"Armond Perretta" wrote:

Denis Marier wrote:
So far the only way I know is to pick up the mooring bail, bent down
and thread a rope through the bail. From the bow of a sailboat it
can become difficult when the weather is bad. I only wish I could
learn a better way to thread the pennant trough the bail hook.

There really _is_ no simpler method. I once picked up a mooring at Indian
Harbor (CT) while handling a 46 footer, where the mooring pennant had
already been removed (very late in the season). It was blowing 25 - 30 SW
and the youngsters manning the club's VHF had directed me to that specific
mooring. I realized only after the fact that the pennant was long gone to
storage. Meanwhile my soon-to-be wife was driving the ship with about 2
hours experience, trying to hear my shouts over the wind. We didn't sink
or hit anything hard, but it was close at times.

Repeat: There is no simple method and the best tactic is to grab that ball
with the pole and pray.

Bob made, and you can buy, a gadget to pick up a mooring ball whether
it has a pennant on it or not. He bought the parts in Miami at a
marine store (don't remember which one) and mounted them on an old
broomstick (with the broom part cut off). I can use it (usually it
works better for us to have me try to get the mooring ball and him to
steer especially in any kind of wind, although for anchoring we do it
the other way around), but he has to explain it to me each time, so
I'm not sure I can describe it very well. It's kind of a snap hook
device, and he threads the line from the boat into it.

I'll ask him when he comes up to bed tonight.


grandma Rosalie