UKH

I've always wanted to get into single-handed sailing and my new to me 26' yacht will be going in the water very soon.

Any tips on the best way to pick up a swinging mooring buoy on your own?

Congratulations, what sort of yacht is she and where will you be sailing?

My first advice would be to have at least one crew member when sailing your yacht for a while until you get used to her.

It depends rather on the yacht, the location of the mooring and the conditions. If wind and tide are in the same direction then I would recommend furling the genoa in advance. Sail on a close reach up to the buoy and luff at the last second to kill her speed, positioning the buoy in the vicinity of the weather shroud. You should be able to step forward and grab the buoy.

In more tricky conditions you might do well to approach under engine, but always aiming to position the buoy on whichever side will be blown/pushed away from it. Have a line ready secured at the bow and running along the sidedeck outside everything. Pass this through the buoy and make fast and you will drop back until the buoy is at the bow.

You would do well to consider wearing a lifejacket and/or being secured to the boat because it would be easy to go over the side when picking up the buoy and then what?

Cheers. She's a Van de Stadt Invicta 26, long keel. I've sailed for the last 3 years on a bilge keeler with other crew but this is all mine now and i'd like to be able to sail her on her own. I sail around the south east, Thames estuary area.

The genoa is a furler so that should be ok. I'm hoping with the long keel I should be able to step forward and drop the main without changing direction, if not i'll get an auto-tiller or tiller lock.

She doesn't have much free-board so i'm hoping to be able to run the painter down the side to the cockpit and lean over, thread the buoy and allow her to drop back.

Getting excited!

damn! I was sure this was going to be another euphemism thread.

Practise practise practise. Go out with a crew to start with, even if it's only one person.

I used to run a Pirate 21 fast fisher single-handed which is miles away from your boat, but the golden rule when picking up things was always to be well-prepared. - ensure there's nothing to trip over, the boathook is extended and locked, you have nothing on the cleat you wish to use etc. Work out what you will do if you screw up. I assume you'll have an engine, but your maneuverability will be rubbish, so consider how you'll fall back off the wind/tide and the best way to do a 'go around'. You really don't want to run over a rope, because un-snagging yourself on your own will be very difficult.  Practical Boat Owner magazine used to have a page on tips for things like this by a guy called Peyton which may have been made into a book.

Something about painting fingernails and making your arm go numb? Actually I think that's submariners isn't it?

Yes it was all a bit "Swiss Tony" wasn't it?

I had an East Anglian, bit smaller than a twister. It is going to depend on the strengths of wind and tide at pick up. You will get to know your boat pretty well pretty quick. But I think being long keel and heavy she will be very predicable and carry her way well in benign conditions. Though not in reverse.

I have just read the book by Roger oliver about single handing around the UK in a sadler 25.

For more problematic conditions he leads the mooring warp from the bow back to the cockpit and has a 'gap' he can make in the wires between two stanchions, so all he has to do is lean down and thread it. Worth a thought and worth a read.

Enjoy. 

Try lots of things and find one that works for you and the boat.  In my opinion, the biggest risk (for a solo sailor) is the risk of being pulled overboard by the mooring lines whilst the boat is unsecured.  What I do is rig a big loop of Nylon rope, cleated at both ends so I can drop it over the mooring buoy to make fast temporarily whilst I pick up the mooring lines.  This avoids  ever having to have hold of a rope that isn't secured to your boat.

Bringing the boat up to the buoy somewhere near the shrouds can also give you a bit more time to leave the helm and pick up the mooring. 

Thanks, I might put the book on my christmas list.

My cockpit wires have quick release carabiners for want of a better word allowing me to drop both wires in between two stanchions. 

I thought this was a euphemism ... 

“Any tips on the best way to pick up a swinging mooring buoy on your own?”

hold on to the boat with your remaining hand and use your pirates hook on your stump to hook the buoy?

Well it depends on  with or without engine! I've sailed engineless with a 40 footer and a few smaller yachts for years. Wind and tide are kinda more complicated (I sailed out of Swanage for a while) but the best way is approach sailing slowly downwind undet foresail, just have a large loop off one of the rear cleats and drop it over the buoy as you slowly pass it and let the sheet fly.

Do a coastal skipper training course. Whereabouts on the Thames estuary are you. I sail a Moody S38 single handed a fair bit out of the Orwell and I’ve two methods. In benign conditions I set up a loop on the foredeck, approach slowly into the conditions (wind or tide whichever is stronger) drop the loop over the buoy and fall back and sort out ropes at leisure. In more challenging conditions I’ll reverse up and drop loop over then faff around to get bow attached without getting stuff wrapped around prop or rudder.

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you need a bit of advice from these guys . . . . 

Master Bates says that you soon get used to doing it on your own and after a while you actually prefer it.

There's another post running on UKC about avoiding divorce while climbing. We sat at the pontoon in Craighouse, on Jura, and watched a much larger yacht trying to pick up a buoy, the female half of the crew trying and failing repeatedly to catch it with a boathook. We couldn't hear the vocal language but the body language said it all as the skipper repeatedly steered around and came back for yet another attempt. I wonder whether it would have been easier or harder for a solo sailor.