Slide up to it, pick up the line around mid-ships, and walk it up to the bow.

 

Hi,

My boat is on a mooring. I single hand often. My own personal mooring has a nice pick up stick. My technique is to approach the mooring from downwind. I slowly motor directly towards the pick up stick. As I get close (say 1 boat length away) I shift to neutral, lock the wheel straight ahead and walk to the bow (with my boat hook). I grab the pick up stick or use the boat hook to snag it, pull it up, take a pendant and quickly get it on a bow cleat. Then I can take my time doing the rest.

If I'm going to a guest mooring, some have pick up sticks, others just have the pendants in the water. My technique is the same except I use the boat hook to fish the pendant out of the water.

The more wind the faster you need to motor and the less the boat will coast. The important thing is to get one pendant onto a cleat as quickly as possible.

If I make a mistake and the bow blows down before I get a pendant I just go around and try again. No big deal, take your time and try again.

You will pretty quickly get used to it.

Barry

 

The important thing is to get one pendant onto a cleat as quickly as possible.

This is a Very Key point! Some pendants may be tied or hooked together. Don't try to untie them until you have one on the cleat. Then worry about untying/unhooking them and getting the other one on a cleat.

Also, if it has a pick-up stick attached, lay that neatly on deck, not hanging over the side. Make sure the stick ( if there is one) is properly attached to the pendants before leaving the mooring.

Good luck!

 

Use an extra long, telescoping boat hook. It gives you more latitude to reach it. A long boat hook will also be useful for docking and retrieving hats, etc. blown overboard. Don't skimp on your boat hook.

 

Hi Dennis

You have a Catalina 22? OK theres a sneaky way for your boat and boats with a swim platform.

I run a long, thin line, 8mm nylon twist, from the bow cleat, outside everything to the stern with the fall with plenty of length in the cockpit.

I then go astern, hopefully upwind, get to the mooring and slip the line through the eye or the eye of the set mooring line. Walk up to the bow (slowly, like a gentleman!) and lash the line down and then wait for the boat to swing around.

Then tighten your thin line and replace it with your heavy mooring line.

I always use thin lines for docking, moorings, fuel docks etc... its easy and then I can change to think lines later

Mark

 

took me three reads to get this!

thin line is a good idea.

you still have to position yourself at the ball or pickup, that’s where i see a lot of failures.

 

If it's your mooring definitely get a pickup stick. Makes all the difference. I singlehand off my mooring a lot. My technique is to slowly motor upwind towards the pickup, trying to coast to a stop with the stick right at the bow. This gives me time to walk to the bow, grab the stick, pull the pendant on to the deck, and slip the loop onto the cleat.

 

Thank you all for your ideas. I like the idea of picking it up amidship. What if I ran a heavy anchor line from the bow hook to just behind the cabin and hooked the moringh line to it from there? Unless the added 12 feet it would add to distance from other moorings becomes a problem. I was even thinking of a 1/4 line which hooks permanently amidship so I could pull the boat towards the mooring and unhook when leaving. Then I wouldn't have to go up on top at all for mooring. Problems?

 

Thank you all for your ideas. I like the idea of picking it up amidship. What if I ran a heavy anchor line from the bow hook to just behind the cabin and hooked the mooring line to it from there? Unless the added 12 feet it would add to distance from other moorings becomes a problem. I was even thinking of a 1/4 line which hooks permanently amidship so I could pull the boat towards the mooring and unhook when leaving. Then I wouldn't have to go up on top at all for mooring. Problems?

Can we clarify a few points? Or define a few terms.

How many Pendants (mooring lines) are on your mooring? One or two?

Do you have a mooring ball?

When you say bow hook, are you referring to the Bow Eye that you would use with a trailer winch?
If so, I would not use that to attach your mooring line (s) to it. I'm pretty sure it's not designed to be used as the mooring connection, unless they've seriously strengthened it.

You should have two horn cleats on either side of your bow to attach pendants to. I suppose you could have a single mooring line made up, with two eyes spliced in to attach to the cleats. Like this, only as an example

( 1/2 ) <---- Link

Or you have two separate pendants.

You can certainly pick up one of the pendants from the cockpit if you run a line back from a bow cleat, but I'm not sure how you eliminate having to go forward to secure them properly. If you were to leave a long line attached to a bow cleat I suppose you could secure it when not in use to a stern cleat.

I really think it's not going to be an issue. By this time next year you'll be able to sail on an off your mooring ;-)
Something you should practice BTW. Once you figure out the hooking up part.

Additional reading ---> Mooring Pendants Thoughts & Musings - Marine How To

 

Practice! No 'tricks' are better than experience and any suggested techniques will require plenty of practice before you'll get consistent results. Be sure to practice in different conditions.

 

One end of the line I'm referring to would stay permanently attached to the cleat on the bow. Once you hook the other end to the mooring ball it is thrown overboard to become part of the mooring line. When it is time to depart, use the 1/4 line to pull the connection back to the cockpit, unkook and off you go. No need to go up top at either end of the opporation. I agree trying and practicing will be test. Thank you all again.

 

Power boat trick. Secure a line from the bow to stern cleat. Have a line ready with a snap link that will slide on the line. Bring stern up to mooring ball, snap link thru the ball and back to your line. Gradually reverse until mooring ball is under bow. Attach addition line or brindle as needed.

 

I haven't grabbed a mooring in decades. When I did, I would lasso the ball temporarily, and then tie properly to it.

Basically, make a large loop of non-floating line you can toss. [i.e., both ends of the line are secured to the boat.] Approach the ball and toss the loop of line over the ball. As you fall back, the loop tightens under the mooring ball and hold the boat. Now you can pull yourself to the ball using the lasso line and secure to the mooring ball as you normally would.

When finished securing the boat to the mooring, drop one end of the lasso line and pull it all back onto the boat.

In case you would like to try this.

Cheers, Bill

 

Moorings are not all set up the same. Without a pick up stick and with high freeboard you'll need a boat hook. Can be done from mid ship. You might use one of your dock lines with the loop on a bow cleat...Snatch the line and put the bitter end of the cleated dock line through the loop and tie off the dock line to the bow cleat. You can shorten your dock line bringing the mooring line up the cleat, If there is not too much force... transfer the loop to a bow cleat.

 

I have been working to solve this problem for several years. Because I often pick up moorings in a high wind zone it has been a significant problem. The option I use currently is a hook on a pole where the hook is already roped to a cleat. I usually pick up the mooring midships. The pole can be pulled off the hook. and the rope tied to it, then used to pull the bow up to the mooring.

The next generation of my system is going to be remote controls for engine and steering. These will allow me to be away from the helm and at the side rail to use my hook. It's complicated and expensive, but also done for fun. I am building my own engine remote control system.