Patrick Levitzke is from Port Macquarie, Australia. He left in 2019 to begin yachting, and found his first job on a private 82-foot Horizon, cruising the U.S. East Coast, with just the captain. Currently, he’s a second officer on a 60-meter expedition/science research yacht, operating out of Australia.
When tying up in an unfamiliar port, a recon mission can save your reputation. Second officer Patrick shares what to keep in mind for making trips in unknown ports.
Even as experienced chase boat captains and tender drivers, we’ll often be unfamiliar with the ports and dockages we visit for errands. While not a huge deal for doing a mid-charter trash run, our competency as crew is heavily on display when picking up first-time charter guests. First and last impressions stick, so let’s go over four points to keep in mind when making trips to unfamiliar dockages.
Given the option, I would always do a reconnaissance run before a guest pick-up. Go and scope out the dock, even if you’ve seen it before — added construction could make it suddenly unfamiliar. Having laid eyes on it, we can determine the four main considerations: whether the docks are fixed or floating, the tide vs the wind, the traffic and the dock handlers.
Floating docks are a piece of cake and will make life much easier for the guests, while fixed dockage is trickier as you’ll experience much more swell and roll when tied up. Have a practice run of tying up as pylons and concrete will need to be accounted for and fenders will need to be placed in unusual positions. Have extra lines on hand.
Wind and tide determine how we dock. Assess both before you start your maneuver and determine what you will do to counteract them. Be aware of any changes on the horizon — squalls, gusts and changes in tide. Sustained high wind can make it impossible to tie up safely at many docks, not just for big boats.
Traffic is similarly time-dependent and can fluctuate throughout the day. Bigger ports may have significant commercial traffic and can affect you with huge wake on the approach. Some common curveballs include ferries, dredging ops or tour boats that can operate at high speed or in an uncertain fashion. COLREG rules five and six will keep you out of most trouble.
Lastly, dock handlers can be of varying competence. Even busy professional docks can have some green line handlers, or some who don’t speak English so don’t assume they know what you need. Be clear and have your own deckhands ready to take over. Making VHF contact beforehand is a good idea.
It’s all in the preparation and planning. Getting a good scout of unfamiliar docks will ensure skill and professionalism while keeping your guests safe and your chase boats and tenders damage-free.