Picking up a Mooring

[davidpm]

I've been a dock guy for the last few years but now I've got a boat on a mooring near my house so there are several things I have to learn.

The mooring has two equal length pendants. The pickup stick has a light line on the weighted end about 18" long with a snap hook on the end.
The mooring guy passed the light line through both pendant loops and hooked to itself.

I tied the dinghy painter off to pendants loops also.
So coming by myself on a perfect day I pickup the stick and have two pendants, stick light line and dinghy painter all in a neat package.

Since it was such a nice day it was not problem but it got me to thinking.
Is there a better way.
I'm imagining coming in during some chop and wind and having about two seconds to secure the boat before I have to crawl back to the tiller to try another pass.

I've got a couple of ideas but would be interested in what folks do that actually works.

[justified]

David
Glad to hear that you have a boat. Moorings are fun place to be. My 2 cents....I would leave the dinghy on one of the pendents and the other with the pickup. That way you only have one line to mess with for that short time before you start to drift backward. would like to go out sometime PM me or call
Capt. Peter

[mbetter]

Before I go out, I run a line from one of my bow cleats outside everything to the port stern cleat. When I come in, I grab that line, pickup the pickup stick from the cockpit, throw the line through both loops and drop the stick. Then I just put some tension on the end on the line and walk it back to the bow.

[WDS123]

Why run up ?

Just pick up from forward of the cockpit, once you have the line, one can walk forward.

[HPLou]

I would have the pick up buoy tied to one pendant and tie the other pendant to the dinghy painter. When coming up to the mooring in some heavy weather, I'd be able to concentrate on the pick up buoy and one pendant to secure the boat. When the boat is secure to the one pendant, then I can take my time to grab the other pendant with a boat hook, secure the dinghy to the boat and then fasten the pendant to the boat cleat. Less stress and only dealing with one line at a time.

[paulk]

Just an idea to add to splitting the p/up pendant and the dinghy. Pay out enough line on the dinghy painter so you're not worried about hitting the dinghy as you maneuver to pick up the buoy.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by HPLou

I would have the pick up buoy tied to one pendant and tie the other pendant to the dinghy painter. When coming up to the mooring in some heavy weather, I'd be able to concentrate on the pick up buoy and one pendant to secure the boat. When the boat is secure to the one pendant, then I can take my time to grab the other pendant with a boat hook, secure the dinghy to the boat and then fasten the pendant to the boat cleat. Less stress and only dealing with one line at a time.

+1

That's how I did it with my Pearson 424 as I was often single-handed.

Once the boat is secure on one line you have all the time you need to do the rest.

If it was really blowing I would overshoot, grab the pickup from the cockpit and walk/run it forward.

If you take your time and think it through there always seems to be enough time.

[davidpm]

Thanks for the advice. I tried tying the painter to one pendant and the pickup bouy to the other pendant as recommend.
It seemed to work great.