mooring ball pickup advice

[jmencel]

Hi folks. Mooring balls are fairly rare in the Great Lakes but on my loop trip next year I suspect I'll find a few of them. I have only anchored out, and never used a mooring ball. I'd appreciate some advice on hooking up to the little devils. Do I need a specific setup, or can I just use a dock line? The Toronto Boat Show is coming up in a few weeks, and if I need anything for this purpose its a good place for me to buy stuff. Many thanks !!!!

[SportFishCruising]

Hey John, let me know what day you're going to the TO Boat Show and I'll try to go same day so we could meet up for a beer!
Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Ben

[bobk]

Braided dock lines are fine. If the pendant is long enough, just pull it up and attach to a cleat. Often however the pendant is not long enough and you'll have to pass your line through the pendant eye which can be difficult from the bow.

Bob

[yachtsmanbill]

Ive used them many, many times. You are gonna attach to it with a bridle. Get the longest (75-100 foot?) line youve got and get one end secured to the port side forward deck cleat. Run the entire bitter end around the starboard side to the aft deck, or swim platform. Approach on the leeward side of the ball and get a stern line secured to the ball. NEVER tie off to the ball. You want to be able to free one end of the line and retrieve it THROUGH the eye on the ball. Make that stern line up to keep things under control. After things are all settled down, run that LONG forward line through the ball and up to the front and secure to the starboard side forward cleat.
Loosen one side of the stern line and pull it through the ball and back into the boat. Let the boat drift around onto the forward line. Depending on the anchorage, pull the forward line in until you feel reasonably clear of any obstacles. Mind you, Chicago uses rail car wheels like a mushroom anchor, but who know what some small boat clubs mite use. Use you anchor watch on the GPS for excessive swing or movement. Sleep tight!! ws

[GJH]

The issue is that not all moorings are the same by any means. Bill's method will not work in many situations, or be dangerous to execute on many boats. It worked pretty good for us up in the San Juans, where the pendant eyes stood fairly stoutly from the big teire that acted as the ball. It wouldn't work very well in, say, Boot Key Harbor, especially on a motoryacht. Some moorings that use an upright metal ring, such as many in the northwest and those in Ayala Cove in SF Bay, and some of them in Cuttyhunk, can be best grabbed with a device called "The Happy Hooker" which will loop your line right through.

If you are just staying in the Loop and not venturing into New England, you will encounter moorings (depending on the size of your boat, ours is too big for a few of these as indicated by an * in Ft Meyers Beach*, Key West* (Garrison side of Fleming Key), Boot Key Harbor (Marathon, they have 12 moorings for boats 45-60 ft, we lived on one for a few months), LIngum Vitae and Shell Keys (limited availability, and on the inside route), Indian Key(not sure of current status), Dinner Key (Pascal or Ang would be a reference, I have not used these), Stuart, Vero Beach, St Augusitine (new, haven't used these), Fernandina Beach (limited availability, we anchor out), Annapolis* There are some for power boats in Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, run by the yacht club, may rate an *, haven't used them. All have variations on how you tie up, call the harbormaster first.

[Pascal]

i agree with George it really depends on the location, on the conditions and on the boat and on whether you have help.

if you have help, then you just pull up to the mooring ball, hover the bow above it and have yoru crew pick the pennant with a boat hook. sometimes it's a single penant, sometimes it's a bridle. if it's a bridle or a single but long enough you can just tie to your bow cleat(s)

if the single pennant is too short, then you have to use your line. Many mooring operator will not be happy if you pass a single line from one bow cleat, in the pennant and to the opposite cleat because of chaffing. in that case the best way to to use 2 lines, one on each bow cleat, each going into the pennant eye and back to the original cleat. this is the correct way in most cases.

if the wind (or current) is mild, it's doable that way from the bow... otherwise you're better off doing from the stern with a line leading to the bow.

sometimes you get a mooring with no pennant at all, like the big boat moorings in Newport RI for instance... they're 2' diameter hard plastic/foam wheels with a big rusty shackle on top and no pennant. the only way is to rig it from the stern then bring the lines forward. Once it was really blowing and being alone i had to ask the harbor master for assistance, in most places these guys are helpful

[GJH]

The newport type that Pascal describes is where a Happy Hooker comes in handy.

On a motor yacht, it is much easier to do any of the various permutations from the side gate adjacent to the pilot house doors, with a PFD on and the side gate open, there is much less freeboard and less awkward than off the bow and much safer than the swim platform.

[Pascal]

True but if the wind is blowing it s harder to keep the boat next tonthe mooring and if you have stabs you risk catching a fin.

[yachtsmanbill]

Ok Ok !!! Lets make a 30 page story about trying to help a new guy feel his way through a manuevering issue. My whole STOOPID point was trying to show this guy how to approach a situation with a little forethought. I know the exspurts here can single engine, single handed blast into a crowded harbor and snag the ball with out ever putting the wine box and sippy straw down, and god forbid your rudders should bump a nurse shark frolicking by the swim platform
In the REAL world, you come into a city anchorage and they sell you a 50 foot mooring for the nite, it may or MAY NOT come with a 10 foot pennant (which by the way is called a painter). IDEALLY, that will get you hooked for a 40 foot boat. YA BETTTER NOT BANG INTO MINE EITHER!
JMENCEL... Theres always a hundred ways to approach any situation. Every one of them is different. Some operators like to get smashed on booze to bolster their "whiskey nerves" or better yet sail into the harbor and when they get to the mooring pull a 300 foot wad of knots out of the locker all tangled up in fenders, life jackets, and empty wine boxes. Its always a good time trying to motor up to a bit, lay belly down on the deck and try to snag a painter thats floating (sunk) in the water with a boat hook, pull it up on the boat and get it made up with a 20Kn breeze blowing you into that 70 foot pawlmer thats 15 feet away from you while the nubiles are dancing on the deck making you look like a real yachtsman. Of course theres always the "bahamian mooring".
The moral to the story is to think it out first, be prepared for ANYTHING, and approach it making it look like you know what youre doing. A lot of this stuff comes with experience, and exspurts dont always provide a lot of that. Most of them are lucky to even have a boat of their own thats seaworthy.
Merry Christmas everyone. Make sure the boats' loaded with booze and ice, then check the fuel level... yachtsmanwillyinthefrozennorththatsneverhadtotieof fforfoulweatherbeforebutneverhadtocrashaboatattemp tingtomooriteitherbecausehealwaysplansaheadforthew orstpossiblesituationmakinganythinglessapleasure.

[rsmith]

Ok Ok !!! Lets make a 30 page story about trying to help a new guy feel his way through a manuevering issue. My whole STOOPID point was trying to show this guy how to approach a situation with a little forethought. I know the exspurts here can single engine, single handed blast into a crowded harbor and snag the ball with out ever putting the wine box and sippy straw down, and god forbid your rudders should bump a nurse shark frolicking by the swim platform
In the REAL world, you come into a city anchorage and they sell you a 50 foot mooring for the nite, it may or MAY NOT come with a 10 foot pennant (which by the way is called a painter). IDEALLY, that will get you hooked for a 40 foot boat. YA BETTTER NOT BANG INTO MINE EITHER!
JMENCEL... Theres always a hundred ways to approach any situation. Every one of them is different. Some operators like to get smashed on booze to bolster their "whiskey nerves" or better yet sail into the harbor and when they get to the mooring pull a 300 foot wad of knots out of the locker all tangled up in fenders, life jackets, and empty wine boxes. Its always a good time trying to motor up to a bit, lay belly down on the deck and try to snag a painter thats floating (sunk) in the water with a boat hook, pull it up on the boat and get it made up with a 20Kn breeze blowing you into that 70 foot pawlmer thats 15 feet away from you while the nubiles are dancing on the deck making you look like a real yachtsman. Of course theres always the "bahamian mooring".
The moral to the story is to think it out first, be prepared for ANYTHING, and approach it making it look like you know what youre doing. A lot of this stuff comes with experience, and exspurts dont always provide a lot of that. Most of them are lucky to even have a boat of their own thats seaworthy.
Merry Christmas everyone. Make sure the boats' loaded with booze and ice, then check the fuel level... yachtsmanwillyinthefrozennorththatsneverhadtotieof fforfoulweatherbeforebutneverhadtocrashaboatattemp tingtomooriteitherbecausehealwaysplansaheadforthew orstpossiblesituationmakinganythinglessapleasure.
Never knew you were dangerous uncle willy are you contagious too? Did you urinate in Georges rice krispies too?

[yachtsmanbill]

NOPE... just pissacals (sp) for the cheap wine haha. Happy holidays from the great WHITE north... ws

[Pascal]

Nice rant ... Seems to me that you had a little too much of that box wine you seem to be so familiar with when you posted this last night...

[Glory]

Three words, long boat hook.

Gloves and a dock line on deck just in case the pennant line hasn't been used for a while and has a eco system attached.

But I would say if your not sure of your ability to hold postion and a fresh breeze is present get it fast and clean up later.

JM

[SKYCHENEY]

If you have a large crew, you can send out the dink for assistance.

[rsmith]

Hopetown, no ball just choke the old pot floats.


http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af224/endless50/Picture034.jpg

[Pascal]

Three words, long boat hook.

Gloves and a dock line on deck just in case the pennant line hasn't been used for a while and has a eco system attached.

But I would say if your not sure of your ability to hold postion and a fresh breeze is present get it fast and clean up later.

JM


well said...

another trick i use, depending on the pennant and on the foredeck set up, is to put the pennant eye over the the windlass capstan. this gives you time to rig both port and stbd lines, then you drop it off.

[jmencel]

A very interesting read for me and I really appreciate the good advice. At least now when I approach a mooring ball I have an idea of the different possibilities to keep in mind. Thank you everyone !!!

[Boatsb]

Gotta love it. We now have made a simple tie off to a mooring ball a major undertaking.

Has anyone looked at the type of vessel he has?


A 36 convertible is easy to get on a mooring. Run a line from the bow down that side to the cockpit and be ready to attach it to the eye. Bring the mooring ball and painter to the side of the cockpit and hook the painter with a boat hook. Have a line at the stern on a cleat to attach to while you get the bow line tied correctly. When you get the mooring get it quickly tied on the stern line until you can properly attach the bow line. Let the stern line go and bring in the bow line to where you are comfortable. Just do not ever wrap a line around your hand or anyone else.

This is not a 70 footer and I am sure the aft access is so much better on the convertible than a MY. This is how it was done years ago on the LI sound with thousands of boats. It's pretty easy and I would guess that if bad weather is expected the boat will be somewhere more protected.

[Pascal]

Thank you Scott, I was thinking the same thing. If a few people on here were more interested in helping people than trying to prove the other guy wrong, the forum would be a lot better off. Like most boating situations there is rarely a one solution that fits all situations. Why try to tie off to a mooring bouy from the bow of a 36C when the freeboard at the stern is 1/3 the distance to the boy? The main point is to hot tie to it but loop your line throught the eye or the painter, so release is easy.

FWIW there were three responses to the original question, (bill, george and myself...) all were suggestions and neither original posts were trying to prove anyone wrong, just offering general advice on picking up a mooring ball in various conditions. The only post which seemed to be about trying to prove someone wrong was bill's second post, so the above post must be direct at him.

[Boatnut]

If you had read the post you would see the type of boat he is running. Had you taken that time, common sense would tell anyone, tying of a convertable can be different than a MY. Georges comment about Bill's way as being dangerous, seems a bit like disagreement to me. I don't know how you want to twist it, nor do I care. This is just another example of your way being the only way.

[yachtsmanbill]

I have found through my walks of life, that rarely is there only one way of doing things, especially where boats are concerned. There may be 5 correct ways of wiring something, but only one wrong way; Stand on, Giveway, or avoid the collision, Granny Knots or Bowlines, POINTDEXTERS and non-pointdexters, Vintage wine or a cardboard box... its always the captains call.
Certain things have a margin of error built in whereas safety has no compromise. Now wheres that box cutter...? [:-O ] ws

[Boatsb]

I have found through my walks of life, that rarely is there only one way of doing things, especially where boats are concerned. There may be 5 correct ways of wiring something, but only one wrong way; Stand on, Giveway, or avoid the collision, Granny Knots or Bowlines, POINTDEXTERS and non-pointdexters, Vintage wine or a cardboard box... its always the captains call.
Certain things have a margin of error built in whereas safety has no compromise. Now wheres that box cutter...? [:-O ] ws

Remember to read and understand the safety instructions provided with your tools and remember the most important rule of safety is to wear these ( point to my glasses) safety glasses.

[rsmith]

If you do pick up the ball wear gloves and put it back where you found it.

[rsmith]

I should add don't drop the ball