Try your bow thruster first to the right and then to the left, making it a point to orient your ship so you bring her bow through the wind each time. This is an interesting maneuver for the mariner since the data collected makes it possible to predict with confidence the thruster's effectiveness when steaming through a crowded anchorage or holding the bow into the wind while the mate drops the anchor.
Perform this maneuver first at 1 knot and again at 3.
Prepare a graph of speed versus bow thruster effectiveness (change of heading in degrees per minute as measured by observation or rate of turn indicator, if that equipment is available) for both your own information and for the use of pilots. There is no doubt that the graph prepared aboard ship will be more accurate and useful than the one supplied to the ship at delivery. Remember that it is not so much the power of the thruster that is of interest in these tests but the ship's speed through the water at which the thruster is effective.
Professionalism in shiphandling entails looking for the most effective maneuver, not just a random series of maneuvers, that will put the ship in a desired position using a minimum number of bells and helm orders.
Having completed the trial maneuvers, the shiphandler has a feel for the ship and is better able to anticipate her behavior. It is therefore possible to choose the most effective action to take in a situation.
The most effective maneuver accomplishes several tasks simultaneously so the ship is handled with the minimum of orders and is always under control.
