Slipways are usually busy places with a number of boats jostling for position to get in and out of the water. Here are Leisure Boating’s tips on how to dock successfully and the etiquette required to make it a pleasant experience for everyone.
Depart and approach slowly
Wakes can be particularly disruptive for moored watercraft. A marina, harbour or slipway is a place of safety and should be kept as wake free as possible.
Big wakes make it increasingly difficult for people on the dock to balance with it bouncing up and down.
Passing the dock
When passing docks, harbours, marinas and slipways with a boat, be responsible and slow down so as not to cause any damage by creating large wakes. You’re responsible for your wake and any damages it may cause.
Wakes can travel across large expanses of water and cause problems well after you’ve left the area.
Not only do large wakes disrupt other boaters, but they also can damage the sensitive shoreline, reed bed and other flora and fauna. Simply, go slowly!
Start the season
Most boaters are chomping at the bit to get going when the summer season begins and they tend to forget their manners on the water.
We all feel the freedom and thrill of the open water at the start of the season, but we always need to be cognisant of other boaters around us.
Common docking
If you share a common dock with other boats, try not to tie up in the middle of the dock and prevent others from effectively using the allotted space.
