I cut the wheel hard to port and attempted to have the 33’ boat glide up gently to the doc. We were practicing docking under sail power alone and my hard to port turn didn’t quite do the trick. The 12,000lb hull headed straight toward the dock and smashed into it with a dull thud. Our instructor was awesome, and had me try again. This time I was heading straight towards the bow of another boat. I threw the engine in reverse and cranked on the throttle. The boat shuddered and slowly came to a stop, thankfully before crushing in the side of the other boat.
The class took 3 days, and it was awesome. I learned how to doc, how to anchor, and how to turn the boat around in 360 degrees. I sailed through winds gusting to 35 knots, got hit in the face with hail and salt water, and most importantly I didn’t get seasick. I can see how people fall in love with sailing…it’s all engaging and visceral.