Docking Lessons in Miami
Why train here
Miami boating is beautiful and busy. Biscayne Bay, the Intracoastal, Government Cut, and packed marina basins leave little room for a soft docking skill set. Boat Lessons with Captain Rick Mendez provides private, on-the-water training on your boat, focused on docking and close-quarters handling in the waters you use.
Captain Rick is based in South Florida and New York / Long Island. Travel available. Lessons are private, on-the-water, and built around the docks and waterways you actually use.
Miami docking is not one kind of water. Biscayne Bay is wide, so an afternoon breeze sets the boat off a face dock before the line is on. A block inland, a finger pier often leaves little room to recover a missed approach. The Miami River adds current the bay does not, and Government Cut puts ship traffic and wake on the same day. The practice is holding station, pivoting into the slip, and seeing which way the boat will slide before you commit.
On your boat
Lessons happen on your vessel at your dock, canal, or agreed Miami / South Florida meeting point. Drills match your boat and dock geometry.
Credentials
Captain Rick Mendez is a USCG 100-Ton Master and NSBC Instructor Trainer.
Ready to book?
Ready to train in Miami waters? Call or text 718-956-5000 · Email rick@boatlessons.com
What we cover
- Miami wind, current, docks, and departures
- Throttle, prop walk, pivot turns, side-ties, and slips
- Holding position for traffic or bridge openings
- Reading wind, wake, and set; when to wait
Continue with private docking lessons and boat training lessons.