When I was in sixth grade, way back when, my family purchased a motorboat named Pilot from the yacht club. It had been used for many decades in the sailing program and was replaced by a Boston Whaler. It was a product of Cape Cod Shipbuilding over in Wareham. It was very sturdily constructed of fiberglass. When we anchored it too close to the beach overnight and it ended up stranded even by half a foot in the bow, we learned that waiting for the tide to come back was the only reasonable course of action.

Everything that I knew about boat handling came to me from observing the way Chappy Ferry captains drove the City of Chappaquiddick and the On Time. The first time that I needed gas, I headed over to Norton and Easterbrooks at North Wharf. I picked a spot near the gas pumps and approached perpendicular to the dock. I eased back on the throttle, reversed a little bit and made a very solid landing against a dock timber. I left the engine in forward gear at slow idle to hold the boat in place, just like Tony and John did with the ferry. The dock attendants remarked that they had not seen that maneuver before and would I be willing to come alongside so that I could shut the engine off while fueling? That seemed unnecessarily complicated but I obliged.

I went home and read up on dock lines and fenders. The next time that I needed fuel, I headed over early so no one would see me in my first attempt at landing alongside. When the pump operator showed up, he marveled that a 15-foot outboard had enough cleats to accommodate a bow line, a stern line, forward and after spring lines as well as fenders midship and at the stern.

I’ve since simplified my methods of making fast alongside. Of course, bringing either of the On Time ferryboats up against the face of Memorial Wharf has the advantage of a propeller and rudder at each end. And at each corner of the boat is a nice big sampson post plus there’s a rubber bumper the entire length of the hull. Pretty easy and straight forward.

So my boat handling experience started with ferryboats landing in slips and progressed to maneuvering alongside. The opposite applies to new ferry captains. They have to switch their handling outlook from a gingerly approach to the face of a dock to a head long rush into a slip. One of the many pieces of advice that I give them is to visualize entering the slip and heading right on up the road. It helps to take into account where you want the stern to end up as well as the bow. I always add, “But remember to stop at the ramp.”

Some dates to note on your calendar: Household hazardous waste collection at the transfer station up by the airport is May 17 from 9 a.m. to noon; Chappy Ferry summer schedule begins Thursday May 22; Chappy Community Center potlucks are on the third Wednesday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m.. next one is May 21; Edgartown Village Market opening day is June 17; CCC golf classic tournament is June 21; Chappy Point to Point race is June 29; Catboat Parade is July 19; CCC calendar photo contest submission deadline is July 25; Chappaquiddick Island Association annual summer meeting is August 2 from 9 to 11 a.m.