I don’t know that my answer will be satisfying. Launching the Skerry on the mountain lake is often a challenge for me. There is a beach of red clay and dirt, full of small rocks that act like land mines to avoid. Once in the water, getting onboard is challenging because the water gets deep fast and there are plenty of rocks to dodge … So my preferred method is the dock or boat ramp; that has its challenges, too for on the weekends you are competing with big motor boats and impatient boaters eager to put their motors in gear and blast out. Some are nice and considerate but many treat you like a nuisance when you show up with a small boat. The docks are made for bigger boats so cleating the Skerry sees the gunwales go under the dock and slamming into the pilings and metal bits. The curvature of the gunwales make it challenging to protect them as fenders would need to be set all around that side. I don’t have inwales and those are great as attachment points for fenders among other things. I just recently put a line through the bullheads to which I can attach fenders and miscellaneous. A game changer!
Nothing beats cleating the boat and making a dry gentleman entry and exit into/out of the boat. The main advantage is that I don’t track lake mud and water into the boat. When the wind blows, Skerry gets battered against the dock and the proposition is less appealing. Lately, I’ve used the boat ramp to float the boat off the trailer and away from the dock and tie two lines from stern and bow that I loop around two boulders upwind … that allows the boat to stay put while I park the trailer and return to the boat. I get in the water knee deep, plop my rear end on the stern seat and dry my feet from mud and water before swinging them in (if I recalled leaving a towel in the boat). Once in, I’ll pull in the line to get myself closer to the boulders, release the line and off I go rowing out to set the sail away. I usually prefer to step the mast on land and sail away, but in 10 knots of wind or greater, the previously described “procedure” works best and fighting the sail is no option. I have the spirit rig and even brailed, higher winds make it unwieldily to manage. Launching with another person greatly simplifies the process.
On a related note, I used to sail from a different and much smaller private lake, and the docks were lower to the water, with plenty of cleats and the edges of the docks were nicely boarded up, so three fenders, one amid ship and two at stern and bow were sufficient. Launching was (no pun intended) a breeze and frankly made the process more enjoyable.
It is not the most aesthetically pleasing thing, but I might route the gunwales and wrap a thick rope around doing away with fenders and such.
I have a Chester Yawl that I baby and wouldn’t take out unless the gunwales are well protected. The Skerry is important to me, but the finish is not nearly as good as the floating furniture finish of the CY, and I am at point where the enjoyment of the boat is more important than a scratch here and there. Having said that, I’m not willing to gouge the gunwales or slam the boat into the pilings.
Without seeing your situation, and based on what you describe, I would embark from the dock. If the water is shallow clear, I might consider getting wet and rowing out.