Four 'trips' into my cruising career and I'm not sure if a caravan would have been a better idea.
Trip 1 was a two-mile shuttle between the marina my new boat (plastic cruiser) was moored and its new-home marina. We negotiated a lock and moored perfectly. so far so good.
I then realised I was moored in someone else's space, hence 'trip' 2, and after a LOT of fannying around I moved the five spaces further down to my own slot
So, after a long winter I went out for the first 'proper' cruise - trip 3. Four miles up river, four miles back, all well apart from the inconvenience that the 'experienced hand' on board got drunk as was no use at all. However, coming in I again had problems, and bumped into the boat next door (gently but I cant pretend it didn't happen)
Last weekend, all I wanted to do was turn the boat round, but got caught in what I thought was a negligible breeze and was pretty helpless as I drifted across the marina and bumped into two NB's - who's owners incidentally were very friendly, why can't road users be like that - and eventually managed to recover to my mooring, more by luck than good judgement. Meanwhile smaller plastics and many NB's glided past as if on rails
I have reflected and come to the following conclusions; either
1. I'm a rubbish boater
2. My boat (30 foot widebeam fibreglass cruiser with two V6 inboards) is either unsuitable full stop or unsuitable for an inexperienced boater
3. I'm just inexperienced and need more saddle time
4. My mooring is in an unsuitable place for an inexperienced boater (it requires a sharp 90 degree entry and exit, and the wind is behind me as I exit)
I'm addressing the last one by asking to move to a more 'open' mooring and I'm taking the advice of one of the guys I bumped into to only go out in very calm conditions, but despite my natural confidence in all things, I'm starting to wonder even after this short time if I've done the right thing/things
Any advice?