Fender Bender

Me (Akeem Jones) preventing the boat from crashing into the dock

Backing up Indy 7

I (Akeem Jones) was a mobile fender for this docking at pier 15. This pier is where the East River flows and the current can be very aggressive.  My classmates and I were training with a new technique for docking called warping, which is mostly used for sailboats or boats with low power engines to dock. The wind helped push the bow (the front of the boat) of Indy 7 to the dock then we threw lines to a fixed object ashore (in this case, a cleat). Once those lines were made off, we could back up the stern (back of the boat). Since we were close to the dock my job was with the fender (which is a bumper used to absorb the energy of a object the boat is against). Fenders are used to prevent damage to boats and berthing structures. I had to move up and down the boat to areas where the dock could potentially scrape the boat and place the fender there to block the collision. If I missed a spot it could of been deadly to the boat and my classmates by making a hole into the boat. Overall, our class learned a new technique in boat handling and I played an important role.