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How long to make a mooring bridle?

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/30/2006 : 15:50:19

I'm going to be tying up to a mooring ball for the first time this Friday evening and am interested to know how others do this. My wife will almost certainly be the one trying to catch the mooring ball, and I want to make it as simple as possible for her. Do you catch the ball and run a loop on a line through the loop on top of the ball, then pick up the loop with the boat hook? Then bring that back up, bend on the bridle and pull it back through?

I've been at the helm of a 43' Polaris to do this twice, but you can't really see what's going on from the wheel, and my wife has watched the same process from the bow once, so we're both really novices at this manuever.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2006 : 16:43:23

I use two lines. Your marina will probably specify at least two lines and may have a detailed procedure that they prescribe.
My main mooring line on a snubber is 3.5 feet long. I attach the mooring ball end of the snubber line to the chain just below the mooring ball. The boat end gets snapshackled to my bow eye. I did this for two reasons 1)less stress on the mooring ball and the boat 2)does not get wound up around the loop on top of the ball.
When I leave the mooring ball, I unshackle the snubber from the bow eye and transfer that shackle to the top of the mooring ball.
My second line is made of a floating rope that is attached to the loop on top of the ball with a large snap shackle. The boat end is passed through the bow roller and cleated off to a forward deck cleat. When I leave the mooring, this line is left to float in the water with a big loop in the end - this makes it easy to pick up with a boat hook. Simply approach your mooring ball from down wind and your mooring line will be there waiting for you. When I single hand I can pick up this line with my boat hook without leaving the cockpit. You can also tie a float (plastic milk jug with a handle) to the end of the floating line. I prefer the floating line with the loop so that all I have to do while singlehanding is drop the loop over a cleat in the cockpit and the boat's forward movement is arrested, and when I am ready, I simply walk this line forward and run it through the bow roller.
When both lines are attached to my boat, the snubber line is bearing the load and the secondary line is loose and is considered a safety line.
Its been my experience (and observation of other boats) that a line tied to the top of a mooring ball often gets wrapped around the handle. I'm sure there are other fixes for this problem - I've found that the swivel on the bottom of a mooring ball has been a tangle free method. When you use a snapshackle or similar attachment on a mooring ball, I've found that it has to be big enough to move freely for it not to get tangled. If the snapshackle binds, you'll have trouble.
And, this fall when it got stormy here, I used two safety (secondary) lines, both left loose but the same length.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2006 : 17:02:07

Mike,
Thanks for the reply, I should have been more specific. We're taking a run out to Blake Island off of Seattle for the weekend, so we're going to be tying up to a mooring ball only for a short period, probably only overnight on Friday night. We will have a dinghy with us, so it's possible to use it to hook up, but I'd rather do it from on deck if we can.

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2006 : 17:32:27

A good way to bend a boat hook or to get vaulted overboard is to use a boat hook to grab a mooring ball from the deck of a moving boat. So if you do choose to do so, have your video camera ready because in a few years* it will seem pretty funny.

*or as long as it takes for the Admiral to get over the fact that she got tossed into the Pacific while you were at the helm.

On a C25/250 I'd get the Admiral to take the helm while we passed directly beside the mooring ball at lowest speed possible and I'd be quick as a bunny to pass a cleated dock line through the handle of the mooring ball....and cleat off again to a cockpit cleat or simply walk the line forward. The lowest free board and best point of access IMHO, is the cockpit. This will allow you to lean over the side with half your body in the cockpit. Pass the line from your left hand to your right hand through the handle in the mooring ball. A little easier to communicate with the helmsman/person too because you'll be close enough to take a swat across the back side in case you mess it up.
My brother-in-law is a long-time boater in Puget Sound (Boston Harbour near Olympia), he has a special boat hook for mooring balls, it has a shackle and line on the end of a boat hook that allows you to reach out and snap on and release a line all in one motion. He made it from a tree pruning pole. He moored in front of his house beside the light house there.
His father was the first light house keeper.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2006 : 18:10:13

Now that you mention it, I remember some serious straining going on with my friend's admiral while she struggled to pick up the mooring ball. I hadn't thought of doing it from the cockpit, that just makes too much sense. Then easy enough to walk it forward like you said. Rita wouldn't be too happy being flipped into the drink, she doesn't swim so well, and I've already dunked her once on an ill fated canoe trip down the Yakima River. Fortunately she had her vest on, so it was more an exciting moment than a terrifying one.

I used to put my catamaran in at Boston Harbor when I sailed it in the sound. I just had to learn to wear my wet suit (forgot the first time, only lasted 45 minutes). Extremely narrow & steep ramp there. Don't even think I could back my trailer down it with the C250 on it. I know exactly where the lighthouse is, if I'm ever down there again, I may just go knock on the door and introduce myself.

West Marine markets an end for your boat hook that lets you do the hook & release thing. I'll see how it goes this weekend, if we can snag it relatively quick, I doubt we'll need it.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.