Our Shore Power Setup: How We Disconnect Before Leaving the Dock | Tug Drops
Our Shore Power Setup | Tug Drops
Shore power seemed like one of those simple boating things, until we actually had to learn the right order to disconnect everything.
In this Tug Drops episode, we walk through how we disconnect shore power from our Ranger Tugs R-25 before leaving the dock, step by step.
If you're a new boater like us, these are the little things that can feel intimidating at first. Tug Drops is our series of simple boating how-tos, explained slowly and from the perspective of people who are still learning too.
⚓ In this video:
• Our shore power disconnect routine
• The order we do everything
• What we check before casting off
• A few simple habits that make leaving the dock easier
We’re learning one adventure at a time and sharing what we learn along the way.
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Prefer to read? Here’s the full transcript from this adventure, lightly edited for readability. Timestamps correspond to the video.
0:00 | Getting Ready to Disconnect Shore Power
Welcome to Tug Drops, where we share the little things we've learned along the way.
We're getting ready to leave Roche Harbor, so before we cast off, we need to disconnect the boat from shore power.
The first thing we do is make sure everything on the boat that has been running on AC power is turned off.
0:28 | Powering Down the Boat
We start at the electrical panel and turn off the switches for the equipment we've been using.
Once those individual switches are off, we turn off the boat's shore power breaker.
At that point, everything on the AC side of the boat is powered down before we start unplugging anything.
It gives us a simple routine to follow every time instead of trying to remember what we may or may not have left running.
0:51 | Turning Off Power at the Dock
Next, we head out to the dock pedestal.
The pedestal at Roche Harbor has its own breaker switch, which makes this part easy. Before disconnecting the shore power cable, we turn the dockside breaker off.
This makes sure power is no longer being supplied through the shore power cord before we unplug it.
1:16 | Double-Checking That the Power Is Off
Before unplugging anything, we take one more look to confirm that shore power is actually off.
Our setup has an indicator light, so we check that the shore power light is no longer illuminated.
It's a small step, but we like having that visual confirmation before handling the connections.
1:43 | Disconnecting the Shore Power Cord
Once we've confirmed the power is off, we unplug the shore power cord from the dock pedestal and close the pedestal cover to help protect it from the weather.
Then we disconnect the other end from the boat.
Our Ranger Tugs R25 uses a SmartPlug connection. The clips release, the plug slides out, and we're disconnected from shore power.
From there, we can put the cord away and continue getting the boat ready to leave the dock.
2:09 | Learning One Little Thing at a Time
These are the kinds of boating routines that eventually become second nature, but they definitely weren't second nature to us when we started.
We're still learning, making plenty of mistakes, having a lot of fun, and sharing what we learn along the way.
If you're learning too, we'd love to have you come along for more Tug Drops, Ranger Tugs R25 adventures, fishing, cruising, and beginner boating tips.
Have a good one.
One Adventure at a Time
We took a leap and bought a fixer-upper on the Hood Canal, and an empty dock meant one thing.
We needed a boat.
Now we're building our dream home and our dream life, one adventure at a time.