New knee

Now 12 weeks post-TKR. Last couple of weeks got the boat ready, up and down ladder like a yo-yo and admit at the end of the day single rung movement was easier. I moved the boat from the marina to its mooring yesterday, wind was around 25kts (both Argyle ferries came to JWD to hide) and the seas were kicking up quite a bit of jumble. I had been intending to hoist the main but felt no enthusiasm for the trip to the mast with the boat pitching and rolling. Took 4 goes picking up the mooring mainly 'cos it took me sto long to move from the cockpit to the bow and that bow kept blowing off. Then it took me 2 trips back to the cockpit to kick her ahead before I got the junk properly on the cleat and into the fairlead.

I know it was the 1st sail of the season and I'm usually a bit maladroit to start with but this was worse, not so much worrying about the knee but just downright clumsy. And, yes, my mooring shenanigans were witnessed and commented on!
 
You'll need to learned skills to cope with the knee. Been there, done that, bought the teeshirt.......at least with a partial.

Picking up a mooring, I have a long rope attached to the bow cleat its free end by the cockpit. Bimble up to the buoy alongside the cockpit and connect the long line. Then you can take your time moving to the bows, keeping a hold on the end of the line. I pause by the mast and reel in any loose line before moving forward again.

A mate has just read my post and remarked that if I tied the lose end off at the cockpit then wind or tide would weather cock the boat and allow it to slip away from the buoy until the slack has been taken up. I'll, try that next time I'm out.
 
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The problem yesterday was the strength of the wind. I could not hold on to the pick-up buoy nevermind pull the boat up to the mooring with the wind and tide. Being attached further aft would have created its own problems.
 
awol said:
The problem yesterday was the strength of the wind. I could not hold on to the pick-up buoy nevermind pull the boat up to the mooring with the wind and tide. Being attached further aft would have created its own problems.
Click to expand...

It does help to have a 26'er. Do you not have a windlass on a big'un like the?
 
Topcat47 said:
You'll need to learned skills to cope with the knee. Been there, done that, bought the teeshirt.......at least with a partial.

Picking up a mooring, I have a long rope attached to the bow cleat its free end by the cockpit. Bimble up to the buoy alongside the cockpit and connect the long line. Then you can take your time moving to the bows, keeping a hold on the end of the line. I pause by the mast and reel in any loose line before moving forward again.

A mate has just read my post and remarked that if I tied the lose end off at the cockpit then wind or tide would weather cock the boat and allow it to slip away from the buoy until the slack has been taken up. I'll, try that next time I'm out.
Click to expand...

I have a line attached to the bow leading back to the cockpit but it has a large hook.
I hook the buoy & forget it until the sails are sorted. Then when I am ready I put the engine gently in forward & gather in the line as the boat slides forward.
Still a lot of pulling though & I do not make a habit of it anymore. I do, however, make sure that I can always manouver the boat to do it when I need to.
 
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