Captain Al’s Blog

While sitting on the pier this weekend I watched two situations evolve.

A 38 Ft power boat approached his slip for docking . I walked over and asked of I could catch his line and tie up. NO was the answer. “I’m young and I can jump off and do it”. So I watched. The young man was on the bow which had a standard guard rail. He was bare footed. The captain approached and the young man ( about 35 years old) jumped over the rail and landed on the rough sawn wood pier just in front of me. I closed my eyes. He made it and luckily did not end up with splinters on his feet. I walked on the pier once and came away with two bad splinters. I am sure he did not think about the risks he took. I DID. What a perfect situation for a Landing Loop….

A 30 foot sail boat approached his slip for docking. The wind was blowing at 90 degrees as he approached. The bow line was thrown to a mate on the pier. His wife jumped off the stern with the line in her hand. She did reach the dock, but pushed the boat away and could not regroup. The wind caught the stern. She had to drop the line or end up in the water. The boat did hit their neighbor’s boat. The captain had to back out completly and start over; now with no mates or lines on board. The bow line was released from the dock and dragged in the water. If he only had a landing loop. He could have avoided all that mess the first time.

These are just two of four situations I observed on my dock in one day. Can you imagine what goes on all over. These were both experienced boat captains, both too proud to ask. IS THERE A BETTER AND SAFER WAY?

Remember, NEVER JUMP OF YOUR BOAT AGAIN; Just reach for your LandingLoop. You may not always need it, but when you do, it’s wonderful.

We want to welcome all those chat room buddies that have hit our web site this week.

I thought I should try to answer some of the questions raised.

1. Our product has been out for exactly one year now. It is not available in any retail store at this time. If you would like to have a store carry the product, please go into the store and ask about it. In the mean time, we will be glad to service you on our web site.

2. Our product is unique. It extends from approximately 4 feet to 11 feet. It is made for boats from 20 feet to 65 feet. It will handle a 3/8 to 3/4 inch docking line. We have one captain on a 75 foot yacht using our Landing Loop when he goes out single handling. Our Landing Loop is being used by many sail boats, power boats, pontoon boats, and house boats. See one of my earlier Blogs for the various specs of the Landing Loop.

3. We know that many of you have been boating for many years and are very skilled captains. I sat on the pier at our marina on the Fourth of July and saw 4 incidents where the Landing Loop could have avoided troubled situations for these seasoned captains. Our marina has 15 piers with about 100 boats each and this is only one day of watching. It is only one marina in the entire world. Can you imagine what is going on elsewhere. The Landing Loop will eliminate the need to jump off a boat. It will minimize injuries, avoid damage to boats, and save marriages. We said, there must be a better way to dock a boat. We developed it to promote safety in boating. The Landing Loop will help us dock our boats even if we are less than perfect. If the current is strong, or if the wind is blowing, as it usually does, the Landing Loop is wonderful..

I have been boating for 20 years. I never had to take a licence course to test my skills. I learned from trial and error. The Landing Loop works for me. The boating community seems to agree. It has helped me in those tough situations. I do not need it if there are mates on the pier to help. However, many times it would be better docking without the help from the pier.

4. The cost of the Landing Loop is $69.95 plus shipping. When you think of the cost of an emergency room visit, or to repair a ding in your gel coat, or the cost of damage to another boat, the Landing Loop is an inexpensive insurance policy. Better yet, imagine the cost of a marriage counselor. Try a Landing Loop. We will gladly accept returns up to 10 days with prior approval. We have not had one come back yet.

5. Durability was questioned. The Landing Loop frame is made from heavier than normal steel piping that has been coated to resist salt and sun. The pole is heavier than normal aluminum to assure durability when extended. The two molded tips are specially designed so the line quickly disengages from the frame. There is no Velcro used because it tends to grab onto some types of docking lines. If used properly, the line stays on the tips until you want it to release.

6. We provide you with a step by step instructional DVD. You can print out our “detailed instructions” page from the web site. It will give you something to train your mates on board. We ask that you watch the DVD and practice using the Landing Loop 4-6 times before you try docking with it. Train your mates. It’s worth the time. It is very simple to use, but we want you to be comfortable with it before you dock with it. My 11 year niece was able to use it with 5 minutes of training.

I hope I have answered some of your questions. If there is anything else I can do, please e-mail at info@landingloop.com. I will be more than happy to explain.

Thanks again for your interest in our product. Keep watching our web site. We are developing four new boating gadgets. We hope to have two of them out this year.

Gadgets Unlimited, Inc/Landing Loop
Captain Al

Hope you had a great week end.

Last year I had an occasion to ask two of my pier mates to help me at the pump out station. My wife had back surgery, so she could not. The wind was blowing 15-18 miles an hour off the dock at the pump out. I gave each of my friends about a five minute lesson on using the Landing Loop and headed out to the pump out. I placed one mate on the bow and the other at the stern. Both placed the cut end of their line between the toes of their boat cleats. As we approached the dock I explained which dock cleat they should use to place their respective lines. As we got to within 4-5 feet of the dock they each secured their lines and the pulled us into the dock with out incident. Both men turned to me at the same time and said, “YOU ARE A ….GENIUS, Why couldn’t I think of that”. The point here, is that both were able to handle the Landing Loop with just a little instruction. Both were “OLD TIME BOATERS” SKEPTICAL OF SOMETHING NEW. We docked my boat easily, no one had to jump off the boat. No damage to the boat. No frustrations.

Two weeks later another pier mate had to take his boat to the same Pump out. I offered to let him use two Landing Loops. After some coaxing, he agreed to try one. I told him to please use it. He asked another pier mate to help along with his wife. Both the captain and the mate have been boating for over 20 years. I did not go with them. I was not asked. I did watch from my boat, however. The wind was blowing about 15 miles an hour or more. The friend was placed on the bow (about 5 ft above the water line) and the wife was placed on the stern. The bow person had the Landing Loop. As the boat approached the dock, the bow mate was able to secure his line to the cleat at the pump out using the Landing Loop. However, as he approached and got tied, the stern of the boat had blown away from the dock and the wife was sitting there throwing her line at the dock. She tried several times and never could get the stern tied down. The captain finally backed off and used his bow line as a spring line and tied up. The poor lady was frustrated and not happy. The scenario here…… All the captain needed was the second Landing Loop. His wife could have tied the stern with ease. When she started to throw her lines, the boat was 4-5 feet away, well within the reach of the 11 foot arms of the Landing loop.

Here is a situation where pre-thinking the approach to a docking situation could have saved frustration and possible injury. A younger person at the stern may have tried to jump for the dock. The Landing Loop is a tool that will improve the chances of successful docking and minimize the risk of injury. It’s a WIN WIN situation whether you are a novice or a seasoned captain. Don’t try the Landing loop and then put it away. Work with it. Think about how it can help you. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Adapt it to fit your docking needs. The Landing Loop works!!!!!! Buy one or two. If you don’t like it, we will gladly take it back(within 10 days). If you operate a 18-20 foot cuddy or low profile boat, one Landing Loop is fine. If you have a cabin on your boat, think about the second Landing Loop. It’s a very inexpensive insurance policy.

I hope this helps explain why I have the Landing Loops aboard. There are many times that we do not need the Landing Loop, but when we do, it’s wonderful. My wife and I now speak about how we docked successfully rather than yelling and screaming at each other. We are never too old or experienced to learn about a better way.

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