Northern Ireland - Winter - Mooring a boat - Ep. 215 

Thank you!

Great advice!

Awesome video

Interesting video I do a lot of single handed sailing and used to use the golf club threader type thing ..... but you got to be quick and can have you running out of rope. For buoys with a ring on I find a item called a handy dock is brilliant. Basically a hook attached to a long light pole which hooks to the ring and your done , then I pull the boat close to the buoy then use the threader to pass a rope through to the buoy and make fast on that. I usually slack down the handy dock hook and keep that as a safety line should the other chaff through. to let go the handy dock hook has a release mechanism either a second rope or an attachment on the pole. Its good in strong wind or tide as it a quick clip on and that's it as long as other end secured to bow in advance. Enjoy your Videos , fair winds and safe landings Ian

Nice video

Great tips, thank you. Helped us refresh some things that we'd forgotten. The other advantage of mooring balls over marinas is that (from our perspective) mooring balls don't generally have a pontoon to crash into :)

I use a slightly different approach to the other solo comments. I have a line attached to cleat on coach roof by cockpit. The line runs forward, around the bow cleat and back around stbd side on the outside to the cockpit. This end of line has s/s carabiner which fastens to eye on pushpit. I hook up pick-up buoy and clip on carabiner then grab line from coach roof and haul line pulling pick-up buoy onto foredeck. Cleat off the line on coach roof and walk forward to properly attach mooring line at the bow.

Great so Salty and educational

Great mooring info: A few days ago I enjoyed your Windlass restoration: but failed to comment. So please, pretty please, buy yourselves a couple of soft faced hammers mallets, old school was hide hammer, but todays choice plastic. Get one small one instrument repairs?[only joking] and a bigger one for that reluctant windlass motor type problems. You should not get to metal hammer beating of precision parts until the soft faced hammer fails to achieve its job. Great videos, keep it up.

Nice video and very useful. As you stated many of the mistakes are after a long sail and you are tired. I also use two ropes to moor up to a buoy as a just in case.

We use same hand signal method. Only time we talk anchoring is final depth check or if too dark to see hand signal. We case out first exactly where John wants to drop so depth and conditions can be known before. Our boat hook (TJ) broke this year after 13 years service. Thankfully had our version of Mr Swifty as backup FINALLY got to use it in real life after many years in locker shelf

Hi Lasses, hey Bev what's a Mooing ball😆🤣 I love ur accent. Glad to see ur both well, top vlog very informative thanks xx Aussie Lass 🇦🇺⛵

Jack Reacher name of our cleat catcher/ Mr. Swifty

Try picking up a buoy single handed, you just shout at yourself 😂

Great format. Prefix the video title with a 'How to' like episodes. ;) Some great shared knowledge here..

I mean… I knew it all… honest 👀

I never pick up at the bow I always pick up from the stern and secure to a rear cleat, then run a rope to the bow and dump the rear followed by shortening the rope to the mooring.

Some people use headsets nicknamed marriage savers. Hands free & no raised voices. The key to entry/exit any port is not to draw attention to yourselves

You didn't mention picking up a mooring buoy if your a solo sailor? I used to pick up my old trot mooring from the cockpit, attach the stern line and then walk to the front and attached the bow line. Once safe I used to split the lines and attach the starboard bow and stern lines. I've never tied onto a single mooring body yet, but my time will come for sure. Best to probably pick up the bouy from the cockpit and walk the boat to tie onto the bow.

Thank's for the good tips. I don't find a dealer for mr. swifty / cleat catcher. It would be very nice if you can give me a link ... Thanks in advance