Attaching dinghy to a mooring.

[eddystone]

On new mooring, I have to use my other dinghy with wheels and leave it attached to the mooring buoy (there is a long causeway which make wheels essential) I used to have a daysailer on an all fours mooring and the dinghy was a bit of a nuisance trying to get at the pick up buoy. My thinking was to put another painter on the dinghy with a big carabiner clip and attach this to the handle of the pick up buoy. The dinghy would then lie downtide of the pick up buoy so I would push this aside as I brought the pick up buoy alongside the cockpit and got a bridle through the pendant; I coUld then quickly unhook the dinghy and hook it onto the toe rail.

Alternatively, I could hook the dinghy to one of the pendants and perhaps drop the pick up buoy into the dinghy - I'm afraid this may make reaching the pendant harder.

 

[[70521]]

On new mooring, I have to use my other dinghy with wheels and leave it attached to the mooring buoy (there is a long causeway which make wheels essential) I used to have a daysailer on an all fours mooring and the dinghy was a bit of a nuisance trying to get at the pick up buoy. My thinking was to put another painter on the dinghy with a big carabiner clip and attach this to the handle of the pick up buoy. The dinghy would then lie downtide of the pick up buoy so I would push this aside as I brought the pick up buoy alongside the cockpit and got a bridle through the pendant; I coUld then quickly unhook the dinghy and hook it onto the toe rail.

Alternatively, I could hook the dinghy to one of the pendants and perhaps drop the pick up buoy into the dinghy - I'm afraid this may make reaching the pendant harder.

I usually attach the painter to rope the comes to the bottom of the pickup buoy, works a treat as it drags the pickup buoy down tide and makes it much easier to pick up.

 

[duncan99210]

I have a large carabiner on the dinghy painter, clip that into the handle of the pickup buoy and let it go. Then picking up the mooring I've got a long bit of rope, one end made fast to the dinghy, the other to the mooring. I can pick that rope up anywhere along it's length, lovely big target, and walk forwards with it to the bow, pull it it and attach the boat to the mooring. Really simple and easier that trying to hook either the pickup buoy or the short line between it and the mooring.

 

[Jaguar 25]

I have a large carabiner on the dinghy painter, clip that into the handle of the pickup buoy and let it go. Then picking up the mooring I've got a long bit of rope, one end made fast to the dinghy, the other to the mooring. I can pick that rope up anywhere along it's length, lovely big target, and walk forwards with it to the bow, pull it it and attach the boat to the mooring. Really simple and easier that trying to hook either the pickup buoy or the short line between it and the mooring.

Does this mean that you have the dinghy attached to both the pick-up buoy and the mooring buoy?

 

[chewi]

I tie the painter short to the mooring eye using a round turn & two half hitches , then throw the pickup buoy into the tender.



On arrival I can easily lift the pickup to the deck without any significant weight behind it, and if need be , moor with it temporarily, but preferably lift the mooring eye to the deck.
For that reason the pickup line is of strong enough rope to hold the cruiser for a while in heavy weather at least enough to catch your breath and a lull to lift the mooring eye to deck.


If I leave the mooring vacant (eg take the tender with me), I tie a fender close to the pickup buoy so there's a line between that's easy for a boat hook for a single handed pickup.

 

[William_H]

I use a long painter on my dinghy and tie that to the tether rope from buoy to deck at the deck end. The painter s long enough that dinghy sits just aft of the transom when attached. The long painter gives me a big target when sailing on for pick up by the person on the bow who grabs the painter and then pulls along to the tether for attachment. I don't but could do it from the cockpit by grabbing the painter then pulling along to the tether while climbing up to the bow.
Anyway trick as with so many things boating is to try various options until you find one that suits. olewill

 

[Jaguar 25]

I use a long painter on my dinghy and tie that to the tether rope from buoy to deck at the deck end. The painter s long enough that dinghy sits just aft of the transom when attached. The long painter gives me a big target when sailing on for pick up by the person on the bow who grabs the painter and then pulls along to the tether for attachment. I don't but could do it from the cockpit by grabbing the painter then pulling along to the tether while climbing up to the bow.
Anyway trick as with so many things boating is to try various options until you find one that suits. olewill

That's the same as I did in Langstone harbour but where I am now, the moorings are too close to each other so can't do it (in Ullswater).

 

[Dan Tribe]

I use a long painter on my dinghy and tie that to the tether rope from buoy to deck at the deck end. The painter s long enough that dinghy sits just aft of the transom when attached. The long painter gives me a big target when sailing on for pick up by the person on the bow who grabs the painter and then pulls along to the tether for attachment. I don't but could do it from the cockpit by grabbing the painter then pulling along to the tether while climbing up to the bow.
Anyway trick as with so many things boating is to try various options until you find one that suits. olewill

Lots of dinghy and keelboat racing where I moor. Leaving a dinghy on a long line would make me VERY unpopular with the racing guys trying to beat against a foul tide.
Another good way to upset the racers is anchoring by the windward mark.

 

[chewi]

That's the same as I did in Langstone harbour but where I am now, the moorings are too close to each other so can't do it (in Ullswater).

Try it my way (Post #5) .You pick the pickup line up from within the tender.

The pick up line is most of the length of the tender and within it, not in the drink, and the tender is pulled up close to the mooring, so the whole arrangement is no bigger than the boat on the mooring with no lines to foul.

 

[Jaguar 25]

Try it my way (Post #5) .You pick the pickup line up from within the tender.

The pick up line is most of the length of the tender and within it, not in the drink, and the tender is pulled up close to the mooring, so the whole arrangement is no bigger than the boat on the mooring with no lines to foul.

OK Chewi,
So this is how I see it for your method, which looks to be my best bet.

1. Boat on mooring, approach in tender and tie the tender to the mooring buoy with a short line.
2. Get onto boat from the tender. With a short line from the tender to the mooring buoy, this means getting onto the boat from the side. I would need a longer line/painter to allow me to get on the boat using the stern mounted ladder.
3. Release the mooring pendants (with pick-up buoy) and throw into tender.
4. Move off in boat leaving tender at mooring.

Then, coming back to mooring:
5. Stop alongside tender/mooring buoy.
6. Use boat hook to pick up the pendant(s) from within the tender. Although, I would have thought that this may be difficult dependent on how the pendant fell into the tender. Isn't picking up between the mooring buoy and tender easier?
7. Secure pendant(s) and job done.

At Langstone we tended to tie the painter to the pick-up buoy. Can't do that now at Ullswater due to the closeness of the other moorings.

 

[duncan99210]

Does this mean that you have the dinghy attached to both the pick-up buoy and the mooring buoy?

Only just noticed this. No, there's only one bit of rope attached to the mooring: the line to the pickup buoy. The dinghy is fastened to the pickup buoy, so one line running from the mooring to the dinghy, pickup buoy in the middle. The moorings are spaced widely enough to allow this. That said, the total length of the rope attached to the pickup buoy plus the dinghy painter is much shorter than the length of my 18 foot boat.... My mooring strop is chain, so that tends to hold things towards the mooring as well: if your strop is rope, the. It'd tend to stream with the tide more than mine does.

 

[chewi]

OK Chewi,
So this is how I see it for your method, which looks to be my best bet.

1. Boat on mooring, approach in tender and tie the tender to the mooring buoy with a short line.
2. Get onto boat from the tender. With a short line from the tender to the mooring buoy, this means getting onto the boat from the side. I would need a longer line/painter to allow me to get on the boat using the stern mounted ladder.
3. Release the mooring pendants (with pick-up buoy) and throw into tender.
4. Move off in boat leaving tender at mooring.

Then, coming back to mooring:
5. Stop alongside tender/mooring buoy.
6. Use boat hook to pick up the pendant(s) from within the tender. Although, I would have thought that this may be difficult dependent on how the pendant fell into the tender. Isn't picking up between the mooring buoy and tender easier?
7. Secure pendant(s) and job done.

At Langstone we tended to tie the painter to the pick-up buoy. Can't do that now at Ullswater due to the closeness of the other moorings.

Not quite.
On arrival by tender
Approach the boat at the mooring, tie off and board however you like, eg at the stern.

take the tender towards the bow, re-tie the painter on a short scope to the mooring eye (which is still on the bow cleat). throw the mooring pickup line into the tender.( the pendant will stay in the water, but the pickup line lies in the tender)
Release the mooring eye from the boat and go sailing.


On return,
Approach to put boat within reach of the tender
pick up the pickup line from the tender. lift and the mooring eye comes with it
If you can, bring the mooring eye up to the bow and tie off, if not ( egt heavy weather) cleat the pickup line until you can.
Once the mooring eye is on the deck, so is the painter.
release the painter and walk the tender aft. to leave as you arrived

 

[Jaguar 25]

Only just noticed this. No, there's only one bit of rope attached to the mooring: the line to the pickup buoy. The dinghy is fastened to the pickup buoy, so one line running from the mooring to the dinghy, pickup buoy in the middle. The moorings are spaced widely enough to allow this. That said, the total length of the rope attached to the pickup buoy plus the dinghy painter is much shorter than the length of my 18 foot boat.... My mooring strop is chain, so that tends to hold things towards the mooring as well: if your strop is rope, the. It'd tend to stream with the tide more than mine does.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Jaguar 25]

Not quite.
On arrival by tender
Approach the boat at the mooring, tie off and board however you like, eg at the stern.

take the tender towards the bow, re-tie the painter on a short scope to the mooring eye (which is still on the bow cleat). throw the mooring pickup line into the tender.( the pendant will stay in the water, but the pickup line lies in the tender)
Release the mooring eye from the boat and go sailing.


On return,
Approach to put boat within reach of the tender
pick up the pickup line from the tender. lift and the mooring eye comes with it
If you can, bring the mooring eye up to the bow and tie off, if not ( egt heavy weather) cleat the pickup line until you can.
Once the mooring eye is on the deck, so is the painter.
release the painter and walk the tender aft. to leave as you arrived

So the same as Chewi apart from you dropping the pick-up buoy into the tender.
Thanks, I'll give it come thought for next Spring.

 

[Tin Tin]

When we were on a mooring, we fixed a mooring strop to the buoy (high topsides).
When we went sailing we tied the dinghy painter to the mooring strop.
Upon our return, as we picked up the mooring strop with a boat hook, we recovered the dinghy at the same time.

 

[Jaguar 25]

When we were on a mooring, we fixed a mooring strop to the buoy (high topsides).
When we went sailing we tied the dinghy painter to the mooring strop.
Upon our return, as we picked up the mooring strop with a boat hook, we recovered the dinghy at the same time.

Yes, that's what I have done previously but feel it would provide too much swing when the tender is on the mooring and could impact adjacent boats. The moorings at Ullswater Yacht Club are very close together.

 

[chewi]

So the same as Chewi apart from you dropping the pick-up buoy into the tender.
Thanks, I'll give it come thought for next Spring.

As well as the pickup line I tie the painter to the mooring strop, giving the least feasible scope, and leaving the max free pickup line.