 

Buy this Maneuvering Under Power course as a hardcopy paper book from our Amazon Store. Videos, animations, and links are included in the book using QR codes.

Maneuvering a sailboat under power is one of the most overlooked and under-taught NECESSARY skills. When sailing in open waters it's reasonably difficult to hit something so long as you have a proper watch out, radar, and navigation skills. When maneuvering around in the marina it's reasonably easy and common to hit something namely the dock or other boats. And of course, hitting something is expensive and embarrassing.

You will receive access to our interactive online sailing lesson and the real-time graded test. This $39 course will take you about 3-4 hours to complete online including the test. The practical exercises given to you will take about 2 hours to complete on the water or in Virtual Reality. This course will give you one of the best returns on investment you have ever made. $39 here now can save you thousands of $ in damage. Looking good in the Marina? - PRICELESS.

Photo Courtesy of Beneteau

Foreword by the Author, Grant Headifen. Near the beginning of my open water sailing career, I chartered a 46 ft sailboat in St Maarten. In St Maarten, the charter base is located in a protected cove but with a tricky reef entrance. Therefore the charter base requires that a pilot come out to your boat in a speedboat, jump on board, bring the boat through the reef, and park it in the slip at the marina for you. I spent some time observing this very talented Rastafarian expertly maneuver my chartered boat into the slip. It was a maneuvering job with which I was very impressed. Why? Well, just days before I had knocked the BBQ off the back of the 46 ft sailboat because I could not maneuver the boat in a tight marina with 20 knots of side wind just as it was getting dark. I was trying to back up to a concrete wall and simultaneously lasso pilings as they went past to hold the front of the boat in place and not hit the wall. As captain, I was seeing very quickly that my open water experience was not paying off and was about to cost me, the charter company, and the insurance company a lot of money.

I remember a year later maneuvering a Beneteau 50 ft sailboat into the marina in the beautiful port of Bonifacio, Corsica. Our slip was right next to the sidewalk restaurant loaded with tourists, so it was imperative to my ego to get it right. Well, I did but actually, I still think it was really more luck than anything else. As we sat on the back of the boat celebrating a no-damage docking we watched a crew expertly maneuver their boat backward down a row of slips, turn right angles then back their boat into a tight slip, stopping perfectly. We all cheered and clapped as it was very impressive. I vowed right then and there to learn the skill.

One year later I was smiling as I maneuvered a 50 ft sailboat in a very tight harbor in Kos, Greece. You can always tell how you are doing in a busy port. If you're doing well, everyone on the other boats will be watching and will continue to drink their Gin. If you're doing bad they are all putting down their drinks and putting fenders over the side. In Greece, everyone relaxed with their Gin!

When I created the fractional ownership industry for sailors a few years later, it was obvious that a course like this needed to be developed. As a result, several thousand students have taken this course. Through 27 practical exercises, this Maneuvering Under Power course will teach you how to practice and master the skill of placing the boat wherever you want, every time in all wind conditions, with confidence. The lesson is arranged so that you can first read the material and begin to understand the theory. Each chapter also has associated practical exercises that you absolutely must perform and repeat to become an expert. The exercises are designed to get you extremely comfortable with maneuvering your boat.

Upon completion, you'll the NauticEd Maneuvering Under Power and Docking Online Course will be added to your NauticEd Sailing Resume. I'm also confident that you'll be so comfortable with maneuvering and backing your boat in a tight marina that you'll never have onlookers put down their drink and pick up a fender. You'll feel great and even if you mess it up a bit, you'll know exactly how to do it better next time. If you're hesitant about the mere $39 cost of this course, just think of the cost and embarrassment of one - just one ding into another boat. When you take this course, we guarantee you'll have less intimidation when maneuvering your boat and you'll significantly reduce damage to yours and other people's boats.

No one ever has, but if you don't think you received $39 worth of potential damage-saving value, simply contact us and we'll happily refund your investment.

In the conclusion chapter, we show you how you can access all the exercises on your mobile device and take them with you to the boat. It leads you through all the exercises you should perform on the water to learn how to maneuver and dock your sailboat under power.

Finally, I can not stress enough how important it is to engage in the optional Virtual Reality module. As with any practical skill, practicing your skills over and over is the only way to become competent. Instructions for VR are inside the course.

Please enjoy our Maneuvering a Sailboat Under Power Course (and no damage docking) bought to you by Captain Grant Headifen.

Register for the NauticEd Docking and Maneuvering a Sailboat Under Power Course now! It's Fun!

By Grant Headifen
NauticEd Global Director of Education

View Maneuvering Under Power Course excerpt