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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: CottageGirl]
#68636
09/21/2015 10:15 AM
09/21/2015 10:15 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,198 Cape Coral Florida (Texas tran...
stoneyusaf
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,198
Cape Coral Florida (Texas tran...
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That isn't solo to me but....I get why you say that. That is a team of two and you should have no problem since you have experience with grabbing it already. If he approaches correctly you should have plenty of time to do what you need to do. What I have done with my mates is, I tie the lines off well before the approach on the starboard and port bow cleats and I have my mate just concentrate on one cleat line, not both! I have her secure one line and then I shut it down and then I go forward and secure the second line myself and adjust both lines. It takes a lot of the pressure off of her having to try and secure both cleat lines. So, simply put....what you wrote is correct but, I complete everything....I feel better knowing that everything is secured properly.
https://www.tickerfactory.com/ezt/d/4;10765;405/st/20220331/e/USVI+and+BVI/dt/0/k/05ce/event.png
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: CottageGirl]
#68637
09/21/2015 10:19 AM
09/21/2015 10:19 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 846 Redmond, WA
MrEZgoin
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Posts: 846
Redmond, WA
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What you describe will certainly work, though if you prepare both lines routed conveniently with the bitter ends close at hand, it should be no problem to get both through the pendant eye before dropping it, especially if the helmsman helps keep the boat close.
M4000 "Lio Kai"
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: CottageGirl]
#68638
09/21/2015 11:18 AM
09/21/2015 11:18 AM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 91 The Blue Mountains
macpete
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 91
The Blue Mountains
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My wife and I handle our Leopard 40 in exactly this way when mooring. I ghost up to the ball, she hooks it and gets 1 line secured, usually the starboard side as I can see her signals better, then we work on the port side line and adjust as needed. Get one line secured, you're not going anywhere, then worry about the other side. Work out hand signals ahead of time, things like engines neutral, ahead slow, port, starboard, reverse. And remember, if there is ANY yelling, you're doing it wrong. We have our system working well, guests are asked to sit on the louver steps, they get underfoot otherwise.
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: macpete]
#68639
09/21/2015 11:25 AM
09/21/2015 11:25 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
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Massachusetts
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My wife usually has the ends of both lines ready to go (at least I think this is what she does). Then she feeds them both through and secures on and then secures the other.
At any rate, just do what works for you. You can easily just deal with a single line and then attach the second line after.
Matt
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: Knotthead]
#68643
09/21/2015 03:55 PM
09/21/2015 03:55 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 969 Middleburg, VA
cwoody
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Middleburg, VA
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Knotthead said: I have a wichard snap hook shackle rigged with a loop Terry Wichard Been bringing down a wichard for years to grab mooring balls with cats and monos. Secured to the middle of 30' 5/8 braided dock line. Quick, easy hookup for one person. Just hook it to pendant Eye. Never failed.
Chuck W.
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: sail445]
#68649
09/21/2015 05:17 PM
09/21/2015 05:17 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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Been using the Wichard for years also and do a lot of singlehanding. The key is lack take it slow.
Mike
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: NCSailor]
#68651
09/21/2015 06:16 PM
09/21/2015 06:16 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 886 Louisville, KY
NoelHall
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Louisville, KY
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I like the idea of getting one line through the eye of the pennant of the mooring ball and back to the cleat, preferably on the starboard side as stated. Now the fellow at the helm is prohibited from screwing-up the whole operation. If he has done a good job (probably not) at bringing the boat to a stop with the pennant centered, then you can easily retrieve the eye by pulling on the secured line, threading the second line (port side) and back to the cleat. You can then tell him to cut the engines and go get a beer while you are adjusting both lines for a secure overnight stay. Be sure to compliment him for the excellent job of operating the boat.
Noel Hall "It is humbling indeed, to discover my own opinion is only correct less than 50% of the time." www.noelhall.com
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: rhans]
#68655
09/21/2015 09:36 PM
09/21/2015 09:36 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,216 JAX
jphart
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Posts: 1,216
JAX
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rhans said: Let’s not leave out the middle finger. = You shouldn’t have had that last Red Stripe. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Saw that one coming... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: sail445]
#68657
09/22/2015 09:35 AM
09/22/2015 09:35 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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You just motor up to create slack and disconnect. Just as easy as connecting. I then just clip the hook on my seagull striker.
In 20 years I have had 1 clip fail. When I was training a crew, the mate did a great job hooking on, but the skipper in training didn't slow AT ALL.
Years ago with Mike Beswick and I started using these he had an Airbus engineer do some kind of testing. Basically our boats were about 17,000 lbs dead weight, but nothing floating weight.
You can always run a safety line as a supplement. When I would run a safety I would go to the top of the ball back when the top had eyes. Now I just do one very slack loop to the pendant.
A fun story, year ago we were at Marina Cay, a couple came in yelling at each other trying to get a ball. We left to get water then I came back next to them. Jenn was breastfeeding Lilly, grabbed the ball and clipped on the clip. Their reaction was priceless, but Jenn and I are very experienced crew and mate, so don't try that at home.
Mike
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: NCSailor]
#68659
09/22/2015 11:11 AM
09/22/2015 11:11 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 846 Redmond, WA
MrEZgoin
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Traveler
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Posts: 846
Redmond, WA
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Here's my snap hook story:
We chartered a Moorings 4000 cat out of Raiatea and had arrived at MaiKai yacht club in Bora Bora, where an employee come out in a dinghy to help us hook up to one of their moorings. The boat had a bridle with a large snap hook on it.
I didn't see it at the time (my mistake) but learned later that the guy couldn't fit the snap hook over the spliced eye in their very thick pendant rope, so he passed the bridle through the eye and clipped it to itself.
Casting off the next morning, I found the snap hook hooked on the strands of the thick mooring pendant with the gate opened.
I pieced together the story (my son had seen what the guy did but didn't think to mention it). The side-loaded carabiner had unclipped itself from the bridle and fortunately caught on the thick rope in the process.
It still makes me ill to think how close we came to going adrift in the middle of the night.
And, yes, lesson learned.
M4000 "Lio Kai"
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: MrEZgoin]
#68660
09/22/2015 11:59 AM
09/22/2015 11:59 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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I forgot the easiest way. Motor slowly over the pendant, give it time to wrap your prop, once you hear a little chime and the boat gets quiet, you are hooked on and shouldn't go anywhere. You also get a great breeze blowing unobstructed into your cockpit. The release can be tricky single handing, but can be done.
Mike
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Re: Catching mooring ball solo
[Re: CottageGirl]
#68663
09/23/2015 10:21 PM
09/23/2015 10:21 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 50
P323
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CottageGirl said: Any thoughts, tips, ideas for catching a mooring ball solo? My husband and I want to know we can handle a 40' cat by ourselves. So if he's driving us up to the ball, I know I can hook it but in the past I've had 2 crew with me to run lines thru the eye and back to the cleats. If it's just me, thinking I get one line through and secured and then go get the other line and finally adjust them both. Is there a better way? Definitely depends on wind conditions, but my method for single-handed ball pickup on a CAT is: Prepare lines to each bow cleat, bring both line ends to the side that the helm is located on (under lifelines, around the forestay for the far side line), lay mooring hook on the helm-side deck. I place the helm-side line, properly coiled, on the deck, and drape the free end on the life-line so that it is readily available when I raise the pendant eye. (Take care to route so that it will not be not over the lifeline when loaded). Motor dead into the wind, putting the ball just outside the helm-side hull, a quick burst in reverse to stop forward momentum, walk forward, pick up mooring hook, lift pendant, run helm-side line through eye, snug the line to helm-side cleat and cleat it down (the eye is now <12" from this cleat). Feed the opposite line through eye at your leisure, pull the free end back around forestay, motor up toward the ball(as necessary), let some helm-side line out to bring the eye to the bow center, and pull the opposite side line to it's cleat. Permanently cleat both line down on their respective hull cleats. Have a cold one... I have successfully picked up mooring balls by myself on 40' CATS (Leopards are easy, Lagoons hulls are tall) more than a dozen times. Winds do make a difference, but I have missed only once on first attempt. Marisol (above) is selling herself short- it is all in the helm, so she is making it happen. If the position is right, the pickup is smooth and easy. I am a single-hull guy, but have had to go over to the dark side due to the Admiral's preferences (one level, back issues). I have never understood the "committee" approach to mooring a CAT. Putting 5-6 people up on the tramp, yelling, with (different) hand-signaling, bending and stretching, and general confusion is entertaining, but... It is so much easier to just treat it like a mono-hull and put the ball just outside the hull that the helm is on. Easy-Peasy. No discussion. All in the helm, because you can see the ball, just like in a monohull. If you are two, the stopping point and reverse burst is when you see the forward person bend down.
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