We actually built our own marina out of way points, over two years ago, because we wanted to see if we could get into the Marina if the engine failed.

Building our own maina

So to build our own marina we

• Looked at all the key features of the marina, such as the end of the breakwater, the dolphins and the pontoons
• Transposed all of the key features 1nM North of the actual marina into clear water where there were no hazards
• Add titles to the waypoints, so we understood what each way point represented
• Created tracks between the way points to simulate walls and pontoons

Sailing into the marina

So we created the marina over two year ago, with the view that we could practice sailing into the marina sometime in the future. Well in reality it took over two years, before we got reasonable sailing weather, so that we could practice what we wanted. Well we had an absolute blast with the whole thing adventure, with lots of tacking, jibing and giggles along the way, but this is what we learnt.

• Look at the wind direction at your pinch points, such as the marina entrance. In our case the marina entrance and the wind direction were in line.
• It's a hard task to pretend, because you can't see anything
• Think about your approach to the marina way before you arrive.
• I used a close haul approach, but I had to point more onto the wind as I approached, this meant that I stalled Salty Lass at the entrance and I was pushed into an obstacle. The wind was in control, not me
• Beverley approached the marina at 90° to my course, so she was on a beam reach as she approached the entrance, she then turned into the wind later than I did. This meant that she had power as she approached the marina and she was in control as she went through the entrance rather than the wind
• Don't be two ambitious, initially, we thought we would be able to sail into our slip, but in reality we really needed to get in and get to the pontoon in the harbour. That way we would be in the ideal position to access the yard.
• I would try it again, winds change, conditions change, and practice would help, because you never know when your engine might fail.