cliffordpope
Well-Known Member
I watched an interesting example of a pick-up not going entirely to plan on Sunday.
There was a strong ebb tide running, and the small yacht (I think a repro-Edwardian racer - very long overhangs at prow and counter, very low in water, narrow beam, very long boom) came up river on a following wind. They had lowered the single headsail, and with main alone were creeping up on the mooring. The man hooked the pick-up buoy, but the boat of course went on moving, running over the connecting rope so the two buoys went down different sides of the boat. The girl at the tiller could do nothing to slow the progress. He was forced to drop the buoy, and the boat ploughed on slowly, eventually being brought up when the rope caught round something at the stern.
They were then stuck - the main pulling hard, with the boom right out, but the boat now "moored" by the stern.
After a long and perilous struggle they managed to get the sail in, at which point the boat finally slipped back with the tide and he was able to retrieve the buoy and secure, at the bow this time.
What would be the correct way of picking up the mooring in these circumstances (assuming you were determined to do it under sail, rather than dropping everything and motoring up)?
I presume that the rather small headsail alone would not have been sufficient to overcome the tide, hence use of the main.
it seems to me that what was lacking was a way of spilling wind from the mainsail. The gaff was very high-peaked, so I can see the reluctance to drop the peak and have it wrap itself round the front of the mast. There was only a single topping lift, so the gaff could not be constrained as it would be between double lifts.
It all happened in incredible but inexorable slow-motion, with seemingly no way of stopping it.
There was a strong ebb tide running, and the small yacht (I think a repro-Edwardian racer - very long overhangs at prow and counter, very low in water, narrow beam, very long boom) came up river on a following wind. They had lowered the single headsail, and with main alone were creeping up on the mooring. The man hooked the pick-up buoy, but the boat of course went on moving, running over the connecting rope so the two buoys went down different sides of the boat. The girl at the tiller could do nothing to slow the progress. He was forced to drop the buoy, and the boat ploughed on slowly, eventually being brought up when the rope caught round something at the stern.
They were then stuck - the main pulling hard, with the boom right out, but the boat now "moored" by the stern.
After a long and perilous struggle they managed to get the sail in, at which point the boat finally slipped back with the tide and he was able to retrieve the buoy and secure, at the bow this time.
What would be the correct way of picking up the mooring in these circumstances (assuming you were determined to do it under sail, rather than dropping everything and motoring up)?
I presume that the rather small headsail alone would not have been sufficient to overcome the tide, hence use of the main.
it seems to me that what was lacking was a way of spilling wind from the mainsail. The gaff was very high-peaked, so I can see the reluctance to drop the peak and have it wrap itself round the front of the mast. There was only a single topping lift, so the gaff could not be constrained as it would be between double lifts.
It all happened in incredible but inexorable slow-motion, with seemingly no way of stopping it.
- I think I resemble that remark - though anchoring, not mooring (in Osbourne Bay last week). Wind WITH tide. Dropped jib too early, so got it back up - just as a gust caught .. so tack and try again... then decide it's too shallow after all and have to move on (at which point the donk went on).