Leaving and returning to a mooring buoy

[wfe1947]

If pointing away from the shore, I assume that once the buoy is dropped you motor forward past the buoy.
If pointing toward the shore, you could be waiting a long time for the wind to point you away from the shore! I would drop buoy as per #3 and motor in reverse away from the shore.

I do that sometimes when I am not towing the tender.

 

[wfe1947]

Happy to do some practice with you if you like as I'm also on a swing mooring on Windermere (behind Belle Isle). Seem to have refined my single-handed pickup (I think). I've tweaked my pick-up buoy and strop arrangements too which help.

Send me a message if you like and I'll pass on my contact details.

As it happens, I find picking up the mooring from the cockpit not to be much of a problem - usually. Sometimes, when I leave the tender attached to the mooring strop, it can get a bit tangled when I come back to the mooring especially if there isn't much wind.
Thanks for the offer but I can't get to the boat at the moment as my wife has just been discharged from hospital and needs my full time care.

 

[LadyInBed]

I do that sometimes when I am not towing the tender.

If you reverse off with a tender, first move the tender along the side deck.

 

[Daydream believer]

Unless a small boat, I find picking up the buoy from anywhere away from the bow then trying to walk it forward a no no. It only needs the bow to fall away a bit & one is trying to walk forward past the shrouds, holding the mooring strop whilst the bow drops away & suddenly one has a boat broadside to the wind or tide & is very likely to get pulled over the side. More so in an exposed mooring with a bit of swell or chop.
My system is line from the bow passed outside everything is the answer. But it needs alteration. I have a large hook on the end. So I sail up to the mooring & come alongside, pushing the dinghy to one side. (trying not to run over the painter between buoy & dinghy). Lean over the side under the guardrail put the hook through whatever is available- Ring or mooring strop- & then leave it whilst flicking any halyard off the winch . If under engine cut any revs to avoid running over any lines. The boat should drop back.
Once sorted with the sails in a reasonable state go forward & heave on the line to pull the buoy in & secure the boat. Then properly secure sails etc
Forget all that rubbish about strolling about decks sipping coffee- I have rarely seen anyone doing it. For most it is a case of nipping back & forth for all that is worth. Just sit on a crowded mooring & watch them in action It is armchair stuff for dreamers & those that are properly moored up.

 

[wfe1947]

Unless a small boat, I find picking up the buoy from anywhere away from the bow then trying to walk it forward a no no. It only needs the bow to fall away a bit & one is trying to walk forward past the shrouds, holding the mooring strop whilst the bow drops away & suddenly one has a boat broadside to the wind or tide & is very likely to get pulled over the side. More so in an exposed mooring with a bit of swell or chop.
My system is line from the bow passed outside everything is the answer. But it needs alteration. I have a large hook on the end. So I sail up to the mooring & come alongside, pushing the dinghy to one side. (trying not to run over the painter between buoy & dinghy). Lean over the side under the guardrail put the hook through whatever is available- Ring or mooring strop- & then leave it whilst flicking any halyard off the winch . If under engine cut any revs to avoid running over any lines. The boat should drop back.
Once sorted with the sails in a reasonable state go forward & heave on the line to pull the buoy in & secure the boat. Then properly secure sails etc
Forget all that rubbish about strolling about decks sipping coffee- I have rarely seen anyone doing it. For most it is a case of nipping back & forth for all that is worth. Just sit on a crowded mooring & watch them in action It is armchair stuff for dreamers & those that are properly moored up.

Yes, I have the fore/aft line along the hull. Last month I didn't use it after picking up the mooring strop from the cockpit anda just walked the strop up to the bow. Quite difficult even with not much wind. Will now mostly use the fore/aft line threaded through the end loop in the strop. I then pull the strop to the bow whilst firmly secured to the boat.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I try not to use my engine when dropping or picking up my mooring because of the risk of fouling my prop. Being in a tidal lagoon I once caught the prop and had to wait for the level to fall to free it and missed a whole day of sailing - very annoying.
Picking up, if I'm on my own, I hook the strop from the stern and secure to an aft cleat whilst I stow sails then walk the strop forward and secure at the bow.
I think it's a mark of good seamanship to sail on and off a mooring, safer, quieter and aesthetically pleasing.

 

[doug748]

..................


Apologies for the long diatribe. Now my question. Why do boaters usually tie up to the mooring buoy at the bow? For me it would seem easier to just connect the mooring strop to the cockpit cleat. I have done this on a temporary basis but have never left it that way as it seems odd in that the boat would take up a non-normal position. The only downside that I can see is that the weather/rain would be blowing against the washboards. However, it would make leaving the mooring easiier as you are then not easily going to moter over the mooring strops, etc.

To a certain extent I think it depends on the boat. I see you have a Leisure 18, it probably makes sense to pick up by the cockpit because:

1 On a smaller boat it is often more difficult to get forward past shrouds, mast, cabin top etc.

2 As you upset the trim you are more likely to take a tumble and the boat is more likely to veer away.

3 You will not carry your way so well and and will be easily knocked off course by gusts

4 The short line forward is less likely to cause problems than on a 35 footer

5 A light boat will not dwell so long when brought up to a halt.


A fairly heavy boat, say a Twister 28, these things don't apply to the same extent. You can bring the boat up predictably, it will dwell at the buoy and it's modest windage to displacement means that pause is useful, even in brisk conditions. You can still reach most buoys just by bending down, no boathooks, and attendant problems, needed.

Larger boats with light displacement, high bows and windage, and the factors change again, sometimes favouring other methods.

.

 

[Poignard]

, I wanted to pick up a mooring in a river estuary in Brittany.

The tidal coefficient was very high, the wind was strong, and the current fierce, and Mrs P. (bless her!) having injured her leg, suggested that instead of her going forward to get the buoy, it would be a good opportunity for me to practice picking up a mooring from the cockpit, using our so far little-used Moorfast line-threading gadget.

I rigged a line, outside all, from the bow back to the cockpit and attached the Moorfast line to it.

Then I ferry-glided to bring the buoy next to the cockpit and easily attached the line to the buoy ring, pulled it into the cockpit and attached it to a sheet winch.

Then I engaged neutral and nonchalantly waited for the buoy ring to slide forward along the line.

So far so good, except that when attaching the Moorfast line to the mooring line I must have momentarily pulled it tight and, unnoticed by me, the mooring line flicked inboard of my midship cleat.

Then all hell broke loose.

I suddenly found myself sideways on to the fierce current, held by the bar-taut line leading from the midship cleat to the buoy, and with the boat heeled over. The nylon Barton cleat, clamped to the genoa track, seemed in danger of breaking off.

Going ahead and astern at full power (all 10hp!) with the rudder either way, achieved nothing; the boat was immovable.

After the obligatory bout of swearing, I had a think.

I could have sat there for a couple of hours until the tidal current eased; anxiously staring at the straining cleat but that didn't appeal as it was cold, and past dinner time; a dinner that was meant to be special as it was Mrs P's birthday!

Mrs P. suggested cutting the rope but that would have resulted in the current sweeping me down on to the boat moored close astern before I could regain steerage way.

In the end, all I could think of to do do was to hitch another line to the line between the miship cleat and the buoy using a rolling hitch, push it towards the buoy as far as I could with a boathook, then bring it to a winch and tension it thereby taking the load off the cleat enabling me to free the line from it.

Gradually surging the temporary line around the winch allowed the boat to come head to current and the mini crisis was averted.

Moral: check, and check again.

 

[Wing Mark]

I try not to use my engine when dropping or picking up my mooring because of the risk of fouling my prop. Being in a tidal lagoon I once caught the prop and had to wait for the level to fall to free it and missed a whole day of sailing - very annoying.
Picking up, if I'm on my own, I hook the strop from the stern and secure to an aft cleat whilst I stow sails then walk the strop forward and secure at the bow.
I think it's a mark of good seamanship to sail on and off a mooring, safer, quieter and aesthetically pleasing.

It would be more seamanlike to not have lines in the water at risk of fouling your own or anyone else's prop or rudder.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

If the wind is ahead of the beam when moored, set enough main to make way over the tide, drop the mooring then sheet the sail.

If the wind is on or aft of the beam, set a bit of head sail drop the mooring then sheet the sail.

To pick up, reverse the process. If there is strong wind over tide, you may need to stow the spray hood to sail onto the mooring, in order not to sail past it over the tide with no sail drawing. In yachts with high topsides, where you cannot reach down to the buoy, lassoo it and sort out the permanent connection to the buoy at your leisure. Of course it's all much easier if you have more than one on board.

From my youth, on no account start the engine to pick up or drop a mooring unless it's flat calm on pain of at least one year's mockery from the pipe sucking veterans in the clubhouse, who will be watching your every move.

Lastly, if your engine is a Stuart Turner 4 hp. Once you have started it do not shut it down until you are absolutely sure you have no further need of it for at least 6 hours.

Peter.

Also, to avoid colliding with a nearby moored vessel or other obstruction,take the mooring strop to the midships cleat on the side opposite the obstruction. If you sheet in immediately before dropping the strop you will be under control immediately.
Returning upwind, approach on a close reach, under main only, filling and spilling to maintain way without having too much speed.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

That's fine normally. However, I am on Windermere and so no tide issues but the wind direction is very variable. The procedure that I outlined was Duncan Wells' suggestion for single handed getaway without leaving the cockpit. I usually have to wait for a bit until I'm pointing away from the shore (not very far away) and the other close by moored boats and so ideally I have only about 100 degrees of direction to play with.

Take the mooring strop to midships, very easy to do with your long line.

 

[Slowboat35]

I think one should be vary wary of sailing on and off a mooring as a demonstraton of 'seamanship". I agree it's nice to show you can but in suitable areas only.
In the places I sail moorings are not particulalrly tightly packed unlike in some others. I have got into trouble sailing on and off moorings by losing steerage way while I tried to snag the strop and then having the boat fall off one way or another before regaining control - it's surprising how far you travel and at what speed before the rudder will overcome even a partially filled sail. (flogging mainsheet caught around winch-handle in it's pocket caused a rocket-like takeoff on one occasion...This is especially risky with any cross-tide involved.
If I ever try that I'm very sure to have the motor running.

I have tried the cockpit pickup but do not like it as there is so much rope hanging over the side waiting to snag something or get wrapped around the keel. I agree it is a valid method, but one (as a singlehander) I'd approach with much caution.

Apart from carrying a crew I have not found a better way than the original description of stopping the boat with the bouy under the forefoot, locking the wheel, strolling up to the pulpit, hooking on either directly or with an additional piece of rope and strolling back to the cockpit to have a slug of coffee. Or vv.

in other words, KISS

 

[oldbloke]

I used to have a Spring 25, the bow of which didn't have much grip on the water. When singlehandedly back to my mooring I would often reverse up to the buoy (knowing that there were no loose lines in the water). Or gently ram the bow between the buoy and the tender, that would hold it in place long enough to go forwards and moor. It worked for me but might have consequences with a heavier boat/smaller tender.

 

[scozzy]

So my method involves a lasso and a caribiner. I sail a pirate 17 moored in a busy corner of the harbour so size means I can usually get between pretty much everyone and access mooring bouy from cockpit. So I have a length of line about 6ft long with a looped end to make a basic lasso, on my mooring bouy I have a caribiner attached just below the bouy which, depending on current when I left will have either the bow or one of the stern lines I will of attached on leaving.

I sidle up to the bouy, toss the lasso over, tightens itself and onto cleat at which point I reach over and unclip the waiting line and walk it to its cleat forward/aft and then I can do the rest

 

[AntarcticPilot]

So my method involves a lasso and a caribiner. I sail a pirate 17 moored in a busy corner of the harbour so size means I can usually get between pretty much everyone and access mooring bouy from cockpit. So I have a length of line about 6ft long with a looped end to make a basic lasso, on my mooring bouy I have a caribiner attached just below the bouy which, depending on current when I left will have either the bow or one of the stern lines I will of attached on leaving.

I sidle up to the bouy, toss the lasso over, tightens itself and onto cleat at which point I reach over and unclip the waiting line and walk it to its cleat forward/aft and then I can do the rest

Carabiners are usually deprecated for critical uses such as moorings; they can very easily release unexpectedly under twisting loads.

 

[scozzy]

Carabiners are usually deprecated for critical uses such as moorings; they can very easily release unexpectedly under twisting loads.

It holds no load at all at any time , it just sits there tied on under the mooring bouy with either mooring line end loop attached till I need it when I return. Its saves me from having to go fishing for a mooring line or mucking about with a pole when I get back, just lasso the bouy, unclip the waiting line and take it forward to tie off at the bow, maybe I'm not explaining it clearly but the caribener is purely for convenience