Buoy Rodeo

I wanted a way to practice coming into the slip, but wanted to practice using a target that wouldn't cause any harm if I did actually hit it. Fortunately there is a row of about 5 red return buoys that guide boats into my marina. On a day when there wasn't any traffic I practiced approaching each buoy imagining it was the end of the dock, and getting as close and slow as I could, enough that my mate could practice throwing a line. I learned to account for drift from current and windage, and feathering my engine so that I could stop and back up if I needed to bail out. This was quite helpful and I gained a lot of confidence and figured out what kind of communication was most effective between me and my mate. This made for a low stress gamification of a docking exercise. I hope it can be inspiring for someone else!