Swinging mooring - Single handed

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HunterWanderer

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I don't do it often but rarely easily.
I usually reverse up to the buoy then throw a line over but last time the rope was dry and slid off the top. Worked the second time.
The buoy also had a longish pickup line so worried about rope round prop.
 
What type of buoy? How big a boar - can you lay on deck and reach buoy with a hand?

If it's your mooring put a small buoy on a couple of metres of floating line and pick up with a boathook on the rope.

I approach buoy head to tide on its windward side, aim to stop with buoy just forward of the mast, which gives a few minutes to pick up the rope or put a line through.

There is a device which will thread a line through a loop but we managed to break it first time
 
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That is a different way of doing it.

I motor up to the pick-up buoy, when level with the cockpit pick it up and walk forward as the boat falls back on the tide. Just a matter pulling until the eye of the mooring can be placed over the cleat.

Took a bit of practice with somebody else onboard to master it.

Free Range Sailing is full of great tip.
 
Sandy said:
That is a different way of doing it.

I motor up to the pick-up buoy, when level with the cockpit pick it up and walk forward as the boat falls back on the tide. Just a matter pulling until the eye of the mooring can be placed over the cleat.

Took a bit of practice with somebody else onboard to master it.

Free Range Sailing is full of great tip.
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Similar, but a bit further forward where the freeboard is still low, with less chance of the bow swinging off if there is a crosswind.
 
As theres no chance of picking it up alongside, I just drive up to it against the tide, knock the motor into neutral, stroll forward with the hook, pick it up and bung it on the cleat, I suppose if your boat is 100ft long that might be a sprint rather than a stroll, but I see no other problems with it.
 
I bring it up the side of the boat to a point where I can reach it. Top tip - if you put the boat to windward of the buoy (rather than head to wind), the boat gets blown down onto the buoy, bringing it up against the side of the hull and making it easier to reach.
 
I am always impressed with how simple you all make it sound. Minimal tide / wind in your world and moorings which have no shallows or other boats around to drift in to! The OP’s approach has essentially worked for me in the past - not always first time. An escape plan is essential.
 
Bobc said:
I bring it up the side of the boat to a point where I can reach it. Top tip - if you put the boat to windward of the buoy (rather than head to wind), the boat gets blown down onto the buoy, bringing it up against the side of the hull and making it easier to reach.
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I've always refrained from doing that.
I must admit I'm a bit paranoid about not being able to pick up the mooring in time and the buoy passing under the boat and possible getting caught on the keel or prop.
 
HunterWanderer said:
I don't do it often but rarely easily.
I usually reverse up to the buoy then throw a line over but last time the rope was dry and slid off the top. Worked the second time.
The buoy also had a longish pickup line so worried about rope round prop.
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Sorry but I am a bit confused. Why phaff around throwing ropes over when it has a pick up line? Why not simply use that.
Our bow is about 1.5m high. But if have a pickup of any form, always pick up at bow. Motor up slowly (on stbd bow as we are twin wheel with engine controls on starboard side), make sure stopped, walk forward and drop round a cleat. Generally 90% or more get first time. But if not no problem, go a fair way back and repeat.
I prepare with boat hook(s) on foredeck, and stbd jib sheet tied out of tje way (took a few years to.learn that one).
 
My home mooring has a floating pickup line with a loop on the end.
I attach a line to the bow long enough to reach the cockpit that has a large snap hook on it.
I just motor along side, head to wind, by the cockpit and pick it up and clip it on. Then reverse back a bit, walk forward and pull it in.
The buoy is always visible to me and I don't have to leave the helm until attached. No chance of any mishaps.
 
dunedin said:
Sorry but I am a bit confused. Why phaff around throwing ropes over when it has a pick up line? Why not simply use that.
Our bow is about 1.5m high. But if have a pickup of any form, always pick up at bow. Motor up slowly (on stbd bow as we are twin wheel with engine controls on starboard side), make sure stopped, walk forward and drop round a cleat. Generally 90% or more get first time. But if not no problem, go a fair way back and repeat.
I prepare with boat hook(s) on foredeck, and stbd jib sheet tied out of tje way (took a few years to.learn that one).
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Pick up line has no pickup buoy on the end as far as I understand??
 
Neeves said:
I thought everyone had one.

It’s so simple. An old Danbury attached to a mooring buoy.
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I’ve seen one - similar but not the same design as that link, was sitting almost horizontal in F6. Picking up bouys is easy when it’s flat calm…
Neeves said:
If you cannot pick it up - how are you ever going to recover an MOB?

Jonathan
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If you are singlehander picking up MOBs is probably not your top priority ;-) but they don’t usually come with bonus string to tangle your prop unless it’s a line you’ve thrown them and mostly they aren’t in busy areas with other boats or shallows to dodge!
 
First of all, having to have two goes at it before success is no great shame or hardship. Consider it extra practice!

It does, of course, depend in part on the size of the boat - particularly how high the cockpit/side decks/bow is above the water - and the details of the particular buoy - size, whether there is a ring on top/pick up buoy/mooring strop/other floating line attached, and quite how strong the wind and tide are, but . . .

Single-handed I will usually pick up the buoy from the cockpit - typically about the least height of the deck above the waterline, and means you are spending least time away from the tiller/wheel and engine (or sail) controls.

Rig up in advance a long line from a cleat by the cockpit, along the side deck, via a fairlead or roller at the bow, then outside everything and over the guard wires back to the cockpit, where it is left loose with a couple of yards or so to spare (but not so long it could reach the propellor if dropped overboard). Have a boat hook to hand. (Some of those patent buoy catcher devices are handy, but one will often find that it doesn't work with the particular buoy design.)

Assuming under engine, approach the buoy in the same direction the other boats are facing, or similar boats to one's own if they're not all aligned. (There's a few other considerations if doing it under sail I won't go into here.)

Go alongside the buoy until it's level with the cockpit (which side will depend on the combination of wind and tide - I would rather be taken away from the buoy rather than over it if at first I don't succeed and have to make a second attempt or escape.) When the buoy is alongside the cockpit, reach over and secure the loose end of the long line to the buoy.

Allow the boat to drop back on your long line - it is now secured to the buoy by the bow and going nowhere. At your leisure, go forward and haul in the line to bring the boat up to the buoy and properly secure it to the bow by the mooring strop or whatever. Then remove your long line. Put kettle on.

As Ylop says, always have an escape plan if there are other craft (or obstructions or shallows) close at hand.
 
Sandy said:
That is a different way of doing it.

I motor up to the pick-up buoy, when level with the cockpit pick it up and walk forward as the boat falls back on the tide. Just a matter pulling until the eye of the mooring can be placed over the cleat.

Took a bit of practice with somebody else onboard to master it.

Free Range Sailing is full of great tip.
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That's what I do.
 
ylop said:
I’ve seen one - similar but not the same design as that link, was sitting almost horizontal in F6. Picking up bouys is easy when it’s flat calm…

If you are singlehander picking up MOBs is probably not your top priority ;-) but they don’t usually come with bonus string to tangle your prop unless it’s a line you’ve thrown them and mostly they aren’t in busy areas with other boats or shallows to dodge!
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Add more ballast

If you sail as a couple and one of you goes over the side you are now single handed. If you cannot pick up a Danbuoy.....

Jonathan
 
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