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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Single hander and moorings

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/26/2004 : 18:28:04

Those of you who single hand, how do you pick up your mooring? I can't imagine every singlehander has a slip. Would you rate this as more or less difficult. Do you motor to it, or sail or is that strictly a condition dependant decision.

Thanks.

Rick

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 12/26/2004 : 19:54:52

You can make it yourself or buy it at WM or the likes, but I had a "whip" on a float. It sticks out above the deck, and I tied it to the boat end of the pennant. Approach the whip from the direction opposite of where the buoy is (whatever wind or current makes it do) nudge it up to the hull a few feet aft of the bow, kill the speed, run up there and pull it under the rail, get the pennant up and two turns around the cleat. Then you're stabilized and can tidy up.

Oscar
C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618 )
Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL

Edited by - on

atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 12/26/2004 : 21:02:06

I just approach slowly and snare the buoy with a boat hook. It takes a bit of practice but is quick and easy. The hard part is when the weather is not so good as the boat starts to sail as she stops.

Tom.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2004 : 16:22:58

Just grab the mooring pennant from the cockpit, then walk it to the bow. I don't try to do it under sail. Not much harder than docking solo unless its really windy. Approach pennant into the wind/current and leave the pennant on your downwind side (so you can drift down on it). Have engine running, in neutral with sails stowed.

When single handing you have to think things out in advance, stay well clear of other boats, and keeps boat speeds LOW.

Its harder to anchor solo, because my autopilot won't steer in reverse. I've developed this method.

(1) Have anchor ready to drop, chain and rode flaked on bow deck. Crumby Catalina anchor locker lid held open with bungee. Jib rolled or stowed, main sheeted flat If blowing hard, main flaked/stowed).

(2) motor downwind about 2 knots. But the engine in neutral. Let autopilot hold tiller centered, but do not have it steer a course (could just tie tiller if no AP).

(3) walk to bow, drop anchor (note, boat is moving forward, dead downwind. rode streams out aft - drop anchor in the spot you've selected, rode lies under boat).

(4) pay out chain and rode slowly. When you feel it bite, tie off rode to bow cleat.

(5) boat will now swing around facing the anchor (which is upwind). 2 knot boat speed sets anchor. Boat stops (engine is running but in neutral). Autopilot not steering allowed the boat to pivot.

(6) let out scope desired. Boat drifts gently backward on the wind or current.

(7) walk to cockpit, put engine in reverse, back down to further set anchor (if necessary).

(8) shutdown engine, observe near by landmarks to make sure you're not dragging. If light/settled conditions, may shorten scope back to 3 to 1, otherwise leave 5 to 1 or more. Check depth and tide. Check anchor often. In big winds, rig chaf protection on rode.

To get underway from anchor solo

(1) start engine, raise main if light winds.
(2) pull in anchor rode by hand (be thankfull for small boat/light ground tackle) Gloves helpful. You will get muddy.
(3) may need a push from the engine now and then, if so walk to cockpit and shift to forward just till the boat moves, back to neutral, pull in more rode.
(4) get anchor broke loose, up and hanging from the bow just under the water surface.
(5) you can now go to the cockpit and maneuver the boat if you need to.
(6) Just enough to get in a safe place or get on a safe course under power and autopilot (idle speed) and finish stowing the anchor.
(7) shutdown engine, unroll jib, set sails, finish coffee and breakfast.
(8) get fishing lines in, its going to be a good day!

Edited by - on

Jack Schafer
Navigator

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USA
112 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2004 : 19:52:43

A good way to moor is to place a jack line between bow and stern cleat. Have a snap hook on the end of your pick-up buoy. Sail or motor up wind to buoy, from cockpit, lift rhode with snap hook and hook onto jack line. Allow boat to fall back, snap hook will slide to bow and you can secure.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2004 : 21:05:02

I use a Zodiac dinghy which has a long pennant. I attach the pennant to the mooring line. The additional length (about 30 ft total) allows me to catch the pennant/mooring line without leaving the cockpit. I then walk it forward to the cleats. Simple! Over time I've gotten used to catching it just right so I don't overrun the mooring ball - most of the time

. The Zodiac keeps the boat from getting banged up in rough weather. I usually sail onto my mooring as I seldom use my motor these days.

Al
GALLIVANT #5801

Edited by - aeckhart on 12/28/2004 06:09:16

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2004 : 22:31:47

'existentialsailor',

When preparing to pick up an unfamiliar mooring, I rig a 25' dock line to the bow cleat on the same side as my outboard. On the free end of this line I rig a huge caribiner. I then lead the line aft outside everything. I also get a boathook ready.

To pick up a mooring, I shoot the mooring in neutral so the boat about stops head to wind with the pickup float near my motor, where I'm sitting to control the boat. (Don't try this with the engine running in gear -- the mooring pendant or pickup line might foul the prop.)

Depending on what attachment method the mooring offers, I either hook my caribiner on top of the ball, or fish around for a slimy mooring pendant with the boathook.

If weather conditions are light, obviously I can take my time getting the boat tied off any way I like, muscling things around as needed. If conditions are not that ideal, I need to be able to get hooked on quickly. That's where the big caribiner on the boat-length dockline comes in.

Almost all mooring pendants will have a loop in the end. I quickly snap the caribiner onto that loop, and let the boat drift back.

I make sure the boat doesn't drift over the mooring lines at any time, so as to avoid fouling the motor, rudder, or keel. In a really tight mooring field, be careful not to drift back onto another boat's mooring! With boats as small as ours, and only a boatlength of extra line out, that's seldom a problem.

Once the boat has weathervaned and settled down, I can then take up on the caribiner equipped dockline, and secure my boat to the mooring any way I like.

And a final word of caution: Never trust a strange mooring in rough weather

unless you just watched a much larger vessel cast off from it! If I have a choice between an exposed mooring I don't know the history and condition of, and using my own ground tackle, I'd much prefer to set and trust my own anchors.

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2004 : 14:01:16

I like Jack's and Leon's approaches--I'll be trying something like them on the mooring I'll be using next season. I'm not sure about "walking the mooring line forward" in either a breeze or a current--both of which I will be facing. I was going to ask about methods like these right here one of these days.

Jack: Do you ever find that the bow wants to fall off before the mooring line can slide forward, or do you force the issue with the engine? As Leon says, that could be a little dicy if it's all happening on the engine side of the cockpit.

I'll probably have some other questions about this around next May.

Edited by - on

Jack Schafer
Navigator

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USA
112 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2004 : 21:55:25

Dave,
At times it gets a little dicy, depending on conditions, but I use either the tiller or engine. If your pointing into the wind it seems that once the snaphook starts to slide forward it controls the bow.

I'm finally headed to Florida. Have an opportunity to crew on a J109 at RaceWeek in KeyWest. One of our club members shipped his boat down from Lake Geneva,Wi. $$$$$.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2004 : 11:25:32

Dave,

Thought I would clarify my initial post.

I have been mooring my boat in front of my house for 15 years and can tell you that conditions will dictate how you accomplish the task every time. You need a basic procedure in mind but be prepared to modify it as you approach the mooring. Walking forward, catching the pennant, and tying off is always "dicey" single handed, especially if you use a boat hook to retrieve the pennant. The hook tends to get in the way. If you can eliminate the boat hook you've done a lot to simplify the process. A long pennant gives you more time and space to situate the boat properly for the retrieval. My pendant is 20 feet long. With a 10 foot line on my Zodiac I have 30 feet of pennant available to catch with my boat hook. I vary the length of the pennent according to conditions by shortening the Zodiac line. If it is rough out I'll keep it longer. Generally however, my total pennant length, plus the Zodiac is the length of my boat. I like to keep it short most often to lessen the possibility of fowling the rudder or motor when leaving the mooring.

Al
GALLIVANT #5801

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2004 : 18:26:14

I used to have a permanently rigged "pennant" or so I called it, I guess it was a jackline. It led from the bow cleat (spliced on) outside of everything to a padeye aft at the cockpit. The end of the line had a snapshackle which stayed attached to the pad eye. One luffed up to the mooring, picked the tallbuoy float up from the cockpit, clipped the snapshackle to the shackle on the tallbuoy, and chucked all overboard. When you fetched up and sorted yourself out, you could stroll forward, retrieve the pennant, attach the proper mooring pennant splice, and return the jackine/pickup pennant to its home. Worked pretty good, as I recall, ron srsk Orion sw fl #2343
(Now I read this, too many pennants, but you get it--ron)

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2004 : 23:21:30

Ron: Your approach sounds like Leon's, except you've rigged a permanent home for the free end of the line. I think if my new mooring has enough room, I'll rig something like that.

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