"Capt. JG" wrote

The only thing I would add is to not run anywhere on the boat.

Good point. I consider "running" on a boat a brisk, controlled walk
but that wouldn't be clear in my post.

My boat falls off pretty fast with the fin keel and the windage of the
roller jib forward so bringing the buoy back very far can be awkward.
I'm either pulling against the friction on the side or trying to pull
the bow upwind to it. Getting the pendant briskly on board slack and
hooked quickly over the cleat works best for me. Most pendants in
this part of the world are short and heavy enough that not having the
buoy right under the bow means moving the boat with the pendant after
you have the slimy, barnacle encrusted thing in your hand. I find the
risk of dropping or losing it while trying to get it under the pulpit
and hooked up with strain on it greater than not finding the buoy in
the right place when I get to the bow with the boat hook.

Several responders seemed to have missed the *singlehanded* word in
the original post.

When you do have a crew member, a very helpful instruction to give is
to have them stand in the bow constantly pointing the boathook at the
buoy. That tells you where it is when it goes out of sight as well as
letting you track other factors more easily beforehand. Most people
will take their first stab when too far away so that's a good signal
to goose up the throttle for full reverse.

--

Roger Long