Learning manoeuvres at home
You don't learn to fly an aircraft in the cockpit, but on the ground by learning the checks and procedures. You only learn to apply them in the cockpit.
The same applies if you want to complete your boat training in as few hours as possible. Learn the manoeuvres with the checklist and the learning videos at home and come to us on the boat to apply them.
One student who came to the boat lesson prepared in this way was able to practise three times as many manoeuvres in the same amount of time. And practice makes perfect!
In the videos you can always see on the right what it takes to use the throttle and steering and in the drone image on the left you can see how the boat moves as a result.
The videos are “interactive videos.” Watch them on a tablet or phone, walk around a bit while watching, and say to yourself what comes next and what you should pay attention to. Experience shows that if you move around (walk around the room) while watching, you can remember what you've learned better.
The videos are in Bernese German and will soon be available in English.
Turning and docking
At the beginning of the training, you will learn how to control the boat safely and move it intuitively using the steering wheel and forward and reverse gears. We always perform all maneuvers at idle speed – only when we are approaching the jetty too quickly do we briefly accelerate to avoid a hard landing. The engine is turned as far as possible to port or starboard to achieve optimum steering effect.
You will learn these basics in the first three maneuvers:
1. Casting off
We cast off with the engine pointing in the desired direction of travel (steaming ahead or blowing away) and then pull away from the jetty in reverse. This technique also helps in tight situations or when we are drifting towards an obstacle.
2. Turning
When turning while moving forward, the boat drifts outward and requires a lot of space. Turning on the spot, also known as a 180-degree turn, is much more space-saving, but requires a little more power.
3. Mooring in tight spaces
In tight situations, we combine the plate turn with a bow landing, known as turning over the bow. This teaches you to realistically assess the size of the boat and the effect of your steering inputs in relation to the jetty.
Lernvideo: Ablegen vom Steg
Lernvideo: Wenden an Ort
Lernvideo: 90° Buglandung und Wenden über Bug
Lernvideo: 45° Driftlandung Backbord
Lernvideo 90° Driftlandung Steuerbord
Drift landing
If we want to move sideways against the wind, we need drift. You can “build up drift” by changing the boat's direction and continuing to drift in the previous direction: when turning, the boat drifts to the outside of the turn.
For drift landings, we drift sideways to the dock against an offshore wind (wind blowing from land towards the lake).
As a general rule, we always land with our motor facing the wind, which also helps us turn in.
The 45° port drift landing is a simple landing that we perform in offshore winds and when there is sufficient space. Success depends on correctly estimating the distance to the dock and performing the maneuvers at the right time.
The 90° starboard drift landing requires less space and allows us to approach at a narrower angle against the offshore wind. Due to the longer turn, we start the maneuver earlier and support it with the rudder.
The 90° starboard drift landing requires less space and allows us to approach at a narrower angle against the offshore wind. Due to the longer turn, we start the maneuver earlier and support the turn with engine power.
Stop landing
We perform stop landings with an onshore wind (wind from behind pushing us towards land) to avoid crashing into the jetty. On the other hand, if we have initiated a drift landing too late, stopping saves us from a hard impact. Since the boat experiences a wheel effect (when braking in reverse, the stern/rear pushes slightly to port/left), the steering angles for port and starboard landings are slightly different. Port landings require less steering angle when braking. Here we show the starboard versions.
For the 45° starboard stop landing, we land with an onshore wind and sufficient space. In the video, you can see how the stopped boat drifts towards the jetty.
For the 90° starboard stop landing, we also need less space to the side, even less than for the 90° drift landing. In the video, the maneuver is performed in light winds and therefore corresponds more to a stop landing to compensate for a late drift landing.
In strong onshore winds, it is advisable to stop the boat close to the jetty (this takes some effort) so as not to pick up too much momentum again and still be “thrown against the jetty.”
Lernvideo: 45° Abstopplandung Steuerbord
Lernvideo: 90° Abstopplandung Steuerbord
Box vorwärts
90° RW Driftlandung und Boot belegen am Steg
Complex maneuvers
Here we show you more complex maneuvers for the advanced level. These include driving into the box, reverse landings, and mooring the boat at the jetty.
There are a few rules to follow when driving into the box.
- Lateral drift in front of the box prevents a clean entry, so we have to brake completely to stop this sliding movement.
- We steer completely before accelerating, so we have the ideal turning effect. (Exception: braking before the box)
- In the box, we keep the drive straight so as not to touch other boats when braking or driving out.
In the canton of Schwyz, at the end of the test, the boat is moored 90° backwards and then secured to the jetty. Landing requires some practice to learn how to estimate distance and speed.
When mooring at the jetty, candidates demonstrate that they can tie four knots. In the video here, we mainly show the procedure; you can find detailed instructions for the knots on our page.