Lassoing a buoy

[Elessar]

I find it a poor business, the few times I have tried it.

Thin rope is affected by the breeze and if it is held up on the merest arc of a round buoy, it is liable to slip off it's shoulder and you end up going around for another shot. If you do score a hit it can tarry on the surface and the retreating boat pulls it away and you go around again, this can happen even if you throw yourself to the deck and attempt to marry to two ends or cross them under the bow, around you go again. Even when you think you have it and turn your back for a moment the line can slacken and throw it's collar and away you go, yet again
Heavy rope is less affected by the wind but more likely to ride back over the buoy. Chain would probably be better but best not mention that.

I can't imagine why anyone would waste time with this method if the mooring has a ring on top

I know all this because I did it last year with my club mooring. They have no ring of any sort and are perfectly spherical inflatable buoys which suspend the heavy chain with maybe a festering metre hanging vertically down for you to retrieve for you pick up gear. Horrid, slimy and wet but my own fault for being too idle to sort it out in advance in a dinghy. Can't say I did any damage to the mooring though.
The idea of lying to a bight in this way is bonkers, even without Jumbleduck's underwater razors

if you haven’t taken the time to learn how to lassoo, how do you safely tie up in marinas?

I can reliably lassoo a cleat that is 10 ft away and usually more. Even poor attempts at marina entry can be rescued this way. Good attempts still benefit from lassoing as it allows the boat to be safely (albeit temporarily) secured before stepping off the boat.

As for ”wasting time” on mooring buoys if it has a ring, how do you reach a ring that is 6ft below the gunwhale?

 

[doug748]

if you haven’t taken the time to learn how to lassoo, how do you safely tie up in marinas?

I can reliably lassoo a cleat that is 10 ft away and usually more. Even poor attempts at marina entry can be rescued this way. Good attempts still benefit from lassoing as it allows the boat to be safely (albeit temporarily) secured before stepping off the boat.

As for ”wasting time” on mooring buoys if it has a ring, how do you reach a ring that is 6ft below the gunwhale?

This boy shows you how to tackle it at 6 min:

 

[Elessar]

This boy shows you how to tackle it at 6 min:

No he doesn’t. That’s a windless day and a 1ft freeboard.
You answered neither of my questions.......,

 

[JumbleDuck]

The person you are talking about is clearly a very experienced and extremely able sailor. Even if I disagree with him about lassos!!

That's very kind of you, but I really feel it overstates things. I pootle happily around the West of Scotland in a 26' boat, beat to windward only when unavoidable and hide from danger whenever possible. Offshore sailor I ain't.

 

[RichardS]

No he doesn’t. That’s a windless day and a 1ft freeboard.
You answered neither of my questions.......,

I thought that freeboard meant the waterline to deck distance? Apologies if you meant 1 metre.

Richard

 

[lw395]

if you haven’t taken the time to learn how to lassoo, how do you safely tie up in marinas?

I can reliably lassoo a cleat that is 10 ft away and usually more. Even poor attempts at marina entry can be rescued this way. Good attempts still benefit from lassoing as it allows the boat to be safely (albeit temporarily) secured before stepping off the boat.

As for ”wasting time” on mooring buoys if it has a ring, how do you reach a ring that is 6ft below the gunwhale?

Perhaps you should have thought of that before buying your impractical boat?

 

[Stemar]

Deleted

 

[RupertW]

I find it a poor business, the few times I have tried it.

Thin rope is affected by the breeze and if it is held up on the merest arc of a round buoy, it is liable to slip off it's shoulder and you end up going around for another shot. If you do score a hit it can tarry on the surface and the retreating boat pulls it away and you go around again, this can happen even if you throw yourself to the deck and attempt to marry to two ends or cross them under the bow, around you go again. Even when you think you have it and turn your back for a moment the line can slacken and throw it's collar and away you go, yet again
Heavy rope is less affected by the wind but more likely to ride back over the buoy. Chain would probably be better but best not mention that.

I can't imagine why anyone would waste time with this method if the mooring has a ring on top

I know all this because I did it last year with my club mooring. They have no ring of any sort and are perfectly spherical inflatable buoys which suspend the heavy chain with maybe a festering metre hanging vertically down for you to retrieve for you pick up gear. Horrid, slimy and wet but my own fault for being too idle to sort it out in advance in a dinghy. Can't say I did any damage to the mooring though.
The idea of lying to a bight in this way is bonkers, even without Jumbleduck's underwater razors

You need to practice more - perhaps an RYA refresher - none of the problems you mention actually happen in real life and it works for me and other 99 percent of the time leaving the boat under control with bouy sitting under the cleat ready for getting the dinghy out or swimming to get warps though the ring under the buoy or if it has a top ring then using a patent mooring device to get a rope through.

And as always to give a sharp lesson to anyone idiotic enough to keep buying fragile buoys. [Note to self, must invest in a few metres of 6mm chain in case somebody tries razors.

 

[JumbleDuck]

As for ”wasting time” on mooring buoys if it has a ring, how do you reach a ring that is 6ft below the gunwhale?

How do you do it, post-lassooing? I suppose the RN method of "four sailors in a RIB" is out of the question ...

 

[dunedin]

As for ”wasting time” on mooring buoys if it has a ring, how do you reach a ring that is 6ft below the gunwhale?

Simples, with an extendable rope threading pole designed for the job.

Also ideal for threading a rope into the small steel rings often found on Baltic pontoons, which are impossible to lassoo with a rope

 

[RupertW]

Simples, with an extendable rope threading pole designed for the job.

Also ideal for threading a rope into the small steel rings often found on Baltic pontoons, which are impossible to lassoo with a rope

And I have one of those but easiest done with the buoy and boat under control after lassoing. Otherwise it’s one strike and it bobs away or worse leaves the weight of the boat on a thin line and the threading mechanism.

 

[Robin]

And I have one of those but easiest done with the buoy and boat under control after lassoing. Otherwise it’s one strike and it bobs away or worse leaves the weight of the boat on a thin line and the threading mechanism.

Which is why we do initial pickup with a detachable hook grabber then use line threader, pull up newly threaded line enough to lift buoy andrelease hook from ring by leaning over bow. Both devices on extendable poles, seemples and effective.

 

[lw395]

Which is why we do initial pickup with a detachable hook grabber then use line threader, pull up newly threaded line enough to lift buoy andrelease hook from ring by leaning over bow. Both devices on extendable poles, seemples and effective.

And when you find you can't lift the buoy because the riser is 18mm chain?

 

[Robin]

And when you find you can't lift the buoy because the riser is 18mm chain?

tail it on the windlass rope drum, but never ever had to.

Edited to add:-

Riser chain link size is irrelevant, only the water depth and therefore the weight of pulling up enough chain to get the bouy up close and personal is

 

[Elessar]

I thought that freeboard meant the waterline to deck distance? Apologies if you meant 1 metre.

Richard

Yes a fair definition. Or gunwhale would be more accurate if the deck is lower.

In the video the effective freeboard at his stern with the gate open is 1 ft. ie from the bit he is standing with no superstructure between him and the water.

Mine is 6 ft and it is equally large on many decent sized yachts.

In the video his solution was a good one. As it would be on many smaller yachts, though probably on the beam rather than on the stern on a yacht.
But the point is every boat is different.

On mine lassoing is the best method.
As it is on just about any boat when coming alongside.
Lassoing is one of the most basic safety skills on a a boat whether or not you need to use it on buoys.

 

[Elessar]

Perhaps you should have thought of that before buying your impractical boat?

Nothing at all impractical about it. I just deploy simple, essential skills to moor the boat and enjoy the benefits of its layout.

 

[chriss999]

....... And as always to give a sharp lesson to anyone idiotic enough to keep buying fragile buoys.

Seems harsh. We have kit for our own careful use, not for others to wreck.

My fragile plastic mooring buoy exists purely to hold the riser, which it does very well over the 5 years since I bought the mooring. Probably 5 years old before I had it. I hope for at least another 5 years trouble-free use.
But if treated roughly it would probably collapse and die. So I am hoping that anyone who picks it up in my absence will treat it as kindly as I do.

If looking for a night’s restful sleep on the Exe, you and any other yachtie are welcome to use it. But not to lasso it.

Lassoing isn’t necessary as there are plenty of safe alternatives, even from the dizzy heights of 6ft up in the air.

 

[lw395]

On a high freeboard stinkboat, it's easy to pick up a mooring from the bathing platform if the helm is any good.
take the line through the eye on the buoy and walk it forwards.
Shouldn't even need to get the line wet.

 

[Elessar]

How do you do it, post-lassooing? I suppose the RN method of "four sailors in a RIB" is out of the question ...

That’s a good question and it varies.
Oftenthe buoy is tall enough for me to reach down and get a line through. I’m usually on the helm so once temporarily secured I can safely lean over the front of the boat. Its a bit precarious and wouldn’t expect a crew to do it especially when still underway.
I did buy one of those pass a line through the loop devices you see people walking around with at boat shows. But it broke and I’ve no desire to replace it as it is cumbersome and fragile.
sometimes I use a boat hook to poke the line through and I could in extremis resort to the dinghy. I don’t recall doing so.

 

[Elessar]

On a high freeboard stinkboat, it's easy to pick up a mooring from the bathing platform if the helm is any good.
take the line through the eye on the buoy and walk it forwards.
Shouldn't even need to get the line wet.

On many that is true as demonstrated in the video. Mine is an aft cabin boat and so it is not possible to do so safely.

On flybridge boats the helm often can’t see the bathing platform so it adds a lot of risk if your crew can’t direct you. Too easy to run over the buoy. With a fully competent crew it is still an option.