Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing etc ..
it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.

My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am getting
close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can coast up to the
mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard side ( this way, if I
must go on I can turn to the port which is where the escape route is,, the
deep water ).

Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I grab
the line, get the line on deck and cleated..

I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater around.
The boat is at a dock now. I must move it to the mooring or $$$$$$.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,,

Here's my surefire, never fail method.

1) Head as straight upwind as possible and slow to the minimum speed
at which the vessel will answer her helm.

2) Steer slightly to one side of the buoy. Just before it disappears
under the bow, put the engine in reverse and then look over at the
side; not forward at the buoy. Watch for the motion to stop relative
to bubbles and flotsam in the water.

Note ahead of time if there is current. If there is, you should try
to match it's speed; not stop dead in the water. If it's not flowing
in the same direction as the wind, some judgement will be required.

3) Run forward picking up the boat hook as you go and stab at the
mooring pendant.

4) Repeat 1) through 3) as necessary.

--

Roger Long



"Lester Evans" wrote in message
news:KR_og.2315$TC1.1920@trndny08...
Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and
sailing etc .. it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.

My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am
getting close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can
coast up to the mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard
side ( this way, if I must go on I can turn to the port which is
where the escape route is,, the deep water ).

Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I
grab the line, get the line on deck and cleated..

I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater
around. The boat is at a dock now. I must move it to the mooring or
$$$$$$.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,,

Lester Evans wrote:
Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing etc ..
it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.

My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am getting
close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can coast up to the
mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard side ( this way, if I
must go on I can turn to the port which is where the escape route is,, the
deep water ).

Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I grab
the line, get the line on deck and cleated..

I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater around.
The boat is at a dock now. I must move it to the mooring or $$$$$$.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,,



First...approach your mooring ball motoring upwind.
have a crew member at the bow with a boat hook.
Approach slowly & switch to neutral as soon as he confirms he has
snagged the bridle. You stay at the helm in case of trouble.
If you sail singlehanded...
motor upwind and take the mooring ball on the side that would be easiest
for you when it's abeam.
Switch to neutral when you think the ball is at your bow and have boat
hook ready to grab bridle. Be prepared to take control of the helm again
ASAP if you miss. Mooring fields can be crowded with little room for error.

Lester Evans wrote:

Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing etc ..
it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.

My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am getting
close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can coast up to the
mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard side ( this way, if I
must go on I can turn to the port which is where the escape route is,, the
deep water ).

Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I grab
the line, get the line on deck and cleated..

I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater around.
The boat is at a dock now. I must move it to the mooring or $$$$$$.

Any thoughts?

I suggest putting it in neutral far from the buoy and practice coming to
a stop a few times on your actual approach line, keeping the boat in
control. If it starts to drift, engage forward and keep it straight (you
didn't mention if there was a current but if there is, go against it).
Once you get the feel for stopping, slowly move up to the buoy and bring
it almost to a stop again ten feet away, then engage forward and stop
again at the buoy, walk up and hook it.


--
Stephen

-------

For any proposition there is always some sufficiently narrow
interpretation of its terms, such that it turns out true, and
some sufficiently wide interpretation such that it turns out
false...concept stretching will refute *any* statement, and will
leave no true statement whatsoever.
-- Imre Lakatos

Lester Evans wrote:
Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing
etc .. it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.


I was disappointed in most of the suggestions here. Oce you
get the hang of it, no butteflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.


This is not a good set-up, but it's a bit late to convince
you to get a different boat or move to a less-crowded
geographic region


My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am
getting close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can
coast up to the mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard
side ( this way, if I must go on I can turn to the port which is
where the escape route is,, the deep water ).


An important part of making this maneuver a success is to
*know* what you're minimum steerage way is, and which way
prop walk will put the bow. Practice the basic maeuver in
open water, near something with will serve as a reference
point (a channel marker or such). Develop confidence that
you can put the boat right were you want it, then the close
quarters will not seem so tight.


Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I
grab the line, get the line on deck and cleated..


Here is where I saw a total lack of useful suggestions.

Proper preparation prevents ****-poor performance!

Why fumble about trying to scoop up your mooring with a boat
hook? Why not put the mooring line on a vertical pole...
like a man-overboard pole only with the mooring line
attached? That would be quick & certain.

Needless to say, some attention to the deck layout is in
order. The first step in such a maneuver, which almost
everybody skips including myself half the time, is to CLEAR
THE DECKS FOR ACTION (just like in the Hornblower novels).
Get all the loose irreleveant "stuff" out of the way, and
you don't have to worry about tripping over it.

One thing I used to do when singlehanding a very
inappropriate boat was to stop while out in open water,
clear the decks, and lay out the lines. To pick up a
mooring, I might take a line from the bow cleat, outboard of
all, and put it aft where I could reach it easily from the
helm. Then all I need to do is scoop up the mooring, make it
fast to the line from forward, bump it into reverse for a
moment to back clear, and we're secure. I can get the
mooring line shortened up & secure later.


I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater
around.

That's a great idea. Prefereably somebody who can bring
along some lunch.


Stephen Trapani wrote:
I suggest putting it in neutral far from the buoy and practice coming to
a stop a few times on your actual approach line, keeping the boat in
control. If it starts to drift, engage forward and keep it straight (you
didn't mention if there was a current but if there is, go against it).

This is a great way to gauge your drift & set, as you
approach. A necessary part of successful mooring or docking
when there is wind and/or current.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"DSK" wrote

Why fumble about trying to scoop up your mooring with a boat hook?
Why not put the mooring line on a vertical pole... like a
man-overboard pole only with the mooring line attached? That would
be quick & certain.

This is an excellent suggestion. There is a lot you can do to make
your own mooring easier to pick up. A light pick up rope on a long
pole will keep it in sight and you can quickly make fast with the
light rope that will keep things under control until you can bring the
heavy pendant on board.

While cruising however, you will encounter lots of poorly set up
mooring that may be in equally obstructed areas and you will want to
be competent at picking them up.

Someone suggested practicing on a channel marker. That's the dumbest
idea I've heard in a long time. Those things are heavy and go way
down in the water. Hitting them is like hitting a piling. Take a
milk jug on a long light line with an anchor if you can't find
something else that is light and attached to the bottom.

Just like landing a plane, assuming that you will go around and having
a plan to do it is your best safety net. It may look like there is no
way to recover from a botched mooring pick up at your home mooring but
there must be. Spend some time figuring out exactly what you will do
if you miss or your crew drops the pendant. It's going to happen
someday. Practicing that maneuver is as important as practicing the
pickup.

--

Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
While cruising however, you will encounter lots of poorly set up
mooring that may be in equally obstructed areas and you will want to
be competent at picking them up.


That's true. That's when the line run aft from your mooring
cleat comes in real handy. It's not "traditional" to pick up
moorings at the aft end of the boat, but if conditions make
that more practical and reliable, why not?



Someone suggested practicing on a channel marker. That's the dumbest
idea I've heard in a long time.

Well, I suggested practicing *near* a channel marker. Not
the same thing.

.... Those things are heavy and go way
down in the water. Hitting them is like hitting a piling. Take a
milk jug on a long light line with an anchor if you can't find
something else that is light and attached to the bottom.


That's a good idea for full-dress practice.

What I was suggesting was a follow-up to Stephen's
suggestion of practicing the maneuvers, to get an idea of
set & drift, along with minimum steerage & prop kick...
things that all too many boaters have no idea about. Without
something fixed in place, near enough to use as a reference,
you will not be able to gauge your boat's turning, stopping,
etc etc.



Just like landing a plane, assuming that you will go around and having
a plan to do it is your best safety net. It may look like there is no
way to recover from a botched mooring pick up at your home mooring but
there must be.

And if there isn't you'll suffer the consequence.

One of the things I like to do is ride around the mooring
field (carefully keeping the boat under full control)...
meet the neighbors, look for the best mooring, and see what
routes are open. A lot of people are in too much of a hurry
to do this.

... Spend some time figuring out exactly what you will do
if you miss or your crew drops the pendant. It's going to happen
someday. Practicing that maneuver is as important as practicing the
pickup.


Some years ago, very late in the season, a family member and
I cruised in his boat to Cuttyhunk. In fact it was so late
in the season that they were engaged in picking up the
moorings. We were one of three boats in the harbor (a good
reason to go in the off-season).

One morning, as I was sitting in the cockpit enjoying the
atmosphere & a cup of coffee, a smallish motor cruiser came
into the harber and began trying to pick up a mooring. The
people were not skilled, and they bumbled from one ball to
the next with a hapless crew on the bow stabbing almost at
random at the moorings. It didn't help that the helmsman
could not see under the bow very well, and the crew had such
a short boat hook that they had to almost fall in to reach
the water.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the harbor, a seaplane was
preparing to take off. They began their taxi run, then
applied throttle. The smallish cruiser zigged and zagged
obliviously from mooring ball to mooring ball, and crossed
right in front of the plane as the pontoons began to lift.

I didn't even have time to call out, but my cousin stuck his
head out of the companionway just a few seconds later... the
plane missed the cruiser by perhaps six feet, visibly
startling (and scaring the pants off of) the helmsman. I
really thought we were going to see a flaming crash!

The small motor cruiser gave up and putt-putted out of the
harbor. So the moral of the story is, practice picking up
your mooring and you won't get dive-bombed.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

DSK wrote in news:7Ibpg.3296$Oc5.562
@bignews4.bellsouth.net:

That's a good idea for full-dress practice.



Sorta like my captain does, yelling, "MAN OVERBOARD!" as he jumps over the
side just to see how long it will take us to come about and pick him up,
again, usually when some cute honey is driving who hasn't a clue and one of
the "usual sailors" is in the head taking a crap in Peggie's plumbing.

I'm a sneaky *******, myself. I always watch him, carefully, to see if he
has stowed his wallet and cellphone out of his pants and changed into
clothes he doesn't care about (which is most of what he wears on the boat),
a sure sign that something's up....(c;

I stay out of the head if he doesn't have his wallet.....

DSK wrote:

Lester Evans wrote:
Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing
etc .. it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.


I was disappointed in most of the suggestions here. Oce you
get the hang of it, no butteflies.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.


This is not a good set-up, but it's a bit late to convince
you to get a different boat or move to a less-crowded
geographic region


My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am
getting close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can
coast up to the mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard
side ( this way, if I must go on I can turn to the port which is
where the escape route is,, the deep water ).


An important part of making this maneuver a success is to
*know* what you're minimum steerage way is, and which way
prop walk will put the bow. Practice the basic maeuver in
open water, near something with will serve as a reference
point (a channel marker or such). Develop confidence that
you can put the boat right were you want it, then the close
quarters will not seem so tight.


Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I
grab the line, get the line on deck and cleated..


Here is where I saw a total lack of useful suggestions.

Proper preparation prevents ****-poor performance!

Why fumble about trying to scoop up your mooring with a boat
hook? Why not put the mooring line on a vertical pole...
like a man-overboard pole only with the mooring line
attached? That would be quick & certain.

He said mooring pick up stick. I didn't think that meant a boat hook.
We have a snap shackle type thing on the end of a pole for picking up
moorings. Worth getting IMHO.

Needless to say, some attention to the deck layout is in
order. The first step in such a maneuver, which almost
everybody skips including myself half the time, is to CLEAR
THE DECKS FOR ACTION (just like in the Hornblower novels).
Get all the loose irreleveant "stuff" out of the way, and
you don't have to worry about tripping over it.

Absolutely

One thing I used to do when singlehanding a very
inappropriate boat was to stop while out in open water,
clear the decks, and lay out the lines. To pick up a
mooring, I might take a line from the bow cleat, outboard of
all, and put it aft where I could reach it easily from the
helm. Then all I need to do is scoop up the mooring, make it
fast to the line from forward, bump it into reverse for a
moment to back clear, and we're secure. I can get the
mooring line shortened up & secure later.

We always lay out the lines, even when coming in to a dock.
Surprising how many people do not do this until they are at the dock
and have no clue about where a line is. I've even seen a shrimp boat
throw the dockmaster a line which was not attached to anything at the
boat end.


I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater
around.

That's a great idea. Prefereably somebody who can bring
along some lunch.


Stephen Trapani wrote:
I suggest putting it in neutral far from the buoy and practice coming to
a stop a few times on your actual approach line, keeping the boat in
control. If it starts to drift, engage forward and keep it straight (you
didn't mention if there was a current but if there is, go against it).

This is a great way to gauge your drift & set, as you
approach. A necessary part of successful mooring or docking
when there is wind and/or current.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"Lester Evans" wrote:

Going out single this weekend. Not worried about leaving and sailing etc ..
it is the coming back in that has me in butterflies.

I suggest taking some young person with you. If a boy, you can
challenge him that you don't think he can pick up the buoy.

If a girl, ask her to bring a boyfriend and repeat

Make them wear PFDs

Alternate - if you can't pick up another person, then try the other
guy's methods, but have your anchor ready just in case.

This is a 30' sailboat. Not huge, but not small.

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.

My thought.. get the boat going in the right direction. Once I am getting
close, put her in neutral. Try some coasting. See if I can coast up to the
mooring, leaving the mooring ball on the starboard side ( this way, if I
must go on I can turn to the port which is where the escape route is,, the
deep water ).

Anyway,,, I will have my mooring pick up stick at the ready. Once I grab
the line, get the line on deck and cleated..

I thought that I might ask for help if there is a friendly boater around.
The boat is at a dock now. I must move it to the mooring or $$$$$$.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,,



grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id1.html