Singlehanded advice required

[Guest]

Can anyone advise on how to cope with Baltic-style moorings singlehanded? I mean the kind of moorings where the stern is moored either to one or two buoys, or to a couple of piles, while the bow is moored to a wooden jetty.

I found the Baltic moorings with piles fine - nay, easier than UK pontoons - when there's someone else on board, but can't imagine how to do them, or the ones with buoys, alone.

 

[graham]

With the wind blowing onto the pontoon I would get the stern lines sorted first and let the wind push you onto the jetty controlled by letting out the stern line as required .

Wind blowing off the jetty I would attatch the bowline to the jetty and have it long enough to lead back to the cockpit so you can let it go under control as you move back to the stern moorings.

Strong crosswinds will make it extremely difficult unl;ess you can put out lots of fenders and lie on the boat in an adjacent berth and possibly use a dinghy to attatch bow and stern lines.

I do a lot of singlehanding and usually with a bit of forethought and preparation you can do most things.

If other boats are close allways use lots of fenders in case of a cock up. We all have one now and again!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your thoughts. It's really the getting the bow line ashore in a head or side wind that's taxing me. I found it difficult to judge from the helming position how far the pulpit is off the jetty, and with head or sidewind I don't see how to get up to the bows and over the pulpit in time. There is the coming alongside neighbours option, but I was wondering if there's some technique for getting the bowline ashore without that. Perhaps I need a really long boathook?

 

[johnsomerhausen]

On that long boat hook you mentioned, you could put one of these automatic carbineers with a line attached, pass the line below the "pushpit" with the boathood on the side of the cockpit and the fall of the line with some slack and a turn around a winch. When the mooring buoy arrives at the level of the cockpit, snag it with the boathook and give a pull, the carbineer will fall off the boathook and close. Just continue forward until about reaching the dock, put the engine in neutral and go grab a cleat or something on the dock (or maybe have a second boathook ready at the bow with another line ...)
I haven't as yet met that sort of situation as the only cases wheere there was a mooring buoy astern was in Spain and they alwaays had a chappie there to pull up a line from the dock to the buoy and pass it to you.
john

 

[summerwind]

I do a fair bit of single handing, even if family with me, I am more or less single handed.

I bought a couple of the Bosco boat hooks, They were not cheap, but I am very pleased with them. I have the boat hook extended with lines attached at bow and stern before approaching the mooring. When I get to the magic moment I am able to quickly snag whatever I am mooring to at both ends. That gets me secure. I can then take my time to moor properly with more permanent arrangements.

When I am going to leave I attached the Boscos then remove permanent lines. When I am ready to go, a quick yank on the release lines lets go of the mooring and I am away under control the whole time. When in clear space I can then remove boscos from cleats and stow them ready for next mooring.

As I say above, not cheap, but excellent for single handers.

 

[PhilipStapleton]

Bosco

Where does the Bosco hook come from - Google and the YBM shopping site deny all kowledge!