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My greatest example of this is about 30 years ago I had a Columbia 26 which I kept in Wildwood, NJ. One day coming back to the slip I was feeling really cocky, the wind was just right, and I sailed completely into the slip without starting the engine and without touching a piling or the dock. Man was I proud of myself! When I looked around there was not a soul in sight!
The next morning, feeling even more cocky and with the wind in the right direction I decided to sail out of my slip. I hoisted both the main and the jenny and with both sails flapping proceeded to get blow out of the slip with enough headway to make my turn, sheet in the sails and impressively sail away. The only problem occurred when a gust of wind cought my genny and wrapped the genny sheet around a piling. I came to a complete stop out in the fairway now tethered to the piling. When I looked around very embarassingly there had to be 20+ people on the dock! At least there was somebody there to haul me back in and untangle the genny sheet.
It took me a while to get over that one but 30 years later I basically don't care what onlookers think. If I get between the pilings without damaging anything I've made a successful landing.
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