first a bit of applied psychology:
What is it you really want todo?
Get your boat in there without damage to yours and the others
or perform a "look how good a sailor I am" circus trick for the attending pontoon audience.
in the second case then there's only one road to travel ...the one all other circus people who are succesfull do : practice practice practice ...
hence the very good advice to practice a few hours in an empty bassin...
In the first case ... why not go in there in the way you feel comfortable...
Forward...!! and then turn the boat with lines or if there's not enough space bring her in with long lines altogether, going ashore with your dinghy first..;
What you need is just a bit of
selfrespect and respect for your boat and the one of others ... disregarding with despise the "sailors" who stand on land
(and who always know better anyway)
Is'nt sailing something you do for yourself ...not for the others? well then!!!
In the Med where this backing on the anker is standard procedure I always do it with lines or go in there with a dinghy first, my boat at anker somewhere outside to have a look first what and how todo... no lurury for a single hander!!
Professional sailors with bigger boats than ours do it like that, here in the Antwerp ( Belgium)Container port... or they have assistance from pilot tow boats...is'nt that the equivalent of some smart and decent line work at our level?? Doing this, your wife will be very calmly mixing the drinks already ... what do you think?
So the question remains:
why do we have to be irresponsible "show of circus artists?"
just for the amusement of the pontoon folks who sometimes do not even know the first thing about boating?
stefke