Recalling my issues with backing my boat, and seeing these comments here... Sunday was practice day... I went out into a local small bay/basin and shut down the engine and played with various sail configurations while I still had plenty of room and low enough airs to both move and yet still do so in a safe and sane way.

It was a blast! Nothing like getting that feedback on how and what you can do and could do if need be. No one else was on the boat, so it was just me and a bit of light air, just trying the staysail and then the genoa, one at a time in different wind angles, while sailing slowly around the various moored boats in the basin. (slow was definitely the operative word as I was moving at about .5 to .85 kts at any particular time).

I then turned on the engine and took it back to the home basin and played with control in reverse... slow and steady.

Nothing like messing around with boats!

Of course such practice just makes you better at handling the boat... was a nice "pat on the back" when I pulled back into the slip and my neighbor stated "wow nice docking, you really knew what you were doing..." Of course he had no idea I had just spent about 3 hours doing slow, close, drills. GRIN