boat owner

2

...so she sails on a broad reach to get

downwind. Now almost directly downwind of

the buoy, she rounds up so the sails lose drive.

4

...but it’s not

enough to stop her.

There’s no point in trying

to pick up a mooring at

this speed. Some boats

just carry their way

more than others.

I

n theory, this one of the more

straightforward manoeuvres.

There’s still plenty of scope

for getting it wrong, though,

whether you make your final

approach with both sails or under

mainsail only. In this instance the

tide was weaker than expected but

still running in the same direction

as the wind, from left to right.

Wind and tide together Picking up the mooring

Seamanship

Mooring under sail

Picking up and leaving a mooring under sail can be anything from quietly

satisfying to absolutely essential. David Harding explores some techniques

Y

ou don’t often see

people sailing on to a

mooring these days.

It’s easier and

quicker – and safer, in

many instances – to drop or furl

the sails and make the approach

under engine. Nonetheless,

picking up a mooring under

sail is a useful skill.

Engines do break down. Water

intakes get blocked, impellers give

up, air gets into the fuel, lines get

caught around the prop – and so

on. We have all had these things

happen to us and there’s never a

convenient time.

Even if you’re not forced to sail,

sometimes it’s simply nicer to

avoid disturbing the peace and to

slip in – or away – without firing up

the donk. The trouble is that there

are so many combinations of

wind, tide, obstructions and boat

behaviour to take into account.

Established techniques exist for

wind-with-tide and wind-against-

tide, but you still have to work out

TOO FAST 1 The buoy in the foreground
is the target. Enigma is
currently upwind of it...

3

Although some distance

away before rounding

up, she had been moving fast

and is carrying her way.

Pushing the mainsail out

can help act as a brake...

the best approach in any

particular situation, be ready to

modify it on the hoof and then

be prepared to have another go

if it doesn’t work out the first

time – which there’s a good

chance it won’t.

Getting ready

For our moorings session we went

out into the harbour with Enigma,

an MG 346 that’s fitted out more

for racing than for cruising – hence

the laminate mainsail and the

absence of a roller-reefing system

for the headsail. We deliberately

under-canvassed her, using an old

Dacron jib and tucking a reef in

the mainsail to slow things down

and minimise the noise and wear

of flogging sails.

Our plan was to show the

correct approach and, in some

instances, also how not to do it.

A conveniently empty winter

harbour meant we didn’t have

to dodge around other boats –

a luxury you won’t usually be able

to enjoy, but one that makes it

easier to see what’s going on.