In "Armond Perretta" writes:

Denis Marier wrote:
So far the only way I know is to pick up the mooring bail, bent down
and thread a rope through the bail. From the bow of a sailboat it
can become difficult when the weather is bad. I only wish I could
learn a better way to thread the pennant trough the bail hook.

There really _is_ no simpler method. I once picked up a mooring at Indian
Harbor (CT) while handling a 46 footer, where the mooring pennant had
already been removed (very late in the season). It was blowing 25 - 30 SW
and the youngsters manning the club's VHF had directed me to that specific
mooring. I realized only after the fact that the pennant was long gone to
storage. Meanwhile my soon-to-be wife was driving the ship with about 2
hours experience, trying to hear my shouts over the wind. We didn't sink
or hit anything hard, but it was close at times.

Repeat: There is no simple method and the best tactic is to grab that ball
with the pole and pray.

I do not understand this, here in Europe we have a multitude of gadgets
that help you to pick the moorin and fasten the rope to the loop or eye.

In some cases you can leave the hook (the length can be anything from
about a feet to six feet so it is easy to remove it without bending head
down to the moorin buoy, or you can just thread the rope through the eye
and pull it back to your boat and have a double rope to the mooring and
when you leave you just pull the rope away.

- Lauri Tarkkonen