Miami Boat Doctor - Boat Navigation Tips!

Boating Tips from Miami Boat Doctor

NAVIGATION
Knowing how to safely navigate your boat is one of the most important things
a boater should understand. Signs within a waterway have various
meanings that will keep you from getting into trouble.

Red signs will be on your right when returning to land.

Green signs should be on your left when returning. If the signs are
directly across from each other, this indicates the deepest water.
You should stay between these signs.

A red-triangle sign with a number on it (figure A) means that you are
that many miles from the open water. It's called a channel marker.
If the channel marker has a yellow square within it ( figure B),
you are in the Intracoastal Waterway.

There are also warning signs, such as No Wake signs.
It's every boater's responsibility to obey this warning. High wakes can
cause damage to boats nearby. If you see this sign, lower you speed, almost to idle.

DOCKING
One of the first things you need to notice before attempting to dock your
boat is the current. A great way to see how fast the current is moving
is to look at how many rings are around the backside
of a dock piling (figure A).
One ring equals one knot of current.

Approach the dock at a low rate of speed, toward the dock at a 45-degree angle. When you are about 25 feet away, put the motor into idle. Turn the wheel so that the prop is pointing toward the dock when you get closer. Then, take the motor out of neutral and into reverse. This will bring the back of the boat toward the dock.

Always tie-off the front and back of your boat to keep the boat secure. After you have docked, tie the front line around the cleat. Take the line all the way around the cleat, then make a figure eight pattern around the horns several times. Next, turn the line over and make a loop around the horn (figure B). This is an added step to keep your boat secure. Repeat this entire process for the back line.

If you are docking at a slip, you will tie up to a piling. Some pilings will have an ear bolted to them for tying off. If the piling does not have an ear, tie your dock line around the piling. The best way to keep it from slipping down into the water is to use the loop end of the line to tie around the cleat on the boat. Then take the other end around the piling, and wrap it underneath the line coming back towards the boat. Take it around a couple more times. Make a loop through the line leading up to the piling, then go up through the loop that you made. Go around the bend, and then put the end of the line back through the loop to tighten everything up (figure C).
Be sure to leave a little slack to accommodate the tide going up or down.