Lassoing a buoy

[PaulRainbow]

Hard to disagree with any of that. Me, a 50' boat, 52kg wife, no bow thruster, and all it takes is a little patience:

1. Open the boarding gates​

2. Glide up beside said buoy, which she then picks up through the open gate​

3. Slowly slide back as she retrieves the mooring strop. (If ring on main buoy, just slide a line through it.)​

4. Drop it over the bow cleat​

5. That's it!​

​

Interesting thread though; I always though those RYA dinosaurs with their daft buoy-wrecking techniques were figments of the collective imagination!

About time someone posted a sensible way of picking up a buoy

When we had a boat on a mooring we had many good laughs at people trying to pick their buoys up, shouting from one end of the boat to the other, ramming the buoy, wife on her belly on the fore deck, etc.

I often sail my 35' boat single handed and use this method. I do always run a line from a forward cleat, back to the cockpit (obviously outside of everything) and thread that through the ring or the strop. Not a fan of using the strop on the buoy, they are often covered on snotty seaweed or in some cases, Mussels.

It's also disappointing to read of people complaining about being blown sideways in a crosswind. If that's the case, they are approaching from the wrong direction. (ok, there might be the odd case where conditions make it difficult or impossible to approach from an ideal direction)

 

[laika]

When we had a boat on a mooring we had many good laughs at people trying to pick their buoys up
[...]
It's also disappointing to read of people complaining about being blown sideways in a crosswind. If that's the case, they are approaching from the wrong direction.

That'll be me disappointing you? Sorry. I tend to pick up buoys in a tediously old fashioned RYA way into the current. Which way should I be approaching under sail so that the boat will hang motionless for the couple of minutes required to attach a line to buoy without a pickup?

 

[PaulRainbow]

That'll be me disappointing you? Sorry. I tend to pick up buoys in a tediously old fashioned RYA way into the current. Which way should I be approaching under sail so that the boat will hang motionless for the couple of minutes required to attach a line to buoy without a pickup?

I guess that, if you are approaching head to tide with 25 knots of wind on the beam you're going to have a problem if it takes you two minutes to attach a line. You might want to re-think that "old fashioned" method. Perhaps approaching in a direction where you take into account the wind direction too would be useful ?

You might also want to practice your line attaching technique too, or, if you can't do it faster than two minutes, perhaps try lassoing the buoy

 

[Kukri]

Neither rocket science nor possible on many decent sized boats.
I lasso and will continue to do so.
i would however never do this to a buoys marked as private or an unknown buoy not suitable for a boat of my size.
The popcorn brigade seem to assume that those who employ the best practice of temporarily lassoing a buoy whilst making fast properly would lasso a floating coke bottle if they saw it.
You can damage a mooring with an oversized boat however you attach yourself to it.
2 different issues.

I seem to get by with a boathook, and have never lassoed anything.

My boat:



55ft, 24 tons. Yours?

 

[dom]

That'll be me disappointing you? Sorry. I tend to pick up buoys in a tediously old fashioned RYA way into the current. Which way should I be approaching under sail so that the boat will hang motionless for the couple of minutes required to attach a line to buoy without a pickup?

When approaching an unfamiliar buoy with a complex wind and tidal pattern I tend to simplify the task by first striking the sails and then pootling up under motor as described.

Somewhat tangentially and not referencing you in any way; I'd rather comply with the wishes of the mooring's owner, upon whose hospitality I am relying, than listen to the sermons of some bumptious RYA yoyo

 

[JumbleDuck]

I cannot believe that you intend doing this .

Surely a polite notice on the buoy or a tag saying unsuitable for mooring or private mooring please do not use would I expect be honoured by most people.

I've nothing against people using my mooring as long as they do so at their own risk, within its limits (4 tons displacement, 1.5m draft) and responsibly (no lassooing). Anyone who abuses my kindness and property will, in due course, get what they deserve.

 

[Kukri]

Here's a useful little book:

Seamanship for Yachtsmen: Amazon.co.uk: Francis B. Cooke: Books

Here's another:

Helmsmanship by Martin, E. G.: Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford - Graphem. Kunst- und Buchantiquariat

It would be a good thing if sundry RYA Experts learned how to pick up a mooring. Either of these books will teach you how to do it, under sail, in all conditions of wind and tide. But you do need to practice.

 

[JumbleDuck]

However, with my 31 ft yacht I have a rope from the genoa winch to the bow roller & back outside the rails to the cockpit. On the end is a large snap hook which I can fit to a boat hook or hold in my hand.
I come alongside the buoy under engine ( hardest bit is getting it the right side). I have to lean right out under the guard rail but can hook the ring on the buoy Ok.---Or the loop on the pick up line if it is fitted, which is a bonus.

I have one of them too. It has become less of an essential as my crew has grown bigger, but I still usually rig it just in case when heading for a mooring, particularly if I'm doing it under sail. I like having Plan Bs.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I lasso and will continue to do so.
i would however never do this to a buoys marked as private or an unknown buoy not suitable for a boat of my size.
The popcorn brigade seem to assume that those who employ the best practice of temporarily lassoing a buoy whilst making fast properly would lasso a floating coke bottle if they saw it.

Serious question ... what method do use to make the "permanent" attachment to the buoy which is not available to you at first approach?

 

[JumbleDuck]

That'll be me disappointing you? Sorry. I tend to pick up buoys in a tediously old fashioned RYA way into the current. Which way should I be approaching under sail so that the boat will hang motionless for the couple of minutes required to attach a line to buoy without a pickup?

Under sail I round up into the direction I expect the boat to lie, aiming to stop with the buoy spang under the bow, or at least within easy boathook range. Pull the buoy up to the bow with the boathook if necessary, thread one end of prepared and secured rope through loop, cleat it off, done. Total elapsed time at buoy five to ten seconds. Can't see how it would take two minutes.

 

[GHA]

Here's a useful little book:

Seamanship for Yachtsmen: Amazon.co.uk: Francis B. Cooke: Books

Here's another:

Helmsmanship by Martin, E. G.: Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford - Graphem. Kunst- und Buchantiquariat

Not on kindle, what use are those on a boat then

Another tip, if there's room and the wind's right. Heave to then use a little blast from the engine once in a while to drift down nice and slowly to the buoy with it exactly where you want it.

 

[Kukri]

Not on kindle, what use are those on a boat then

Another tip, if there's room and the wind's right. Heave to then use a little blast from the engine once in a while to drift down nice and slowly to the buoy with it exactly where you want it.

As Adlard Coles said of his own book "Heavy Weather Sailing", "...the contents should be taken, like seasickness tablets, before they are needed."

But they boil down to (quoting EG Martin from memory) "decide , before you start your final approach, how and at what angle to wind and current the boat will lie quietly, with sails set and sheets eased, and plan to stop at the buoy with the boat in that attitude".

 

[sgr143]

Well, this has been interesting reading. Putting aside the (ahem) vigorousness of some posts, I've taken away a couple of useful points from this, which I didn't know before (OK, yes, I should have done , but I didn't. Always willing to learn!).
1 - don't lasso plastic inflatable buoys. They have delicate bits underneath that might get damaged.
2 - the chunky steel ones (like ones used for many visitor buoys) are probably less delicate underneath and Ok if you have to lasso them; but don't leave a lasso on for any longer than you have to..
3 - don't assume that a private buoy is OK to hold a boat of arbitrary size.

I, like so may others it seems, was taught lassoing on RYA courses (but the above points weren't made). I have only used the method very occasionally, only on buoys of type (2) above, where's there's been no pick-up buoy , and then only for long enough to get a proper line through the ring on the top (these buoys are usually too heavy to haul up with the boathook, and our boat, though only 28', has quite a high bow). And of course I approach with the aim of coming to a dead-stop with the buoy in a good position. And now I have worked out how the handy rope-threading widget-on-a-stick works I might never need to lasso again! But I think it's worth knowing how to do it as a back-up technique?

I speak under correction of course and have no wish to offend...

Steve

 

[Poignard]

I seem to get by with a boathook, and have never lassoed anything.

My boat:



55ft, 24 tons. Yours?

Makes no difference. With that CQR anchor you're doomed anyway! Doomed I tell ye, doomed!

 

[lw395]

Under sail I round up into the direction I expect the boat to lie, aiming to stop with the buoy spang under the bow, or at least within easy boathook range. Pull the buoy up to the bow with the boathook if necessary, thread one end of prepared and secured rope through loop, cleat it off, done. Total elapsed time at buoy five to ten seconds. Can't see how it would take two minutes.

Singlehanded, if these any doubt the boat will stay at the buoy long enough to secure, I prepare a line running outside everything and just thread it through the eye on the buoy from the cockpit, o r even through the eye on the end of the strop. Just walk forward gathering the line as the boat drops back and cleat it at the bow.
Even with crew this is easier than all those dodgy hand signals and 'lefthanddownabit' shouts.
On my own mooring I just have to pick up the strop from the tender.

 

[colind3782]

This is better than an anchor thread. The OP posted then sat back and watched the post count into the 90s. Fair play to the troll

 

[Kukri]

Singlehanded, if these any doubt the boat will stay at the buoy long enough to secure, I prepare a line running outside everything and just thread it through the eye on the buoy from the cockpit, o r even through the eye on the end of the strop. Just walk forward gathering the line as the boat drops back and cleat it at the bow.
Even with crew this is easier than all those dodgy hand signals and 'lefthanddownabit' shouts.
On my own mooring I just have to pick up the strop from the tender.

Snap!

 

[RupertW]

Realistically, we leave a manky old tender chained to ours.
It works.
IT upsets me, because in principle I'm very happy to share my mooring when I'm not using it, I approve of people sailing small boats on the cheap, but I'm not going to subsidise sailing schools which show no respect for mooring owners..

By the way, if you do ever need to lasso a buoy, wet rope does not sink very far very quickly.
You want a weight like a shackle to sink the rope and give it time to sink before any load comes on it.
But even then you risk pulling the seizing wire off the shackles.

Covering the swivel etc under the buoy with snotty tar or grease also has a deterrent effect for repeat offenders.
We considered some sort of rope cutter....

I don’t think you have remotely enough experience of lassoing to comment on doing it. A wet rope works every time. The only buoys I’ve ever failed to lassoo. are the thin diamond shaped ones as the rope has no obstacle to sliding up and off.

All this talk of strops and lifting buoys up are no use in non-tidal regions. The buoys never have strops and are on short heavy chains that would need a heavy duty crane to lift up more than a couple of centimetres.

Either they have a ring under the buoy for attaching from the dinghy or a ring on top. If it’s a ring on top then the lasso doesn’t have to be on for long. I could put a boat hook onto the ring and hold the boat there for a few seconds but not much point in that as even with the buoy directly below me I’ve never been able to stretch down far enough to reach the ring.

 

[xyachtdave]

We lassoed a mooring buoy in Croatia, bringing both ends back through a fairlead on the boat (Bavaria 36). We loop later came off, riding over the large spherical buoy!!

You seem surprised.

This is better than an anchor thread. The OP posted then sat back and watched the post count into the 90s. Fair play to the troll

Lassoing buoys does tend to get the keyboards going!

Someone is posting about the finer techniques of picking up a buoy and suggesting someone else needed to learn to handle their boat better.....and on another thread he's talking about being rescued by the RNLI. I'm confused, either he's good or he needs rescuing!?

There is a photo of a 55ft boat that looks like it has the same freeboard as a Contessa 26 suggesting he never has a problem either. I wonder why....?

For the record the buoys locally (rock hard lumps of plastic/foam that will still be floating long after the extinction event that wipes out mankind) attached to offcuts of battleship chain, I think won't be damaged by a quick lasso.

I do of course take the point that private moorings with inflatable buoys and lightweight gear suited to the owners boat shouldn't be abused by sailing schools and the unseaworthy.

A 'Private No Mooring' sign should do the trick if you're worried bout your buoy.

 

[ditchcrawler]

In many years of sailing I have had to resort to the lassoing technique 2 or 3 times when such was the movement of the buoy that my threader wouldn't
work or I couldn't reach it with a pole. I then used my Exe Boat Hook to lift up the buoy to put a rope through it. The buoys were the ones with the rope hoop on top which kept falling over in the rough seas.