Sailing off the mooring

[Dave_S]

I gave sailing off the mooring a go.......... not so great. Any tips appreciated.

About 8 to 10kn, my boat always faces the wind rather than the current, we were going to sail up wind so I put both daggerboards down, (probably a mistake but because as soon as we move I can't fully lower them). This caused a little bit of conflict with the breeze in the lulls but not much.

With the traveller centred I let out the main sheet to let the main have some additional movement to the boat and pulled up the main, no reefs. Then let out the Genoa sheeted on what would end up being the lee side.

I had two lines to the mooring, one from each hull, both lines are tied to the cleat at the bow of each hull, run out through the mooring loop and back to the same hull and tied off.

I imagined pulling the boat up on the mooring by hand and releasing one side then the other and drifting back, turn the boat in reverse and wait for the wind to fill the sails, trim the main and away we would go.

What really happened,....... Sails up, I tried to pull up on the mooring, which was harder than I thought. When I got there I realized as soon as I let go to release a bow line the boat was going to be pushed back very quickly. Which would probably only give me time to release only one bow line, and when the other took up, the boat, only tied on by one hull would have swung around and the wind would fill the sail and we would sail..... With one bow line still on, probably not good.

I was also concerned the bow lines might bind somehow and not slide through the mooring if I just let them feed through by themselves.

Sooooo I chickened out and ran up to the mooring on the motors, took the bow lines off then sailed away.

[belizesailor]

Type of boat?

[obxmedic]

Normally when tied to a mooring you use to separate bow lines one on the starboard side and one on the port tied to the bow cleat through the mooring then back to the same cleat on both sides of the bow this keeps your bow lines from cutting the mooring eye. When you are ready to depart remove one bow Line completely then tie the bitter end of the Bow line remaining to One side of the bow and the other end of the line to the other side of the bow. After making sure you have room to maneuver(making sure you have a bailout plan) raise your main sail and untie the bow line drift back and turn towards open area, This is always good to practice with no other vessels around! Happy sailing

[StuM]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Type of boat?

Schionning Waterline 1480 (if you are using a browser that shows avatar, location and boat info)

[StuM]

Originally Posted by obxmedic

When you are ready to depart remove one bow Line completely then tie the bitter end of the Bow line remaining to One side of the bow and the other end of the line to the other side of the bow.

This is in the multihull area of CF. OP has a large catamaran with lines going to both hulls.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by StuM

Schionning Waterline 1480 (if you are using a browser that shows avatar, location and boat info)

Nice!

[belizesailor]

Ive sailed lots of monos on/off moorimgs/anchors but only sailed off on cats a few times (lots of miles on many cats though). Below is my, not fully field tested, suggestion:

Assumptions: little or no current, at least one competent crew to help, plenty of room in mooring field, engines running...just in case, benign condition, camera rolling! 🤣

Mooring secured as usual to both bows, but set up to be quick and easy to cast off each leg.

Traveller centered.

Boards down.

Ease main sheet...a lot.

Raise main, ease sheet as necessary to keep it fully luffed.

Unfurl jib on side you plan to be leeward, but keep it fully luffed.

Crew release mooring line leg on same side as jib...then dashes to opposite bow. Boat shoud now start to pivot to same side as jib on remaining mooring line.

Crew drops remaining mooring line.

Sheet in jib quick and tight. (Keep main well eased and luffing).

As boat gains speed start to sheet in main...and you!re off! [emoji41]

Turn off camera...post video later.


Also: Ive sailed cats off anchor before by dropping the bridle, shortening scope, and backing jib to get boat to fall off.

[Tusitala]

The way we normally go about it is to raise the main and sheet it in flat. board down, then cast off the mooring line. with the main sheeted in and the boat head to wind we sail backwards so we don't run over the mooring lines or ball. steer backwards to bear off, unfurl enough headsail to get the boat moving on the desired tack, quick tack if necessary. if it's breezy or we just feel like it we'll hoist the main with a reef two to control our speed . never really unfurl the entire headsail until we're moving along nicely, it just gets in the way and makes tacking more work. maybe practice a few time when the mooring field isn't crowded.


Pat

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Tusitala

The way we normally go about it is to raise the main and sheet it in flat. board down, then cast off the mooring line. with the main sheeted in and the boat head to wind we sail backwards so we don't run over the mooring lines or ball. steer backwards to bear off, unfurl enough headsail to get the boat moving on the desired tack, quick tack if necessary. if it's breezy or we just feel like it we'll hoist the main with a reef two to control our speed . never really unfurl the entire headsail until we're moving along nicely, it just gets in the way and makes tacking more work. maybe practice a few time when the mooring field isn't crowded.


Pat

Kind of boat?

[Tusitala]

Searunner 34. Seaclipper 28 before that

[44'cruisingcat]

What I've found to be the main difficulty of sailing off a mooring or the anchor is that until the boat gets moving at 1 - 1 1/2 knots, the mainsail overpowers the rudders and we go into irons.

So the way I do it is:

Raise the main, sheet completely loose.

Drop the mooring. ( Or raise the anchor. )

Push the boom across to what will be the leeward side. This makes the boat sail backwards slowly and makes the bow fall off the wind. Some rudder can also help.

When there's enough wind angle, unfurl the headsail and sheet it on.

As the boat starts moving forward steer off the wind a bit more. Then as it accelerates gently sheet on the main.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Tusitala

Searunner 34. Seaclipper 28 before that

Ah, trimaran. Ive done a fair amount of tri sailing, never on/off a mooring, but its gonna handle differently than a biggish cat...more like a mono. On a cat that sheeted tight main is more likely to weather vane the boat (as 44 describes above).

[Tusitala]

actually it handles nothing like a monohull. and I've sailed on plenty of cats, works the same. the idea with the main in tight is to keep the boat pointing into the wind , not darting around, and to get it moving backwards so you don't foul the mooring, obviously not an issue when anchored. if I don't ease the main when ready to bear off the boat won't, the sail overpowers the rudder. in some conditions we unfurl some headsail and back it to help start sternway. backing the main is useful too, especially if I'm not as far off the wind as I would like before transitioning from doing a sternboard to fwd motion. we need to get some headsail set before bringing the main back in or we too will end up in irons.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Tusitala

actually it handles nothing like a monohull. and I've sailed on plenty of cats, works the same. the idea with the main in tight is to keep the boat pointing into the wind , not darting around, and to get it moving backwards so you don't foul the mooring, obviously not an issue when anchored. if I don't ease the main when ready to bear off the boat won't, the sail overpowers the rudder. in some conditions we unfurl some headsail and back it to help start sternway. backing the main is useful too, especially if I'm not as far off the wind as I would like before transitioning from doing a sternboard to fwd motion. we need to get some headsail set before bringing the main back in or we too will end up in irons.

Ok. So more like 44s tactic then...sail backwards a little bit?