MOORING BALL TECHNIQUE

This piece is from a talk I gave on bare boat chartering and the problems getting a mooring ball.

MOORING TECHNIQUE

Grabbing a mooring ball can be challenging when dealing with twenty knot breezes.  If you follow these techniques you will look like a pro in no time at all.  It is at least a two person procedure: One person on the helm and one on the bow. 

1.       As you are approaching the mooring field, the bow person takes two heavy lines to the bow along with a boat hook.  The boat hook should be secured so it does not fall overboard.  The end of one of the lines is tied to the cleat on starboard and the end of the other line is tied to the cleat on port.  The decision should be made which side of the boat the skipper wants to get the mooring ball on.  Whichever side the skipper wants to get the ball on usually because of visibility,  is where the ends of each line should be.  This means one of the line ends must be passed around the forestay. They can be loosely coiled and left on the deck with the ends draped over the bow pulpit.

2.       While all of this is happening on the bow, the skipper agrees with the bow person which mooring ball to get.  The skipper sets the boat up so when approaching the ball the boat will be motoring DIRECTLY INTO THE WIND.  It is amazing how being off the wind even 5 degrees in 20+ knot winds will cause the boat to spiral away from the ball. 

3.       While the skipper approaches the ball, the bow person has the boat hook in one hand like a spear aimed directly at the pendant of the mooring ball.  The other hand is held in a position where the skipper can see it.  Starting with 5 fingers extended.  As the ball is approached, the fingers are folded one by one.  The bow person can use whatever increments they want, but when the last finger is folded the hand becomes a tightly clenched fist.  This is the signal to the skipper that the boat should be stopped.

4.       The skipper watches as the fingers are folded and makes certain the boat hook is pointed directly toward the center of the bow.  When the fist is displayed by the bow person, the skipper stops the boat with a little reverse burst on the engine.  At this point he gazes laterally to set  up a range.  He keeps close to this range so he does not drift too far forward or get blown too far back.

5.       The bow person uses the boat hook to retrieve the pendant and secures the boat hook in a safe place (another set of hands helps with this).  With the end of the pendant on deck, the ends of the lines are passed through the thimble and back to the same cleat that the line started from.  The lines are evened up so the “bridle” is directly in front of the boat.  If there is intense competition for mooring balls, it is best to secure the ball with one line from one side of the bow, through the thimble to the other side of the bow.  Once you have secured the mooring ball, you can loop the other line.  In any event the final product must be a loop from starboard cleat through thimble and back to the same cleat.  Another loop must be made for the port side cleat.

 

If you follow these procedures and practice them, you will not be the subject of entertainment for all of the bare boaters on other boats.  Soon, they will be practicing your same techniques.