Driving a boat solo | How to come into a berth single-handed | Motor Boat & Yachting

Arriving at a berth single-handed in a big boat is a slightly unnerving moment. Jon Mendez shares his top tips for berthing solo...

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[gordonhamilton]

Sign of someone who really knows what they're doing, they never seem to rush, everything is smooth. fantastic job.

[laki]

Legend has it that John Mendez was once spotted without his life jacket.

[adamristic]

I was waiting for a video like this for a long time. Thank you so much for educating on something that people are generally afraid to do by themselves.

[glowe]

This guy is good...obviously very experienced. Excellent tutorial 👌

[topgame]

Im a German 38m living in Cyprus. Im about to do my Skipper Licence (24m) and I found your videos very helpful, also in attractive format. Big thanks to you!

[gregovens]

Twin engine, & a bow thruster…..hardly a challenge !!

[Faithinthedock]

I've a 50ft boat which I often single hand. Being an aft cabin trawler style (Trader) she's a little exciting getting off the boat to sort lines and the sheer height does add a lot of windage but adding a remote control to the bow thruster has added some added peace of mind (though I check it works before heading into the marina).

[Chrisdalm]

great description of backing into a slip. I looked at the surrounding water and flags and saw very little wind. I would like to see a challenging docking with a decent amount of crosswind. I have an end slip and constantly fight the crosswinds.

[firtosc]

odd - aerial video shows him directly next to another boat to his port, but video from his fly bridge shows him going into a single slip, no boat next to him

[Sgt_Hest]

Great tutorial, I always wondered if you had to panic, to park a big boat on your own :D Would love to see more stuff/tips like that

[legin]

This *excellent* video is stuffed to the gunnels with great wisdom - so many points that all add up to a calm and controlled berthing. For the past 20 years I've usually been effectively single-crewed [untrained visitors more of a liability] and find that slow and steady is always best. It gives more time to plan and react if conditions change suddenly.

[jeffjohn]

Great job! You make it look easy. And with a little practice most captains should be able to accomplish this feat.
Bravo!👏👏👏👏

[darthkek]

Fantastic tutorial. John deserves his mugshot in the banner graphic.

[SBanglaeveryday-lw]

It’s amazing parking a boat best captain, thank you sir..!!

[ScottNelles]

I'm new to boating. It's like he's speaking another language.... I have a lot to learn. Great video.

[jaimelopez]

This was a great video sir, thanks!! I have to confess, quite different than my first docking attempts back in the marina in Dubai where I used to dock my Searay Sundancer 290!! A bit chaotic at the beginning...

[Nick_GIZR]

Single shaft, no thrusters, lots of wind. That would be a useful docking video if you wouldn't mind obliging! 🤣

[davidfrank]

I really love what you did with the rest of that rope. I have never thought about doing that. I also liked how you kept the boat to the dock when you jumped off. I am just spoiled I use my GPS anchor feature. That does a pretty good job of keeping the boat right where I want it to stay.

I enjoyed the video I have been a subscriber for a long time. And I always make sure to hit like after watching the video. I look forward to seeing more sense boating season starting up.

[captain-Dan]

Weirdly I went looking for any new vids from John earlier today. Another great addition to the series.

[davetate]

I love watching a professional at work! So easy just do it a couple of hundred times in various conditions and the job is a good un.