I often sail alone or with my less experienced teenage children. I have a heck of a time hooking up to the bouy if there is any significant wind. Any ideas?
Hooking up to a bouy
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Try This
First get a large hook which slides on to the end of a boathook and to which one can tie a long mooring warp. Over the years these have been known as a "Grabber Hook" or a "Star Mooring Hook" but are just mooring hooks. Unfortunately the makers don't sell enough to stay in business so this type of gadget comes and goes but might be found secondhand. If you can find it buy TWO. The important thing is that it has a big hook about 4" across or bigger. The hook also needs to have a spring latch to close it. Now -lead the line round a winch and then forwards over the bow roller and bring the mooring hook end back to the cockpit outside everything and clip the hook on to the boathook or handle. Then just manoeuvre the boat so the buoy is alongside the cockpit, making sure wind or tide to not drive the boat over it. Using the boathook simply attach the hook to the buoy ring or its pickup line and pull the boathook off the mooring hook. Now pull the warp and the buoy will be drawn to the bow roller where, once the warp is secured, you can take all the time in the world to make a good job of attaching the boat to the buoy. This will probably mean using a second line in case the mooring hook lets go. The advantage is nobody leaves the cockpit. The buoy is in sight at all times. If you need to it is easy to have a second try and when done neatly you get gasps from onlookers. I have used this method for years without a single failure both single handed and crewed. Another use for the mooring hook is to latch into mooring cleats on docks for a rapid, secure and first time means of attachment with no likelihood of stranding your crew on the dock or with a sprained ankle. Just set up your fenders and feed the line through the gap in the midships stanchion base and onto a winch. Come alongside the dock, hook into a cleat and pull or winch the line tight. You can also go ahead or astern to make life that bit easier. The boat will lie snugly alongside until you take normal breast lines and springs ashore. Again all the benefits above are on your side. Why buy two mooring hooks? Well you can do fore and aft moorings like this. Just hook on at the bow as described above and back up to hook on to a buoy or whatever astern. This trick blows harbourmaster's minds too.
First get a large hook which slides on to the end of a boathook and to which one can tie a long mooring warp. Over the years these have been known as a "Grabber Hook" or a "Star Mooring Hook" but are just mooring hooks. Unfortunately the makers don't sell enough to stay in business so this type of gadget comes and goes but might be found secondhand. If you can find it buy TWO. The important thing is that it has a big hook about 4" across or bigger. The hook also needs to have a spring latch to close it. Now -lead the line round a winch and then forwards over the bow roller and bring the mooring hook end back to the cockpit outside everything and clip the hook on to the boathook or handle. Then just manoeuvre the boat so the buoy is alongside the cockpit, making sure wind or tide to not drive the boat over it. Using the boathook simply attach the hook to the buoy ring or its pickup line and pull the boathook off the mooring hook. Now pull the warp and the buoy will be drawn to the bow roller where, once the warp is secured, you can take all the time in the world to make a good job of attaching the boat to the buoy. This will probably mean using a second line in case the mooring hook lets go. The advantage is nobody leaves the cockpit. The buoy is in sight at all times. If you need to it is easy to have a second try and when done neatly you get gasps from onlookers. I have used this method for years without a single failure both single handed and crewed. Another use for the mooring hook is to latch into mooring cleats on docks for a rapid, secure and first time means of attachment with no likelihood of stranding your crew on the dock or with a sprained ankle. Just set up your fenders and feed the line through the gap in the midships stanchion base and onto a winch. Come alongside the dock, hook into a cleat and pull or winch the line tight. You can also go ahead or astern to make life that bit easier. The boat will lie snugly alongside until you take normal breast lines and springs ashore. Again all the benefits above are on your side. Why buy two mooring hooks? Well you can do fore and aft moorings like this. Just hook on at the bow as described above and back up to hook on to a buoy or whatever astern. This trick blows harbourmaster's minds too.
Wind
I hope this makes sense. . . always see advantages in the wind versus the disadvantages. A sail will perform best once you understand wind is one source of energy acting on all surfaces of your craft in some way. Judging wind steady or at gust requires planning the sail surface area, angle of attack, and approach speed with proper allowance for drift and motion. Take an approach path to hook the mooring on the circle or curved line into the dominate wind, stern or bow, secure in correct position after attachment. Practice using winds to your advantage rather than permitting yourself their disadvantages. Perhaps, you learn to let the boat sail itself rather than you sailing the boat. Overcontrol can be worse than undercontrol. Learn how to read hull reactions, by design our your control input, coming out of direct headwinds or tailwinds. If you practice, you can develop a walk around method where you catch the hook, lower sails, correctly position rudder and if needed adjust the engine. Single handed sailing does require a plan. Good Luck!
I hope this makes sense. . . always see advantages in the wind versus the disadvantages. A sail will perform best once you understand wind is one source of energy acting on all surfaces of your craft in some way. Judging wind steady or at gust requires planning the sail surface area, angle of attack, and approach speed with proper allowance for drift and motion. Take an approach path to hook the mooring on the circle or curved line into the dominate wind, stern or bow, secure in correct position after attachment. Practice using winds to your advantage rather than permitting yourself their disadvantages. Perhaps, you learn to let the boat sail itself rather than you sailing the boat. Overcontrol can be worse than undercontrol. Learn how to read hull reactions, by design our your control input, coming out of direct headwinds or tailwinds. If you practice, you can develop a walk around method where you catch the hook, lower sails, correctly position rudder and if needed adjust the engine. Single handed sailing does require a plan. Good Luck!
mooring pennant
Attach a mooring pennant (lobster buoy with a 4' stick) to the pick up on the mooring (if you have one). Kids can reach over and pull in the stick.
Attach a mooring pennant (lobster buoy with a 4' stick) to the pick up on the mooring (if you have one). Kids can reach over and pull in the stick.
Moorings are safe to practice.
Dockings are a little more risky. The mooring ball is usually in open water. Boat handling comes with practice. On the next windy day come in 15 minutes early and make a few runs to your mooring. The first couple, just try to bring the boat close. You don't need to go forward, just evaluate your approach. ( make sure you don't get winded so that the boat goes over the mooring.) On the next few, try to get your timing by coming up to the mooring and walk forward to check your approach judgement. Then just do it, bring the boat up to the mooring and with a short boat hook snag the pennant. If you are too far off, you will not have time to snub the line before there is major stress on the line. I sometimes make a quick wrap on the bow cleat until the boat finds a favorable drift to connect the snap shackle to the bow eye. Don't try to fre hand it. you will loose if you have misjudged your approach. Take the time to learn your boat and how it handles. fair winds and steady moorings.. r.w.landau
Dockings are a little more risky. The mooring ball is usually in open water. Boat handling comes with practice. On the next windy day come in 15 minutes early and make a few runs to your mooring. The first couple, just try to bring the boat close. You don't need to go forward, just evaluate your approach. ( make sure you don't get winded so that the boat goes over the mooring.) On the next few, try to get your timing by coming up to the mooring and walk forward to check your approach judgement. Then just do it, bring the boat up to the mooring and with a short boat hook snag the pennant. If you are too far off, you will not have time to snub the line before there is major stress on the line. I sometimes make a quick wrap on the bow cleat until the boat finds a favorable drift to connect the snap shackle to the bow eye. Don't try to fre hand it. you will loose if you have misjudged your approach. Take the time to learn your boat and how it handles. fair winds and steady moorings.. r.w.landau
round up to the buoy
Out on the lake, if you let go of your cleated sheets attached to both sails and tiller, your boat will most likely round up, head to wind. Even with your main cleated and your jib free your boat should round up to the wind, then stall. You want to practice this same maneuver near a mooring buoy until you manage to control where your boats stops, preferably close enough to the pennant to reach it. To do this sail on a beam reach downwind from the buoy(so the wind is coming from the bupy) about 3 boat lengths. When the mooring ball is abeam, turn your rudder to aim the boat at the ball, and let go your sails. Your boat will round up, and stall, ... just steer to the ball, so that it stalls near the ball. Your loose sails will be making an ugly racquett in irons like this, and if you overshoot, you can always steer your boat to the ball, as it gets blown backwards.
Out on the lake, if you let go of your cleated sheets attached to both sails and tiller, your boat will most likely round up, head to wind. Even with your main cleated and your jib free your boat should round up to the wind, then stall. You want to practice this same maneuver near a mooring buoy until you manage to control where your boats stops, preferably close enough to the pennant to reach it. To do this sail on a beam reach downwind from the buoy(so the wind is coming from the bupy) about 3 boat lengths. When the mooring ball is abeam, turn your rudder to aim the boat at the ball, and let go your sails. Your boat will round up, and stall, ... just steer to the ball, so that it stalls near the ball. Your loose sails will be making an ugly racquett in irons like this, and if you overshoot, you can always steer your boat to the ball, as it gets blown backwards.
Hi Glenn, what I do works every time solo...
1. Boat hook at the bow ready for use next to port cleat. 2. Dock line eye on starboard cleat with the working part coming to the other side beneath the bow roller. 3. Hang the working end over the outside of the life line ready to run through the ring. 4. Motor up to the mooring ball keeping it on the port side, slightly to windward, then stop boat. 5. Dash to the bow, grab the ring with the boat hook, pull the ring up and loop the dock line through. 6. Cleat working end of dock line quickly. In strong winds (20+ knots) you will have little time before the wind pushes her bow over the mooring ball. After she settles into her position take up any slack you deem appropriate. Speed is essential. Having everything at the ready helps. Belle-Vie displaces about 30,000 pounds with lots of freeboard. Getting the rope through the ring and cleated takes care of the grunt work. I'm just not strong enough to hold her in high winds. Terry
1. Boat hook at the bow ready for use next to port cleat. 2. Dock line eye on starboard cleat with the working part coming to the other side beneath the bow roller. 3. Hang the working end over the outside of the life line ready to run through the ring. 4. Motor up to the mooring ball keeping it on the port side, slightly to windward, then stop boat. 5. Dash to the bow, grab the ring with the boat hook, pull the ring up and loop the dock line through. 6. Cleat working end of dock line quickly. In strong winds (20+ knots) you will have little time before the wind pushes her bow over the mooring ball. After she settles into her position take up any slack you deem appropriate. Speed is essential. Having everything at the ready helps. Belle-Vie displaces about 30,000 pounds with lots of freeboard. Getting the rope through the ring and cleated takes care of the grunt work. I'm just not strong enough to hold her in high winds. Terry
sugar-scoop approach
for those with walk-through transoms, a really cool approach is to back in to the mooring. then, once you've hooked up, walk the doubled-up mooring pennant forward to the bow cleats, remembering to pass it outboard of shrouds, et cetera. don't worry about flipping the boat back around, the breeze will do that for you. so easy it hurts.
for those with walk-through transoms, a really cool approach is to back in to the mooring. then, once you've hooked up, walk the doubled-up mooring pennant forward to the bow cleats, remembering to pass it outboard of shrouds, et cetera. don't worry about flipping the boat back around, the breeze will do that for you. so easy it hurts.
Some pretty cool ideas...
....but it is going to take just practice with approach speed and distance to get this down right. Approach speed is key. The slower the better but realizing that your speed will bleed off directly with wind speed. In very light air your approach speed can be whatever idle speed gives you. As wind speed increases approach speed needs to increase and final approach needs to be shorter. The technique I use is to approach from down wind about 3 boat lengths and head up when directly down wind from the buoy. Move the gear selector to neutral and steer straight into the wind. The boat speed will bleed off as you get closer. The goal is to have the boat come to a complete stop head to wind just as the bow has overrun the pick up stick. The last couple of seconds of the approach you leave the helm and walk forward and retrieve in the pick up stick. The only way you are going to master this is PRACTICE. No amount of reading will do this for you. You are going to make mistakes and that's good because that will teach you better judgment. Once you master this you're gonna look like a pro to your mooring buddies. Stay with it and and practice....... btw john, we carry harpoons for our 'cannon' to ward off pirates! ;D
....but it is going to take just practice with approach speed and distance to get this down right. Approach speed is key. The slower the better but realizing that your speed will bleed off directly with wind speed. In very light air your approach speed can be whatever idle speed gives you. As wind speed increases approach speed needs to increase and final approach needs to be shorter. The technique I use is to approach from down wind about 3 boat lengths and head up when directly down wind from the buoy. Move the gear selector to neutral and steer straight into the wind. The boat speed will bleed off as you get closer. The goal is to have the boat come to a complete stop head to wind just as the bow has overrun the pick up stick. The last couple of seconds of the approach you leave the helm and walk forward and retrieve in the pick up stick. The only way you are going to master this is PRACTICE. No amount of reading will do this for you. You are going to make mistakes and that's good because that will teach you better judgment. Once you master this you're gonna look like a pro to your mooring buddies. Stay with it and and practice....... btw john, we carry harpoons for our 'cannon' to ward off pirates! ;D
Easier Way
Attach one end of the mooring line to the boat. Then motor up to the ball until you nearly touch it. Then merely toss the line around the whole ball while you are holding on to the end. No need to attach to the ring. Next let out some scope on the line and attach the loose end to the boat.I call this the Hinano lasso as I learned how to do it in Tahiti.
Attach one end of the mooring line to the boat. Then motor up to the ball until you nearly touch it. Then merely toss the line around the whole ball while you are holding on to the end. No need to attach to the ring. Next let out some scope on the line and attach the loose end to the boat.I call this the Hinano lasso as I learned how to do it in Tahiti.
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