On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:10:02 GMT, "Lester Evans"
wrote:


How do you approach a mooring for pick up? The boat has a full keel so she
is heavy. The mooring is in a tight area. I want to do a one time pick up
.. no going around and trying again.

We sail a 50 ft sloop with the deck 6 ft over the water. Picking up a
buoy is always a puzzle cause
a) the boat has a lot of windage and we do not have a bowthruster.
b) We have 2 propellors and the rudder is in the middle so there is no
steering power with low speeds
c) from the rel. high deck the buoy is hard to reach even with a hook.

What works for me:
At very low speed and with the wind on the bow the boat will be blown
away in a few seconds but for the same reason the boat is much more
stabile with the wind from behind. This will be different for
different boats of course but I expect most boats to be more stabile
with the wind from behind. A propellor in slow reverse tends to
stabilize even more.
When needed you take the current into account here.
I approach the buoy downwind and very slow. I let it pass. In slow
reverse (steering is done here with both propellors but you can use
the rudder) I get as close as possible to the buoy without being blown
away or being set aside. From the aft deck or even the swimming
platform I can reach the buoy much easier than from the (higher) bow.
Not being blown away I have enough time for attaching a line.
"Lasso-ing" the buoy with a sinking line that has a bow-line knot in
the end and that is attached to a cleat on the bow is one option.
Being moored that way you can improve things to your own liking.
The mob alike pole sounds good to me cause it improves reachability
from a rel. high deck.

Fair winds, Len.