Picking up mooring with centre cockpit boat

[Madhatter]

I will soon be taking possession of my new to me boat, it has a centre and deep cockpit. I am not sure of the best way to pick up my harbour mooring when sailing single handed ( I am sure I could work out a method but-) can anyone advise on some of the tried and tested methods please ?

 

[Jamesuk]

I would still reverse up to it and walk down the sugar scoop to retrieve it. I am on board a HR centre cockpit and its Rib breaking stuff hooking a mooring from the bow. The other method of course would be to just radio ahead and get someone to help you out. You could always come up along side it with a long line connected to the bow and lassoo the mooring from midships.

 

[Tranona]

Really does depend on the boat. With some boats a pick up from the stern works. However, unless your boat has very high bows the normal bow pickup is the preferred method. If you can reach over the side from the cockpit then coming alongside with a warp from the bow outside everything could be useful. You just have to try and find what works for you.

 

[Sybarite]

I will soon be taking possession of my new to me boat, it has a centre and deep cockpit. I am not sure of the best way to pick up my harbour mooring when sailing single handed ( I am sure I could work out a method but-) can anyone advise on some of the tried and tested methods please ?

I have a snap hook affair attached to the boathook which lets me put a light line on which I immediately replace with a proper warp. You can also push a loop through the ring with the boat hook and then pick it up on the other side again with the BH.

Alternatively you can lassoo the buoy with a large loop and follow up accordingly.

 

[Gwylan]

Assume, always dangerous, from your message, that this is a mooring buoy, not a pontoon.

In the case of buoys technique is to get as close and as slow as I can possibly be.

Then as it passes the bow, put the boat into neutral and sprint to the centre cleat with a line [already attached to centre cleat at one end] and lasso the buoy. As it passes the centre part of the boat.
With the buoy lassoed you have a few moments calm before total chaos can be restored.

Did I mention the other line which is attached to the bow?
This is lead back, outside everything, to the vicinity of the centre cleat.
This is now used to attach the boat properly to the ring or whatever on the top of the buoy.

Can also be uses with inexperienced crew picking up mooring buoys - much easier than having to recover a man over board.

I was forced into this technique after loosing two boat hooks trying to pick up a buoy in the outer harbour at Calais. A manoeuvre that the crew , a significant other member of my household, declined to participate in decreeing that it was far too early and she was sure that I could manage.....

A little practice to develop the lassoing technique in the garden at home will amuse partners, confuse pets, throw children of all ages into paroxysms of mirth and get the neighbours calling the loony bin. Trying the technique whilst riding a bicycle no hands slowly past the wheel barrow [impersonating the buoy] is not for the faint hearted.

 

[ffiill]

Place your boat in right position relative to wind and tide;engine onto tick over;leave cockpit;drift alongside pick up bouy;walk out to bow with long boat hook etc
I have never done anything else and usually get bouy the first time despite the fact that bouy is invisible from my centre cockpit as I close on it.

 

[pvb]

Place your boat in right position relative to wind and tide;engine onto tick over;leave cockpit;drift alongside pick up bouy;walk out to bow with long boat hook etc
I have never done anything else and usually get bouy the first time despite the fact that bouy is invisible from my centre cockpit as I close on it.

Basically that's my approach, except that I use a Handy Duck boathook to snap a line on to the buoy. http://handyduck.com/en/

 

[TQA]

Step 1 Fit a mast buoy as your pick up buoy with a 6 ft whip mast.

Step 2 Set up a line from your bow around the outside of everything with a spring clip or karabiner of some sort.

Step 3 Come along side the buoy WHICH YOU CAN NOW SEE amidships.

Step 4 Go pick up the mast and clip on.

Step 5 Wander up to the bow and sort out your regular straps.

 

[Sybarite]

Step 1 Fit a mast buoy as your pick up buoy with a 6 ft whip mast.

Step 2 Set up a line from your bow around the outside of everything with a spring clip or karabiner of some sort.

Step 3 Come along side the buoy WHICH YOU CAN NOW SEE amidships.

Step 4 Go pick up the mast and clip on.

Step 5 Wander up to the bow and sort out your regular straps.

Many year ago I saw a custom mooring buoy system which was great. Somebody had taken a plastic rubbish bin and had molded in place from top to bottom through the bin a 4" drainpipe. The bin was ballasted and the top sealed. The mooring chain was fed through the pipe and on top was fixed a normal smallish mooring buoy. The plastic tube through the bin held this small buoy at pulpit height.

 

[Slowtack]

Made mine from plastic conduit through a "hollow" buoy

 

[ffiill]

Made mine from plastic conduit through a "hollow" buoy

Previous owner I recall did something like this as due to the high bow its a bit of guess work to get boat close enough to bouy when its invisible but I do carry a long-8 foot poss.10foot -boat hook