How do you safely tie up to a swinging boat mooring?
I've just taken on a swinging mooring for my 32-foot sailing yacht. What is the best way to rig the lines so they don't chafe through in a blow, and how do I actually catch the buoy single-handed without losing my boat hook?
Answer
To tie up securely to a swinging mooring, approach slowly into the wind or tide, pick up the mooring pennant, and secure it to a strong point on your bow using a dedicated mooring strop or bridle. For long-term peace of mind, you must use heavy-duty lines protected by anti-chafe gear and back them up with a secondary safety line.
Catching the Mooring Buoy
Before you begin your approach, rig a temporary slip line on the bow. Take a 12mm or 14mm braided line, secure it to a bow cleat, run it outside all stanchions and rigging, and bring the working end back to the cockpit. Assess whether the wind or the current has a stronger effect on the moored boats around you. Make your approach directly into that dominant force. This gives you maximum control at minimum speed.
If you sail single-handed, bringing the slip line back to the cockpit allows you to hook the pickup buoy from the helm. You can thread the line through the ring and secure it temporarily without sprinting to the foredeck. Never wrap a loaded line around your hand or wrist when catching a heavy mooring. Once the boat settles, cut the engine, move forward, and rig your permanent mooring lines.
Rigging the Primary Strop
For a typical 32-foot yacht, your primary mooring strop should be a 16mm or 18mm three-strand nylon or octoplait line. Nylon stretches by up to 15 percent, absorbing the shock loads when the hull pitches in a swell. Some owners prefer polyester because it resists chafe better. Polyester lacks elasticity, meaning you must fit a rubber mooring snubber to the line to prevent snatching.
If your mooring buoy has a top ring, attach the strop using a forged steel shackle. A 12mm or 16mm tested bow shackle works best. Wire the shackle pin shut with monel wire so it cannot vibrate loose. Run the primary strop straight over the bow roller. Secure the inboard end to your largest bow cleat or a dedicated mooring samson post.
Rigging a Mooring Bridle
If your boat tends to sheer or sail around its mooring, a single strop over the bow roller will wear out quickly and put undue stress on the steering gear. The solution is a mooring bridle. A bridle consists of two lines of equal length. One leads through the port bow fairlead and the other through the starboard fairlead. They meet at a galvanised ring or swivel attached to the mooring chain.