Captain Al’s Blog

Here are two very helpful hints for improving safety with your Landing loop.

If you look at the tabs along the top of any page on our web site, you will find one that says “Detailed Instructions”. I suggest you print this seven step procedure and then laminate it. Make several copies if you need. Store the copies on your boat so that when you have guests or other mates who need to refer to it, you will have the information at your disposal. I put mine into a small notebook and labeled it “Safety Manual”. I found it very useful to teach guests how to use the Landing Loop. Education is golden when docking a boat. We all have seen too many people get hurt from not knowing what to do.

The second tip is to PLAN YOUR DOCKING STRATEGY with your Landing Loop.

I sat on my boat and asked myself, “WHAT IF” situations. What if I pull in bow first? What if I back in? Do I need a 25 or 35 ft Line? Do I use the spring cleat on my boat or the aft cleat and what will happen if I do that? I also asked, “what cleat do I aim for on the dock?”. The pre-planning forced me to think about what I was going to do before that critical moment of docking was upon me. The wind, the current, and the water chop will affect each situation, but these basic questions remain the same. The planning did help. It made my docking easier in general. I BECAME A MORE INFORMED CAPTAIN.

I realize that many of you have been boating for years. I have been doing it for 20 years. I still learn every time I go out. Using the Landing Loop for docking is different from the way I used to dock. I PREPARE MY MATE BEFORE LEAVING THE DOCK. I let my mates try the Landing Loop before asking them to dock with it. It is time well spent. I don’t have to teach and dock at the same moment. I do not have to get as close to the dock. See the video. I am 5-8 feet from the dock and Tracy was able to tie up with ease. (Tracy was a hired model for this shoot and had never touched a docking line before this shoot). I can also control the affect that the wind has on my stern as I pull in. I can respond quicker because we get the first line onto the dock faster. I use a second Landing Loop in the stern. I can prevent the wind from blowing my stern into my neighbors boat. I can be 8-10 feet away and still tie up the stern. We always have a wind in play. Most important, NO ONE had to Jump off the boat.

These are my experiences with the Landing Loop. I developed it. I won’t go out without it. It works! It will become your third mate with eleven foot arms if you work with it.

Next time I will relay two different scenarios for two different boats trying to do the same thing.

See you next week….
Gadgets Unlimited, Inc
Captain Al

I recently received a tip from one of our west coast Single Handers. He is captain of a 75 foot yacht and single hands quite often. He uses the Landing Loop so he has quick accesss for docking. I have included two photos of what he does to adapt his Landing Loop for his use.

The captain bought a short piece of 3/4 inch black soft rubber hose. Then he cut two pieces off the end as shown in photo No 1.   Each piece was about 1/2 inch long.  Notice how the hose was sliced and a section of the hose was cut away so there was a space for his line to fit. He then taped the pieces of the hose on to the tips of the Landing Loop. See photo No 2. The docking line was placed on to the tips as usual but clipped into the rubber hose sections. His line stayed on the tips while he handled the boat. When ready for tie up he was able to pickup the preloaded Landing Loop for speedy docking. I tried it on my boat…. It worked with one proviso. My line did not fall off the frame quickly. I had to pull the Landing Loop frame away from the line.   You will have to adjust each piece as needed if you want to try this.  We do not support this adaptation and do not guarantee that it will work.  It is just a sample of what some creative user has done for his own use.

See you next week.

Allen Greenberg

Many of you have just received or will be receiving your new LandingLoops shortly.  Whether you have a power,sail,or pontoon boat, Docking is docking.

We have developed LandingLoop.Blog.Com to bring you information about your Landing Loop, answer questions from our users, and make your experience using the Landing Loop more enjoyable and meaningful.  Through the blog we will show you how to use the Landing Loop, give ideas on how to adapt it to your docking situations, and relate new ideas that we have received from our users.  One of the most important features will be hearing and comparing your experiences and tales with others.  We will also keep you informed about our new and exciting future products.  Many will be used with your Landing Loop to better improve your docking skills.

Our mission is to improve DOCKING SAFETY, Learn from each other, and to take the frustration and fear out of BOAT DOCKING.  Together we can make a greater impact.  Our blog sessions will be short, informative, and interesting to all.

Please let us hear from you with your docking experiences and questions.  What made you think about buying the Landing Loop?  What questions do you have about using the Landing Loop.  We want to discuss the items that interest you.  We have already heard from some of you.  The stories are wonderful.

Our next session will be –”Where it all began”.
We will update the blog weekly.

Thanks for joining us.

Gadgets Unlimited, Inc./Landing Loop.com
Allen Greenberg