Yesterday Todd took Buffalo Nickel‘s owners over to Marsden Cove for some close quarter maneuvering drills. The day was a success.

We headed out in the morning for Marsden, a small marina about 45 minutes over water from Whangarei. As FPB 64-7 powered along into a menacing sky, Todd briefed her owners in some practical docking practices.

After a brief squall thoughtfully cleaned the deck, Buffalo Nickel slipped through the narrow channel entrance to Marsden Marina.

The long end docks inside the channel are perfect for working through various entrance and exit scenarios. The shot below shows owner Valerie Creighton practicing pivoting the boat around using just a bow springline and a small of amount of engine rpms.

While husband Stan mans the bow, Valerie easily works Buffalo Nickel completely around. When she’s ready, she gives the sign for Stan to release the springline and they power out the channel to work on another maneuvering scenario.

By the end of the afternoon, Buffalo Nickel and her owners have been well indoctrinated in the ways of close quarter moves.

Asked what she thought about handling Buffalo Nickel and docking, Valerie replied “I don’t use the word awesome, but that was awesome. Easy peasy!” The look on Stan’s face shows that he concurs.