Total waste of time if your picking up a mooring in a tidal estuary or river. OK if your at a calm mooring in one of the SA gulfs and don't have moorings spaced like they are everywhere else. There was a hell of a lot of floating riser too at the mooring in the video.
If you want to sail on to your mooring and pick up the buoy from the cockpit, run a line to the bow back to the snap hook on a handle. Sail past the buoy slowly, clip on the hook and casually wander forward and pull the buoy line in. By the time you get to the bow the yacht should have turned and sat back on the line. Make sure there is enough room to your neighbours though
He made that look like hard work.
I do pretty much as above works well and no risk of backing your boat over a mooring with a spinning prop.
I always pick up from the bow. My boat is a keel design that makes reversing a challenge. Had considered trying a pickup from cockpit arrangement years back. Pickup from bow working well for me. Occasionally miss on the first attempt but always safe and easy to abandon and go round for a second attempt. Park in a mooring field closely surrounded by other boats in all directions.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
Total waste of time if your picking up a mooring in a tidal estuary or river. OK if your at a calm mooring in one of the SA gulfs and don't have moorings spaced like they are everywhere else. There was a hell of a lot of floating riser too at the mooring in the video.
If you want to sail on to your mooring and pick up the buoy from the cockpit, run a line to the bow back to the snap hook on a handle. Sail past the buoy slowly, clip on the hook and casually wander forward and pull the buoy line in. By the time you get to the bow the yacht should have turned and sat back on the line. Make sure there is enough room to your neighbours though
Thanks all. Got to get one of those snap hooks Graham.
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..Ramona said..
Total waste of time if your picking up a mooring in a tidal estuary or river. OK if your at a calm mooring in one of the SA gulfs and don't have moorings spaced like they are everywhere else. There was a hell of a lot of floating riser too at the mooring in the video.
If you want to sail on to your mooring and pick up the buoy from the cockpit, run a line to the bow back to the snap hook on a handle. Sail past the buoy slowly, clip on the hook and casually wander forward and pull the buoy line in. By the time you get to the bow the yacht should have turned and sat back on the line. Make sure there is enough room to your neighbours though
Thanks all. Got to get one of those snap hooks Graham.
Yes, I have seen a Yachtie, just 10nm down the Saint Vincent Gulf coast, at Port Vincent, picking up a mooring from the Stern, but it was relatively calm and a protected bay. Not like the conditions you would experience on the East Coast.
The snap hook and walking the line up to the bow is a great idea. I will have to set one up now....
Cheers..
On one of the moorings I use it's not possible to approach from down wind in certain conditions, So I was obliged to back down on it and to be honest I wasn't impressed, I've taken to using a floating rope riser about 10m long, I can come in across wind & pick it up anywhere along its length flip a few turns on the Sampson post , when the boat heads up the wind I sort out the lose change
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..Ramona said..
Total waste of time if your picking up a mooring in a tidal estuary or river. OK if your at a calm mooring in one of the SA gulfs and don't have moorings spaced like they are everywhere else. There was a hell of a lot of floating riser too at the mooring in the video.
If you want to sail on to your mooring and pick up the buoy from the cockpit, run a line to the bow back to the snap hook on a handle. Sail past the buoy slowly, clip on the hook and casually wander forward and pull the buoy line in. By the time you get to the bow the yacht should have turned and sat back on the line. Make sure there is enough room to your neighbours though
Thanks all. Got to get one of those snap hooks Graham.
Just a lambs crook on the end of an old fishing rod is just as good. Bend up a bit of 8mm SS rod. As long as some tension stays it will work fine.
I use to practice sailing onto jetties and to moorings as a bit of a challenge.
After a short time I could sail onto my mooring in a crowded anchorage, pick the mooring up midships and walk forard with it. In some ways in stronger winds it was easier than motoring up and trying to judge picking it up at the bow.
Too much effing around and gadgetry for my liking. I find it handy if you can come in at a bit of an angle to the wind and stop in a position so that if the bow blows off it blows toward the bouy.
A long boat hook really helps and if its an unknown mooring have a line ready that you can pass through the loop on the mooring and bring back to make fast. This helps if the leader is short, heavy, or covered in barnackles.
A google maps view of my boat. Towards the bottom with the tender hanging of the back. The catamaran has subsequently had it mooring moved over a bit.
Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..
I use to practice sailing onto jetties and to moorings as a bit of a challenge.
After a short time I could sail onto my mooring in a crowded anchorage, pick the mooring up midships and walk forard with it. In some ways in stronger winds it was easier than motoring up and trying to judge picking it up at the bow.
Did that once in a bit of breeze and dragged the mooring line under the bottom of the boat and wore some antifouling off which didn't impress me. Unfortunately my current mooring is fully exposed to nor'easters and experiences quite a bit of chop to boot. Hopefully leaving there soon although I don't think available moorings at Clareville are much better.
Here you go the catcher snatcher..............
When I hurt my back really badly I needed to pick up a mooring and wait for my son to sail me back up the coast and home. I was bent like a pretzel and in quite a bit of pain. I motored to the Basin and picked up a mooring from the stern. It was the only way possible when I couldn't do what I usually do, which is run up the front when the bow is at the bouy. I ran a rope through the bouy and waited for Kirren to come along and sail me home - a very significant moment - I was the dad needing help from my son to get the boat and me home. Hopefully a long time till it happens again.
A modernish fin keel yacht could benefit from approaching things backwards. I used to ask my wife to jump off the bow when approaching a jetty. I would be at the helm worried I was going to hit the jetty and she would not want to jump the gap. One day she asked why we didn't just reverse in. I scoffed and said no one does that. Then she said she was on a friend's boat and that is exactly what he did.
So I gave it a go and am now a complete convert. If the wind is blowing off our local jetty I will do a quick turn near the jetty and reverse in. My cat reverses really well and I can see the distance to the jetty easily. I can show off by getting to within about 20cm of the jetty at a crawl and then I step off with a stern line. I then use the stern line as a spring and use forward power to bring the boat alongside the wharf. No need for any assistance, no shouts, and no scratches on the boat. Super easy, especially on a cat with stern steps. If your boat is good at reversing, then consider reversing at certain times and put it in your skill set.
