around the docks longaround the docks long
I liked hanging
around the docks long
ed hanginged hanging
before I had a boat.
VISUAL ASSETS
I liked hanging around the
docks long before I had a boat.
I still enjoy it, though not quite
as much as piloting my own
vessel. Once while at the dock,
I watched as a captain came
into a narrow port and aimed
his bow at the slip. Just short
of the slip, he turned his back
to the helm. Standing between
the throttles, he took one in
each hand, and pulled one up
to forward at a pretty strong
idle and pushed the other to
reverse with equal authority.
Completely confi dent, from
both practice and the clear
view of other boats and dock
fi ngers, he pivoted his beauty
180 degrees, then nonchalant-
ly reversed throttle positions,
stopped the pivot and aimed
the stern straight into the slip.Just as the lacquered mahoga-
ny transom might have struck
the dock, he applied forward
thrust, and water boiled up
between the stern and dock,
stopping the vessel perfectly,
just inches from the pier. Dock
hands threw lines on the cleats,
and the boat was made fast.CLIMBING LIABILITIES
That skipper had a crew await-
ing him on the dock. Had he
not, at least six steps stood
between him and his dock
lines. As the boat idled there,
technically still underway as
the rules of navigation go, he
could drift into other boats in
the marina. The skipper in a
fl ybridge had better be sure-
footed or have a crew (or a re-
mote control or a lower station
to transfer to). With a crew,the upper station becomes an
asset again, because he can
assign tasks and observe his
crew as they secure the boat.
Likewise, upper stations are
not for the long-in-the-tooth
commanders who may not
have that youthful spring in
their step.AREA ASSETS
The only thing better thanenjoying the view from above
is sharing it. That upper sta-
tion supplies extra seating,
and the social opportunities
it provides are at least charm-
ing — if not romantic with the
right passengers. Often, if the
vessel is large enough to carry
it, an upper station can have an
electric refrigerator or at least
an ice chest, and some boast a
cocktail galley with a sink.Just short of the
slip, he turned
his back to the
helm. Standing
between the
throttles, he took
one in each hand,
and pulled one
up to forward at a
pretty strong idle
and pushed the
other to reverse
with equal
authority.
PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY SEA RAY, FOREST JOHNSON76 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2018