Picking up a mooring with a bow sprit

[mdhanlon]

Before I start, I'll explain how I normally tie up to a mooring, which is to run a line from the port bow cleat through the mooring pendant (around the bow of the boat including the headsail) over to the starboard bow cleat. Then duplicate the process with a line from the starboard bow cleat to the port bow cleat.

I recently chartered a Catana 47 cat with a bow sprit in the Society Island, FP. There all of the moorings are double ended, so you're supposed to attach each end to one of your bow cleats. We had no problem getting one of the ends onto a cleat but couldn't figure out how to get the other one on as we couldn't figure out how to clear the bow sprit. Even if I was approaching a normal mooring pendant, I can't figure out how to do this. I've searched online and can't find an explanation. Looking for some help from someone with a cat with a bow sprit, how do you tie up to a mooring and how do you clear lines around the sprit?

[tamicatana]

I retract mine

[sailormed]

I am not a cat skipper. My proposition: always have a line attached to the starboard cleat and bring it to the port cleat outside the bowsprit. When yo pickup the first mooring line also pickup the 2nd mooring line and attach to this line. Maybe there are other solutions.

[catsketcher]

I usually retract mine but if I am mooring with it on I walk a line from one bow to the other and flick it around the underwires and prodder. If it is nice and long and light you can just use your wrist to make it go around the Code 0, prodder and underwires. Use a floating line and you can drop it in the water and pick it up on the new side with the boathook.

Then you have a messenger line ready. Or do it after you have cleated both lines onto one bow. Then use the messenger to pull the bridle arm around.

cheers

Phil

[dalav8r]

I also use the line method. I run it outside my bowsprit and spinnaker halyard. Loop it though the pendants and bring it back. My bowsprit is only 3 feet long though.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by mdhanlon

Before I start, I'll explain how I normally tie up to a mooring, which is to run a line from the port bow cleat through the mooring pendant (around the bow of the boat including the headsail) over to the starboard bow cleat. Then duplicate the process with a line from the starboard bow cleat to the port bow cleat.

Be careful running a line through the mooring pendant from bow to bow. It can saw backwards and forwards and chafe through the eye on the pendant very quickly. Some mooring owners explicitly prohibit this. You can avoid this problem by running a line from the stbd bow through the pendant and back to the stbd bow. Then a second line from port side. Adjust each to put the mooring ball in the center and as close or as far as you want.

To deal with a bowsprit, you can drive the stbd bow or the easiest place on the stbd cross beam to reach and pick up to the mooring, run a long (2x beam) adjustable bow line from the stbd bow through the mooring eye and back to the stbd bow. Then drive the port side/bow to the mooring, run the port line through the eye and back to the port bow. Then drop back and adjust both lines to position the mooring ball where you want it. If I understand your FP situation correctly, you can then just use your bow lines to pull the twin mooring lines back to each bow.

[Montanan]

The configuration you have described will induce sawing on the independent lines.

I would strongly recommend instead utilize double independent pendants one from the starboard bow hardpoint and the other from the port bow hardpoint, consisting of two standard single pendants with protective thimbles connected by a galvanized sling link at the base where the independent pendants join and then shackle the sling link to the mooring ball pendant.

Preattach each of the independent pendant bridle lines to the starboard and port hardpoints and then just pick up the mooring pendant and shackle the galvanized link to the mooring pendant in one easy step. No fiddling about with the independent pendant lines or having to move from starboard and port just lift the mooring pendant from near the center bow in one motion.

This avoids all potential of chafe and complete redundancy of pendant lines so it one was to break there is a second to hold.

An example of such a double pendant product linked here.

https://rwrope.com/products/nylon-do...31137815953510

[Mirage35]

I have a longish line with a snap shackle on one end, which I attach to a bow cleat and then run down to midships. The person at the helm comes up beside the mooring, I grab it with a boat hook and snap on the shackle. At that point the boat is attached and I have all the time in the world to attach the real mooring lines however I want.

This is on a monohull, but I see no reason why the approach couldn't be used on a cat.

[dougweibel]

Montanan and Mark Norwood have good advice.

We never collapse our bow sprit to pick up a mooring. Regardless of if there are one or two mooring pendants we always start with two lines, one attached to each bow cleat. My wife prefers to work the starboard side so she will bring the working end (and all the slack) of the port line outside the code-0 on the sprit to the starboard side. She directs us up so we arrive with the ball just inside the front of the starboard bow and she brings up the pendant(s).

If there is a single pendant she will take the starboard line and run it through the pendant and back to the starboard cleat. It is very helpful to get one line on and secured properly before worrying about the other. Then she can use that line to haul the pendant back up and run the port line through. She then works the working end of the port line back to the port side outside the code-0 cleats it off and then we can take our time adjusting the lines.

If there are two pendants then she will run the starboard line through one and cleat it off to starboard after taking out as much slack as possible. Then she will boat-hook the second pendant, pass the port line through, work it around to port and cleat it off. Often we will not put the pendants on our cleats but just leave very short loops of our line attaching the pendants to our cleats. This gives you flexibility to adjust one leg longer if you want to angle into a swell, and keeps messy pendant lines off deck

Often when working the port line back to port it will end up laying across the bow sprit. Just have the helm nudge the boat forward and use a boat hook to shove it off. If the helm person is doing a reasonable job of keeping the boat in place till the bow person signals they are all done then needing to clear a line from the sprit should not be a problem.

The key to making the bow person's job easy is for the helm person to hold the boat in position. Use the engines to keep it from rotating or drifting back. if you keep the mooring ball more or less under the starboard (or port) crossbeam then things go smoothly. If you approach the ball and as soon as you see the bow person reach down with the hook then you think you are done at the helm, well then things may generally not go smoothly.

[captstu]

I operated a 43' cat for several years - kept a line cleated to my starboard bow and run back to the starboard stern. When picking up a mooring, I slid slowly forward past the mooring, walked down the starboard sugar scoop, and picked up the mooring bridle(s), securing them to the previously laid line and recreating that line.

Then I shut down the engines. Eventually the mooring slid forward to the starboard cleat, Then I moved the other end of the previous line to the cleat, establishing the starboard pennant. I the ran the port pennant under the bow and attached it, finally releasing the moorig from the cleat

Picking up off the sugar scoop kept the scramble to a minimum.

[Jetx]

My wife drives the boat, while I handle mooring/ anchoring duties. We never retract or fold down the sprit.

Before approaching a mooring, I secure one end of both bridle lines to their respective cleats. I take the free end of the port line across to the stbd bow, running it outside the code zero, and flicking it around the sprit by hand, and then leave the free end laying on the tramp near the stbd bow. The stbd line I will cleat off about 10ft from one end, and toss the long tail out of the way on the tramp.

When we come up to the mooring, we position the boat so the ball is just outside the stbd bow (where it’s easier for the helm to see). I hook and lift the pendant, run the SHORT end of the stbd line through the eye and cleat it back to the stbd bow. Initially, I cleat this stbd bridle line as short as possible, so that the eye of the pennant is hanging right off the bow and within arms reach.

At this point we’re secure, and can take our time running the port bridle line through the pennant eye and back to the port bow. Then just ease the stbd bridle line and re-cleat at the appropriate length.

Besides making it easier to rig the port bridle (since the pennant is still within arms reach), keeping the stbd bridle very short initially means there’s never any need to manually haul in on the bridle line or to maneuver back up to the ball using engines. Just “hook up short” on the stbd bow, and the rest is simple. Very nice when picking up a mooring in heavier wind.

[Chris Cringle]

Please don't run a line from one bow cleat through the eye in the mooring pennant and back to another bow cleat. That chafes the hell out of the mooring pennant eye and is a sure sign of an inexperienced sailor.

[LeeV]

As described, use a separate line from each bow.
That said, we had an unfortunate experience at the mooring field inside the inlet by Palm Beach with wind and tide reversing in a blow. We were out of state, and when we next saw it, the ball had apparently run under the boat and the lines had pulled down so hard on the two whiskerstays, the sprit bent.

I learned how to make a new sprit though! Much heavier, btw.

[Scorpius]

I would suggest that it's never a good idea to pick up a mooring with a bow sprit. It's probably much easier to do with a boat hook!

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

I would suggest that it's never a good idea to pick up a mooring with a bow sprit. It's probably much easier to do with a boat hook!